Absolute Bedlam at my 21st #100DaysOfOldDays

Posted on May 9, 2022 by Gloria

Day 84 #100DaysOfOldDays

People would ask, “Are there many going to your 21^st?”

The reply would be, “Only about 300.”

A 21^st birthday party was a big event in the 80’s & 90’s. If you forgot to invite someone known to you, you were off their Christmas card list forever.

A normal pub was no use for a 21^st because it was just too small. It had to be a big venue, like the Bailie Hotel, the White Horse in Cootehill, The Lavey Inn, and maybe The Royal Breffini or The Hideout. The Jolly Old Cross in Cormeen was another good venue for parties—I was at a few good hooleys there.

After sending out invitations to just about everyone you knew (and their cousins), you hired a band for the night. If you had good friends, they helped you with the food for your guests; sandwiches and salads followed by tea and dessert. If you had a healthy budget, you let the venue provide the catering.

My 21^st party was in the Bailie Hotel. It was December 1988. There was quite a big crowd plus a few gate crashers; just people who rambled in after the pubs had closed. The more the merrier was our motto, so the gate crashers were welcome as long as they behaved. Dessie Connors was my video man for the night. (The video still exists but we don’t have a video player!)

With the help of my friends and family, I organised the food and the Bailie provided the tea and coffee. Of course, there was a cake with twenty one candles on it, which was cut on the night and passed around. We didn’t have champagne or anything fancy like that; just normal drinks.

I hired Medicine Jar from Cavan to play; a popular band in their day. They were good at interacting with the crowd and getting people out to dance.

The night really took off when a local band called Absolute Bedlam took to the stage. The crowd went crazy, dancing and cheering up at the lads. The roof nearly lifted off the place! It may as well have been Pink Floyd on the stage; the carry-on of us all!

The band members were Charles Clarke (known as DJ Lawless), Philip Clarke, Dennis Brady, Paul O’Dowd and Enda Halpin. They didn’t make it to the charts but they were a big hit on the night of my 21st and helped to make it a night to remember!

Come Dine With Me Spanish Style!

Posted on September 14, 2017 by Gloria

So the big night arrived. The final dinner in the Come Dine With Me 2017 Competition, hosted by yours truly. All my plotting and planning had come together quite nicely.

I decided on the Spanish theme a couple of months ago when I took Little Miss Six Year Old to a birthday party. They had a piñata and boy were they having a fabulous time. Some of the kids scared me a bit – they were ruthless!

Poor Piñata

I had fleeting images of Mohotma Coatalay thrashing the bejaysus out of one of these things. That’s when the idea came to me. Weh hey!!! A Spanish Dinner Party! With a piñata!

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This One Time In Scout Camp. Esmeralda!

Posted on August 15, 2017 by Gloria

The Night I Met Esmeralda.

I first met Esmeralda in August 2008 at a scout jamboree in Punchestown. We were both scout leaders back then. Over 10,000 scouts from countries all over the world attended this jamboree and I befriended a few Italians and Spaniards but the only one I kept in touch with was Esmeralda.

It was during one of my late evening walks around the campsite, that I first laid eyes on the talented and attractive Señora. The clicking sounds of her castanets stopped me in my tracks. I acknowledged the inviting glances from the Spanish scout group, by joining them in their circle of merriment.

Esmeralda was performing the Flamenco for the troop, while her husband Fernando sat on a Cajon slapping the life out of it! Their daughter Ginella also accompanied them, playing her flamenco guitar. “What a talented family!” I thought.

Esmeralda’s passion for the music and dance was mesmerising. She clapped her hands loudly but gracefully, and stomped her feet rhythmically on the dewy grass – the only available stage on our campsite. Her ruffled red satin skirt swished around her as she spiralled around the campfire like a wild gypsy woman. The darkness was lit up by the fierce amber flames that danced in unison with Esmeralda. She possessed the fiery energy of a raging bull during her dance that night.

After her performance, she sat by my side and welcomed me to their campfire. We chatted for a while and I was happy when she accepted my invitation to join our troop at our campfire singsong the following evening.

She performed many dances for us during the jamboree and not only did she teach our scouts some serious dance steps, she gave them some unforgettable memories.

And that was the beginning of our friendship. Esmeralda and Fernando bought a holiday home in Cavan three years later and they have been part of my circle of friends ever since. I have many stories to tell about us!! If she allows me to do so!