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by Pat Murphy
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After an absence of some years the once popular New Year's Eve dinner dance was resurrected this year and the fully booked club were rewarded with an enjoyable and energetic evening. To celebrate the 25th anniversary of the new clubhouse the theme for the night was "25". Not that there were any participants under 25 but rather multiples of same.
The day began with a work party decorating the club with appropriate décor including the blowing up of many balloons, this task being made easy with a special designed "balloon blower upper" manufactured by one of our octogenarians. The balloon net being erected by the male "balloon net engineers" became entangled until an unqualified female engineer came to their rescue!!! The helium balloon blower uppers had to move their operation into the low roofed old galley after they tied the first balloon and left it on the table prior to attaching to a table weight. That first helium filled balloon can still be seen high up in the roof of the dining room!!!
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During the excellent four course meal the multitudes were entertained by the "MC", and "Auctioneer" (no names). The three items auctioned were (1) a return car trip Dublin to Holyhead donated by Stena, (2) bed/breakfast and dinner for two in the Talbot Hotel in Wexford and (3) dinner for 6 in their own home complements of Charles Blandford. The auction together with the accompanying raffle, with its variety of prizes donated by participants, raised over  1,600 for the Peter McVerry Trust for homeless youths in Dublin.
Each of the 13 tables were given names complete with laminated pictures of each e.g. "Ireland's Eye", "The Puck Rock", "The Stack", "Rowan Rocks" "The Kish Bank" etc.. Each of the names came with stories attached.
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The "Jack to Jack Trio" band took over just after 10pm and produced a great variety of music to suit the attendees. At midnight, with EVERYBODY on the dance floor we bade farewell to 2012 and welcomed in 2013 accompanied with the destruction of the carefully erected balloon retaining net. Very few balloons survived the experience. It has also been reported that some of the dancers are still suffering from aches and pains due to being out of practise with such exercising!!!! While dancing concluded at 12.45 the "craic" etc. did not expire until ??.??.
In conclusion, IT WAS A MEMORABLE ENJOYABLE AND GREAT VALUE NIGHT, congratulations to all concerned.
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