In Reply to: Ballrooms of Romance posted by Oliver Killeen on April 09, 2010 at 12:59:00:

Reading about the ballroom of romance reminds me of the time in the 50's on McHale Road, getting a knock on the front dooor of No5 at 6pm one evening, my mother opened it to find Micky (Clinic) Gutherie standing there asking for me, with no warning Mickey shouts in the door put your coat on and bring your guitar Tony Chambers van is here we are going to play up the North, I was putting my coat on when my mother said "dont you think you should finish your tea first" which I gulped down, next thing I was in the coach with Tony, Madam Burke, Pat Devaney, ? Ralph and off we drove to Ballyshannon. On the way up I told Tony that I only knew one tune and that was Duane Eddy's Forty miles of bad road I think it was Pat Devaney who chirped up your bloody right there.The ballroom was called the Mecca and we were the first band to play there. Madam Burke asked me what key I was in "I told her I had'nt a clue, so she said you start playing and she would join in. What a laugh, we got back to Castlebar at 5am the next morning started work at 9 in Bourks garage in Market Square great to be young, so many memories of old Castlebar.