Posted by murrisk on November 21, 2000 at 02:07:23:
In Reply to: Re: Liquid Matters posted by Up the Pearses on November 20, 2000 at 17:02:12:
I was always surprised by the number of people in
Castlebar who drank rum. I don't think they were
navy types. Maybe the habit was picked up in
England. Rum and black was only one of the favourite
drinks around Xmas. Xmas was also the time when there
were big poker games played in the upstairs room of
the snooker club. In 1969 females were allowed to join.
Prior to that, at least in the early to mid 1960's, it
was a happy male environment. Big sums of money were
bet in those poker games. Being devoid of any inclination
to play cards, and in any event being without the
financial resources to play "high stakes poker", I
could only stand on the sidelines and watch as local
high rollers of my age, like Donal McEllin and Kieran
Cahill, bet what were to me exhorbitant sums of money.
I remember Mr. Cahill being taken to task by the table
for continually counting his money. This was years before
Kenny Rogers "The Gambler" and its line "... time enough
for counting when...." The small card room was always
choked with cigarette and cigar smoke. On the next level
down the arts of snooker and billards were demonstrated
by the likes of Tony Kenny whose tall thin frame and long
boney fingers seemed able to provide him with a rest
just about any place on the table. Those fingers
gave rise to his nickname. Tony also made money on
race horses or so I was told. Every Saturday was another
adventure for Tony. Other young patrons included
Michael Cunningham, John Kenny, Edward Killeen, Pa Cunningham,
Pop Burke, Brian Riley, Ken Lyons, Christy Tynan,
Francis Boland, Sean and Eamon Cunningham, Skipper
and occasionaly Peter McGough and ______ McLoughlin
(aka Foxy before that name attached itself sexily
to the opposite gender). Older and wiser (?) patrons
included Tosie Kelly, Butty Kittrick and Leo Shaughnesey (?)
I think Butty "officered" the club for a while. Oh happy
and well spent youth.