And 1st prize is "a pair of tights"
“And 1st Prize is “A pair of tights”
It's a drizzly summers evening and there is a social in the school to night. I have a grand black and white velvet dress on, crisp white socks and a ribbon in my hair. It’s taking mammy ages to get ready and I cannot wait to get going, sure I've been ready since Mass time! Kevin is ready to go and he is outside playing with the dog ‘Sailor’. Mammy shouts to Daddy "are you coming to the Social?" "No" he says " I'll stay at home and mind the ould fella" (that's what we called Michael Kennedy next door). "Ah Mammy come on its started!" You can hear the ·accordion music sailing through the air. He gives her the eye and shouts "don't be talking to any ould jacks!" as she bangs the front door.
We call next door for Mrs. Kennedy. She strolls out the steps wearing her blue crimplene coat and a couple of strings of Yankee pearls that the girls sent from America. At last we set off as Joseph and Kieran Early catch up to us going down the hill.
As we go in the gate you can see a gathering around the side of the school beside the play shed. They are about to light the bonfire. There are a few chairs around the fire for the older ones.
The kids stay outside for a while to play. Mike Kenny warns us to keep away from the fire so we go down to throw stones in the river behind the play shed, till Mike Jimmy Johnny runs us away from there! We have a game of four cornered fool in the play shed until we cannot stand the midges any longer. We all head off into the school with big red itchy lumps on us.
There is a fairly good crowd gathered to night. Mrs Lally has joined Maggie Kenny and all the crew huddled around the near fireplace, which is smoking like the devil. The other fire is for the visitors, Mattie and Patsy Dowd are there and they have the cutest little girleen with them, Ger and Patty Flanagan are there too, and they also have little baby with them. John and Teresa Moran, Tom and Bridie McNicholas are in the circle too. There are beads of sweat on Frank Nally's forehead, and he is delighted with the break when Julie and Mae Lyons sing "The Ould Claddagh Ring" and then Mike Jimmy Johnny gives a few bars of "The old bog road" Gerry Kennedy grabs the button key accordion and plays "Will you go Lassie Go and The Rocks of Bawn" Its all industry in the corner as Bridgie dishes out the orders and Julie, Gertie, Mae and Maureen Murphy dish out the tea. There is a tray piled high with brack, followed by chocolate swiss roll, homemade fruit cake and biscuits. Gina and I gather up the cups afterwards and the ladies washed them in a basin in the corner. Bridgie sets off with here USA Biscuit tin selling tickets for the raffle, as Father Fitzsimon says "good night" to us all, and now the craic can begin in earnest, as Frank Nally starts up the music again.
It’s time for the raffle now. Frank Nally calls out the numbers and Bridgie gives out the prizes. She is delighted when Paddy Moran wins the first prize and with a glint in her eye she presents him with a "PAIR OF TIGHTS"!! There are hoots, whistles, and laughter, as the crowd demands that he puts them on and to everyone's amusement he makes a playful grab for her leg. The other winners got a choice of a tin of peaches, a packet of Kimberly biscuits, or a Swiss roll. Jose Kelly decides that the time is right to present Tom Tuohy with a medal for first prize in the waltzing competition and the poor devil is delighted.
Mike Jimmy Johnny announces that Kieran Ansbro is playing for the next social on the first week end in August and tells us that if we enjoyed ourselves to night to throw a few bob in the biscuit tin at the door on the way out. As we stand to attention for the National Anthem, we all feel that the night was great craic and most enjoyable. As Mammy takes us by the hand and we walk back up the hill to Rushill again, I just cannot wait for the next Social. Vincent and Mary will be home then and there will be loads of visitors in Kennedys too, Joan, Edna, Mary, Kitty are coming home, but best of all Tommie Kennedy and Rosie are coming. As we follow the light from the flash lamp up the hill that all I can talk about....... I just can't wait ....
Mens Committee of Prizon School Social Centre.
Back Row L to R: Gerry Kennedy, Mike f. Reilly (R.l.P), Paddy Moran, Mike Kenny (R.!.P), Johnny Tonra (R.!.P). Front Row L to R: Edward (Doyle) Reilly (R.I.P), Jose Kelly (R.l.P), Pat Morrison (R.!.P), Martin Corcoran (R.I.P).
Mrs. Kennedy sits in beside Maggie Kenny, Kathleen Sonny, Maggie Corley, Ann Moran, Maureen Murphy, Mrs Lynskey, Bea Roche and Ellie Gavin, all lined up waiting for a great blaze, Doyle Reilly and Jim Jay are standing at the corner in deep conversation. There is a bit of a power struggle between Mike Jimmy Johnny and Mike Kenny for the honour of lighting the fire. That settled, when we hear the unmistakable revs of Father Fitzsimon's car pulling up. He comes bustling in the gate, and bellows "God Bless all here" with a big wide smile on his face. He cracks a match and Bridgie Kenny throws in a dash of paraffin oil from a Mi Wadi Orange bottle, and up goes the blaze. Frank Nally squeezes a few more tunes out of the accordion in the still night air, as Sean and Julie Loftus arrive carrying a box with cups plates and a tea pot for the "refreshments" later. You can hear a high pitch buzz as the tyres take light in the bonfire and Mike Jimmy Johnny warns us all to stand back in case it blows! Everyone greets Michael and Annie Mae Burke, Johnny, Mary and Stephen Tonra, while Mae Lyons, Gina and the lads arrive with Martin and Gertie Roche. The small midges are biting like hell, and it is starting to drizzle heavily, so everyone scoots around the corner and enters the school.
The ones that went to Balla first for a few pints, are just beginning to spill in the door with fine rosy complexions on them, closely followed by Scan Molloy and the Ballyvary brigade. The floor boards are creaking with waltzes, fox trots, quicksteps, and half sets. There is a great atmosphere as the "Siege of Ennis "is called, "around the house now and mind the dresser" shouts Paddy Moran. This proves to be some craic as the ones that are half steamed are bound to tumble in the round swing. There are shouts of "Yahoo" and "Go Easy" but it is too late as the Ballyvary gang staggers and topples the Prizon gang and there is a right ould scrummage in front of the band. The whole place is roaring with laughter, as the bodies are pulled out and lined up once more. We have hardly recovered from that when Gerry Kennedy plays a "stack of barley" Julie and Gertie are the first on the floor and soon everyone else joins in. There is right gallop at the end as he speeds up the tempo and we are all well flaked and gasping by time we fall back on the forms and chairs again.
"Everyone knew where the ladies were going when they checked their sleeves for a tissue first as two or three together sneaked out the door with Mike Kenny's torch. They really had to be "bursting to go" because you needed all the courage you could muster to sit on that wooden toilet seat over the "dungeon" as you just wouldn't know what might jump out of it .......
Jack Ansbro