One and only ‘performance’ in Mansion House recalled
By Tom Gillespie
DESPITE the valiant efforts of my late, great, mother-in-law, Dot Redmond, the queen of Irish dancing, I still have two left feet when it comes to any kind of dancing.
I grew up in Marian Row, Castlebar, and my neighbour across the road in St. Bridget’s Crescent, Mary Deere (Campbell), gave Irish dancing lessons to all the youngsters in the area.
Later, when I was ‘walking out’ with Dot’s daughter, I was recruited to make up the numbers when a team of dancers from the Redmond Academy were to participate in a competition in Dublin’s historic Mansion House in 1967.
I was kitted out with an Irish dancing costume, kilt and all. My role was to carry an Irish flag into the Round Room. No dancing involved, just stand to the side, look important, and after their performance lead the dancers off the stage.
I’m pictured here with Virginia O’Donoghue (Hegarty) from McHale Road, one of the many hundreds of talented dancers Dot taught during her illustrious career, and me with my knobbly knees, a fine head of hair and googly eyes.
It was the only time that I wore a kilt.
When we went to the Mansion House I had no idea of its historic significance.
The Mansion House was built in 1710 by the merchant and property developer Joshua Dawson, after whom Dawson Street is named. Dublin Corporation purchased the house in 1715 for assignment as the official residence of the Lord Mayor. It retains this purpose to this day.
In 1821, the Round Room was built in order to receive King George IV, while the distinctive metal portico over the main door was erected for the visit of Queen Victoria in 1900.
The First Dáil assembled in the Round Room on Friday, January 21, 1919, to proclaim the Irish Declaration of Independence. Two years later, in 1921, the Anglo-Irish Treaty was ratified in the same location.
In the 1930s and ‘40s plans were made to demolish the building, and all other buildings on the block on which it is located (which covered an area on Dawson Street, Molesworth Street, Kildare Street, and the north side of St. Stephen’s Green), to enable the building of a new Dublin City Hall.
However the decision of the government to erect a new Department of Industry and Commerce on a site on the same block, on Kildare Street, led to the abandonment of the plans.
But getting back to the Irish dancing, I had the privilege in the 1960s, ‘70s, ‘80s, ‘90s and 2000s to travel abroad with the dancers to folk dancing festivals in Belgium, France, Holland, Spain, Latvia and America, representing Mayo and Ireland.
On the first outing to Belgium we travelled by ferry from Dublin to Hollyhead, by train to London where we overnighted and stayed with Dot’s late sister-in-law, Chrissie Dolan, and her husband Billy. Next day it was on by train to Dover and ferry to Ostend.
What was noteworthy in 1967 was that Dot took her troop abroad and she was the sole adult in the group, a far cry of what could be attempted today.
An invitation from the president of the Mayo Association in New York, Bohola native P.J. Conlon, was extended to Dot in 1992 for her dancers to participate in the St. Patrick’s Day parade down Fifth Avenue on March 17, 1993.
This was her biggest challenge to date, but in true Dot style, she rallied the parents of the dancers from Castlebar, Westport, Claremorris, Straide, Foxford, Ballyvary and Ballyglass and launched a fundraising drive to help defray the travel costs.
The campaign was launched in October ’92 and with monthly, then weekly, meetings at the Travellers Friend Hotel, the plans were finalised.
In New York the group performed as special guests at the annual Mayo Association ball and as they returned to their Manhattan hotel that night it started to snow. In the morning the snow was several feet deep.
On St. Patrick’s Day, there were still mounds of snow lying around as the dancers, carrying the Mayo banner, led the Mayo Association contingent down Fifth Avenue.
Outside St. Patrick’s Cathedral, Cardinal John O’Connor was on the viewing stand and Dot was introduced to him and presented him with a piece of Waterford Glass.
During their stay the dancers gave several displays of their intricate footwork at several locations around New York City.
They took the Circle Line boat trip around Manhattan Island and viewed all the popular tourist attractions such as the Statue of Liberty, Wall Street, Ellis Island, Brooklyn Bridge, and the Empire State Building.
Their return flight from JFK Airport to Shannon was delayed because of a huge thunder storm.
Those who travelled to New Your were: Derbhile Barrett, Foxford, Ineke Gillespie, Castlebar, Enda McHale, Castlebar, Emer Molloy, Claremorris, Elaine McDermott, Castlebar, Caroline Walsh, Ballyvary, Keith Morahan, Castlebar, Orlaith Waldron, Claremorris, Aoife Smyth, Straide, Deirdre Kenny, Ballyvary, Michael Smyth, Straide, Michelle Flatley, Foxford, Tom Walsh, Ballyvary, Evan McCallig, Claremorris, Johanne Pierce, Castlebar, Aoife O’Keefe, Westport, Paula Glynn, Ballyglass, Michelle Doherty, Straide, Sandra Mullen, Westport, Toni Bourke, Castlebar, Orla Curry, Westport, Sheila Glynn, Ballyglass, Tara McDermott, Castlebar, Mandy Walsh, Ballyvary, Tanya Morahan, Castlebar, Tara McDonnell, Castlebar, Sinead Kenny, Westport, Tom and Mavourneen Gillespie, Patricia and Lar Morahan, Noreen Loughran, and, of course, Dot Redmond. Several of the dancers’ parents also travelled to the Big Apple.