“I hate being a wallflower, so I’ll only put up with it for an hour,” I told Mr McLean before departing for the ceilidh at the Jesuits’ hall on Lauriston Place.
I was too pessimistic, however. Soon after I arrived, I saw six young Catholic men of our acquaintance. And, to my surprise, another young man recognised me from swing dancing. Thus, I did not lack for dance partners, and I felt so much at home, I began to talk to youngsters sitting on their own and introducing them to others. As always, it was a great joy to break the ice by saying “Do you go to Sacred Heart?” or “Where do you go to Mass?” as if it were 1947.
Saturday night’s ceilidh was the Jesuit parish’s own–a charity event for which they charged only £10 a ticket. Lauriston Hall is a lovely venue and quite popular for dances. In fact, MMWP had our first two events there. It is a little more expensive than our most recent locations, and no-one is allowed in before the contract-signer arrives, which is inconvenient. However, it is an elegant room with good lighting and a kitchen. It can host up to 100 dancers, perhaps, without the tables.
Ah! The tables. Naturally I was looking around the room with a seasoned organiser’s eye, and the two long rows of tables flanking the room were taking up dance space. This became rather obvious during The Dashing White Sergeant that began the second half. There were at least 10, and very likely 11, groups of six all skipping eight counts to the left, and then to the right, and it was rather a squash.
My philosophy is that musicians need a table to put things on, and refreshments need a table (or three) to sit on, but dancers use tables only to hide behind, and therefore they ought not to have them. They can have a few chairs instead–keeping in mind that not many people will sit down at the same time. I did not sit down at the Eastertide Dance until the last waltz.
The numbers at Sacred Heart’s ceilidh were very good: approximately 70 by the second half. Almost all of the people there looked under forty, and indeed the hosts were the Young Adult Ministry. There were young adults from Sacred Heart and from St. Mary’s Cathedral but not, to my knowledge, from St. Patrick’s and certainly not from the Ravelston TLM, which is too bad. There were many handsome young men and beautiful young ladies to be met—a reflection which reminds me of a teenage argument with my mother.
“Of course, you are pretty,” she said, or some maternal thing like that.
“Am I pretty, or am I just young?” I shot back.
“It’s the same thing!” she shouted and, older now than she was then, I rather agree. If you doubt the sagacity of this reflection, have a look at the people on Catholic Match meant for your age group, and then have a look at the people meant for mine. (I once made the mistake of doing that.) Well, at least women can do crafty things with makeup and lighting.
Where was I?
Oh yes, Lauriston Hall.
So there was a short speech about the charities we were supporting, and a short speech by a Jesuit priest in a Scotland Rugby shirt, and the recitation of “Prayer for Younger Adults.” The duo or trio playing was introduced, but I missed their name due to the slightly wonky sound system.
The dancing began with The Gay Gordons, of course, and I seem to remember also the Military Two-Step, and the Saint Bernard’s Waltz. There was also The Flying Scotsman, which ended the set. The hall was very warm, and dancing very thirsty work, so I drank a lot of water and noted with approval the many jugs (not just three) and bottles available.
There were also sandwiches, meatballs, sausage rolls and chicken nuggets: a generous spread for £10 tickets. It was BYOB–which was just as well. There was also a raffle, which I imagine increased the takings for the charities involved.
At a quarter past nine, after The Dashing White Sergeant, I decided that this ceilidh, which was unfolding merrily, young faces beaming everywhere, could get along without me.
“I’m going home to my husband,” I announced to one of the Sacred Heart boys and did, striding confidently past the strip bars to the bus stop across from Usher Hall.
To sum up, it was a lovely dance, with a nice mix of people I knew and people I didn’t. The ceilidh music was live, as it should always be, and the caller got the instructions across despite the sound system. I envied the organisers their crowd of 70, but we don’t use Eventbrite and were rather late to advertising the Eastertide Dance outside the TLM community and St. Patrick’s anyway. The Jesuit YAM’s plethora of water jugs was an excellent idea, so I shall buy some more for us. And, above all, it was a proper Catholic shindig that started with a prayer.
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