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Does anyone remember the last of the dance halls in Ireland?

Ubbquittious

What was it like at the time these were closing? Were people sad to see them go or well sick of it when they went? Did some stay open much longer than others?

I wonder if it will ever make a comeback because everything is cyclical and the generation growing up now have never seen them, even some of their parents never frequented them and therefore the concept would appear as entirely new to them

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_blaaz

By all accounts of ould lads i known that frequented them in the 50s.....there used all sorts of riding and shifting go on in fields areound em

GarIT

_blaaz wrote: »

By all accounts of ould lads i known that frequented them in the 50s.....there used all sorts of riding and shifting go on in fields areound em

My grandparents tell me that never happened, pre-marital sex is an invention of the 90's apparently :pac:

branie2

It was a long time ago

BuboBubo

Ubbquittious wrote: »

What was it like at the time these were closing? Were people sad to see them go or well sick of it when they went? Did some stay open much longer than others?

I wonder if it will ever make a comeback because everything is cyclical and the generation growing up now have never seen them, even some of their parents never frequented them and therefore the concept would appear as entirely new to them

Before my time I'm afraid

However - a resurrection of sorts is possible given the amount of young wans listening to Nathan Carter and similar dross nowadays. Cant see it being a tea only/no alcohol and the parish priest supervising it, but ya never know...

L1011

There's still a few extant and operational, Glenfarne for instance. The local one to me - demolished now - opened surprisingly late and last renewed its dance licence in 1989; may not have actually had a proper night for a year or two before then but they thought there might be one.

yaguhu cloud

GarIT wrote: »

My grandparents tell me that never happened, pre-marital sex is an invention of the 90's apparently :pac:

when did Gay Byrne come on the scene?

branie2

yaguhu cloud wrote: »

when did Gay Byrne come on the scene?

1962

L1011

As for what killed them - the music stayed popular long after the halls started fading. "Roadhouse" pubs/motels/hotels with huge function rooms killed them, because they could sell drink.

yaguhu cloud

branie2 wrote: »

1962

he's looking well for it

branie2

He sure is

bazz26

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LKwO1aB1W3I

JupiterKid

I don’t think the OP will be getting all that many posters with first hand memory of the dance halls as they were at their zenith in the 1950s, two decades before I was born (and I’m on the older cohort of posters here).

Nightclubs, on the other hand...

tigerboon

L1011 wrote: »

As for what killed them - the music stayed popular long after the halls started fading. "Roadhouse" pubs/motels/hotels with huge function rooms killed them, because they could sell drink.

They used to sell drink. Any photos I've seen there was drink on the tables (not the mountain of glasses you'd see now). There was a bar in the local one. A relation of mine was the barman.
I think they just didn't change with the times. Kids started to listen to hippy stuff or metal or prog rock or something and were just too "cool" for the auld showbands. Also more people were getting cars than ever before so could travel. They had more choice so the local dancehall couldn't compete with the big nightclubs

Allinall

I saw The American Drifters in the Unyoke back in the day.

At the time I thought they were the real thing.

olestoepoke

I danced in the Olympic Ballroom in the early 90s, does that count?

whisky_galore

L1011 wrote: »

As for what killed them - the music stayed popular long after the halls started fading. "Roadhouse" pubs/motels/hotels with huge function rooms killed them, because they could sell drink.

Drink driving laws killed off most of those in turn.

Princess Consuela Bananahammock

Still around. They're called "clubs" now I believe, but essentially it's the same thing. Pre-post-marital shagging.

OldGoat

JupiterKid wrote: »

I don’t think the OP will be getting all that many posters with first hand memory of the dance halls as they were at their zenith in the 1950s, two decades before I was born (and I’m on the older cohort of posters here).

Oulwans and Oulfellas forum -->>>
https://www.boards.ie/vbulletin/forumdisplay.php?f=1480

Hamsterchops

The Top Hat

Dun laoghaire/Monkstown

topper75

Princess Consuela Bananahammock wrote: »

... Pre-post-marital shagging.

Ha ha - brilliant phrase! and accurate.

Princess Consuela Bananahammock

Hamsterchops wrote: »

The Top Hat

Dun laoghaire/Monkstown

Wasn't that a roller skating disco?

riclad

i think they have been replaced by the local nightclub , disco .
When the dance halls were big there was not strict enforcement of drink driving laws as there is now .
People expect to have a drink when they go out now .

Bobblehats

Princess Consuela Bananahammock wrote: »

Wasn't that a roller skating disco?

Not on live concert nights that’s for sure. People still went skating but it was usually on beer sweat and vomit