Dancehall Days exhibition in Clondalkin Library

CLONDALKIN Library has been transformed into a museum of memorabilia for the Dancehall Days Exhibition, displaying a wide array of photos and souvenirs from the golden era of Irish showbands.

The items on display showcase bygone days from within the walls of the Mayfair Ballroom, specifically between 1955 and 1975, when leading Irish showbands performed in the Ballroom.

The Ballroom attracted huge names, with the likes of Joe Dolan and the Drifters, Red Hurley and the Nevada, Tina and the Real McCoy, Johny Quigley’s All Stars, Clipper Carltons, Victors Showband and the Irish Air Corps band, the Air Chords.

The ballroom also attracted talent from across the Irish Sea, including Manfred Mann, The Tremeloes, Millie Small, who had a hit with the song My Boy Lollipop in 1964, and several other great bands.

The exhibition was launched by Mayor Francis Timmons on October 1, with live music from Finbarr Coady on the night.

The night was hosted by Aoife Horan, alongside Adair Cowan, whose parents, George and Edna Cowan, “had the foresight” to build the Mayfair Ballroom and managed it throughout its 20-year lifespan.

Locals are encouraged to pay a visit to Clondalkin Library and take a step back to the golden Showband era before it ends on October 15.

Funded by the Local Democracy Reporting Scheme