Dorothy, Sheila
Maureen and Sheila went on the Mystery Tour
Mystery tour day of fun
The Mystery Tour was a hit once more as it celebrated its 30th anniversary with another successful day out.
The free tour, organised by Noreen Fogarty and Decies County Bar, provides senior citizens with a day of fun, freebies and festivity.
This year, the mystery gang went out in two coaches to Ashbourne House Hotel where they enjoyed a four-course meal and music, after an initial stop-off at The Osprey Hotel.
Organiser Noreen Fogarty commended the troupe on their energy throughout the day and into the evening.
“There’s two in their 90s, there’s a lot in their 80s,” Fogarty noted. “But, I mean, very mobile – it’s gas, they’re on trolley-dollys, as I call them, during the day…and you put music on and they’re up there dancing!”
The four-course meal was complemented by free drinks available behind the bar – the whole day funded by raffles that take place throughout the year.
A table quiz and some bingo was played as well throughout the day, in between musical moments from a local band and those attending are seated at round tables to encourage conversation.
Barry and Aido play at Decies Bar on Monday nights to add some groove to the Bingo moves being made there, an event many mystery tour regulars also attend.
Fogarty complemented Barry and Aido on their ability to work with the crowd: “They know all them people – they know what they sing and how they sing…they know when to help them and when to sit back and let them get on with it because there [are] some beautiful singers there.”
Planning for the mystery tours tends to get underway around February and Noreen notes that it all tends to fall in place rather quickly at this stage without many setbacks.
No venue has ever been the same and Fogarty and co have taken the mystery gang all over the country from Carlingford to Waterford and more.
When scouting for venues, Noreen conducts site visits to get a feel for each prospective place and ensures that she’s fully convinced on a location before confirming.
“The hardest part is when you ask someone for the first time, you know, ‘would you like to come?’ [and they respond] ‘I’m not senior!”
It’s seen as a big social event for seniors each year, some even try to get on the list only weeks before the tour sets off, but the lineup is usually set by then.
Fogarty notes that it gets those involved out of the house and into a social space where they can sing and speak with many others.
The mystery only adds excitement to the annual tour.
“They never know where they’re gonna end up. And I always try to do it within an hour of coming home, especially after they’ve been at the bar all evening.”
