Mauri, I'm sure you were mortified, and I can empathise with your partner.

On one rare occasion, Dominic accompanied me to the Christmas Night Dance in Sammy Osborne's. I had taught him a few steps of the dances I knew he would need to know. One of these was the Gay Gordons. Sure enough, on the night the Gay Gordons was called. It's a very fast dance, with lots of twirling around for the girl. It must have got too much for Dominic and he probably was very nervous, because all of s sudden, down he went on his bottom. I couldn't help laughing but he was not amused and went very red in the face. I think that incident put him off dancing for a very long time.

I can still picture it.

The dances I remember enjoying the most were in Gordon's Barn in the Low Road. It is now the Hilden Brewery & the Barn is now a resturant & we usually have a meal there when visiting home.

A local enthusiastic band played until the early hours & ballroom & old time dances were enjoyed by all, old & young. Great nights of enjoyment. Many romantic trysts were made & the last dance was with however was "leaving you home".

I learnt "The Lancers" "The Moonlight Saunter" Old Time Waltz" from the Barn Dances. The Floor was always packed & old & young mingled & danced together.

I see us again & hear the music every time I visit the Brewery.

Pat

Dear Beano

I know I'm replying years after you posted! I hope you are still on the forum.

I am a somewhat distant relative of John Dossor - he is my great-grandmother's nephew! I found out about him as I'm doing some genealogical research. I'm unsure what happened to John and his family after the fifties. You are saying he/they were still around in Belfast in the 60s. Do you know what happened to them after that?

Michelle

Thanks Donald

That's really useful. Much appreciated!

Michelle

Hi Michelle,

Nice to know there is still a relative of John around, dancers called him the "Master". John put on some great party dances in the Golden Room in Royal Ave., a few times we didn't make it, if you weren't early you just didn't get in.
Most of my dancing was done 1955/1958 a very enjoyable time.....great memories

Unfortunately this isn't much help in your family search, I just thought it would let you know what the dance schools meant to us teenagers,back when!!!

Beano

This may bring back memories for some
donald

www.belfastforum.co.uk/index.php?topic=231.0 Im Cache


Teachers of Dancing in Belfast in 1960.

Cecil Clarke, 177, Donegall Street
Lelia Corry School of Dancing, 97, Wandsworth Road
John Dossor, Gala Ballroom, 20, Victoria Street
Norah Ferris, 4, Haywood Avenue
Fiesta Ballroom, 31-33, Hamilton Street
Gardner Dance Studio, 25a, Ann Street and 2, Telfair Street
Hamilton School of Dancing, 113, Great Victoria Street
Roy Higginson, ACAD, 153, University Street
Phylis James Dance Studio, 5, Wellington Place
Johnston School of Dancing, 10, Crown Entry
Leckie School of Dancing, 118, Royal Avenue
Mitchell School of Dancing, 22, Woodstock Road
T. McCarthy, 55, Royal Avenue
D. McFarlane, 30, William Street South
Neely School of Dancing, 11 (29), Ann Street
E. O'Connor, 151, Divis Street
P. O'Rafferty, 39, St James's Park
Sammy Osborne, 69, High Street
Betty Staff Dance Studio, 43-45, Ann Street
Miss E. L. Taylor, Windsor School of Dancing, 137, Malone Avenue

Hi all you dancers,

I attended two different styles of dancing in both Lisburn & Belfast.

From an early age every Saturday afternoon it was classes in St. Joseph,s Hall Lisburn, with the Johnston School of Irish Dancing. We took it very seriously, practising in the schoolyard at lunch times & at every opportunity.

Later at about 14 years of age, the stalwarts travelled to Johnston School, Crown Entry in Belfast, by train, for more advanced teaching. We loved the dancing, the music, the Feis every year & the big event in the Mansion House Dublin, where the Northeners did well. Great times.

Later still, at about 16 my cousin & I began classes at John Dossor School of Ballroom dancing in Belfast, every Saturday afternoon for beginners.

He was very strict about tempo & I remember him putting 2 jivers out of the class in no uncertain manner. He was a tall man always in an evening suit & he wore a monocle & had eyes in the back of his head. A good teacher. Records by Victor Sylvester Strict Tempto Band was the usual music for the 2 hours tuition.

I was fortunate enough to enjoy 3 different dance modes, Old Time Irish Dancing & Ballroom & enjoyed them all, UNTIL I married a non-dancer who attended them under pressure about once a year.

Pat

Pat, I also remember, I am almost sure Ellie Mulligan had a class also in the big hall and r she also had a studio in Crown Entry were I attended not as a dancer, with Gerry Trainor and Gerry Murray in the early 50s, Great Memories,

Ted, Where the heck was "Crown Entry",? I thought I knew Lisburn but never heard of that. Mauri

belfast

Sorry Mauri,It's in Belfast, the dance class was held on a Saturday morning at the Big Hall beside the chapel and those dancers that showed promise then continued with there extra lessons for competition dancing in a studio in Crown Entry in Belfast,I do hope this finds you both well ,always good to hear from you ,Kind Regards Ted
PS Mauri you should Google Crown Entry Belfast as it is one of the very old parts of the City still standing ,by coincidence I recently gave a local artist some old pictures for there frames and one of them depicted the entry in question in a sketch form ,

Ted
The "Morning Star" there sells the biggest steak in Belfast, up to 48 ozs. I once made the mistake of ordering one and being a "greedy guts" ordered a plate of mussels to eat first. Natuarlly I could not finish the steak and until today cannot forgive myself.
donald

Thanks Ted, If I remember correctly I think I have been in the Crown Pub facing the old Belfast Railway Station,although I might be wrong which wouldn't be the first time????. Mauri

Hi, Mauri, You are quite right the Crown bar is still there facing the Europe Hotel and the gas lights are still lite, it still retains that period in a bar were you are still appreciated for your custom, one would also experience this in Mooneys in the Corn Market alas now gone, Mauri the Morning Star Bar which Donald mentions is situated in the Crown Entry and to this day is still recognized as a great eating house were like the Crown you will come across all sections of both visitors and locals, a great place for the craic, Mauri to get back to the Crown I suppose you may remember the film Odd Man Out with James Mason well the pub scene where he is wounded was supposed to have been filmed in the same pub, Regards Ted

Hi, Donald, This is the second effort posting of this item, Many years ago Peter Robinson opened the Barkley Resturant just passed Shaws Bridge as a Carvery, and of course, I took the family to give it a try, so my first visit to the first course table I decided to take not one but two smoked mackerel, and as you are aware these are as filling as salmon, this just killed any appetite I had and I think I may have picked through a salad and a sweet but like yourself I learnt a lesson that day that has stood to me to this day, Regards Ted

Ted, Mentioning the Europa Hotel brought back memories, the first time I was in it was way back in the 70s on a visit after a long absence, there were several of us in the bar lounge and after the waitress had taken our order she came back and said the barman says he had to have the money first?? we just couldn't believe it but had to comply.

The next time I was in it some years later was after my wife and I had been kicked out of a hotel in Dromore because I had complained about something, so we took a taxi to Belfast and booked in the Europa and as the Bell boy was taking our luggage out of the taxi he said "Welcome to the Europa the most bombed Hotel in Belfast" it really made us feel good???.
Mauri

Morning Mauri, I think demanding money for services not rendered takes the biscuit especially at the Europa,It was at the time targeted more than any other gaff ,I understand that at one period if you were caught in it during a bomb blast you were presented with a tie which many reporters staying in the hotel during them days covetted, if my memory serves me right the tie depicted a navy background and a small yellow hangman's noose ,Belfast City then was a dodgy place to be, Regards Ted

Ted, Do you remember the small hotel in Dromore that I mentoned we had to leave because of the owners wife who was like a sergeant major,I think I had complained about lack of heat in the room not really sure,but anyway we had not even opened our bags when she told us to leave, I found out later she had a hell of a reputation for being bossy,only I had my wife with me there would have been one hell of a scene,?????, Mauri

Evening Mauri, To Be honest, I was never aware of a hotel in Dromore, not even a B & B but I do remember you relating this story before and it galled me then as today to think that you had to shell out a fare from Dromore to the City on a hack just because you informed her of the lack of temperature in the room, who the hell suggested the Gaff in the first place? she definitely must have been some Daisy, believe me in the early and mid-50s in parts of England Paddy wasn't to welcome in a lot of Gaffs neither Blacks or Dogs and I personally experienced this, but you gave it a by-ball and moved on, it probably was a good learning curve and you were sure things could only get better which in the end they did , Regards Ted

I'm still recovering and looking in. Glad to see the chat's going well. I remember someone telling me that Lizzie Drake used to come round the bar at closing time with a broom in her hand for those who were reluctant to leave. I don't know if this is true or not but I heard this several times

Ted, Thought I had replied to yours only to discover later when I checked I had been scammed. Anyway how we were at the hotel or B&B in Dromore not sure which, was because I had just remarried nearly a year after my wife had died and not wanting to imposes ourselves on relations had requested one to book us into a hotel never thinking she would put us in Dromore.

We enjoyed our stay at the Europa I think we stayed a week there then went over to Wales to see Joy's relations.

Ann, Glad to hear you are recovering OK,won't be long until you are completely back to normal,have a great day. Mauri

Ann, Way back in 1949 I was on leave and Isac Colins came over and asked me to drive his truck to make some grocery deliveries out around the Broomhedge area as his regular driver was off sick. At the age I was then I thought this was great and jumped at the chance.

After making the deliveries and on the way back to Lisburn I pulled into Lizzie Drakes to have a beer,well I got talking to somebody and had more than one beer, to this day I don't know how I got that truck safely back to Lisburn although not much traffic on the roads in those days was still pretty stupid. Mauri

Mauri, Lizzie Drake,s bar is still going strong.

Donald I don't know who owns it now.

The pub is still in the Drake family. I think Malachy runs the business now.