Partying all night in the court of 'King Louis'
PAST the big electric gates and along the long and winding tree-lined driveway of Drayton Manor in Co Wicklow, you could hear a ropey rendition of Jingle Bells being belted out on Friday night.
There was Christmas party in full festive flow. Standing by the grand piano was the man of the house, Gerald Kean and his good lady Lisa Murphy leading the assembled -- and slightly well-on -- throng in the singing of the Christmas classic, ably assisted by RTE's Kathryn Thomas.
I renamed Lisa and Kathryn the Jingle Belles for the evening. They then segued into Rudolph The Red Nosed Reindeer with the help of other guests at the yuletide soiree -- Finbar Furey and wife Shiela, RSVP magazine editor Paula Lenihan and husband Neil, Suzanne McClean, Richie Molloy, owner of Cruzzos restaurant in Malahide, Karen Coleman of Newstalk and Helen Clarke of Solo Fitness, among others.
It was getting on for 3am and Finbar Furey gave a powerful rendition of When You Were Sweet Sixteen.
Kathryn Thomas gave an equally rousing rendition of Peggy Gordon before Suzanne McClean performed her own imitable re-working of The Green Fields Of France.
Earlier the 15 guests had enjoyed a sumptuous fare of shallots of wild mushrooms and blue cheese to start followed by a selection of scallops with fresh crab.
The main course was a choice of either pork loin stuffed with pears and herbs or pan fried turbot.
It was almost midnight by the time the pampered guests -- myself among them -- were washing down the chocolate desserts with brandy and wine. It was around this time a cigar-chomping Mr Kean produced a guitar. The party went on until 6am. I still have the headache to prove it.
The last I remember seeing of Lisa Murphy was at around 5.30am when -- in carpet slippers -- she made toasted ham-and-cheese sambos for Helen Clarke and myself in the giant living room with Sponge Bob Square Pants on the plasma screen and Zack the dog barking and jumping up on the couch.
At around 11am, a hung-over host emerged from his bed chambers to cook everybody breakfast.
Fifteen minutes later, Lisa emerged in a mini-skirt and heels. It was the morning after the night before, and everyone present agreed it had been a great party.
Almost as good as Gerald's by now legendary 50th birthday bash at the Ritz Carlton in Powerscourt in October for 300 invited guests, such as Lorraine Keane, Marian Finucane and Marty Whelan, with the likes of Ronan Keating, ABC, Belinda Carlise, Lloyd Cole and Aslan performing.
In an interview in today's Sunday Independent LIFE magazine, Gerald says that there was an awful lot of poppycock talked about him as Louis XVI -- but the bottom line was simple, he insists.
"I just wanted to do something different. It wasn't supposed to be in any way self-aggrandising.
"I will be the first to admit -- and there are so many things I know very little about -- that I didn't know anything about King Louis XVI.
"I got top-class results in school at Maths, Physics, Chemistry and Biology -- but I knew nothing about history. Then every week I'm reading in the Mail that I'm 'Prince of Vulgarity. King of Hedonism'.
"My only comment is that next year we are going to do it again but this time for charity."
Lisa nods and adds: "I think if you've nothing good to say about somebody, say nothing at all. There isn't an ounce of vulgarity in Gerald at all."
- barry egan
