The idea is to put granny or granddad, or both, on a bus or a train and point them in the direction of Cork. They will have a great day out and nearly everything is free.
CIT lecturer Mr Gerry Kelly was talking about a monster tea dance which will be held in Cork's City Hall on February 17th. It's being billed as the Lord Mayor's Valentine's Tea Dance and more than 700 people are expected to attend.
The main participants will be the over-60s, probably the only ones who know the steps anyway, but there will also be a liberal sprinkling of students to act as partners for any of the ladies or gentlemen who have come alone to the dance.
The concept arose, says Mr Kelly, from the Millennium Tea Dance which was a huge success two years ago. There were six dances in all, three at locations in the county and three at City Hall, attended by thousands of senior citizens.
"The young students, drafted in from the Cork School of Music and other schools, who came initially did so out of a sense of duty, but after that they came because they wanted to, they had such a good time and they learned a lot about dancing from the grans and granddads. It was wonderful to see older people getting dressed up and coming out to enjoy the dances."
The dance will be followed on February 28th by two "young at heart" concerts in City Hall, at 10 a.m. and noon, which will be given by the Cork Pops Orchestra under conductor Evelyn Grant. While the dances are free, the modest entry fee for the concerts is €5.
Community associations and voluntary groups are highlighting the concerts and urging people to avail of free travel and have an enjoyable day out. The programme will include music by Vivaldi, Handel and O Carolan, as well as Dave Brubeck and West Side Story. Further information is available from grantkelly@eircom.net