Gowns will be donned and dickie-bows knotted with a degree of nostalgia this week as patrons get ready for the 31st Brainwave Horse Show Ball, which will be held in the Burlington Hotel for what could be the last time on Friday, writes Catherine Foley.
The ball is traditionally held on the Friday of the Dublin Horse Show, following Aga Khan Trophy Day at the RDS. It has always been held in the landmark hotel, which was sold earlier this year to developer Bernard McNamara, who could yet keep the property running as a hotel.
"We'd encourage as many people as possible to join us," says Mike Glynn, chief executive of Brainwave, the Irish Epilepsy Association. Although it is hoped that the event will continue for many more years, the Burlington, he says, has become synonymous with the ball and it will stir memories for many people as they look back at the last 30 years.
Alongside fashionable gowns, some guests typically came in the hunting gear of their clubs; Aga Khan riders would arrive in their team uniforms, and the winning team would take along the trophy for the night.
Some funny memories stand out. Glynn recalls the bemusement of a group of elderly American tourists in loud colours, who wandered in to the ballroom after being entertained in a neighbouring room by Noel V Ginnity. Seeing them wandering among the glamorous ball-goers, it was as if "the two groups sort of merged", he recalls. "It was sort of fascinating to watch. They were in a room just behind us."
He recalls over many years how a pony was often auctioned off as part of the proceedings, and the young horse would be walked into the ballroom from the car park outside "for as short a period as possible" so that bidders could get a good look at what they were buying. "There was a time when it was a lot more about horses. You'd get some of the Irish team in." Glynn recalls that it was "very posh" originally. "But 10 years ago, it changed. You got a much younger set who weren't that concerned about horses, so we get a mixture now," he says.
The organisers hope to attract up to 250 to the ball. It was up to 600 a few years ago but the numbers have dropped, says Glynn. The target is to raise up to €50,000 for Brainwave. "It's been a lot more than that in other years," says Glynn, but, he explains, the ball is now competing with other "more fashionable" causes. "Epilepsy is one of those conditions that tends to be pushed to the back of the queue." Epilepsy affects an estimated 40,000 people in Ireland. "Epilepsy has always had a stigma attached to it . . . It can be a frightening prospect for anyone, particularly children. Many people are affected and we are grateful to all our supporters who help us raise money to fund our support and information campaigns, to show people that epilepsy need not stand in the way of a successful and fulfilling life."
When the ball started out in 1976, there were few other social engagements of its type in existence. Joe Doyle, a former Fine Gael TD, senator and lord mayor of Dublin, and a director of Brainwave, attended a number of balls from the early 1980s on. "It was the greatest social occasion in the 1980s and 1990s," he recalls. "It was the ball of the year." He recalls his pride on the day he was invited to attend in his official capacity as Dublin lord mayor.
Being a public figure who had spoken about his epilepsy, he came across many worried parents over the years whose children had developed epilepsy, as he had done when he was 16. "You lose your consciousness. It's frightening in many ways. It's not the attack itself, it's the fear of having an attack. That fear never left me." In the Dáil, he always spoke from notes, he says.
Tickets for the ball tomorrow are available from Brainwave at 01-455 7500. They cost €150 each or €1,500 for a table
