OPERA WAITERS sing at BILL CULLEN & JACKIE LAVIN’S AMAZING RESIDENCE: 4th November 2011
Don’t get me started on Bill & Jackie’s house in Kildare. It’s perfection! Everything about it is tasteful & gracious. It’s a 43 roomed Palladian mansion within shouting distance of Dublin but it also feels like a very comfortable family home. The basement area has a snooker room, a sauna, and house-keepers kitchen, and a extensive wine cellar. Upstairs are the huge entertaining rooms, with walls lined with wonderful art. (Bill is a serious collector of Irish artist Pauline Bewick.)
On arrival, Bill & Jackie’s guests were treated to a fully costumed military band performance on the driveway. After drinks in the hall, they went through to the dining room, which can comfortably seat 150 guests. (I can have seven to dinner at my place as long as some one doesn’t mind perching on the piano stool !) We performed after the starters and it did occur to me that I might have to tone down Mario’s extrovert character in such esteemed company. Wrong!! The guests were such fun and immediately entered into the spirit of our high energy performance. In one very surreal moment, I caught Bill filming me on his iphone as I presented the always elegant Norma Smurfit with a red rose.
After the performance, Jackie, looking a million d$llars, asked us to stay for dinner. But we kindly refused, saying we had another engagement. Time to Say Goodbye and leave them to a fantastic evening, all in aid of “The Irish Youth Foundation”. As we left, Bill said: “YOU’RE HIRED!”
