The recording of 2FM's Moloney After Midnight Christmas special is normally such a good bash that many people sent RSVPs before receiving their invites. Last Monday night was no exception, and all manner of musicians and music business types packed into Whelan's of Wexford Street in Dublin to start their Christmas season with a bang.
This year, presenter Mike Moloney and producer Maggie Stapleton gathered together a fine selection of performers. Leslie Dowdall, whose first album, No Guilt, No Guile, delighted many is already hard at work writing songs for her new album which is due for release in 1998. Her uncle Johnny Lappin also joined the throngs. Hazel O'Connor, who is a regular guest on Moloney's show during the year, made her first appearance on the special and looked to be having a whale of a time. She will also have an album out in 1998. Aslan, meanwhile, made their second appearance on the special with tracks from their new album, Here Comes Lucy Jones.
Cork band Nomos and blues maestros Pat Martin and John White rounded off the recording which will be transmitted next Monday at midnight. Of course there were also plenty of people that just came along for the craic, including actors Lorcan Cranitch, better known to those of us who watch Cracker as Detective Jimmy Beck; Tony Tormey of Fair City and Enda Oates of Glenroe.
There was a big RTE contingent including newsreaders Eileen Dunne and Clodagh Walsh, DJs Lorcan Murray and Mark Cagney; Mary Kennedy of PM Live and producer Ronan Hardiman. Singers Garrett Wall and Mark Stokes, as well as Dermot Lambert and Robbie Sexton of up-andcoming band Blink, were there, as were representatives from the music industry - Dave Pennyfeather of Universal Music and Peter Kenny of Grapevine Records.