AS the debate about the capital's New Year celebrations continues, there has been no mention of one intriguing piece of city-centre entertainment which was not orchestrated by the Millennium Committee.
The event took place early on New Year's Day. Who else witnessed the moving and memorable scene which greeted one reader early that morning as he looked across the Liffey towards Temple Bar? Standing on a balcony in an apartment on Ormond Quay early at the dawn of the new millennium, our source, who wishes to remain anonymous, looked out in contemplative mood. He will always treasure the image which greeted him in those early hours. Scanning the river and the newly-lit Millennium Bridge he spotted a young man on the Temple Bar side undressing. Also looking on were the friends of this stripper, who proceeded to take off all his clothes and then walk proudly across the bridge. According to our informant, on reaching the other side this unsung hero turned and walked bravely back in the pre-dawn chill. The time was approximately 3.30 a.m.
Was it one of the wandering foreigners, reportedly lost and bored in Dublin city, who was desperate to provide his own entertainment, or was it an Irish male, spurred on by his friends, who wanted to walk tall and naked into a new century?