`JFK' just about ship-shape for a swell party in the bay

GUESTS being ferried from Dun Laoghaire to last night's Fourth of July celebrations aboard the US aircraft carrier, USS John F Kennedy, were astonished to discover that it had been holed twice by a Port of Cork pontoon.

About 12 feet above the waterline there are two serious gashes, more damage than it ever suffered as its jet aircraft "delivered" three million lb of ordnance (i.e. bombs) to Iraq when it was the flagship of the Red Sea battle force during the Gulf War.

For those travelling out of Dun Laoghaire aboard the Liverpool registered ferry, Mountwood, "Big John" looked like an outsize grey Airfix model under an equally threatening grey sky. And for nearly 10 minutes they had to listen to a relentless commentator over the tannoy describing the "all purpose multi mission aircraft carrier".

The voice said photography on board the carrier was "permitted at any time", but smoking was prohibited. The 1,000 plus guests, when they finally did get on board, just ahead of the rain, made a bee-line for the drinks and the food.

All the food and drink was being paid for by Guinness and Budweiser, who put up £25,000 each, but the main sponsor of the JFK visit to Dublin was the National Lottery, which is understood to have contributed no less than £150,000.

The Knight of Glin, Desmond FitzGerald, pint of Budweiser in hand, said he was "so relieved that we weren't all barracked by protesters as we left the quay side".

Ms Liz O'Donnell TD, the PD spokeswomen on justice, said she was only here for The Corrs, the Dundalk group which livened things up later.

Cllr Kieran Cuffe of the Green Party, a relative of the US ambassador, Ms Jean Kennedy Smith, said he had come out earlier and "got lost on the ship, stumbling into an empty cinema which was playing Top Gun."

White suited sailors mingled with the guests as the Taoiseach, Mr Bruton, and the US ambassador delivered almost inaudible speeches. Then it was over to the colour party minus any sign of a Tricolour and the playing of both national anthems.

The party took place in the vast aircraft hangar below deck, with its huge steel door drawn back as if to frame perfectly the Hill of Howth. But then the door was ominously closed and people moved forward to watch the Corrs performing their latest hit Forgiven, not Forgotten.

The celebrations concluded with a fireworks display which would have been visible all over Dublin Bay.