Dermot Walsh recalls `TWAS THE NIGHT BEFORE CHRISTMAS ~ 1987
What to get the lads for Christmas? That was my dilemma. The Flys were due to play the Loft in Blessings and so I hit on the idea of having the gig filmed. Paddy Ronaghan duly arrived early in the night with his professional recording equipment and enough lights to light up the entire town. The reason being that the video recorder did not perform well in a low light situation. (For younger viewers, this was in olden times!) Everything was in place. Paddy set up his camera and placed the lights in the most strategic position to capture the band in their best guise. All ready to go. The crowd arrived. Place was packed. The heat rose and the air was moist with sweat. Paddy pressed play and record but nothing happened. He soon realized that the recorder did not work in a moist atmosphere. Only one thing for it. The video recorder would have to be placed on the window cill outside in the cool air. Only one problem. The window cill was not big enough to hold the recorder so some unfortunate eejit would have to stand outside all night on the fire escape and hold the video recorder in place. No prizes for guessing who that eejit was. It was a cold night and the gig seemed to go on forever. At one point I was joined by a young Martin Donohoe who was to appear with the band for one number about emigration that Barry had written. He was to make a surprise appearance from the fire exit door and onto the stage. He never expected to encounter me holding a video recorder on a window cill on a cold winters night. But such is life and now
you can see the entire of the gig but you won`t see me. Coz I was outside holding..................
The camera was connected to the video recorder (which weighed half a ton) via a cable and the window was opened to allow the cable to pass through. The recorder was probably half in and half out and I held it in place throughout the gig.
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