Ciaran Rock recently found the menu used for the Bord Na Mona Blackwater and Garryduff Works for their First Annual Dinner Dance on Wednesday 13th December 1961 in Hayden's Hotel Ballinasloe.
The "take your pick" Menu commenced with -

Soup Consomme La Diesel Clear or
Cream of Spragnum Cuspidatum
.
Fish Poached Shannonbridge Salmon and Clonmacnois Sauce.

Entrée Grilled Culliagh Steak, Marchand de Drainwater.
Sweetbreads a La Lawrenstown Ram.

Roast Garryduff Beef and Rodgerstown Pudding
Callow Duck with Silt Sauce

Vegetables Ballydangan Peas, Moore Sprouts and Clondelara Spuds.

Dessert Blackwater Trifle and Gowlan Cream.
Leitra Cheese and Jacob's Biscuits.

( False Teeth may not be removed for servicing )

Wines Claret 1390 - Vin Rouge 710

Intervals during Dancing for Lubrication and Filling-up.

FROST PRECAUTIONS
Open all taps - Do not Force or Wrench
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Let Hayden's Hall be gay to-night,
The company is grand
With lots of lovely ladies,
And Pat Shine's melodious Band.

Engineers and Gangers and
Machine Men one and all
And hardy, sturdy stalwarts,
Of drain and deep outfall.

The Surveyors and the Workshop,
And the Office personnel,
All devoted workers - and
Old Ireland loves them well.

All gathered here in concord,
To enjoy a pleasant time,
At this our Annual Dinner Dance,
The first of a long line.

So raise your glasses one and all,
And drink a toast we must,
For though the peat is valuable,
We must wash down the dust.
"Good Health Blackwater / Garryduff,
Your best you always give,
Through your noble efforts,
We’ll have a better life to live.
*****************
German shovels to be handed in at Reception Desk.
******************
FOR SOME OF US A MEMORY
FOR OTHERS A TASTE OF THE PAST
AND ALSO A LOOK AT TOMORROW
LONG MAY THE MEMORIES LAST.
*********************
Note the music was provided by Pat Shine's Band.