Bringing The House Down

The final countdown… SUN25JUNE23

aturally, there was a baby rocking’ out to The Doors at The Hot Spot’s final fling this evening.

Then again, every man, woman and child was rocking’ out at Ailbhe’s place on this momentous day, as Full Circle got everybody’s mojo rising’ for a spirited farewell to an old friend.

For many people in Greystones and beyond, that The Hot Spot is pulling the shutters on its harbour premises is going to leave an Elvis-shaped hole in their lives, founder Ailbhe Skay having provided a stage to many of those much-loved veteran folkies and unreformed rockers who haven’t quite embraced TikTok yet.

Or MySpace, for that matter.

This former restaurant above The Beach House proved to be a perfect fit for The Hot Spot Music Club when it moved from its original Mill Road HQ in August 2014, but it’s now getting ready to become a restaurant all over again.

Because food is the only sure thing in town these days, given that so much of our lives and our impulse buys have moved online now. Damn you, Napster!

Just being amongst so many happy, dancing, smiling and plainly plastered Greystonians as Full Circle blasted out classic after classic was a solid gold reminder of what a good night out around here used to be. And how The Hot Spot has provided so many of them over the past 13 years.

So, here’s to you, Ailbhe, and all those perfect Fraggle Rock nights that always felt like a lock-in. Nights aided and abetted by everyone from Hozier to buddies Christy Moore & Paul Brady, from Elvis to the mighty Meakins, all making sure that Greystones still had a well-earned hangover come morning.

Given all the speculation of where next for The Hot Spot, we managed to corner the woman of the eleventh hour…

Full gallery of pics here. Now, go check out our mildly crappy 2020 interview with Ailbhe here.