Joe’s Yacht Finally Comes In…

29JULY16

t the end of the day, it’s all about paying respects to your elders…

Pretty much the mayor of Greystones Harbour, Joe Sweeney was born and raised kids, hell and a fine chip shop on this special stretch of coastline.

His birthplace was the last house standing along the North Beach, way back in 1932 (or was it 1832?), Joe has every right to feel the harbour is in his blood. And you certainly get the impression that he’d happily draw blood for it too.

Therefore, it’s hardly surprising that Joe might get a little upset every now and then when a new generation comes along and doesn’t invite the harbour’s oldest-living resident around for tea and biscuits. This guy is the closest thing to a mafia boss Greystones has, after all.

Such was the case when the Greystones Sailing Club moved into their swanky new clubhouse, right on the crest of the new harbour. A dirty big party was held, and it seemed like the whole town was there.

The whole town bar Joe Sweeney, that is.

So, when Caroline O’Rourke got in touch with your lovable, huggable GG with the news that the Greystones Sailing Club wanted to honour Joe, well, Max and I were there in a Beetle.

Joe had no real idea of what was in store, and, to be honest, beyond knowing that there were 96 kids present who had just finished their sailing course and had rehearsed a little cheer for the man of the hour, neither did we.

Coming along for the ride was Joe’s daughter, Aileen, and we decided to simply tag along, and see how the surprise played out…