Praise for Tom McGurk as presenters prepare to feast
Idon’t mean to broadcast it to the nation. Be that as it may, one of my favourite broadcasters, young Tom McGurk, had a 70th birthday party in Sallins village last weekend. The soiree was attended by, amongst others, George Hook (who gave a speech on the night) and Lucinda Creighton. The latter noted that it was “a privilege to be here to celebrate with an old buddy. Good old Hooky,” she said, “paid due homage to Tom.” Praise well deserved too. Lorraine Keane’s family and extended family will be paying homage to her, too, come Christmas Day. Every other year Lorraine and the gang do Crimbo dinner at her husband Peter Devlin’s family. This year it is Lorraine’s turn at home in Monkstown.
The former mainstay of TV3 is going to be slaving over a hot oven on that day for 32 guests. “That’s my parents, all my siblings and our children. So that’s 16 adults and 16 children. We will all cook. Delegation is key. Everyone will bring a dish or platter or something.”
The plan is to feed the children first, so that the grown ups can relax over their dinner, but with the eldest being 13 — Lorraine’s daughter Emelia — and seven of the 16 children under the age of five, the star says she has a feeling that her cunning plan “may be wishful thinking and it will be organised chaos”.
From Monkstown to Galway, Daithi O Se’s lovely wife Rita Talty will be cooking the dinner on the big day for him and their young child Ogie. “I’m not a bad cook,” confided Daithi, “but I’m better at eating.
“It will be our first Christmas day with just the three of us. So I’m really looking forward to it.
“Santa will be coming also and I think Rita and I are more excited than Ogie.”
Ho ho ho.