Flushed with shame after a merrie night

MY HUSBAND and I spent our 1970 easter holiday touring Ireland, which included partaking in a medieval banquet at Bunratty Castle on the first night. our hotel was close to the castle and most of the guests were bound for the banquet. People were visiting from all over the world and one young couple told us they were starting their honeymoon. We all walked over together and met the other guests in the great hall, where a bus tour group from Yorkshire was already quite merry and belting out on Ilkley Moor Baht ’at. The banqueting hall was interesting with long trestle tables, wooden platters for plates and very little in the way of cutlery. Serving wenches made sure our goblets were never empty. Wine and mead flowed freely, minstrels sang and all manner of entertainment unfolded as we literally tore into our food. After the banquet, back in the great hall, more mead was served as we sang songs and danced reels with all our new friends. next morning we awoke with blinding hangovers, dragged ourselves out of bed and down to breakfast, where we heard that the lovely honeymooners were having a bit of a crisis. The new wife had been sick during the night and her two front teeth, which were false, disappeared into the toilet bowl and were flushed away. her secret was out now and, overcome with embarrassment, she was refusing to come out of their room. The last we heard they were cutting the honeymoon short and going home to claim on the insurance.

Margaret Clark, Freuchie, Fife.