Joyce's Column: April

Well at long last we are getting some decent weather, it does make the World a brighter and better place when we have sunshine and bright skies, instead of dull grey skies and wet weather, I was beginning to think that we would not be getting a suntan this year but a rust tan due to all the rain!!

Here is some more chat from the recent Irish Show.

Before the Charity Raffle I asked people to be quiet for a few moments whilst we raised a glass to the late Mick Kennedy who as we know passed in December 2025, and I felt it was the right event to do it at as Mick was well known in Ireland and very much a part of the Charity Raffle for many years.

The Charity Raffle which is so much a part of the show as the show itself, despite the fact that I wear my feet out running around selling tickets it is worth it in the end. This year 1600 Euros were raised and I would like to say a big thanks to all of you who bought tickets, your support is much appreciated. Thanks also to the people and companies who donated raffle prizes and money to enable me to buy raffle prizes, and these were as follows:

Amusement Network, Bandai Namco, Andy Bower, Crowne Plaza Hotel, Dransfields, Dualtron, Electrocoin, E-Services, GeWeTe, A W Hainsworth, Bob Hepworth, James Illingworth, Innovative Technology, Instance Automatics, Harry Levy Amusement Contractor, John Marriott, Jason McManus, NSM Music, Mark Purdy, 7’s Above, Sound Leisure, United Distributing Company, Whitehouse Leisure and World of Rides, Huge thanks also to Derek Lynch of Carnaby Games who organises the transportation of raffle prizes from the UK to Ireland, via his driver Chris who collects them from my home takes them to the hotel and then takes them to my hotel room for me to sort out, because without this transport it would be difficult to get the prizes to the show.

Many thanks to NSM’s Martin Agabeg for acting as my MC at the raffle and I think you would all agree he did a sterling job, thanks go also to GeWeTe’s Robert Clarke and NSM’s Lisa Lambert who assisted me with getting the raffle prizes downstairs and sorting them out into 1st prize through to 5th prize, and Lisa also helped me with the folding of the raffle tickets for the drum which is a big and time consuming job.

Finally, I have to thank John Purcell and Susan Feery the show organisers for allowing me to run the raffle each year, and long may it carry on despite my aching feet!!

The 65 inch television donated by Dransfield went into an auction together with a huge Seagull cuddly toy and when I say huge, I mean huge this was donated by Whitehouse Leisure, was won by Ian Fuller of Manco Automatics and he thought the toy would be for his daughter, but apparently his wife has claimed it. The photo here shows Ian with the television and part of Sammy in his arms.

It was good to see Electrocoin’s John Stergides at the show, he has recently been like have bag will travel, going from one country to another with little or virtually no time at home between these travels. Anyway John, being the trouper that you are I hope you enjoy the travels but remember to get your feet firmly on the ground for the Electrocoin Open Day in June, as we all expect to see you there in full flow.

I hope by now that Bandai Namco’s Steve Short and Whitehouse Leisure’s Carl Crozier are both in better health, as they were both under the weather at the show, and I know that Carl was staying on to visit customers in various parts of Ireland with their Irish Representative, Dave Whalley, who I am sure would have looked after you well Carl.

Talking of looking after people, GeWeTe’s Mark Edmundson and Robert Clarke looked after me in the special hotel lounge on the 4th floor, they ensured that I got food and certainly the red wine flowed, in fact they ran out of the bottles we were drinking and we had to change, needless to say this didn’t stop us.

Alan Humble won the 1st prize which amongst many other items contained a lovely wooden fruit bowl donated and hand made by Bob Hepworth of HC Terminals and I just said how much I liked this bowl, and before we all left the room in which the raffle was held to go into the bar Alan kindly gave me this wooden fruit bowl, which now looks lovely in my home. Another of Alan’s prizes was a bottle of Bollinger champagne, and some of the lads try as they may to get him to open this did not succeed, they even suggested that he could open it at breakfast the following morning for Bucks Fizz, but no way was he having this. Here is a photo of the wooden fruit bowl that I am now the proud owner of.

I think that Kevan from Pirates Cove had experienced a long day, and decided enough was enough and if he wanted to have 40 winks he would, despite the fact that he was sat at a table in the bar at the time. Good job he wasn’t sat AT the bar on a high stool, he might have had longer than 40 winks and could have ended up with a real sore head.

Staying with Pirates Cove apart from the fact they had a lovely colourful and attractive stand they also had lovely chocolates including Ferrero Rocher for visitors to their stand, and I must thank them for their kind supply they gave me, most enjoyable.

Sit Kotecha from Russko was a first- time exhibitor to the show and he seemed to enjoy it, and he played Mine Host very well in the bar on the first evening of the show, and he kept many of us entertained and also supplied with drinks. Hopefully you will be back next year Sit and maybe we can repay the favour.

Sterling Amusements John Marriott had booked and planned to come to the Irish show but due to personal family circumstances he had to cancel which was sad especially for Temple Bar they would have been way down on their takings with you not being there, John!! Jason McManus his friend who was coming with John still came, and he says he really enjoyed himself and actually saw the show this year unlike last year, and he and I were able to spend time together, in fact he was a perfect gentleman seeing that I got fed and watered, alcohol of course not water!!

I understand that Darren Chadwick from Crown Leisure and his friends found a new watering hole not far from the hotel, I think it was located in the Swords area, and they liked it that much they went back a 2nd night, come on now Darren let us all into the secret of the new found watering hole, who knows maybe we could have an organised outing to it.    

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30 April 2026

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