The Hist Ball: A Midwinter Night’s Ball of gowns, prosecco, castles, and Christmas

Emma Rodgers reviews the Hist’s annual ball; this year a Midwinter Night theme

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“We walked in through double doors and on a red carpet into the magnificent reception area. Tapestries lined the walls, a fire was roaring in the great fireplace with votive candles scattered on the hearth, a deer’s head or two was perched on the stone walls overlooking the multitude of college students queuing for entrance, ball gowns kissing the floor and high heels clicking.”

The evening started out at the GMB at 6pm with a prosecco reception before moving out towards Clontarf via bus.

Upon arriving at Clontarf Castle I was immediately awestruck by the twinkling fairy lights which lined the sides and roof of the looming stone walls in front of us. Large marble and bronze lions marked the entrance and gave off the feeling of stepping back in time and into a place of royalty. We walked in through double doors and on a red carpet into the magnificent reception area. Tapestries lined the walls, a fire was roaring in the great fireplace with votive candles scattered on the hearth, a deer’s head or two was perched on the stone walls overlooking the multitude of college students queuing for entrance, ball gowns kissing the floor and high heels clicking.

Drinks at the bar were waiting for us after the cloak check and special student deals had been pre-marked and posted. Into the ballroom we swept; the sight was that of a winter wonderland. Gorgeous white branches wrapped in purple velvet and satin ribbons sat at the center of every table, silver Christmas crackers were laid out on the table and gold pre-set menus were standing by our plates.

“Christmas was in the air and all the stress of impending essay deadlines and exams disappeared for the night. While many a pair of feet will be questioning the shoes worn and tired faces make their way to class today, it was most certainly worth it in order to feel like Queens and Kings for a few hours.”

Dinner was a spectacular three-course meal of potato, leek and basil soup, turkey and ham with stuffing, mash and roasted potatoes and steamed veg. Dessert was Bailey’s cheesecake with chocolate shavings on top and a red berry compote on the side.

My friends and I stepped away from the party for a bit to explore the castle. We made our way around the ground floor and admired the tapestries, intricate details on the scaffolding, and the knights in authentic armor taking picture after picture. We even managed to receive a short tour from one of the friendly staff members. He showed us the would-be dungeons and grand staircase (there were two thrones at the top!) before allowing us to sit by the cozy fire for as long as we pleased.

It did take awhile for people to get up and take to the dance floor but once they did it was a never ending dance party. We boogied the night away to a range of music supplied from an iPod hooked up to a speaker, people could change the songs as they pleased. Crowd favorites were played (Twist n’ Shout, Mr. Brightside, and David Bowie).

In the end, the Hist Ball was a night to remember and one I will treasure for a very long time. Christmas was in the air and all the stress of impending essay deadlines and exams disappeared for the night. While many a pair of feet will be questioning the shoes worn and tired faces make their way to class today, it was most certainly worth it in order to feel like Queens and Kings for a few hours.