For the 4th year it was held at the award-winning restaurant Le Sud, and the gorgeous setting was the perfect backdrop for night's theme of “All That Jazz”. Men came in suits and tuxes, women came in beaded dresses, wearing hair ornaments and strings of pearls, and everyone put on a good mood for the night.

The Irish ambassador to Luxembourg Peadar Carpenter was among the guests, and said he’d attended last year’s event as well. “I didn’t behave too badly,” he quipped, “so they’ve asked me back again. “It’s been a big year for the Irish community,” he said. “We’ve had a series of commemorative events marking 1916, and every one of them has been successful. That’s down to the hard work of the committees.”

Irish Club committee members were of course there as well, including the founder of the Irish Club herself, Tessa Collins, looking feminine in floral pastels and accompanied by Roger Pettinger, looking dandy in a red bowtie. Mimi Oedman was there as well--her dark bob of a wig couldn’t hide her identity--her big smile and petite stature gave her away, even in her very high heels.

Helping homeless

After enjoying the krak and some bubbles, the guests were invited downstairs to the dining room to enjoy an exquisite four-course meal. A lobster and mushroom fricassee was a great warm up to the filet mignon of veal or fish, but before the guests tucked into it, Irish Club president Deirdre Joyce said a few words of welcome, reminding guests that the event was more than a great party but also the opportunity to support two worthwhile charities, Stëmm vun der Strooss and Novas, which provides 20 services for homeless people in Ireland.

Although she looked gorgeous with her hair pinned up and donning a black sequined dress, Deirdre hadn’t spent all day getting ready for the ball--she’s spent four hours earlier handing sandwiches and drinks out to Luxembourg’s homeless. “A lot of people don’t even know that we have homeless people here,” she said, “but we do, and it’s wonderful to be able to help them by helping these two organisations.”

Ambassador Carpenter added, “It makes me proud to see Irish people helping others. If we remember our own history, it’s especially appropriate that we should do so,” he said.

Guests generously bought up raffle tickets to raise funds for the charities--and others had been very generous in donating prizes--Le Sud and other restaurants offered vouchers, New Spirit offered a hot air balloon ride, local artists like Mea Bateman, Ben Carter and Angela Milne gave works of art, a €250 dinner voucher from Centralis and the Kerry Group, and there were several bottles of Jamesons and Champagne to be won. That’s just a few of the table full of prizes guests spent a total of €1885 trying to win, and a donation raised that total to be given to charity to €3000.

Prizes were handed out as the guests finished dessert, right before they headed back upstairs to dance to great music provided by DJ Paul Simpson.

The Irish Club is open to all nationalities and boasts nearly 300 members.