Memories of Mosney by Tracy Shortt Back

My earliest memories of family holidays are of Mosney. From a young child in the late 70's early 80's every year we spent the first week in June in Mosney. Some of my happiest and most vivid memories are from those wonderful times. The waking up to the tanoy playing music, the donkey derby (which I entered once and was thrown off..), to the fabulous shows that were put on. I remember the roller rink that was outside the dining hall, and the stables which were on the way to the beach. We always went self catering and I loved the chalets. There wasn't a thing you couldn't do when you were at butlins. Everyone who has ever been will surely remember the big red wavy slide, and the funfair. The fact that people walking by on the street could see you in the pool via the windows, and most of all, the doughnuts they sold in the ballroom cafe, never tasted doughnuts as good since, the boating lake that seemed like it was an ocean, the bowling green, the picture house. I was so completely dismayed when I realised that Mosney was no longer a holiday camp. The last time I went to Mosney I was a Mum, it would have been in 1990. I went in a touring caravan for a week with my son (then less than a year old) and my parents. It brought back so many happy memories. I now have two more children, girls, and my husband and I really want to give them the "Butlins" experience. This means we have to travel to either Bognor, Skegness, etc. While I am sure they are similar I would have loved to bring the girls to Mosney and tell them "when I was your age I was here with my mum and dad and....." To me Mosney was a magical place right up to my teens, my first holiday on my own was to Mosney!!! It was a place for people of all ages to come together and have fun, the red coats were always fabulous (and they always looked very cute!) There was never a dull day in Mosney, even with typical Irish weather. The competitions in the ballroom, and Dan Laureys (think I spelt that wrong!) lovely legs competition, Glamorous Grandmother, fancy dress, Miss Mosney/Butlins, talent competitions, diving competitions, bonny baby, the list goes on, all in good fun, people mingled, you felt at ease, it was like one big happy family.

I would like to thank the owners of Mosney for giving me so many magical, powerful, happy memories of time spent with my family laughing and having fun. I would also like to say that if it was at all possible I would love to make some new memories to give to my daughters that would be just as precious and magical as mine.

Mrs. Tracy Shortt