Have you seen Kiely's latest automobile, this vintage yellow Rolls Royce?

Well I tell a fib, this beautiful Rolls Royce, was once the property of Fred Astaire, the famous 40s dancing partner of Ginger Rogers.

Well, chance would be a fine thing..But back in 1999, the car' present owners, a couple from England, visited Lismore Heritage Centre where at the time I was working as a tour guide, and I got the chance to climb on board, and sit behind the wheel of this classic automobile.....

Fred and Ginger's old movies are still sometimes shown by RTE.TV and many a retired person around the County still find them enjoyable to watch on a wet afternoon. (as an ex smoker of some twelve years Kiely often wonders how the couple could dance so swiftly around the floor, with all that ciggy smoking blowing in their faces, without even a chesty cough between them?)

The car's present owners, Alan Jordan and his wife Eileen from Newton-ze-Willows in England were touring Ireland and County Waterford as part of a vintage car rally week when Kiely met them.

'I did not know of the Lismore/ Astaire connection, before I arrived in this beautiful town.'rearked office furniture manufacturer Alan, after being allowed a special guided tour of the famous castle which is not normally open to the public..

(Fred Astaire's sister and early dancing partner Adele, was married to the uncle of the present Duke of Devonshire. Fred was a frequent visitor to the castle during this period and used to like an odd Guinness in Madden's Bar.)

Fred Astaire's daughter Alva and her husband Richard who live in West Cork had visited for a couple of days to open a new tourist trail and Alva was telling Kiely about the secret places where she used to play hide and seek in the Castle as a young child, which she discovered on holiday visits with her famous dad.

(Present rent of the castle to visitors is over one thousand five hundred pounds a day.)