The Big Funeral

28th Jul 2003

The Big Funeral - Sir Henry Is Put To Rest by One of His Own

  There are many Corkonians who have religiously spent their Saturday nights at Henrys' legendary club night 'Sweat' since its inception in 1988. While some have taken the news that the club has closed for good with solemn acceptance there are those like Tommy Mitsu from Blarney Street who cannot come to terms with the decision to shut the door's of Sir Henrys forever.

The soilked wreath arrives at South Main St.	Tommy observes a one minute silence

  To try to bring some degree of closure to this terribly sad event Tommy, dressed in full early nineties Henrys uniform, held a brief service outside the club last night at the time it would have normally opened its doors. A red and white wreath with a goldy banner and the words "In Loving Memory" was laid at the entrance to the club and a candle representing the heat that was generated in the club each night was lit.

"I'm completely devastated, I don't know what I'll do now", said the 34 year old, "I started going to Sweat in 1989 and I didn't miss a Saturday night since….not even the day my whole family was killed in a car accident."

Well known to Henry's clubbers and DJs alike Tommy Mitsu was noted for bringing the concept of massage to Henrys in 1991 after a visit to a rave in the UK and his thoughful gesture and sensual approach to the closure will be of comfort to many who are feeling the same way.

Kind Henrys fans John and Edel come to Tommys aid	Despite their efforts he collapses with grief

Not being gay I wouldn't be into flowers and things like that but I had to do something for the place where I experienced so much ecstasy over the years."

"I would encourage all the Henrys feens like myself to come down and say their final goodbyes", snivelled a distrought Mitsu, "I'm not superstitious either but when I was kneeling down praying for Sir Henry I definitely heard a voice talkin' to me." Tommy was recently turfed out of a mental health clinic (admittedly for insisting on playing Henrys tapes at full blast every night at 1am) but in a sad situation such as this we must assume the veteran's utterances as gospel.

It wasn't Tommys' first time on the ground of South Main Street	Then suddenely the voices speak to Tommy....

 The voice in my head was going 'house music will never die!' so I got out the brother's ghetto blaster and started playing The Best of Henrys 1996 and did me routine I used always do on the dance floor in the main room. I swear there was voices in my head the whole time saying stuff like 'Keep on reachin' higher' so I did the other routine me biys call the Mitsu Madness waving my hands around in the air about 90 miles an hour. I had the dust gear on and everything so it was a pure 1991 buzz like. "

Henrys Best of 1996 to liven things up	Tommy performs his Mitsu Madness routine

Its not easy to watch a grown man cry and Tommy is now faced with impending depression not being able to dance at his favourite club on Saturday nights.

Once again it is evidently clear that the Dublin government have overlooked sensitive issues like the fallout from the closure of Sir Henrys and what those dependent on its services will do now. While sick people are lovingly tended to in comfortable car parks in hospitals around Cork there are people like Tommy Mitsu who have nowhere to turn.

According to an official spokesfeen The People's Republic Of Cork government, which will gradually take control of the county in the next few years, pledge to provide 24 hour care and counselling services for those most affected by this torturous period for Cork's clubbers. Vision with purpose of course.

Tommy enjoying a breakdown	The beat will go on and on and on.....

Tommy now plans to get a job and aims to save enough grade to buy one of the posh new apartments that will be built after the present building is demolished. "Its wrong putting these apartments on somewhere sacred like Henrys. I mean they wouldn't build shops on the Vatican if that closed would they?

I'll be buying decks, records, a sound system bigger than the one in Henrys as well and I'll tell ye something for nothing….the walls of Henrys haven't seen the last of the Mitsu Madness yet!".