The Golden Olive Ballroom in Cong opened its doors on Easter Sunday, March 29th, 1964 to the sounds of Des Smith and his Collegemen.
The unusual name was derived from Cong's reputation as an angling mecca and the golden olive lure which was so successful in catching
salmon locally. The initial dances were run with temporary licenses and when John Murphy (owner of the hall) applied for his full
license in May it came to light that there had already been "a disturbance" in the hall which had prompted the Gardai to intervene.