"Young People who meet together, in the most impious and blasphemous manner, insult the most sacred principles of our holy religion, affront Almighty God himself, and corrupt the minds and morals of one another."

This decree failed to dampen the behaviour of the 'bucks' and 'rakes' of the 18th century - young men with enough vigour, money and power to ensure that if necessary, they could probably get away with murder. It was fashionable at the time for such men to be members, not only of parliament, but of various 'clubs', most of which were devoted to unbridled hedonism.

Buck Whaley, one of the wildest Irish rakes, before his death from cirrhosis of the liver at the age of 33, wrote:

"I was born with strong passions, a lively imaginative disposition and a spirit that could brook no restraint. I possessed a restlessness and activity of mind that directed me to the most extravagant pursuits; and the ardour of my disposition never abated until satiety had weakened the power of my enjoyment."

Whaley's father, Richard Chappell Whaley, was one of the co-founders of the Irish 'Hell-Fire Club', which existed between 1734 and 1741, along with Richard Parsons, the first Earl of Rosse. Myriad tales abound concerning this group, and their exploits at their regular meeting spot - The Eagle Tavern in Dublin's city centre, and the hunting lodge built by MP William Conolly on Montpelier Hill, in the countryside overlooking the city. Tales of demonic appearances, black masses and sacrifices are associated with the place since then, just as rumours and reports of Satanic practices and large spectral black cats are today. Despite these rumours, the Irish Hell-Fires seemed to have devoted their time to relatively innocent pursuits, such as the drinking of 'scultheen', a mixture of whiskey and rancid butter, setting fire to churches and fighting duels.

Sir Francis Dashwood's group - the Monks of Medmenham - seem to have been a slightly more refined organisation. Despite claims of satanic activity associated with their gatherings, the meetings of Dashwood, Lord Sandwich, John Wilkes and their inner group of 13 (including, occasionally, Benjamin Franklin - Dashwood and, more famously Wilkes, who were supporters of American Independence) usually consisted of, as Wilkes wrote:

"A set of worthy, jolly fellows, happy disciples of Venus and Bacchus, got together to celebrate women in wine and to give more zest to the festive meeting, they plucked every luxurious idea from the ancients and enriched their own modern pleasures with the tradition of ancient luxury."