Compiled by JAMES GIBBONS
A colourful coat for a painterly lecture
Virginia Teehan of University College Cork gave Joseph’s amazing technicolour dreamcoat a run for its money in the Royal Hibernian Academy on Wednesday evening. The director of Cultural Projects at UCC wore an 18th-century “happy coat”, sourced by her friend Libby Heckett, to the illustrated lecture by international artist Prof Hai-ying Wu.
The Dean of Christ Church Cathedral, Rev Dermot Dunne, was wearing civvies but he was definitely not wearing a happy coat. He seemed quite disconsolate when the subject of St Laurence O’Toole’s heart was broached. He is still waiting for some news on the heart, which was stolen from the cathedral some weeks ago. “The Garda has photo ID,” he said, “but I just hope those who took it didn’t chuck it over the bridge.”
Patrick T Murphy, the director of the RHA, greeted guests. Colm Mac Athlaoich – an artist who is lucky enough to have one of the studios upstairs in the RHA – rambled into the lecture to see what all the fuss and noise was about below stairs.
Prof Wu’s lecture was delivered by his daughter Jing Wu, as she has a more confident command of English. Prof Wu then gave a demonstration of Chinese painting methods.
Amos McGrath, a chef from Clyde Road in Dublin 4, told me he does “private catering for the Government and things on Ailesbury Road”, but could not reveal what they were. He did say that he is doing the catering today at the installation of Canon Victor Stacey as the new Dean of St Patrick’s Cathedral at 3pm.
Jackie Condon – wife of the late attorney-general Colm Condon – came in from Killiney and was chatting to antiquarian Donal Robinson-Ryan and Owen O’Meara of Lombard Ireland and his wife Mary de Courcy from Sandymount.
“Owen is one of the O’Mearas from Cork,” said Condon. “They were the top horse trainers in the 1920s.” Sheppards of Durrow was sponsoring the lecture and was represented by Michael Sheppard and his son James, an engineering student.
The Oireachtas was well represented at the lecture. The Minister for Arts Jimmy Deenihan gave the introduction and Labour Senator Fidelma Healy Eames was in the audience. Aiden McDonnell of Colliers International came in from Ballsbridge with his wife Anne. They’re off to their flat in Cannes for Easter.
Designer is a glass act
John Rocha and his wife Odette left for the Far East yesterday. Odette was in City Hall on Wednesday evening when her daughter Simone launched her new bottle design for West Coast Cooler.
A few guests read the invitation incorrectly and thought they were attending a fashion show of Simone’s latest clothes designs.
Gavin Friday was one such guest. “I know Simone through her parents. I know her since she was a kid.” He
came back from the Benelux countries where he is performing three weeks ago and will go back in May. He has also written a score for a movie about the photographer and film-maker Anton Corbijn.
There were some models – including Thalia Heffernan – huddled together wearing Simone’s latest clothing and shoe designs, so those expecting fashion were not entirely disappointed.
Simone told me that her spring/ summer 2012 collection influenced the new West Coast Cooler bottle. Glass designing is in the family, since her father designs for Waterford Crystal. He was not at Wednesday’s launch as he was in London.
Handbag designer Pauric Sweeney was sporting a tan, having spent the past few weeks in Italy. He walked to the launch from his pied-à-terre on Waterloo Road. He told me he has just launched a new sunglasses collection.
What we ate: Canapes
What we drank:West Coast Cooler
Speaking of Frankie
Peter Sheridan explained that Frankie Byrne’s The Women’s Page on RTÉ Radio 1 was “Liveline for the 1960s” at the opening of Dear Frankie in the Gaiety on Monday evening. “She also made Frank Sinatra [famous] in Dublin and was the chief PR person for Kennedy’s visit in 1963,” he said. Byrne’s show offered practical advice interspersed with Sinatra tunes from 1963 to 1985.
Byrne’s daughter Valerie McLoughlin, whom she gave up for adoption, was in the dress circle with her four children: Daragh, who is a banker, Mark and Ben, who are builders, and Heather, who is training to be a midwife in The Coombe and Trinity College.
McLoughlin – whose biological father was the late Frank Hall (of Hall’s Pictorial Weekly) – told me that Monday was her sixth time to see the play.
Fr Brian D’Arcy enjoyed it and told me that he had officiated at Hall’s funeral. “Frankie never really appeared out and about. I used to listen to her on the radio,” he said.
Marian Richardson, the series producer of Drivetime, travelled from RTÉ with the show’s presenter Mary Wilson. Richardson remembered tuning into Byrne at lunchtime when she was a schoolgirl at St Louis High School in Rathmines.
Senator David Norris was accompanied by his friend, the barrister Muireann Noonan. “She’s the best neighbour you could ever have,” he said. Noonan is chairperson of the North Great George’s Street Residents’ Association.
Who we spotted:Actor Charlotte Bradley, who is filming Vexed: Bill Hughes; Bláthnaid Ní Chofaigh
FYI, it's the IYF at BT
Kathryn Thomas told me she was thrilled that Marty Whelan won the VIP Most Stylish man award last weekend. “I travel into RTÉ in my tracksuit,and the silver fox is there bright and early in his suit.”
She was invited by Mona Nolan, who serves on the board of the Irish Youth Foundation and whose baby is due in two weeks, to draw the ticket at a raffle at Thursday evening’s IYF fashion show and supper in Brown Thomas. Thomas, who presents The Voice on RTÉ1 on Sunday evenings, said she was worried last weekend when the show started in the UK.
Norma Smurfit, who founded the IYF 25 years ago, was the guest of honour at Bill Cullen and Jackie Lavin’s dinner to celebrate the milestone.
Michelle Curtin, head of personal shopping in Brown Thomas, put together 20 looks for the ultimate summer wardrobe, and models including Aoife Cogan and Sarah Morrissey navigated the tables in the store’s restaurant.
Who we spotted: Róisín O'Hea; IYF board director John Cunningham; Sabina Cotter of IYF; Darren Kennedy
What we ate: A Domini Kemp supper
No ordinary portrait
A broken foot meant that painter James Hanley arrived at the Irish Times building on crutches last Monday evening for the unveiling of his portrait of former Irish Times editor Conor Brady.
A member of the Royal Hibernian Academy, Hanley has become the portraitist of choice for the illustrious, and previous sitters range from former archbishop of Dublin Desmond Connell to Olympic gold medallist Ronnie Delaney.
Brady, who edited The Irish Times from 1986 to 2002, stepped down as a Garda Ombudsman commissioner at the end of 2011 and has recently made his debut as a novelist with A June of Ordinary Murders.
His portrait will join those of previous editors, including Douglas Gageby, RM Smyllie and the paper’s founding editor Major Lawrence Knox, in the Editor’s office.
Grandpère Guilbaud
Freddy Guilbaud, the two-year-old grandson of restaurateur Patrick Guilbaud, was the guest of honour at his grandfather’s 60th birthday last Sunday in Restaurant Patrick Guilbaud. Fois gras, salmon, chicken and a chocolate pudding were washed down with white and red burgundy, claret and champagne. Guilbaud told me that the two-star Michelin restaurant is “up on last year and particularly busy at the weekends”. Restaurant Patrick Guilbaud opened here in the midst of hard times, and Guilbaud is very optimistic about his restaurant, which is celebrating 30 years in business.
Restaurant manager and trained paratrooper Stéphane Robin – who came to the restaurant for six months and is still here 25 years later – told me that head chef Guillaume Lebrun is working on their new menu, which will be ready in two weeks’ time.
