SOME professions are clearly better at enjoying themselves en masse than others. On Monday night the nation's top hairdressers got together in Jury's Hotel for the Oscars of the Irish hairdressing industry the L'Oreal Colour Trophy Award and as expected it wasn't a quiet, sedate affair.
Every prize was greeted with loud whoops and an outbreak of communal hugging, and winners of the main award, the team from Hugh Campbell's salon in Limerick, were if the decibel level was anything to go by an extremely popular choice. The team included stylist Cyril Morgan, colourist Trish Sheehan and make up artist Edel Cassidy, sister of composer Patrick Cassidy.
The judging panel was led by Andrew and Liz Collenge who, apart from being hair celebrities in Britain are also responsible for the hair and make up of the nearly royal Sophie Rhys Jones, Prince Edward's live in girlfriend. Andrew remarked that his training left him well able to deal with celebrity demands as an apprentice in Liverpool he spent two years washing Margaret Thatcher's hair every week.
Previous L'Oeral winner Alan Bruton, owner of the very fashionable Reds salon in Dublin, was also a judge. He was looking reasonably pleased with himself because his salon in Australia was just featured in Australian Vogue and has been nominated for a major hair industry award Down Under all that and the salon is only open six months.
Image editor Jane McDonnell, a woman who can spot a great magazine cover at 50 paces, also gave an award to the Limerick team for their choice of model. Their hair do was modelled by the stunning looking Kristine Havermann, a Danish woman now living in Limerick. Thanks to the award she will shortly feature on the cover of Jane's monthly glossy.