It was Monday night and the long-awaited memoirs of Conor Cruise O'Brien were celebrated with a party in the Atrium in Trinity. In fact, the guests got two for the price of one as the party encompassed not only Conor's book, Memoir, My Life and Themes but also a festschrift in his honour called Ideas Matter (both published by Poolbeg). So not surprisingly, there was a fine eclectic set of guests there to assist Conor and his wife Maire Mhac an tSaoi party in style.
The speeches were started off by academic Patrick Lynch, who began by saying his only qualification for launching the memoir was that he was Conor's "oldest friend", placing the emphasis firmly on the "old" as he gazed around the room. He raised the largest laugh with a tale about approaching government buildings in Conor's company and spying a large cat sprawled on the front steps. With that the former Taoiseach, Eamon de Valera, arrived to enter the building, startling the cat not one jot. "Another typical bureau-cat" remarked Conor wryly.
Next up to speak was historian Roy Foster, who managed to find time on his trip home from London to take in both this party and the bicentennial celebrations at his old alma mater, Newtown School in Waterford, last weekend. He said he thoroughly enjoyed the memoirs which proved the length and range of "the Cruiser's" influence; "moored like a battleship off the coast of Howth waiting to open fire on his selected targets". Roy also paid tribute to Maire, "Conor's sheet anchor", and to the late Kate Cruise O'Brien, their daughter, who edited much of the memoirs before her death earlier in the year.
One guest of note was Robert McCartney, leader of the UK Unionist party who spoke at the party for the book in Belfast later in the week. He laughed that any intellectual differences he may have with Conor "don't even feature in our friendship" and wished him all the best with the book.
Other guests included some of the contributors to the festschrift including Eoghan Harris and John A. Murphy, who later departed into the night talking 19 to the dozen, as well as friends who included Ruairi Quinn, leader of the Labour Party; the Provost of Trinity, Tom Mitchell; academic Mary Daly; Fianna Fail adviser Maurice Brick; barrister Frank Callanan and Conor's nephews, Maurice and John Biggar who, by working in the Department of Foreign Affairs, are continuing the family tradition.