On The Town: Glowing ruby tea lights, scarlet poinsettias in full bloom and a sparsely but stylishly decorated Christmas tree provided the festive backdrop for the opening of the Gate Theatre's Christmas show, Anna Karenina.
Jill Casey, mother of assistant director Edwina Casey, came along to support her daughter, and was joined by her friend, Anne Moriarty. Olive Braiden, chairwoman of the Arts Council, and her husband Seán were at the Gate, as was Fiach Mac Conghail, director of the Abbey, and actor Barry McGovern.
Christmas, it seems, lures people to the capital, something that was apparent from the slightly more geographically varied crowd than usual. Mingling among the usual bevy of theatre darlings were a number of groups of "city break" women who had travelled for the occasion.
"We do this every year, around 12 of us," explained Breda Clifford, from Tralee, who came along to the Gate with friends Nora Sheehy and Mary Kearney. "We got three cancellations - we're blessed with luck."
Helen Edmundson, who wrote the challenging adaptation of Tolstoy's classic novel, was also at the opening.
"It has so many layers to it, and is profoundly intelligent," explained director Michael Barker-Caven. "It was very challenging, but in my business this is the kind of script you want to do. It stands up entirely as a play itself, on its own."
Across the foyer, three generations of a family had travelled from Limerick for the occasion, apparently securing the final four tickets.
"We ran away from Cliff Richard," joked Haidee Foley, who was joined by Anne and Jennifer McCaffery and Rosario Blowers.
The croonings of Cliff are a million miles away from a production that attempts the mammoth task of transferring an 850-page novel into a believable and engaging stage version.
• Anna Karenina , adapted by Helen Edmundson, runs at the Gate until January.
Artists making a subtle splash
Art buyers are a rare breed, it seems. Apparently, one queued from midday to secure his painting of choice at the Royal Hibernian Academy and Ashford Gallery's Christmas Exhibition sale this week. And yet, mingling in the foyer, it was difficult to find anyone to admit intent on buying, let alone scrapping to get their hands on, some coveted piece of art.
"We're just looking," said Alice Kearns, a recent NCAD graduate who had come along to support some former classmates exhibiting in the show. Other former NCAD graduates in attendance included Lucy Sheridan, Fiona Chambers and John Jones. Denise Kevany (with her daughter, Caroline Kevany) and artist Laura Cronin also came along to the show, but were similarly evasive as to their purchasing plans.
Throughout the evening, red dots began to materialise beside paintings, and still not a credit card or wad of cash in sight. The atmosphere in the RHA was relaxed, with a jazz band playing in the corner and many younger artists in attendance.
"A lot of younger artists, who would have exhibited in the Ashford throughout the year, are here," said RHA secretary James Hanley. "It's a good mix."
Artists Joe Dunne, Kieran Moore and James English were in attendance, along with RHA president Stephen McKenna.
Two artists who recently exhibited at the Ashford, Colin Martin and Nicky Hooper, were also at the festive sale.
Art buyers are "more subtle" than the average Christmas shopper, noted one member of staff, and at times it was hard to grasp that this was the art world's equivalent of the Brown Thomas sale. No discounts on offer, only the opportunity to drink your 10 per cent in refreshments.
Long time coming down the line
'This is a first for me", said broadcaster Joe Duffy, launching Irish Timesjournalist Patsy McGarry's book, While Justice Slept: The True Story of Nicky Kelly and the Sallins Robbery, at Eason Hanna's bookshop on Dawson Street this week. "I feel like Bertie Ahern opening a bank account. I know it's a good idea, and most of my contemporaries have done it, but it still feels good to finally do it [launch such a book]."
On the day that details of the first press council were announced by the Minister for Justice, Michael McDowell, it seemed appropriate that the nature of journalism, in its best incarnation, was the topic of conversation. "Patsy and his book say more about journalism than Michael McDowell thinks he understands - that there is a crusading element to our work," said Duffy.
The attendance included the subject of the book, Nicky Kelly, who was wrongfully jailed in 1978 for the Sallins robbery. The author's mother, Teenie McGarry, brother Declan, sister-in-law Eithne, and sister Sinéad Mangan (with her husband John and daughter Aoife) were also there as were solicitor Greg O'Neill and barrister Michael O'Higgins, along with Labour Party TD Liz McManus and actors Seán McGinley and Marie Mullen.
This year may have seen a wealth of journalistic books on the shelves, but surely none with the protracted history of McGarry's book, which was written in 1993 but then ran into legal difficulties. "Finnegans Wake took 18 years, but this took 13," he said. "But I don't think it's a literary masterpiece." The volume is dedicated to the late journalist, Derek Dunne, whose sisters, Elizabeth and Dolores, were at the launch.
Despite the weighty issues being discussed among the guests, Duffy made sure to end his speech on a lighter note : "I've been dying to say this for years", he said, adding that he thought he'd only get to say it if he crashed a Nissan Micra into the front doors: "It's a fantastic book and there's one for everybody in the audience."
• While Justice Slept: The True Story of Nicky Kelly and the Sallins Train Robbery , by Patsy McGarry, is published by The Liffey Press.
Tribe gathers for Shadowcatcher
The Gallery of Photography's first exhibition since reopening after improvement work (funded by a capital grant from the Arts Council) gave the organisers some novel ideas for opening celebrations.
"We were talking about a rebirth, and thought we should have some smoke signals," joked Tanya Kiang, director of the gallery.
The exhibition, Sacred Legacy, showcases a small fraction of the work of a man known to the Native American community as "Shadowcatcher". Edward S Curtis spent three decades, and $1.5 million (€1.14m), capturing more than 80 different tribes, from Mexico to the Arctic, in photographs.
"I think it could still be seen to be the biggest arts project taken on by one individual," said Kiang.
Among those who came to the gallery for the opening this week was photographer John Kelly, who has most recently been showing in China and Norwich, and who commended the exhibition for its "unbelievable printing quality". Also in attendance were landscape architect and gallery board member Desmond FitzGerald; artist Mark Curran, whose exhibition, The Breathing Factory, recently showed at the gallery; British Council arts manager Madeline Boughton; and the recently appointed director of the Dublin International Film Festival, Gráinne Humphreys. Also there were Lilliput Press's Antony Farrell, musician Kieran Duddy and photographer Karl Grimes.
Phantom FM's Tara Gleeson came along with Sara Colohan, creator of the popular burlesque, The Tassel Club, and animator Paul Shanahan.
The US ambassador to Ireland and self-confessed Curtis fan, Thomas Foley, opened the exhibition, describing it as "a tantalising picture of a world that no longer exists".
Perhaps the best endorsement came from renowned Irish photographer Bill Doyle, who is currently preparing for a show in the Marine Institute in Sydney in two months' time.
"I adore this stuff, I wish I had taken them," he enthused, before explaining, tongue in cheek, a little more about his exhibition down under. "They want to put my work up on Ayers Rock."
• Sacred Legacy is at the Gallery of Photography, Temple Bar, Dublin, until Jan 21.