When the winner of the Kilkenny Cream of Irish Design award, Ciaran Sweeney, arrived home on Tuesday he was expecting a couple of dinner guests to celebrate his birthday. His flatmate, Clive Nolan, manager of Luigi Malone's restaurant, had other ideas and the place was filled with masses of Ciaran's friends. Many of the new school of models were there including Lisa Cummins and her boyfriend Julian Gorman, Jill Goldthorpe, John Compton and Corinna Grant. Photographer Brian Daly; Ciaran's sister, film-maker Fionnuala Sweeney; Ann Sherry who works with Sweeney was there with her nine-year-old daughter Ellen, Deryn Mackey of Khan, and Paddy Bollard of Louise Kennedy all popped by to help the party go with a bang.
Like so many fashion events everybody ended up in Lillie's Bordello, but Ciaran had to get back to work pretty pronto. His annual show is coming up at the end of the month at an as-yet-to-be-disclosed time and place. "I like my shows to have an element of surprise," laughed Ciaran.