Monday, November 21, 2005

+++ bits + pieces +++

- Breffni Burke of Slattery Communications is set to marry her boyfriend, New Yorker Ari Lowenstein. The pair met at Quentin Fottrell's birthday bash two years ago and have been dividing their time between Rome and Dublin ever since. Ari proposed to Breffni last week and she will soon depart these shores to join him in Italy.


- Also recently engaged were Jim Corr, of The Corrs, and his girlfriend Gayle Williamson, who is a former Miss Northern Ireland. Despite their on-off relationship, the boy from Dundalk asked the girl from Lurgan to wed and she accepted. No date set yet, but it is sure to be a big day.


- There must be something in the water! Former Miss Ireland and top model Andrea Roche and her beau PJ Mansfield recently got engaged too. They have been dating for almost 4 years, and the announcement was widely expected. Indeed, I met her recently at the Jimmy Choo party in Brown Thomas and asked her myself. Of course she denied there were to be any announcements, but she did have a wry smile on her face.


- The Jean-Christophe Novelli mystery continues. Much speculation has been made about his association with top Dublin restaurant La Stampa and it seems nigh on impossible to eat in the restaurant while he is in the kitchen. I had dinner there on Saturday night with restaurant critic Ross Golden - Bannon and unsurprisingly we were informed that JC was not in situ. Instead the head chef was Andrew Turner from Criterion. Nonetheless the food was very good, but the service left a lot to be desired.


- Ex formula 1 driver turned international jet set playboy Eddie Irvine celebrated his 40th birthday last Friday night in his trendy bar Cocoon. Among the guests at the tightly guarded invite only bash were actor Patrick Bergin, Karla Elliott, the beautiful Crimmins triplets and rugby star Brian O'Driscoll.



Question of the week: Who was the girl who, after being rude to all and sundry, got very drunk at a recent press event? What started with her air Kissing the other guests ended with her stumbling out on the street muttering "stupid c*#*s".