Party at the Palace

Party at the Palace: 1. Deric Hartigan & Sinead O’Donnell; 2. Brooke Vincent & Sacha Parkinson; 3. Emma Fitzpatrick & Caroline Naughton. (Pix. Brian McEvoy)

Coronation Street babes Sacha Parkinson (Sian Powers) and Brooke Vincent (Sophie Vincent) were the centre of attention at the Palace Club in Navan at the weekend. As well as clubbing Brooke also tried to DJ, but we’re not sure she should give up acting just yet! The girls, who have recently been seen playing lovers in the soap, are the best of friends off screen.

Viva Aviva!

At the opening of the Aviva Stadium: 1. Emer McDonnell, Susie Flynn and Holly White; 2. Alison O'Riordan; 3. Denis Crehan and Leanne Jones. (Pix. Kieran Harnett)

It was a much anticipated event as An Taoiseach Brian Cowen, TD, officially opened the new Aviva Stadium at Lansdowne Road, Dublin recently. The stadium which will be the new home for Ireland’s international rugby and soccer teams is a joint venture by the Irish Rugby Football Union (IRFU) and the Football Association of Ireland (FAI).

Planning permission for the new stadium was received in March 2007 with work on site beginning two months later in May with the demolition of the old Lansdowne Road Stadium. From the start of demolition, through to the handing over of the stadium to the FAI and IRFU, the project took slightly less than three years to complete.

The result is a state-of-the-art 50,000 all seated stadium which while making a bold architectural statement does not impact environmentally on the Dublin skyline. The stadium, which is on four levels on three sides, sweeps down to one level at the northern end in respect to the housing at that end of the ground.

The first fixtures in the new stadium will see a Connacht/Munster rugby selection take on a Leinster/Ulster selection on 31 July, followed by an Airtricity League team playing Manchester United on 4 August. The first international will see Ireland’s soccer team playing former world champions Argentina on August 11. The first rugby international will see Ireland face current world champions South Africa on November 6.

Robin Hood premiere

Merry Women: 1. Kathryn Thomas; 2. Sharon Corr; 3. Lucy Kennedy. (Pix. 1Image / Bryan Brophy)

The Irish premiere of Robin Hood took place at Movies@Dundrum, Dundrum Town Centre and attracted a number of well known faces.

Before the film, guests were treated to a live screening of the red carpet in Cannes where the World Premiere of the film was taking place (and where the faces were equally as well known).

Afterwards guests including Michella Heaton and Hugh Hanley, Maria Fusco and Dr. Danielle Meaghar, Lisa Cannon, Michael Sharpe and Aoife Kelly repaired to Harvey Nichols for a drinks reception.

Whistle Down The Wind

At the GCT: 1. Jenny Kavanagh & Yari Jegbafume; 2. Roisin Magee & Hollie O’Donoghue; 3. Alan Hughes & Karl Broderick. (Pix. Brian McEvoy)

Bill Kenwright presented Andrew Lloyd Webber’s “WHISTLE DOWN THE WIND” this week, the first musical to open at the new Grand Canal Theatre, Dublin. Among those there for the opening night were Gerald Kean and Lisa Murphy, Brian Ormond and Pippa O'Connor, Joe Duffy, Norma Smurfit, Alan Hughes and Karl Broderick, Karen Koster and loads of Fair City Stars including Clelia Murphy, Ciara O'Callaghan, Hilda Fay, Tony Tormey and Jenny Kavanagh.

An extraordinary and uplifting tale, ‘Whistle Down The Wind’ is based on the beloved sixties film starring Hayley Mills and Alan Bates, and features numerous multi-award–winning songs, including Boyzone’s international smash hit “No Matter What” (which topped the UK Charts for 6 weeks). Jonathan Ansell, who was lead vocalist in X- Factor runners–up Operatic group G4, has also been cast in his musical debut.

The musical shows how powerful love can be when the innocence of childhood collides with the cynicism of an adult word. In a stunning combination of multi–award–winning songs, powerful all new staging and epic storytelling ‘Whistle Down The Wind’ is a record breaking theatrical sensation that is both mesmerising and moving.

Bord Gais IRUPA Awards

IRUPA Awards: 1. Brian O’Driscoll & Joanne Byrne; 2. Brent Pope & Sarah Cunningham; 3. Tommy Bowe & Aislinn O’Toole. (Pix. Leon Farrell / Fennells)

The Bord Gáis Energy IRUPA Awards took place at the Burlington Hotel this week. Guests on the night included rugby boys Brian O’Driscoll, Gordon D’Arcy, Rob Kearney, Jamie Heaslip, Johnny Sexton, Tommy Bowe, Michael Swift and Keith Woods.

Rugby legends Jack Kyle and Willie-John McBride were also in attendance. Guests enjoyed a Heineken reception before the awards ceremony, as well as being treated to a performance from Risteard Cooper of Apres Match and a silent auction.

Among the winners on the night were Tommy Bowe (Players’ Player of the Yesr), Fionn Carr, Connacht (Young Player of the Year) and Girvan Dempsey, Leinster (Hall of Fame).

CARI Lunch

Lunching for CARI: 1. Cecilia Ahern & Yvonne Keating; 2. Dave Ryan & Sinead Desmond; 3. Una Elliott & Dorothy Clarke. (Pix. Brian McEvoy)


Miriam Ahern hosted her annual charity luncheon in aid of CARI in Cruzzos Restaurant, Malahide this week. The stylish set, dressed to the nines, were out in their droves to enjoy the much anticipated event in the surroundings of the marina-side restaurant.

A champagne reception and delicious lunch was followed by live entertainment by top singer and performer Paul Byrom, while the charismatic Alan Hughes from TV3 was the MC for the afternoon. The event raised in excess of €20,000 for the charity.

Guests who attended on the day included Miriam Ahern and her partner Terry Mc Coy, Georgina and Cecilia Ahern, Yvonne Keating, Sinead Desmond, models Alison Kanavan and Suzanne Mc Cabe and singer Brian Kennedy to name but a few.

CARI is a voluntary organisation, founded in 1989 to provide therapy and counselling to children and teens that have been affected by child sexual abuse. CARI’s focus is to address the long-term needs of children and teens that have experienced sexual abuse.

As well as the services of therapy and counselling, CARI also provides an Outreach and Groupwork Programme for young people. Their programme is offered to schools, youth centres and everyone who would have children/teens in their care. With limited government funding to date CARI is entirely dependent upon its fund-raising efforts in order to continue to offer these vital services.

A Plan to end poverty

A good Plan: 1. Blathnaid Ni Chofaigh & Salil Shetty; 2. Colin Murphy; 3. Eamonn Casey & Joanna Rea. (Pix. Shane O’Neill / Fennells)

The Director of the United Nations Millennium Campaign, Salil Shetty, paid a whirlwind visit to Dublin recently where he met with a number of groups including Irish Aid and the Joint Foreign Affairs Committee.

Mr. Shetty was the special guest at an event at The Westin, organised by the children’s development charity Plan Ireland, which aimed to widen the debate about issues facing children, particularly girls, in the developing world.

Among the guests at the event were Minister for Finance Brian Lenihan TD, David Dalton, CEO of Plan Ireland and Blathnaid Ni Chofaigh, who is an Ambassador for Children for the charity. Also present were H.E. The Indian Ambassador P.S. Raghavan, comedian and TV presenter Colin Murphy, Rodney Rice and Lord Mayor of Dublin Emer Costello.

“I urge the government to preserve the aid budget and to commit to achieving the 0.7% target by 2015. If Ireland could achieve this we’d place the Irish nation, once again, to the fore of international development cooperation,” said David Dalton.

Currently, Ireland is the seventh most generous donor per capita in the world, though our generosity has faltered somewhat in recent years. In order to help achieve the Millennium Development Goals it is vital to maintain our aid contributions and to deliver on the international target of 0.7% of gross national income. We have failed, twice, to meet this target.

Commenting on this Minister Lenihan stated: “We are still a wealthy country”, he said, “and we have a moral obligation to help those who are much less fortunate.”

Divine

Divine evening: 1. Ruth Brady & Niamh Stil; 2. Emily & Aoife Mulhair; 3. Lorraine Keane & Deborah Veale. (Pix. Brian McEvoy)


Spring was in the air at Divine boutique in Malahide where Mary Greene launched her SS2010 collections. There was a great buzz at the store as some of the most loyal customers took to the catwalk to show off the new fashions.

Mary Greene also launched her For One Night Only, special occasion hire. This recession buster is sure to be music to the ear of every girl about town. Why let your evening gowns gather dust in your wardrobe? For just a fraction of the retail price you can now hire a dress for a fraction of the original price. All the Glamour without the guilt!

Guests on the evening included Irish designers Kate and Ava, Deborah Veale and one of Divine’s biggest fans, Lorraine Keane.

Black Eyed Peas After Party

At Tripod for the BEP after party: 1. Sheena Lynch, Christine Dunne and Tebra Ligheibi; 2. Siobhan O’Dowd; 3. Dermot Keogh and Simone Charlton. (Pix. Kieran Harnett)


BACARDI kept music lovers in the party spirit last weekend as official sponsors of the Black Eyed Peas’ The E.N.D. World Tour 2010 and After-Show party at Dublin’s Tripod. The BACARDI After-Show Party following the first concert of the European leg of the tour saw the band mingle with a select number of BACARDI-invited guests, who were lucky enough to win a chance to meet them.

All The Peas were in attendance at Tripod, and kept the crowd dancing all night with a high-octane set, featuring signature tracks, as well as favourites of the band. Will.I.Am wowed the crowd with his characteristic DJ style, while Taboo set the atmosphere alight engaging with the audience throughout the set.

The band was joined by a number of members of its entourage, many of whom joined them on stage, spinning tracks on the decks and guest MCing ensuring that the night rocked.

In honour of the explosive tour, BACARDI is hosting exclusive VIP areas at all after-show parties taking place during The E.N.D World Tour, and has even has created an official cocktail, the BACARDI V.I.Pea.

A twist on the original hand-shaken Daiquiri (invented with BACARDI over a century ago) black sugar is used to create it. Garnished with black eyed peas resting on the glass rim, the BACARDI V.I.Pea is the newest member of the BACARDI cocktail family and went down a storm.

Girl in the Yellow Dress

Mellow yellow: 1. Emily O’Donnell & Roisin Tierney – Crowe; 2. Roxanne Parker & Corina Grant; 3. Rosanna Davison & Marisa Mackle. (Pix. Marc O’Sullivan)

Former Miss World Rosanna Davison recently joined forces with number one bestselling author Marisa Mackle to launch their first book. ‘Girl in the Yellow Dress’, a children’s book written by Marisa and illustrated by Rosanna, was launched at Easons, O’Connell Street.

Joining in the celebrations on the night were Chris de Burgh, who few in especially from Valencia where he had been performing a concert that afternoon, and his beautiful wife Diane.

Also there on the night to wish their friends well and add a bit of glamour were models Sarah McGovern, Corina Grant, Avril Kelly and Ruth Griffin. Former Miss Ireland and fellow novelist Amanda Brunker popped in to lend her support as did Robbie Fox, Norman Pratt and Dominique Cullen.

Marisa’s baby son Gary was certainly the youngest guest on the evening but it wasn’t a late night as Marisa and Rosanna had to catch an early flight the following morning to begin their nationwide book signing.

Keith Cullen

At the Sugar Club: 1. Mark Kane & Madeline Bachmann; 2. Keith Cullen & David Gilna; 3. Amy Burke & Natalie Burke. (Pix. Malachy Geelan)


Successful young businessman Keith Cullen from Kildare has a passion for music and this week at the Sugar Club in Dublin, Keith had his first official launch and introduction to the music industry.

The past 12 months have seen Keith focus heavily on making a legitimate move into the music industry, with Keith defining his musical tastes, likes and dislikes and playing around with various different styles.


Invited guests included Andrea Roche, film director Eoin Macken, and stylist Cathy O’Connor. The crowd was treated to 6 songs from Keith including some original tracks and the show included dancers from the National Performing Arts School (NPAS).

Iron Man 2

At Iron Man 2: 1. Mr. World Kamal Ibrahim & Zal Ibrahim; 2. Virginia Macari; 3.Michelle Heaton & Hugh Hanley. (Pix. Brian McEvoy)


Iron Man 2, the new blockbuster sequel starring Robert Downey Jr., Gwyneth Paltrow, Scarlett Johansson and Samuel L. Jackson, had its Irish premiere at the Savoy Cinema. A host of Irish celebrities showed up for this exclusive first look at the hottest film of the year which opens to the public on April 30th.

Guests on the blue carpet mingled with Irish personalities from TV, music and film, including Maria Doyle Kennedy and her children, singer Mary Coughlan, producer Bill Hughes, The Coronas, Michelle Heaton and Hugh Hanley, actors Laurence Kinlan and Paul Reid, among a host of others. Generating much attention was the stunning white €275,000 Audi R8 Spyder, as featured in the film.

In “Iron Man 2,” the world is aware that billionaire inventor Tony Stark (Robert Downey Jr.) is the armored Super Hero Iron Man. Under pressure from the government, the press and the public to share his technology with the military, Tony is unwilling to divulge the secrets behind the Iron Man armor because he fears the information will slip into the wrong hands. With Pepper Potts (Gwyneth Paltrow), and James “Rhodey” Rhodes (Don Cheadle) at his side, Tony forges new alliances and confronts powerful new forces.

Fran and Jane

Fans of Fran & Jane: 1. Sybil Mulcahy & Lisa Cannon; 2. Lisa Fitzpatrick; 3. Amy Hayes & Sarah Dillon. (Pix. Paul Sherwood)

Last night fashion brand Fran and Jane hosted a fashion extravaganza in aid of the very worthy St. Vincents Foundation, with proceeds dedicated specifically to breast cancer. The show took place in the Douglas and Kaldi restaurant in Dundrum Town Centre and saw almost 200 fashionistas in attendance.

This London Tea Party vs. London Rocks fashion show event also celebrated the recent opening of the first Fran and Jane London store on the Kings Road in Chelsea and the theme reflected the wide mix of formal and casual wear in the Spring Summer 2010 collection.

All Wright for Howard

At the WV: 1. Howard Donald and performer; 2. Paula Nesbitt & Katy Gannon; 3. Gary Kavanagh, Pippa O’Connor & Brian Dowling. (Pix. Brian McEvoy)

Howard Donald, from Take That, was in town recently and hosted a private party at the Wright Venue. The Swords club was the place to be and there were plenty of familiar faces around on the evening.

With the spirit of a nightclub and the energy of a live music venue the WV is a haven for music & dance. Theatrical in design, all focus is on the dancefloor and stage with various viewing options around from a tiered gallery to more intimate snugs and VIP Rooms.

The newest night on the WV schedule is Thursday with the introduction of Culture Club, a laid back evening hosted in the Penthouse suite with all the classics from the 80s and 90s.

Paradise Island

At John Malone’s party on InishTurkBeg: (Top) 1. Edward Haughey & Francesca Ricci; 2. Ciara Egan & John Malone; 3. Vanessa Laurenson & Benoit Bringer; 4. Sunset drinks on the terrace. (Pix. Dylan Thomas)


The magical private island of InishTurkBeg was the location for the birthday celebrations of London based socialite John Malone last weekend. Planes, trains and automobiles brought them from far and wide for what was a truly international affair.

Friends from the UK, Italy and France joined the Irish to toast John (who hails from Atlanta, Georgia and works for CNN) on the occasion of his 30th. A weekend of activities including horse riding, shooting and fishing was supplemented by a round of cocktail parties, lunches and dinners, all expertly organised by the team from Quintessentially.

The exclusive InishTurkBeg, off the West coast of Ireland in Clew Bay, is the epitome of understated luxury mixed with the rural ideal. The award winning, architecturally designed, main house boasts every conceivable extra such as an indoor pool, home cinema, outdoor sound system and views to die for.

There are three additional guest houses on the island along with a tennis court, massive hot tub and a fleet of vehicles at guest’s disposal. Rumour has it that a certain Irish rock star wants to buy InishTurkBeg but his offers have, thus far, been politely declined.

Among the weekend party were Ed Haughey and Francesca Ricci, Liam Collins and Lauren Martin, Tony O’Riordan and his wife Hilda, Eoin Cunneen, Kiki DeVere and Vanessa Laurenson.

Also there was Torquil Fleming – Boyd, whose production company is putting the finishing touches to a new TV3 series called Celebrity Salon. Stars such as Rosanna Davison, Leigh Arnold and Virginia Macari will all be put to the test in it this summer.

www.inishturkbeg.com/

Launch of TVnow Awards

At the launch: 1. Anna Daly & Sinead Desmond; 2. Glenda Gilson; 3. Daithi O Sé & Anne Doyle. (Pix. Brian McEvoy)

Ireland’s television awards, which honour the best shows and stars on Irish TV, was launched in Krystle Nightclub, Dublin 2. A select group of the Walkers TV Now Award nominees were present including Tony Tormey, Aisling O’Neill, Gemma Doorly and Jenny Kavanagh of RTE soap Fair City.

Also among the nominees present were Sinead Desmond of Ireland AM (nominated for Favourite Irish TV Show and Favourite Female TV Presenter), Daithi O Sé (nominated for Favourite Male TV Presenter) and Anne Doyle of RTE (nominated for Favourite News/ Current Affairs Presenter).

Most of the big star names of Irish television, as well as dozens of the top soap stars from the UK, will also be glamming themselves up on May 22nd 2010, when the Walkers TV Now Awards return to Dublin’s Mansion House.

Exposed to Fashion

Fashionistas: 1. Barry Egan and Blathnaid Ni Chofaigh; 2. Dawn Fitzgerald and Siobhain Carnegie; 3. Aisling Kilduff and Synan O'Mahony. (Pix. Kieran Harnett)

The Irish Fashion Exposure - Spring Summer 2010 in the Stephen’s Green Hibernian Club was a beautiful fashion extravaganza featuring select Irish Designers’ current collections.

The concept of this exciting show was to create a relaxed environment for fashion lovers to enjoy a top-of-the-line fashion show and have the opportunity to place orders and interact with the designers on a more personal level.

A dual aim of this event was to raise funds for St. Lazarus Ireland, a charity engaged in humanitarian work with children and the invalided. For instance, they are supporting a school for destitute children in one of the poorest suburbs of Santiago, Chile, and doing valuable work to help eradicate leprosy around the globe. These projects are often the most in need and often overlooked.

The event was hosted in association with The Design Centre in Powerscourt Shopping Centre who are the leading promoters of Irish Fashion.