Life in 3D

3DTV is go: 1. Romy Carroll & Etain Boyd; 2. Rosanna Davison & Craig Doyle; 3. Andrew Rudd & Niall O’Farrell. (Pix. Brian McEvoy)

Samsung Ireland hosted an exclusive reception to celebrate the availability of Ireland’s first 3D TV’s in the stunning surroundings of the Circle Room at the new Grand Canal Theatre. TV presenter Craig Doyle acted as master of ceremonies with well known comedian Oliver Callan (of ‘Nob Nation’ fame) and DJ Mo Kelly entertaining guests in attendance.

Rosanna Davison looked stunning in blue as she officially unveiled Samsung’s latest 3D TV innovation, the C9000. The TV was flown in especially for the event and will be available in Ireland from June.

Spotted enjoying the 3D TV experience hubs were Irish rugby legend Malcolm O’Kelly and Leinster’s Shaun Berne and Nathan Hines. Louise Osbourne and model Laura Toogood looked as glam as always and were clearly bowled over by this season’s hottest accessory a - pair of 3D TV glasses!

Other 3D TV lovers at the event included Niall O’Farrell, Katie Jane Goldin, Italian fashionista Maria Fusco, Nuala Carey, stylist and presenter Darren Kennedy and Xopse’s Sean Munsanje.

The Samsung 3D TV line-up, apparently the greatest innovation in TV history, includes LCD, Plasma and the new LED 7,000, 8,000 and 9,000 models with screens ranging from 40” to 65” all featuring the latest 3D technology.

Mary McCartney for Kildare Village

Fashion followers: 1. Maria McGovern & Mary McCartney; 2. Kamal Jeedt & Joanne Hynes; 3. Avril Brophy, Lorraine Dwyer & Tara Fay. (Pix. Kieran Harnett)

Kildare Village is delighted to announce that world-renowned photographer Mary McCartney has been confirmed as the celebrity judge for The Kildare Village Most Stylish Lady Competition on Sunday 27 June. Mary has an excellent eye for style (as does her sister Stella) so she’s well placed to judge.

As part of the Kildare Village fashion sponsorship, Ms. McCartney opened an exhibition of her work entitled, ‘Mary McCartney – Collective Works’ at The Gallery Space in Kildare Village this week. The exhibition is an amalgamation of the photographer’s favourite images, shown in Ireland for the first time and exclusively curated for Kildare Village.

Now in its 5th year the Kildare Village Most Stylish Lady Competition has more exciting news for fashion loving race-goers ... for the first time ever members of the public will have their say in who will win the coveted fashion prize.

On Derby Sunday six finalists will be chosen by Mary McCartney and go through to the public vote. Pictures of the finalists will be displayed on large screens at the Curragh so race-goers can vote for their favourite via a free SMS text or on the derby.kildarevillage.com website.

Morgan, de toi

Guests at The Morgan: 1. Paola Floris & Brendan Liddy; 2. Catherine Fegan & Lisa Fitzpatrick; 3. Louise Ryan & Sorcha De-Gras. (Pix. Paul Sherwood)

Sophisticated fun, ultra stylish, modern chic – one of Dublin’s best boutique hotels - The Morgan has just launched The Morgan Suite Resident’s Lounge. The lounge will be a haven for corporate guests where they will be able to relax and unwind in the stylish surroundings of their own exclusive lounge whilst staying in the four star hotel.

Decorated with Philip Starck furniture, plush seating and offering a celebration of contemporary design, clean, simple lines and uncluttered elegance, the room is ideal for guests who need to chill out or work in peace.

To coincide with the launch, The Morgan held a ‘Sex and the City’ themed evening to showcase the new suite. Fashionista and style guru Lisa Fitzpatrick hosted a fashion show in conjunction with Assets Model Agency and a variety of summer lines were showcased including the new Bastyan range from Brown Thomas.

Guests also had the opportunity to enjoy a pampering in the infamous Penthouse suite where beauty therapists were available onsite with a variety of treatments available including manicures and massage. Whilst waiting for treatments guests could check out the rooftop airstream caravan and admire the views over the Dublin city skyline.

Bow & Pearl Girl

It’s all Bow: 1. Amy Huberman and Bronagh O ' Sullivan; 2. Amanda Brunker; 3. Cathy O ' Connor and Triona Mc Carthy. (Pix. Richie Stokes)

Bow & Pearl, Ranelagh village’s loveliest new addition, is a lifestyle and fashion boutique that should be a big hit with the girls in SoCoDu. Inspired by visits to Portobello, Spitalfields and vintage Paris markets, the store’s owner Bronagh O’Sullivan has scoured London and Paris to bring unique and, in most cases, first to market labels to the store, at genuinely affordable prices.

Among those enjoying the opening night party were special guest Amy Huberman, who’s busy getting ready for her wedding to Brian O’Driscoll at Lough Rynn Castle this summer. Another wedding in the offing will be that of beauty guru Triona McCarthy and her man Joe Murray. She was the centre of attention on the evening with her antique engagement ring from John Farrington. Also among the guests were Nadine Wai – O’Flynn, Amanda Brunker, Gillian McMahon and Cathy O’Connor.

Fashion labels at B&P include; the 1920's beautiful vintage inspired Darling label, up and coming designer Toki and Nabi, a collection of day dresses by Orion, the cult brand Joe’s Jeans and another cult find in the shape of French basics label American Vintage. Accessories include the on-trend Sido hair accessories and Jeepers Peepers vintage inspired eyewear.

Conscious of locally produced products, the homewares collection includes aromatherapy candles by Wicklow based Amie Organics and hand-painted cards with a personalised option by Irish card designer Cardbird. Next season will see the introduction of vintage label B-Vintage.

D15 Ladies Lunch

D15 Dollies: 1. Orla Rooney & Siobhan Furlong; 2. Teresa Rocca, John Compton & Aileen Gilson; 3. Roisin Hughes, Niamh Harvey & Eilish Hagan. (Pix. Brian McEvoy)

The fourth annual Dublin 15 ladies luncheon was hosted at the Castleknock Hotel and Country Club on Friday last. The event was very well supported by local businesses; the champagne reception was sponsored by Anglers Rest and the wines were courtesy of Castello Bruno.

Over 180 guests enjoyed a fashion show featuring exclusive designs by Cyril and Marot Cullen, Claire Garvey and Jennifer Rothwell showcased by the models of Compton Model Agency and presented by Una Gibney.

Guest speaker on the day was Kathryn Byrne of Image Matters and Theresa Rocca and Frank McNamara made a formidable duo as they raised lots of money (€15k) with the auction and raffle.
Overall the day raised over €15,000 for local charities and schools within the D15 area, with much fun had by all. It wasn’t over then though as most continue on to the after party at Brassiere 15.

i-tab, do you?

At the launch of the i-tab: 1. Helen O’Dwyer & Jim Corr; 2. Patricia Roe, Toto legend Bobby Kimball and Valerie Roe; 3. Sinead Madden and Paul Harrington. (Pix. Brian McEvoy)

Legendary musician Bobby Kimball, from the iconic rock band TOTO, jetted into Mantra Garden Bar in Maynooth to launch the new upgraded i-tab, which is now in music stores throughout the world.

i-tab is a revolutionary new pocket sized unit, that sits on the end of a guitar, allowing guitar players of all levels to scroll chords and lyrics in perfect time. Bobby Kimball, who has such mega hits as Hold the Line, Rosanna, Africa and Stranger in Town to his credit, performed on the night with a one-night-only super group of Irish session musicians including Anthony Drennan, Tony Molloy and Conor McGouran.

The 7 times Grammy Award winning TOTO have released 17 albums and sold over 30 million records to date, always known for their technical skill in the studio as well as musical style. It’s this reason that i-tab were proud to have Bobby test run the latest i-tab technology.

The newly shipped I-tab is also proud to announce a new licensing deal has been signed with one of the largest music print publishers in the world, Hal Leonard. The deal means the Tab Store will get just bigger and better bringing in 1000’s more tabs which can be purchased for just 40p each and the backing tracks at 80p each.

i-tab is now available at €149 at all good music stores. See www.i-tab.com.

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).