Aperitivo Thursday

The launch of Aperol Spritz Aperitivo Thursdays at The Bailey on Duke Street saw the sun shine on the front terrace of the popular bar. Enjoy Aperol Spritz (Italy's favourite aperitif),  bites and cool tunes from DJ Aidan Kavanagh every Thursday in the Bailey throughout the summer

Pictured at the launch were: 1. Fran and Alan Lenihan; 2. Caitriona Fitzpatrick; 2. Paul Smith and Ewa Reingraber. (Pix. KH)

 

S&P festivities

Party: 1. Alexandra McKeever; 2. Karen Burke and Denise Kavanagh; 3. Christina Mahon and Callan Price. (Pix. Richie Stokes)

Social & Personal magazine, Ireland’s society bible, hosted its annual Christmas party at Lost Society this year.  Guests were welcomed by PJ Gibbons and Richard Kavanagh, the Moet & Chandon flowed alongside cool cocktails and the crowd partied all night. 

Charity Ball

Puttin’ on the Ritz: 1. Rob McNaughton and Glenda Gilson; 2. Steven Gerrard and Keith Duffy.  (Pix. Brian McEvoy)

Football star Steven Gerrard hosted a charity gala recently as part of  the ‘Steven Gerrard & Keith Duffy Charity  fundraising Weekend’ in aid of The Steven Gerrard Foundation and Irish Autism Action sponsored by MACE, at The  Ritz Carlton Hotel at Powerscourt. 

The event featured a live performance by Jack L, along with a charity auction which included a corporate box for one of the Liverpool home games for ten people.  Radio presenter Siobhan O Connor was master of ceremonies on the night.

The Liverpool Captain was joined at the event by Coronation Street stars Michael Lavelle and Ryan Thomas as well as actors Danny Miller and Phillip Olivier. 

CARI Lunch 2012

 

CARIng: 1. Valerie Patterson & Jackie O'Sullivan; 2. Alan Hughes & Miriam Ahern; 3.. Sharon Bannerton & Jean Clinch. (Pix. Brian McEvoy)

Miriam Ahern hosted her annual summer lunch and fashion show in aid of CARI, supported by RTÉ 2fm and M&S at The Shelbourne Hotel Dublin.  This year marks the 10^th Anniversary of the annual summertime lunch which was hosted by Alan Hughes.  The afternoon kicked off with a champagne reception followed by a fashion show by Karen Millen, Coast, Oasis, Bastyan, M&S and Cari’s Closet. 

Guests on the day included Georgina Byrne, Cecelia Ahern, Yvonne Keating, Lisa Duffy, Jane Given, RTÉ Sonya Lennon, Colm Hayes and Ruth Scott from RTÉ 2fm.  Also in attendance were  Ian Galvin , Lisa Fitzpatrick, Fair City’s Ciara O’Callaghan, Louise Loughman, Virginia Macari and Roz Flanagan all supporting the charity that provides professional, child therapy and counselling services to children and families who have been affected by child sex abuse. 

Miss Ireland 2012

 

Gala: 1. Jeanelle Kaste and Virginia Macari; 2. Sinead Desmond and Ray Shah; 3. Shane O’Sullivan and Amanda Brunker.  (Pix. Brian McEvoy)

Ireland’s most talented and glamorous girls took to the catwalk for the final of Miss ireland 2012 in Dublin’s Ballsbridge Hotel for a gala hosted by TV3’s Sinead Desmond and radio presenter Ray Shah.

The ceremony has become one of the most anticipated events of the year with a star studded guest list and judging panel of household names.  From London was celebrity hair stylist James Brown, he was joined by Miss Ireland Emma Waldron, Dublin GAA player Eamon Fennell, IMAGE editor Melanie Morris, beauty guru Triona McCarthy and TV3 presenter Elaine Crowley.

After dinner and drinks guests were treated to highly choreographed show with performances by up and coming Irish talent Kate Gilmore, Allanna Hennessey, Nikki Sheridan and The Fibbs.  Designer Virginia Macari showed her new swimwear range for the first time at the pageant too. 

On the evening the crown was initially won by Miss Mayo, Maire Hughes but she was later disqualified due to her age.  Ireland will now be represented by Rebecca Maguire of Belfast.

Miss Ireland has always been the most coveted crown in Ireland and former Miss Irelands have enjoyed hugely successful careers in modeling, entertainment, TV presenting, acting and business.  Former Miss Irelands such as, Siobhan McClafferty, Olivia Tracey, Emma Waldron and Andrea Roche made it to the top ten finalists in Miss World during their respective reign and of course Rosanna Davison scooped the Miss World title in 2003. 

Diary Date

For one night only, before the release of THE DICTATOR hits cinemas (May 16)  4 cinemas in Ireland will host special screenings with a live link  in to  the World Premiere screening in London at the Royal Festival.


The Eye Cinemas in Galway, the Odyssey Cinema in Belfast, the Omniplex in Cork  and limited number of tickets to  the Irish Premiere Screening at The Savoy.


Doors for this special event open at 6pm with a live link in till 7.15pm where you can experience the red carpet presented by Alex Zane and then see the film first.  For more details and to book tickets please check out the respective cinema websites and box offices.

Leinster Ladies

Leinster Ladies: 1. Rebecca Crotty; 2. Dairine Cullen & Cliona Goodwin; 3. Jerri Mahon. (Pix. Stephen McCarthy / Sportsfile)

Leinster treated their female supporters to an extra special match evening recently with the sixth annual Leinster Ladies' Night which raised over €5,000 in aid of Action Breast Cancer.

The Concert Hall at the RDS saw a who’s who of the rugby world drop in to support the initiative including Leinster’s Rob Kearney and Jonathan Sexton and a number of partners including Leo Cullen’s wife Dairine Cullen, Shane Jennings’ fiancée Cliona Godwin and Devin Toner’s girlfriend, Headchef runner-up Mary Scott.

The girls were treated to a drinks reception as well as a beauty pamper zone, live music, a Q&A session with Leinster rugby players Sexton and Kearney as well as the Best Dressed Leinster Lady competition sponsored by Bank of Ireland.

The style competition was won by mother and daughter Liz and Ginine Power from Maynooth, Co. Kildare. Adding to the style around the grounds the Official Leinster Supporters Club were selling bespoke Leinster Ladies T-shirts, all proceeds of which went directly to Action Breast Cancer.

Part of the Furniture

Furnishing: 1. Brian Walsh & Mary Laverty; 2. Alice Nunn & Phil Hogan TD, Minister for the Environment. (Pix. Malachy Geelan)

Bespoke furniture maker Clive Nunn hosted a reception recently for family, friends, customers and media to mark the launch of his new website www.CliveNunnFurniture.com. The reception venue, the wood pannelled Cellar Bar at The Merrion Hotel, was particularly appropriate as it is one of Clive’s creations.

The new website is an opportunity for Clive to showcase, in one place, the scope of his creations, his signature style and his commissioning process. Photographs of his various projects, from refurbishing a Chambre d’Hote to simple shelves to the Mayor’s Table in Kilkenny County Council, display Clive’s extensive creative range and his love of quality raw materials such as Irish oak, North American White Oak and even Kilkenny Limestone.

Among the guests in attendance were Phil Hogan, Minister for the Environment, Pat Moylan, Chairperson of The Arts Council, Brian Walsh of RTE, Mary Laverty SC, art agent Jennifer Cullen, Peter McCann, GM of The Merrion, the Irish Times’ JJ Gibbons, architect Brian McDonald and Sarah Leahy of the United Arts Club.

From his base in an 18th century watermill in Thomastown, Co Kilkenny, Clive now creates furniture to commission, for a range of clients, both corporate and domestic. Clive’s ambition is to create the heirlooms of the future, and his policy of working closely with the client through the design and creation process ensures that each completed piece is immediately treasured.

SS12 at BT

Airs of Spring: 1. Jacqueline Honor Sullivan and Joanne Hynes; 2. Helen Steele; 3. Stacey O' Donnell; pictured at the launch of the Brown Thomas Spring Summer 2012 collection in Brown Thomas. (Pix: Leon Farrell / Photocall Ireland)

Haywire

Haywire: 1. Pauline Wrenn and Zoe Spowage; 2. Karl Shiels; 3. Sinead Kennedy and Kate Van Buren. (pix. Brian McEvoy)

The much anticipated new action movie Haywire had its Irish premiere screening recently and with many scenes set in Dublin it’s sure to be a hit here. Starring Gina Carano, Ewan McGregor, Michael Fassbender as well as Channing Tatum and Antonio Banderas was mainly shot in Ireland in early 2010.

Among those attending the first night screening were Mary McEvoy, actors David Pearse, Karl Shiels and Ned Dennehy, model Carmen Castro and RTE presenter Katie Van Buren.

Dublin - Dubai - Dublin

Emirates Gala: 1. Sharon Corr & Margaret Shannon; 2. Lionel Richie with Emirates representatives; 3. Edel Shanahan & Jennifer Mulligan.

With less than one month to go to Emirates’ inaugural flight from Dublin to Dubai, senior executives from the award-winning airline arrived in the Irish capital tonight , to host a gala dinner for over 900 guests at the Convention Centre Dublin.

One of the most high profile celebratory events in Dublin this year, representatives from the world of business, sport, music and the arts celebrated alongside government and state guests, as well as guests from the travel, tourism and aviation industries. The red carpet gala evening included an introduction to Emirates – its products, services and the carrier’s home city of Dubai.

The was huge excitement with a surprise performance from Lionel Richie who played an amazing set of his best known songs. Emirates also showcased a life-sized First Class suite, into which guests could sit and experience life onboard an Emirates’ aircraft. It certainly was a night to remember and fittingly marked the launch of this important trade and tourism route.

For further information www.emirates.com

Liz's Lunch

Lunch with Liz: 1. Yasmin Velloza & Liz O’Donnell; 2. Bridget Cleary & Siobhan Mahon; 3. Siobhan Carnegie & Ailish Smith. (Pix. Brian McEvoy)

Over 160 supporters of Adi Roche’s Chernobyl Children International (CCI) came out in force to support an annual fundraising event organised by former Minister of State for Overseas Development and Board Director of CCI Liz O’Donnell at The Clarence Hotel, Dublin.

Along with Adi Roche, Liz greeted the many guests who represented the arts and culture, government and commercial sectors. The monies raised from ‘Liz’s Lunch’ will go to support life-saving cardiac surgeries for children on critical waiting lists in the Chernobyl regions.
Over 6,000 children are born every year with heart defects in Ukraine but only half of these children go on to receive surgery and survive beyond their first 2-3 years.

Professor Mark Redmond was one of the distinguished guests at the lunch. He had just returned from a life-saving cardiac mission in October and witnessed at first-hand the tremendous work of the volunteer surgical teams who work around the clock to save as many lives per mission as possible.

A glittering array of auction and raffle items included an exquisite gold and diamond mythology alphabet amulet and gold Saturn chain by Annoushka at Brown Thomas, jewellery by Deborah Veale, a tailored dress and coat by Roisin Leanne at the Design Centre and a wool and leather trim belted coat by Edun donated by Ali Hewson.

NYE premiere

Movie fans: 1. Daithi O’Se and Rita Talty; 2. Siobhan O’Connor; 3. Ciara Le Foy and Sean Munsanje.

Christmas time is always a good time for movies with loads of new blockbusters opening at the cinemas across the world, and looking to land a festive No. 1 is “New Years Eve” which premiered at Cineworld.

The film revolves around the events of NewYear Eve and the countdown to it in Time Square. It involces an ensemble cast of characters from Aston Kutcher and Halle Berry to Michelle Pfeeifer, John Bon Jovi and is from the directors of Pretty Woman & Valentines Day.

Xmas at Lara

Lara: 1. Andrea hayes and Olivia Leahy; 2. Deric Hartigan and Tiffany Stanley; 3. Joanne Martin and Doireann Gately. (Pix. Brian McEvoy)

Followers of glitzy fashion turned out for Christmas at Lara recently. Lara’s gowns have graced the red carpets of every celebrity event in Ireland over the last decade and her boutiques have seen more starlets and stylists, screen sirens and catwalk queens than most.

The boutique is a treasure chest of jewel box colours and designer labels such as Forever Unique, La Femme, New Couture, Love, Muddz and many more. But Lara is not just about all that glitters, she also carries an eclectic mix of exciting day wear with Robin Hood and Mett Jeans teamed up with soft and luxurious jackets and sky high boots, blazers and tops adorned with skulls and crystals and unique carefully selected pieces for that perfect capsule wardrobe.

Landing Katie Price’s new label, Day 22 exclusively in Ireland has been yet another coup for Lara. Created by Katie Price, aka Jordan, and Lamis Khamis, Day 22 is a fashionable and stylish collection that is comfortable, edgy and of quality.

Guests enjoyed cocktails made with new Dubliner whiskey liqueur now cruising social circles, bubbles and bites from Pichet and tunes from DJ Owen Clarke. Among the crowd were Miss Ireland Holly Carpenter, models Hazel O’Sullivan and Tiffany Stanley, Alison Canavan, Animal A&E presenter Andrea Hayes and singer Claire Malone.

Tommy Hilfiger Holidays

Holiday mood: 1. Carmen Castro and Paul Hegarty; 2. Roz Purcell and Hanah Devane; 3. Karl Patrick Smith and Rebecca Ryan. (Pix. Brian McEvoy)

Tommy Hilfiger hosted its annual Fashion Event at the flagship Grafton Street store, giving Tommy fans the opportunity to bag some great pieces for the holidays. The Fashion Event, celebrating the third anniversary of the store, was hosted by Pamela Flood.

Attendees included Leinster rugby player Kevin McLaughlin, stylist Maria Fusco, models Rozanna Purcell, Holly Carpenter and Hannah Devane, Dr. Eva Orsmond, Sarah McGovern with baby Jude and radiant mum to be Virginia Macari.

The evening included two fashion shows, debuting the winter collections for men, women and kids including the festive Preppy Holidays collection. Guests were treated to a wine reception by Jacob’s Creek, American style canapés and prize draws, as well as music by pianist Luke Slott and DJ Will Kinsella.