LARCC lunch

Larking about: 1. Frank Russell , Bernie McHugh, Mandy Breslin and Niall Breslin. (Pix. Brian McEvoy)

LARCC ambassador Niall Breslin aka Bressie hosted a celebrity filled charity lunch in Brasserie 15, in Castleknock, Dublin along with a host of well-known faces.  The Voice winner  Pat Byrne, co-stars Conor Quinn and Brian Kennedy, Xpose’s Glenda Gilson, Michelle McGrath, models  Rachel Wallace and Lisa Nolan and rugby legend Mick Galway  to name but a few.

All funds raised went to the LARCC Cancer Support Centre.  Bernie McHugh from LARCC said “We are absolutely thrilled with the support we’re received here today, as a small cancer care charity the large attendance is overwhelming and behind the success is the hard work of both Bressie and Garrett who have made a huge impact with the board of management and team at LARCC. 

“Money raised today will help us to continue to provide free support service to cancer patient and their families from our base outside Mullingar.  We are thrilled to have home town Bressie as an ambassador of LARCC and we thank him sincerely for everything.”

The Dictator

Premiere:  1. Robert Sheehan and Rosanna Davison; 2. Anne Gildea, Maria Tecce and Sue Collins aka The Nualas.

The Dictator has arrived and demands you see his movie!  Sasha Baron Cohen’s latest gag fest also starring Anna Faris and John C. Reilly, sees him reunited with Larry Charles.  The Dictator tells the heroic story of a leader who risks his life to ensure that democracy would never come to the country he so lovingly oppressed.

The premiere screening at the Savoy was preceded by a live link satellite transmission from the world premiere at the Royal Festival Hall in London.  Guests at the Savoy Cinema saw General Aladeen arriving on the red carpet while a host of well-known Irish personalities grace the red carpet in Dublin.  They included Rob Sheehan, The Nualas, Keith Barry, Liam Cunningham, Glenda Gilson, Niall O’Farrell and newly married Michael Hayes and wife Ailbhe.

Kyle Barrett and Sarah Doyle
(Pix. Brian McEvoy)

IRUPA Awards 2012

Rugby ball: 1. Jennifer Carroll & Hugo McNeill; 2. David Wallace and wife Aileen. (Pix. Leon Farrell)

IRUPA Rugby Players’ Awards 2012 took place in the Burlington Hotel recently. Guests on the night included Brian O’Driscoll, Rob Kearney, Brent Pope, Shane Jennings, Leo Cullen, Ronan O'Gara, John Hayes, Luke Fitzgerald, former Irish footballer Niall Quinn, RTE's Craig Doyle, rugby star Shane Byrne and new Chief Executive of IRUPA Omar Hassanein with his wife Bree. 

Heineken and Wolf Blass provided the juice while rugby legend Martin Bayfield MC'd and Irish rugby players from different provinces were celebrated for their outstanding performances throughout the year.  Ireland and Leinster star Rob Kearney, was voted the IRUPA Players’ Player of the Year.

Cult Film Club

It’s a Cult: 1. Barry Madden and Emma O Sullivan; 2. Sinead Farrell and Ollie Smith; 3. Lottie Ryan. (Pix. Brian McEvoy)

Following on from the highly successful screenings of cult classics Reservoir Dogs, Snatch, Alien and The Usual Suspects, the Jameson Cult Film Club returned to Dublin with an electrifying screening of the iconic musical comedy, The Blues Brothers (out on Blu Ray now).

The Jameson Cult Film Club were on a “mission from God” to transport the audience straight into the world of Jake and Elwood Blues and they delivered! Dublin’s Vicar Street was unrecognisable after it was transformed into the Joliet Correctional Centre.  Guests lucky enough to have secured their parole release were ushered from the Jail under the watchful eye of ‘armed’ prison guards whilst Jake and Elwood infiltrated the crowd to promote their one night only performance in the Palace Ballroom.

Smooth Jameson and Ginger cocktails along with authentic prison rations were served throughout the evening while DJ Aidan Kelly took to the decks after the screening.  Enjoying the experience were rugby players Devin Toner, Isaac Boss, Jack McGrath and Leo Auva’a, actor/director David Coffey along with Sean Munsanje, Lottie Ryan, Carl Shabaan, Frances Ustanga and Harry Crosbie.

For the uninitiated, Jameson Cult Film Club is all about watching your favourite cult films at spectacular screenings, staged to transport you into the film’s universe. This is a free event for movie fans, so for details on the next Jameson Cult Film Club event, keep an eye on www.jamesoncultfilmclub.ie.  

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. 

JPG for Diet Coke

Fashion Diet: 1. Angela Scanlon; 2. Lisa Byrne & Joanne Woodful; 3. Lottie Ryan. (Pix. Thinkhouse)

Followers of fashion turned up in their droves to celebrate the launch of the Diet Coke ‘Night & Day Collection’ by the famed French designer Jean Paul Gaultier, which took place in the First Floor bar in Harvey Nichols, Dundrum. Guests were invited to relax at the nail bar and enjoy a Jean Paul Gaultier inspired manicure before heading over to the photobooth to strike a pose.  

Lottie Ryan played host to the event that premiered Jean Paul Gaultier’s short film, which offered the crowd an insight into his mind, as the newly appointed Creative Director of Diet Coke.  Giant replicas of the Night & Day Collection took centre stage and three stunning models, inspired by the Diet Coke’s puppets Irene, Bernadette and Eleanor, worked the room carrying cardboard cut-out faces of the puppets, providing endless fun and photo opportunities for everyone in attendance.

Lit Hit

Write Stuff: 1. Joan Garahy & Amb Madame Emmanuelle d’Achon; 2. Marianela Gonzalez & Edward O'Dwyer; 3. Marc Boissonnet & Tara Quirke.  (Pix. Kieran Harnett)

Last night, Tuesday, 24th April, Hennessy announced the winners of this year’s Hennessy Literary Awards at a ceremony in the French Ambassador’s Residence. For the last 41 years the Hennessy Literary Awards has recognized and rewarded emerging Irish writers and poets in the literary sphere. The winners on the night were Barbara Tarrant, ‘Baby’ (First Fiction), Niamh Boyce, ‘Kitty’ (Emerging Poetry) and Viv McDade, ‘Leaving For Chile’(Emerging Fiction).

A host of specially invited guests from the worlds of literature and the arts enjoyed the writing of some of Ireland’s brightest new authors and poets. Guests enjoyed a selection of delicious Hennessy cocktails paired with canapés, including Hennessy Rose with Braised Leek and Bellingham Blue Tart and Hennessy Maple Spice paired with Vietnamese Vegetarian Spring Roll with Mint and Tamari.

Caroline Sleiman, Market Development Manager for Moët Hennessy was joined by a host of guests on the evening including H.E. Emmanuelle D'Achon, the French Ambassador. Judges Ciaran Carty, Giles Foden and Deirdre Purcell were joined by last year’s winner Siobhan Mannion and past New Irish Writing page editor Anthony Glavin.  Other guests present included well known Irish economist David McWilliams, Irish comic Kevin Gildea, Marc Boissonnet, Ambassadeur de la Maison Hennessy and Master of Ceremonies John Kelly.

DublinTown.ie

Get on down:  1. Louise O’Reilly & Cici Cavanagh; 2. Sharon Finnegan, Lianne Kavanagh & Paulina Mastalska. (Pix. Richie Stokes)

DublinTown.ie is a new website created by Dubliners, for Dubliners, to keep you in the know about all the people, places and events that are well worth a visit in our much loved Dublin Town (inspired by the Alice in Funderland shoe perhaps?).

The website is now live and to celebrate its inception a launch party was hosted at Lost society on South William Street.  Guests enjoyed Lost Society’s specially created 'Dublin Town' cocktail and an exhibition by creative geniuses Philip White and Albert Hooi who have captured hundreds of images of what’s great about Dublin Town.

All Ireland Music Competition

 

Sing it: 1. Katy Gannon & Helen O’Dwyer; 2. Liam Cunningham; 3. Karena Graham & Louise Kavanagh. (Pix. Brian McEvoy)

Music lovers descended on Dandelion bar for the launch of the All Ireland Music Competition which will feature Gemma Hayes and Paul Harrington as expert judges.

As Ireland seems to be awash with new talent, a recording contract and TMI representation with a single release for Christmas is a prize worth fighting for!  This is the first year of the contest sponsored by Shannon Development with Shannon Region Conference and Sports Bureau and the final will take place at The West County Hotel (part of Great National Hotels) in Ennis Co. Clare from the 27th to the 30th of September, 2012.

Guests  included models Louise Kavanagh, Karena Graham and Rachel Wallace as well as Miriam Mataboro who showed off her new Rihanna hair style.  Joyce Muller from TMI Actors, Catwalk model agency boss Mandy Maher, singer Claire Malone and Paul Harrington were also in attendance.

Bands, vocalists and acts can now register on www.aimc.ie

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.

Paul Stafford lunch

Good Foundations: 1. Tracey Stafford and Tanya McGilligan; 2. Adam Clayton; 3. Laura Woods.

(Pix. Brian McEvoy)

The Paul Stafford Foundation Lunch took place at La Stampa Hotel recently and The Dining Room was packed to capacity for this now annual event. The Paul Stafford Foundation was established in 2007 to raise awareness and address the serious issue of suicide in Ireland. This year’s lunch was in aid of Walk in my Shoes, a campaign led by U2’s Adam Clayton which helps raise the much needed funds for young people with mental health issues or those suffering with depression.

The much anticipated lunch has been sold out for weeks and the dining room was filled to capacity. It was magic from the moment guests arrived, with illusionist Joe Daly entertaining the guests, following this they tucked into a four course luncheon cooked up by La Stampa head chef Malcolm Starmer who kept everyone happy with his expert cuisine.  The lunch was hosted by TV presenter and friend of both charities Laura Woods. Guests on the day included Adam Clayton, Caroline Desmond, Jackie Lavin, Dr Jim Lucey, Pippa O Connor and Barry Devlin.

The ladies of Dublin were rewarded for coming out in all their finery with  the best dressed receiving a coveted pair of PRADA shoes from the current Spring Summer collection – kindly sponsored by the Shoe Rooms at Brown Thomas. Not to be out done the men in the room gave the ladies a serious run for their money in the style stakes, with Louis Copeland himself judging best dressed man, and rewarding him with a tailored, bespoke suit from his current collection.

Honouring Ireland's Inspiring

Lovely People: 1. Emma O’Driscoll;

2. Nuala Carey;

3.Kenny Egan and Brent Pope .

(pix. Kieran Harnett)

The People of the Year Awards, Ireland’s pre-eminent national awards ceremony which celebrates the country’s most inspiring citizens, last night officially launched its 2012 nominations campaign for this year’s awards. A host of stars joined former People of the Year Award winners at the Bord Gáis Energy Theatre in Dublin’s Grand Canal for an evening of inspiration and entertainment.

Master of Ceremonies at the event was Awards Ambassador and TV Rugby pundit Brent Pope, with other celebrity guests in attendance including Republic of Telly star Jennifer Maguire, RTÉ weather gurus Nuala Carey and Helen Curran and telly favourites Katie Van Buren, Emma O’Driscoll, Diana Bunici and Sinead Kennedy.

Members of the public are being asked to shine a light on the real-life heroes around the country – people who have shown great courage in the face of adversity or who have given selflessly of their time to transform the lives of their communities – and ensure that they get the recognition that they truly deserve.

All it takes is one nomination and people can submit details of their nominee online at http://www.peopleoftheyear.com/ or by contacting the People of the Year Awards office for a nomination form on 01 2057260. The closing date for entries is Friday, 29 June 2012.

Fashion Exposure

Spring into Fashion: 1. Marietta Doran; 2. Sinead Considine; 3. Marion Cunningham; (Pix. Kieran Harnett)

The annual Irish Fashion Exposure - Spring Summer 2012 event in association with The Design Centre was a sellout event for the third year running.  Fashion lovers filled the Stephen’s Green Hibernian Club for a fashion show opened by Sonya Lennon of “Off the Rails” followed by lunch.

The concept of this exciting show is 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.  Some of Ireland's leading designers including John Rocha, Philip Tracy, Roisín Linnane, Umit Kutluk, Synan O’Mahony and Sean Byrne were featured.

The event also aims to raise funds for the Order of St. Lazarus Ireland, a charity engaged in humanitarian work with children and the invalided and those who cannot help themselves.  Well known guests included designers Claire O'Connor, Roisín Linnane, stylist Marietta Doran, Caroline Sleiman of Moet, Caroline Harrington and Liz O'Donnell.

New York state of mind

 

City Slickers: 1. Lottie Ryan and Bonnie Ryan; 2. Dee Burdock and Kristin Skinner; 3. John Fitzpatrick and Alison Canavan; (Pix. Brian McEvoy)

Fitzpatrick Hotels USA hosted an exclusive New York, New York evening in the Residence where CEO John Fitzpatrick had a warm welcome for all.  A stylish evening of all things New York, guests were treated to a celebration of the superb value this unique city has to offer as they enjoyed signature city Cosmo’s and Manhattan’s.

Among the globetrotting crowd were Ireland’s most stylish lady Sharon Corr, her TV colleague Kathryn Thomas and Rosanna Davison who was celebrating her birthday.  Also there were Kristi Kuudisiim, Morah Ryan together with her equally glamorous daughters Lottie and Bonnie Ryan, Roisin Tierney-Crowe, Ronan Collins and Alison Canavan , all eager to plan their next visit to the Big Apple.

Sugar Club Magic

 (Pix. Richie Stokes)


That’s Magic: 1. Aly Marron and Cici Cavanagh; 2.Keith Barry and Shane Gillen.

Late Night Magic launched on Friday the 13th at Leeson Street's well known Sugar Club venue.  Hosted by illusionist Shane Gillen, Late Night Magic is a tailored event designed to engage an audience with parlour, vaudeville, street and stage magic in a way that remains intimate, humorous and memorable.

The auditorium's round tables are under candlelight to create an atmosphere for the on-stage performances and guests can also find themselves in the Parlour Room. for one-on-one close-up and intimate magic performances by the entertainers.

Patrons can sit around the parlour table and even learn some of the secrets of magic. Games of 'Beat-the-magician' are played at various intervals throughout the evening where guests will be encouraged to guess how the trick works or perform a trick for themselves, if they can do it - they'll win a cocktail named after the magician they have just beaten.

There will be 5 'Queen of Hearts' cards hidden within the venue. Find one of them and automatically find yourself in with the chance of winning €250.  Late Night Magic will run monthly in The Sugar Club will alternating performers and acts every month, set to become one of Dublin's flagship events. Admission is €10 on the door and spaces are limited. Doors open at 7pm, and the show begins at 8pm sharp.

Miss Ireland

Don’t Miss it: 1. Lisa Robertson and Ciara Kelly; 2. Declan Leavy and Brian Healy; 3. Karen McEvoy and Elaine Crowley. (Pix. Brian McEvoy)

Bucks Townhouse played host to the launch of The Valera Miss Ireland 2012, where a bevy of Ireland’s most beautiful ladies stepped out for the first time as finalists. This year’s final takes place at The Berkley Court this Saturday night and will be presented by Sinead Desmond and Ray Shah.

One lucky girl will take over the crown from 2011 winner Holly Carpenter and will go forward to represent Ireland at Miss World  2012 in Ordos, Inner Mongolia, China.  Previous Miss Ireland Winners include Siobhan McClafferty, Olivia Tracey, Emma Waldron and Andrea Roche as well as Rosanna Davison who went on to win the title of Miss World in 2003.

HTC one

Call me: 1. Megan Mullen and Shauna Conroy; 3. Neysa Jacobs and Gavin Barrett. (Pix. Kieran Harnett)

The HTC One series arrived in Ireland with much fanfare at a launch in Vanilla Nightclub.  Guests were given first view of the phone which boasts the best camera of any mobile phone and goes on sale across all networks this week and they were also treated to a viewing of the world's first free fall fashion shoot filmed on a mobile phone.  The shoot took place in January over the Arizona dessert and featured model and champion skydiver Roberta Mancino, LA Times Stylist Hayley Atkins and Hollywood Costume Designer Martin Izquierdo filming a fashion shoot on a mobile phone whilst plummeting earthwards at over 120mph.  

Simone Rocha

Coolest: 1. Katie Canavan & Sarah Rickard; 2. Emma Waldron; Angela Scanlan & Simone Rocha. (Pix. Brian McEvoy)

West Coast cooler know how to throw a party…the truly decadent City Hall was as you have never seen it before….transformed into a cool, understated room fit for Dublin’s style kings & queens who turned out in force to see Simone Rocha’s inaugural collaboration with the brand.

Inspired by Simone’s S/S 12 collection the limited edition designs reflect her fascination with fabrication and texture creating a fresh femininity. Simone’s S/S 12 collection is a mix of transparent textiles encasing panels of lace and pieces of vintage embroideries which has been wrapped onto the West Coast Cooler limited edition designed bottle.

Speaking on the launch of her inaugural collaboration, she said, “I am looking forward to the West Coast Cooler launch and am very happy to have designed a limited edition bottle inspired by my S/S12 collection, hopefully it will be an evening everyone involved can enjoy!'

Simone’s collections have generated great press recognition including the January cover of ELLE featuring Lady Gaga in Simone’s green tulle dress to Dazed & Confused and i-D magazine. The Simone Rocha collection is stocked in some of the world’s most prestigious stores. Last September saw Simonelaunch a capsule collection for Top Shop, Simone presented her S/S 12 collection as a solo catwalk show during London Fashion Week.

Red Bull Paper Wings

Flying Form: 1. Sean Burke and Catherine Lowe; 2. Karine Ronan; 3. Fiona Haugh and Aaron Cronin. (Pix. Brian McEvoy)

The Red Bull Paper Wings National Final took place this week at O’Reilly Hall in UCD. There were 9 University Qualifier heats in Universities across Ireland producing 27 student finalists. Student Finalists from All Ireland qualifier heats took part 3 categories: Longest Distance, Longest Airtime and Aerobatics. The winners will now represent Ireland at the World Final in Hangar-7 in Salzburg, Austria next week (24th and 25th April). Judges included Paddy Rhatigan of Fox Avenue, lecturer Roddy Mc Namee and Niall Daly of Red Bull.

Good foundations

Good cause: 1. Lisa Brady, Lisa Fitzpatrick & Sam Hopkins; 2. Rachel Roche and Sinead Donnellan; 3. Don Nugent & Andrea Roche; 4. Adam Lee, Rebecca Broni & Sorcha Crosse. (Pix. Stuart Lang, Gazette Newspapers)

TV presenter and stylist Lisa Fitzpatrick hosted a fashion show with a difference in aid of the Ross Nugent Foundation at The Wright Venue in Swords recently.

The charity was set up in the name of 18 year old Ross who lost his courageous battle against cancer in 2010. Ross's parents, Don and Sandra Nugent and sister Emma set up the foundation in order to raise funds to purchase equipment for the Oncology ward in Beaumont Hospital.

Models from AR Model Agency along with a number of Ross' friends took to the catwalk to raise funds for the cause, which to date has funded 40 pieces of equipment from blood pressure monitors to electric beds and chair beds.

"We would like to thank everyone who is helping us with the foundation by the giving of their time and services for free in order that we can raise as much money as possible. If we can make life more comfortable for patients, relations and nursing staff in oncology facilities nationwide then we are achieving our goal in Ross's name" said Don Nugent.

For Further Information on the Ross Nugent Foundation log onto www.rossnugentfoundation.ie