It was as far as you can imagine from the sophisticated soirees of the London literary establishment, and that was just how Pat McCabe wanted it. Filthy McNasty's pub in Islington was hot, sweaty, teeming with people shoulder to shoulder, listening to the Irish music and talking. It was "the Booker Prize Loser Award party" for McCabe's Breakfast on Pluto, and he was in flying form. Not an author who strikes one as worrying too much about literary awards and all that, he was delighted when a man who declared himself to be "Douglas Hurd" presented him with the Booker Prize Loser Award.
The "presentation" was in front of a huge crowd of wellwishers and friends, who included playwright Martin McDonagh, singer Sinead O'Connor, actor Ruadhri Conroy, journalist Eamonn McCann, Butcher Boy casting director Maureen Hughes, and production/PR woman Rose Parkinson.
McCabe said he was delighted with the award, didn't know what else to say, but he wouldn't mind singing a few songs, as he wasn't going to read. He sang and played guitar (ex-showband member that he is), his output including The Pub Around the Corner. Then Sinead O'Connor squeezed her way up and sang Raglan Road and House of the Rising Sun, before the two performed a duet. He dubbed it all "Father O'Denehy's psychedelic Irish cabaret (and will the owner of car registration number, etc please move it from the roof)". It got even more psychedelic - he told a few jokes, and so did O'Connor: "Why are Irish jokes so silly? So English people can understand them." Afterwards, McCabe commented that O'Connor's input was "pure magic, and totally unexpected." As was the whole rowdy, fun night. Who wants to win the Booker anyway?
