The timing of the Stewart Parker Trust awards ceremony was impeccable. The awards, which are presented to new playwrights in memory of the Belfast playwright who died in 1988, have always been a cross-community affair and on Monday evening at the Abbey Theatre, everyone was still celebrating the victory of the Yes vote. Indeed, John Fairleigh, director of the trust, mused on whether they were the first "cross-Border body with executive powers".
The proceedings were kicked off by playwright Frank McGuinness, who grumbled that he had always been "adjudged too old" to get an award from the trust. Award or no, Frank is fairly busy at the moment having just finished a screenplay and adapted Strindberg's Miss Julie for production in England, as well as being plum in the middle of writing a play for stage.
The major bursary of the evening - £7,500 - was presented by actor Stephen Rea to playwright Alex Johnston for Melon Farmer. Rea was a "dear friend" of Stewart Parker at Queen's University, and acts as one of the trustees. "He was the one who told me I should be acting so I suppose we've that to thank him for," he said.
The other major award, which went to playwright Mark O'Rowe for From Both Hips, was handed over by Sir Kenneth Bloomfield. Sir Kenneth is governor of BBC Northern Ireland and, more recently, was appointed as Victims' Commissioner in Northern Ireland. He also had the claim to fame of being in the local drama society with Liam Neeson in his youth - "The only thing we have in common besides our charm and good looks".
Eilis Ni Dhuibhne went up to get her award (for Milseog an tSamhraidh) from actress Joan Sheedy, who was in Cannes in spirit if not in person during the week; she appeared in Happy Birthday To Me, the only Irish short film to make it to the festival. Charlie O'Neill got the fourth award for Rosie And Starwars, quipping: "Nobody's more surprised I won this award than all of you." The awards ceremony was also used to launch a book of new Irish plays, Far From The Land, and a number of the playwrights including Enda Walsh, Conall Morrison, Donal O'Kelly and Vincent Woods read from their work. Enda Walsh cried that he was late for a train and ran for the door as soon as his reading ended, but most of the others stuck around for a drink afterwards. Conall Morrison is busy directing Gary Mitchell's play As The Beast Sleeps at the Peacock as well as bringing his production of Tarry Flynn to London's Lyttleton Theatre. Another busy playwright is Sebastian Barry, who looked rather bemused as he explained he has been asked to write a major New York musical; he's going to work with renowned singer and dancer Martha Clarke, to write a musical based on the songs of Hans Christian Anderson. "The time just seemed right to do it," he said, before departing to play tennis with director Ben Barnes, who is off to Montreal next week.
The evening ended with a reading from Stewart Parker's work, Pentecost, by actress Eleanor Methven, last seen in Jim Sheridan's The Boxer. She had appeared in the 1995 production of the play which was directed by Stewart's niece, Lynn Parker.
General kerfuffle
The biggest talking point of the week has been The General - how much they liked us in Cannes, how well director John Boorman did, and isn't it shocking that he made a film about that man? So it was no surprise to find a big buzz at the premiere at the Savoy on Wednesday night, when most of the cast gathered for the first time since Cannes to celebrate the screening with friends.
Director John Boorman was there with his wife Isabella, laughing that he always says he'll never do another film "and then it starts to seem a good idea again". Brendan Gleeson, chatting with his agent Teri Hayden, described Cannes as "another world entirely". He is currently working on a series scripted by Eugene McCabe for TnaG but will be heading to the US to do publicity for Paddy Breathnach's film, I Went Down, which is just being released over there.
The two belles of the ball were Angeline Ball and Maria Doyle Ken- nedy, who play Martin Cahill's wife and her sister in the film. It was the first time the pair had acted together since Alan Parker's film of The Commitments, though they have remained good friends. Maria was able to spend only 15 hours in Cannes as she is busy filming Gregory's Two Girls, Bill Forysth's sequel to his own 1980 film, Gregory's Girl. After filming, she plans to get to work on a solo album, produced by her husband Kieran Kennedy, and if the duet she and Angeline did in Morrisey's pub in Cannes is anything to go by, it should be good.
There was a big turn-out of politicians including the Minister for the Arts, Sile de Valera; the Tanaiste, Mary Harney and TDs Liz McManus and Des O'Malley. Des makes his film debut in The General - he can be spotted making a speech on television. The real speech was made in the years before the Dail was televised and the whole speech had to be re-enacted - no problem for Des as he was very active in amateur drama in Limerick before entering politics.
Many of Boorman's friends came to the film, including director Neil Jordan with his wife Brenda Rawn, and designer Lainey Keogh arrived from Egypt, where she had been taking part in a group show. Other first-nighters included producer Paul Cusack and actor Ingrid Craigie; Miriam O'Callaghan from Prime Time, who is expecting a baby; David Blake-Knox of RTE and his wife Debbie; singer Marianne Faithfull; Sister Stanislaus Kennedy of Focus Ireland; Marian Finucane of RTE and film censor, Sheamus Smith.
Cross redfaced
The reception to announce the 1998 Nissan Art Project winner in IMMA on Tuesday took on the unlikely air of an Oscar ceremony as Gerard O'Toole, executive chairman of Nissan, declared with great solemnity: "And the winner is . . ." After a suitable pause to allow for a building of suspense, artist Dorothy Cross popped out of a door behind him, looking pleased but embarrassed at having to appear in this jack-in-the-box manner. Anyone who spotted artist Grace Weir at the reception might have guessed it would be Dorothy who had won with her plans to create a "ghost ship" in Dublin Bay, as the pair are good friends. Other arts administrators and commentators there included Jerome O Drisceoil of the Green on Red Gallery, who was dressed from head to toe in clothes designed by his brother, Patrick O'Driscoll, who was having his final-year show at Limerick School of Art and Design that day; senior curator Brenda McParland on one of her last days of official duties before departing to have a baby; Tony Sheehan, director of Firestation Studios and one of the judges; Mary Tuohy and Brid Dukes of the Hallward Gallery; Tadhg Mac Dhonnagain of Cursai Ealaine, and Peter Fitzgerald, editor of Circa magazine.
There in black and white
The superstitious might think twice about naming a magazine Magpie, but Bernadette Fallon, editor of the new monthly listings magazine for the west of Ireland, only laughs. "We prefer to concentrate on the `two for joy' part of the proverb, not the `one for sorrow' bit." The mag was launched with a huge bash at The Quays bar in Galway on Thursday and a number of people who appear in the first issue were at the party. Principal of these was Druid director Garry Hynes, who was meant to fly back to New York where she is director of Arthur Miller's new play, Mister Peter's Connections. She stayed in Galway for the party but is flying back this weekend for the run-up to the Tony awards on June 7th - The Beauty Queen Of Leenane is nominated for seven awards.
Designer Ciaran Sweeney also came - he is currently working towards his autumn collection and a show in Milan this October.
The Irish rugby team coach, Warren Gatland, appears in Magpie's list of the sexiest men in the west but couldn't make the party on Thursday as he is in South Africa. His wife Trudi Gatland came along on his behalf.
Other party-goers included the mayor of Galway, Michael Leahy; Carrie Crowley of RTE; Ted Turton, director of the Galway Arts Festival; author Mike McCormack whose novel Crowe's Requiem is due out next month and Paddy Hayes of the Irish Film Board, fresh from hosting his own party in Cannes on the opening night of The General.
The Magpie party went with a bang so it was a shame that Sarah Hogan, who was organising the event, couldn't make it on the night. She had flown to Switzerland to see her sister, Lisa Hogan marry Baron Stephen Bentinck on Friday. Lisa, who wore Armani, and Stephen, literally sailed off into the sunset for their honeymoon and will be returning to their newly-bought mansion in France . . . well, whenever it suits them.
Young and beautiful
The NCAD graduate fashion show is fast becoming one of the happening events of the Irish fashion year - not perhaps as stylish as a designer collection but often a lot more creative. And that's just the audience. This year's show in the RDS on Wednesday was no exception.
James O'Nolan and Taffina Flood of the Graphic Print Studio came along to the show after holding a successful opening night themselves; their Japanese print exhibition, Hanga, in Temple Bar drew in a big crew who soon demolished big platters of fresh sushi and Japanese beer. Actor Peter O'Meara was just back from New York, and artist Johnny Gerrard is home from Oxford before heading to Yale to do a post-grad in sculpture. Afterwards, many of the NCAD crowd, including NCAD head Noel Sheridan and Frances McDonogh, head of the fashion and textiles department, joined Georgette Ryan and Alex Mackey of Debenhams, sponsors of the show, for supper at the Herbert Park Hotel. International designer Maria Grachvogel, who does a collection for the store, was also one of the judges at the show.