To the strains of Mary O'Donnell's harp playing, elegant guests sailed gracefully into a cocktail party in the Wellesley Room of the Merrion Hotel this week. The soirΘe was a celebration of the hotel's large art collection and its publication of a catalogue, which details many of the important works on show in its public spaces. Over 90 per cent of the paintings are by Irish artists, including Roderic O'Connor, William Leech, Paul Henry, Louis le Brocquy, Mainie Jellett and Jack B. Yeats.
John and Janet Moylan from Teaticket, Massachusetts were among the first to arrive. Stella and Norman Long from Ballsbridge were there too. Also in attendance was designer Louise Kennedy, who is about to head off to the UK for London Fashion Week, where she will show her Spring 2002 collection to international buyers. Black is the big colour this autumn, she confided.
Jonathon Irwin, chief executive officer of the Dublin International Sports Council, who is a regular visitor to the hotel, said he was just back from a family wedding. His son, Jago Irwin, a literary agent in London, got married in Gloucestershire to Tiffany Ray last week. Suzanne Macdougald, of the Solomon Gallery, told him that her gallery will celebrate its 20th anniversary later this month. "This is the girl who kept the flame alive for art lovers," said Irwin. The art dealer beamed.
Frances Ruane, chairwoman of the Craft Council of Ireland, launched the catalogue. "We're so lucky in Dublin to have a hotel that is so beautiful architecturally, and so intimate, which has kept the human perspective where we can see paintings in an almost domestic context," she said. The paintings throughout the hotel, "in different parts of the rooms, become woven into ordinary social interaction".
Mary Davis, chief executive of the 2003 Special Olympics World Games, was there, busy crunching numbers. There will be 160 countries competing at the games, with 10,800 delegates and 7,000 athletes, plus 28,000 relatives and friends. That's a total of more than 40,000 people, she said without missing a beat. Maria Mulcahy, of People In Need, said it was the biggest event yet to come to Ireland. The charity event that she's involved with, Telethon 2002, is also looming.
Kieran McLoughlin, of The Ireland Funds, was there too, just back from Cambodia where the Republic's part in the country's de-mining programme made him proud to be Irish, he said.