It's a coffee break to beat the band. There's bucks fizz to help wash down all the rashers and black puddings at the opening of the newly-renovated Bewley's Oriental Cafe on Westmoreland Street after two months behind hoardings. Admiring the Oriental room and enjoying the champagne breakfast is Pat McMorrow, from Drumshanbo in Co Leitrim. Also enjoying the festive elevenses are Eamonn Rogers from Clane, Co Kildare and Brendan Woods, from Portmarnock, Co Dublin.
Bob Joyce, director of the James Joyce Centre on North Great Georges Street and a grand-nephew of the writer, is delighted with the place. John Gibson, head of this newspaper's library, wants to know if Bewley's plans to serve champers at breakfast every day. And what a good idea it is, too.
Some are imbibing . . . well, coffee, is all. Niall O'Baoill, from Dublin's East Wall, is chatting to Margaret Lonergan, from Carrick-on-Suir, Co Tipperary. "It's the most egalitarian space in Dublin," says O'Baoill.
Patrick Campbell, chairman of the Campbell Bewley Group, and his wife Veronica are confident the 106-year-old restaurant has remained true to its origins. Corkman Dan Cronin, chief executive officer of the group, doesn't feel intimidated by all the Dubliners and the great Dublin institution that is Bewley's. No, he says. "I'm a custodian of the brand," he says. Impressive.