Michael Smurfit had a double purpose in making a trip to England this week. Like many fellow members of the racing fraternity - Margaret and Ann Heffernan, John Tabor, Dermot Desmond, Vincent and Jacqueline O'Brien and, of course, those habitual race course habituees J.P. McManus and John Magnier - Michael flew to Royal Ascot, which kicked off on Tuesday. But on his way he stopped off at the Dorchester in London for the Ireland Fund's Midsummer Night's Magic Ball, where he collected this year's Bird and Bell award for promoting business relations between Britain and Ireland.
The ball tends to be a prominent fixture in the Anglo-Irish social calendar and this year was no exception. The crew from Ireland included architect Sam Stephenson and his wife Caroline Sweetman Stephenson; publisher Kevin Kelly; Norma Smurfit; beef heir Gerry Pur- cell, Ashling Gleeson, Tony Smurfit and his wife Sharon. The aristo set included the Duke and Duchess of Marlborough; Viscount and Vis- countess Linley; Sir Rocco and Lady Forte; Sir Anthony and Lady Bamford, and Sir Mark and Lady Weinberg. Sam Stephenson introduced Michael Smurfit, who explained that his enduring interest in "the North" was due to a Belfast mother and a Newcastle father.