THERE was another clutch of books parties on Wednesday evening - it sometimes seems as if all the publishers choose the same night for some sort of moral support. In the National Library, O'Brien Press celebrated John Horgan's book, Mary Robinson, An Independent Voice, the second book devoted to her in as many weeks. Judge Catherine McGuinness did the honours, describing her friendship with Mary in the courts and in the Senate and welcoming John's book. John, himself a longtime friend and colleague of Mrs Robinson's, has been extra busy of late as he also has a biography of Sean Lemass coming out in a month.
He did not have two different word processors working simultaneously, he explained, but had almost completed the Lemass work before the Robinson project was commissioned. Both publishers, Michael O'Brien and Michael Gill of Gill and MacMillan were at the launch and Michael O'B. joked that everyone should buy Michael G.'s book - after they had bought his.
Other people toasting the book were Harry and Joyce Whelehan; politicians Pat Rabitte and Eithne FitzGerald; fellow Robinson biographer, Lorna Siggins; Farrell Corcoran, chair of the RTÉ authority, and a host of John's colleagues from DCU.
Meanwhile, Anthony Glavin was reading in Waterstones from his new book, Nighthawk Alley (see panel) and Nuala O'Faolain, Colm Toibin and Joe O'Connor all came along. You'd think with the glare of Finbar's Hotel publicity, O'Connor would be well-used to speaking but he told me in mock outrage before his speech, "I'm far more nervous than he is," nodding to the laid-back Anthony.
The third point of the triangle was the launch of Deirdre Purcell's latest - Love, Like, Hate, Adore - in the new Stakis Hotel at Charlemont Place. Here, Marian Finucane popped by to launch the book in the company of a good number of theatrical and media folk. Glenroe's Geraldine Plunkett was there as was Pat Laffan, who had the misfortune to have appeared in Those episodes of EastEnders.
Deirdre's partner, Kevin Healy of RTÉ, was enjoying the party along with Gay Byrne's alter-ego, Gareth O'Callaghan, who arrived with Paul Harrington.