Architects create a bottle-neck in Dail Bia on Kildare Street. It's wall-to-wall. One little girl, three-year-old Claire Cullen, in a pink dress for the party, ducks under a table out of the crush, bumping her head. Her father, Tony Cullen, a builder, and Claire's two-year-old sister, Maria, are here too. The gathering is called to celebrate the publication by Haus of N 3, which documents the construction of a pavilion at the Venice Biennale for Architecture last year. Architect and creator of the pavilion, Tom de Paor, explains that his construction, which was made from peat briquettes, "was an N in plan, and in section and in elevation". Ah, so. He is now working on a number of projects including the esplanade and concourse planned for Clontarf, by the sea in Dublin.
Architects John Tuomey and Sheila O'Donnell are busy too, flitting between here and The Netherlands, where they're building "a double school" in Utrecht and "a cultural square" in Delft.
Raymond Ryan, architect and author of the book, welcomes us to the party and announces that de Paor has been chosen to represent Ireland in an EU exhibition with Japan, opening in Toyko on June 1st. Marie Donnelly, chairwoman of the Irish Museum of Modern Art, is here too, gearing up for the Glen Dimplex Awards this month and the museum's 10-year anniversary celebration the following day on Saturday, May 26th.
Photographer Nicholas Mac Innes is more focused on a fund-raising event for Multiple Sclerosis Ireland, which takes place at the Guinness Storehouse tonight. They all have to bring suitcases to the party. It's the ultimate accessory. Didn't you know?