IT brings WB to BT

THE SOCIAL NETWORK:One of the country's best-dressed women, Rose Goodstadt, turned up at the Irish Times reader event at Brown Thomas on Thursday for supper at Domini and Peaches Kemp's the Restaurant at Brown Thomas, followed by a performance of Yeats and the Abbey in His Own Words.

Goodstadt, who keeps a very low profile, relocated to Ireland with her husband, Leo, when the Merrion Hotel opened, 15 years ago; they live in an apartment there. Rose was the equivalent of a minister for social services in Hong Kong, “but here I’m just a lady of leisure”.

Rose was accompanied to Thursday evening’s event by Wendy Luk, who owns the China Kitchen in Bray.

After supper, guests listened to the actors Aonghus Óg McAnally, Fiona Bell and Caitríona Ní Mhurchú read Yeats’s own words, from his letters, poems and plays.

The Abbey’s director, Sen Fiach Mac Conghail, said he was delighted Brown Thomas is a corporate guardian of the Abbey, even if “one is on the northside and the other is on the southside”.

WHO WE SPOTTED

The Abbey’s literary director, Aideen Howard, and her daughter Sally Howard-Ihle, who is in fifth class at Scoil Lorcáin in Monkstown, Co Dublin; Aisling Deegan of the Irish Cancer Society and her friend Suzanne McElligott from Limerick; Edel Kinane of Brown Thomas; Shane Hegarty, the Arts Editor of The Irish Times.