THE SOCIAL NETWORK:The singer Camille O'Sullivan was delighted when Waterboys front man, Mike Scott, confirmed to me that he is her boyfriend, at the launch of his new memoir, Adventures of a Waterboy, in the Workman's Club on Dublin's quays on Wednesday evening. "He's put ownership on me tonight," O'Sullivan said as Scott put his arm around her. Whatever about the whole of the moon, O'Sullivan was beaming from then on, for the whole of the room.
Her musical director and producer, Feargal Murray, told me that he’s looking forward to the Edinburgh Festival in August. He and O’Sullivan have composed the music for and are performing in the Royal Shakespeare Company’s production of The Rape of Lucrece in Edinburgh.
U2 were represented by Adam Clayton and Paul McGuinness, who arrived early. Scott arrived late, and was soon accosted by friends who wanted the author to sign books. Pete Cummins of The Fleadh Cowboys was one of the first up. “You’re mentioned in the book,” Scott told him.
Lynn Geldof told me that she’s just back from three weeks in Cuba, and had been in Italy for two weeks before that. The actor Iseult Golden is writing a play with the working title Liar.
Viv Guinness, who is married to the Hon Kieran Guinness, arrived in from Knockmaroon in Castleknock with her son Lorcan, who is at Edinburgh University. She told me that she was looking forward to the Borris House Hay Festival, which kicks off today as part of the Éigse Carlow Arts Festival 2012.
The festival is a collaboration with the Hay Festival, which has brought together writers from around the world to debate and share stories at its home in Hay-on-Wye in Wales. Bill Clinton once described it as the “Woodstock of the mind”.
Guinness is organising it with Eleanor O’Keeffe of London literary salon 5x15. Guests at the Borris House Hay Festival include novelist Colm Tóibín, Booker prizewinner Anne Enright, novelist and screenwriter John Banville and philosopher and novelist AC Grayling, who will give a “sermon” from the pulpit of the chapel in Borris House. Mike Scott will give another reading from his book.
Who we spottedLiam Ó Maonlaí; Michael Mortell; Antony Farrell of Lilliput Press
What we drankCoors beer and La Coste house wine
