There were several comparisons made to London's Groucho Club when Rachel Sex- ton opened Digge's Downstairs, her new dinner club in Stephen's Street, on Tuesday. However, noone seemed in the least concerned about Groucho's maxim - that he didn't want to belong to any club that would take him as a member; Digge's Downstairs would have us and we were all quite happy to stay. Michael O'Sullivan was there, having just completed his book on Brendan Behan. He's quite sure there will be plenty of shock waves as he names Brendan's male lovers and reveals the identity of an illegitimate child by a very famous mother.
Kate Braithwaite, who is the daughter of Sir Roderick and Lady Braithwaite, the chief foreign policy adviser to No. 10 Downing Street, has the weighty task of editing the book.
Fiachna O Braonain, who has just finished recording a new album with the Hothouse Flowers, was there with his partner, photographer Suki Stuart. Blink, the indie band which includes Robbie Sexton, Rachel's brother, have just finished their second album and have a new recording deal with an American company. The man who did the deal, their manager Aiden Lambert, has just signed the Saw Doctors for North America to his label, Serene. U2 producer Flood was there celebrating girlfriend Willow Burke's birthday, together with actors Alan Devine and Karl Hayden, Tosca's Patricia O'Shea, and Orla Brennan, who has recently joined the Louise Kennedy team. RTE's Seamus Hosey was nursing scars having just been tossed by a bull in the Azores.
Carol Dixon of Joy's nightclub and Robbie Fox of Renard's were there checking out the competition and wishing Rachel luck. Other old friends included Paddy Prendeville, editor of the Phoenix; Cradle's Jadzia Kaminska, who is heading off to Sarajevo for a year in January; Rick Savage of Def Leppard, who came along with Cindy Cafolla and Elaine Doody; and Aileen Corkery of the Temple Bar Gallery.