IN her role as Missus Doyle in Father Ted, Pauline McLynn spends much of her time in the company of grumpy old Father Jack Hackett, so real life proved to be completely different for the actress on Wednesday as she attended the opening night of Waiting For Godot at the Gate with Hugh Leonard. Fresh from its massive success as part of the Gate's Beckett Festival in New York and London, the production attracted two of Sam Beckett's close friends, director Walter Asmus and Barbara Bray, who was in Dublin to present her extensive personal and professional correspondence with Beckett to Trinity College Library. The collection contains manuscripts and typescript drafts of work as well as more than 680 letters written by Beckett over a 32 year period to Ms Bray, a former BBC drama producer now based in Paris. The purchase of the collection from Ms Bray was negotiated through the London office of Sotheby's and assisted by donations from Lewis and Loretta Glucksman, through the Ireland Fund.
John Kavanagh took time out from filming Sweeney Todd to attend with his wife Anne while someone else taking a break from a hectic schedule was Marie Claire Sweeney, who is organising this year's St Patrick's Day parade and three day festival in Dublin.