It's not often that you get a chance to enjoy your inheritance before the death of your benefactor, but when an exhibition of the paintings bequeathed to the National Gallery in Dublin by Sir Denis Mahon opened on Tuesday, that's exactly what happened.
Sir Denis, who originally left five paintings to the gallery but bumped it up to eight when Liverpool's Walker Gallery started charging for admission, was at the gallery to enjoy everybody's delight in the Italian masters. His collection totals 76 paintings, and it was not until it went on display at the National Gallery in London in February that Sir Denis realised quite how many he had.
"I had them all stuffed in a house in Cadogan Square: I don't know how they fitted in," he says.
Carmel Naughton formally opened the exhibition and was accompanied by her husband, Martin Naughton of Glen Dimplex. He'd had a busy day, having hosted a large lunch in Patrick Guilbaud's new restaurant in the Merrion Hotel for presidential candidate Mary McAleese, the Taoiseach, Bertie Ahern and other well-wishers.