To many it's the centre of the universe - Blanchardstown, that is. On a cold, autumnal evening, invited guests make their way to this city outpost on the northside.
All roads lead to Dra∅ocht, a dramatic new centre for the arts in the heart of this suburban townland, for the launch of the Dra∅ocht Development Association.
David O'Connor, the Fingal County architect, says the aim is to put the heart back into suburban communities. Architects are a lot like heart surgeons, really. The area of Blanchardstown has been "totally transformed", he says. "It's really seen as a viable alternative to Dublin city centre. A quarter of a million people shop here each week." Cool. They'll all be pleased to know that Penney's is opening a flagship store on October 16th, according to Aidan Grimes, from Omagh in Co Tyrone, who is manager of the shopping centre, where more than 154 businesses are located.
Corn Exchange theatre company manager Jenny Huston and director Annie Ryan breeze in, flushed with success. Their play, Foley, opens in London's West End on November 15th, after a sell-out run at the Edinburgh Festival.
Eugene Larkin, of Twinlite Developments, is building "a whole new town in Tyrellstown next door - all for the starter home market", he explains.
And art lovers will be interested in the opening this Wednesday of new work by Alan Keane, who is just back from a residency in Vilnius in Lithuania, according to Dra∅ocht visual arts officer, Carissa Farrell. He's an artist to watch, she says.
Finally, Moya Doherty, director of Abhann and Tyrone Productions, who is the guest speaker at the launch of the Dra∅ocht Development Association, is invited to address us. "We need organisations like Dra∅ocht to create magic, to fuel the imagination," she says. Guests are asked to invest in the association - £1,000 for membership. It's time to make out sponsorship cheques. We slip away quietly into the night.