There had been more artistic goings-on earlier in the day when the afternoon session of the general assembly of Aosdana was opened to the public. Members of the audience, as it were, witnessed much heated debate and angry interruption during writer Maire Mhac an tSaoi's presentation calling for the resignation of fellowauthor Francis Stuart (who was unable to be present). But with 68 of this country's most creative minds all bundled into the same space, a mild and mellow emotional climate was not to be expected.
Among the visual artists were the brothers Bourke, Brian the painter and Fergus the photographer - whose book of portraits, Kindred, was launched at the Abbey the next evening; Alice Maher, whose exhibition Acre continues to run at the Green on Red Gallery; Marie Foley who has a show at the Model Arts Centre in Sligo, and film-maker Bob Quinn, rushing back to Galway to his current film-shoot. Literary types included Bernard Farrell who has a new play opening in the Abbey next year and Sebastian Barry who returns to the craft of novel-writing with his new book, out shortly.
There was just an octet of names from the world of music, among them Jane O'Leary, the recently retired chairwoman of the Contemporary Music Society, and James Wilson, the recipient of the prestigious Marten Toonder Award. And composer John Buckley and sculptor Vivienne Roche were living proof that artists can co-operate - across disciplines at least. They are working on a joint multi-media project.