The ladies sit in a row as if in state to the right of the podium in the rotunda of City Hall. Everyone else, including a number of ambassadors, must stand to hear the speeches. Pat Liddy looks over at his mother, his mother-in-law, his aunts and one or two close friends.
They smile over at him: his mother, Maureen Liddy, and Cork woman Ina Murphy, his mother-in-law, as well as his aunt Moira Liddy (90, she says proudly) and aunt Lilly Kiczmarek, who married a Polish man - "the most wonderful man in the world" - are some of the special guests. They listen to the city manager and the Lord Mayor of Dublin speak about their Pat, author of Dublin, a Celebration.
Ceramic restorer Eileen O'Leary and her son, Tomas O'Leary are among the guests who queue later to meet the writer of this book. With over 1,000 images, "it will appeal to young and old alike", says Lord Mayor Maurice Ahern. Well, it is significant, he says that the author is a Northsider.