WHEN Deirdre Kelly got together with a few old friends they started to reminisce about the happy times they had wasted in Maxwell Plum's nightclub on Leeson Street. An idea was born and Deirdre decided to recreate the club, the era and the gang in aid of her charity, Angel's Quest, and last, night's bash in the Red Box on Harcourt Street was the result.
Austin McAnthony, one of the club's owners, flew in from Spain to join his old partner, Don Ryeland and the final point of the triangle, Maxwell Plums's DJ Shay Clarke, arrived from Florida for the weekend. Guests dancing away to Clarke's music included many of the old club habitue's including Bill Cullen and Jackie Latin; Mary and Alan Dorgan; John Carr who came in from Switzerland; solicitor Ivor Fitzpatrick; DesignWorks' Marian Coady Virginia Fortune of The Commons Restaurant; Rita Crosbie; Caroline Desmond (on crutches after last week's Homecoming event in Millstreet), Cindy Cafolla and Esat's Denis O'Brien.
Wendy Vard, who came along with photographer Breffni Ryan, was in great form after launching an album, Heavenly, with her sisters, Lisa and Cathy the previous evening. The threesome who are called, you guessed it, The Vard Sisters, were singing at a wedding when a Sony representative heard them and they were signed within the week.
The invitations to the Angel Quest bash ordered "Strictly no ball gowns/black tie" and well behaved guests as they were, there was no hint of a cummerbund. The original steak sandwiches wrapped in red Decco napkins were provided and Aspi spumante was drunk nostalgically by all. And if that sounds like a night in hell - well, they had to move it from its original location in a Leeson Street club due to popular demand.
It was a slightly more sedate occasion when the first Unislim Breast
Cancer Ball kicked off at the Shelbourne. After a champagne reception, the guests, who included Mark Heffernan, RTE's Barbara McMahon, Sharon Smurfit, designer Jen Kelly, UTV's Kate Smith, Alma Carroll and the Cosgrave Brothers, moved on to a fivecourse dinner.
The greatest buzz of the evening was the much awaited auction of an original bound and signed copy of Seamus Heaney's Seeing Things which had been creating interest all week. A signed vinyl of U2's Pop and a once off chair by Paul Daly, who has designed furniture for both U2 and Richard Branson, were also big talking points on the night.