On The Town:The launch of Bright, Brilliant Days: Douglas Gageby and The Irish Times, a collection of essays celebrating the career and work of the former Irish Timeseditor, who died in 2004, subjected guests to a kind of literary assault course.
Between signing the guest book and securing a glass of vino, they had to weave their way from one end of Eason Hanna's bookshop on Dawson Street to another, carefully avoiding the many tempting "three for two" offers and Christmas gift stands en route.
According to the book's editor, Andrew Whittaker, it is 60 years this month since Gageby "burst upon Irish journalism" and 20 years since he left The Irish Times".
"He was a born writer who wrote the classic 'I was there' journalism," said Whittaker, who was joined at the event by his wife, Rosalind, his son, Peter, and Peter's fiancée, Miriam Gormally.
Publisher Anna Farmarsaid that A&A Farmar was "guardedly interested" when Whittaker came to the company with the book's basic premise.
"Then Andrew sent us the contributors' list, and when the pieces began to come in, well, we sat up," added Farmar.
Many of the book's contributors, including past and present Irish Timesjournalists Olivia O'Leary, Sam McAughtry, Donal O'Donovan, Michael Vineyand Bruce Arnold(now with the Irish Independent), RTÉ's Rodney Riceand the former chief justice, Judge Ronan Keane, were also among those in the crowded store.
So what kind of picture do the contributors paint?
"The book gives an impression that is 95 per cent enthusiastic, I mean favourably enthusiastic, and 5 per cent that some readers may find in bad taste," said Whittaker,
"If anybody wrote a book about me, I'd be over the moon with those percentages."