The city was rent in two this week as the official opening of The Helix, the new state-of- the-art centre for the performing arts at DCU clashed with the soccer match between Ireland and Switzerland, writes Catherine Foley
Dieter Kaegi, artistic director of Opera Ireland, who attended the Helix opening, had his loyalties tested sorely, as his Swiss heart hovered somewhere between Lansdowne Road and Glasnevin.
The President, Mary McAleese, who opened The Helix, said: "This place will be a centre for excellence; it represents a stunning achievement for what is already a stunning university. It's a wonderful gift to our city." On entering The Helix, she continued, one immediately felt "its sense of attitude, a real ring of confidence . . . it knows what it's about". She stressed the importance of the arts, which "are the leaven, working at the heart of things, subterraneously".
Cardinal Desmond Connell was one of the many guests from the Northside. Among the others were Nora Owen and her husband, Brian Owen.
The new centre features "a double helical staircase, with the building's central axes converging in romantic curves" on the same point, explained one of the architects, David Lanigan, of the A & D Wejchert company.
Tim Mahony, of Toyota Ireland, one of the key sponsers of the €36.5 million centre, recalled robbing the orchards of the Albert Agricultural College - where DCU now stands - in the 1930s. The Helix's Mahony Hall, which seats 1,200, is named after him in recognition of his support.
The Helix "will undoubtedly become a regular venue for Dubliners and visitors from further afield", said Ferdinand von Prondzynski, president of DCU, who welcomed guests before the gala celebration concert. Danny O'Hare, former president of DCU, was among those invited to speak at the opening in recognition of his role in the development.
The centre contains three auditoria, including The Space, a small experimental theatre where, according its artistic director, Marie-Louise O'Donnell, the world première of Athol Fugard's reading of his new short stories will be held next month.
For more information about The Helix and its programme of events, visit the venue's website at www.thehelix.ie or telephone the box office at 01-7007000.