Why do they come to Ri-Ra's weekly club night? "It's like being at a wedding reception every Monday night," says hairdresser Sabrina Bermingham. "They play cheesy 1980s tunes," she says, nodding her head along to Barry Manilow singing "Her name is Lola, she was a show girl". The Strictly Handbag club, which opened its doors six years ago, is celebrating its birthday with lucky bags, ice cream, Tiger beer and cake. And all the partygoers have been invited to bring their funkiest handbags along. Panti Bliss, a tall man in stilettoes, sheer tights and a red lame two-piece suit, is on the door judging the entries.
Sian Jacobs, from Aura, a fashion shop in Sandymount, has a bag that's made of boiled pink wool with yellow rosebud thingies. Correction: "They're liquorice allsorts," she points out. Some people take their handbags very seriously. Lined up along one table are three - a turquoise bag with an orange satin fish and pearl bubbles; a straw bag with pink flowers and a soft, sleek bag made from lovely, limp leaves which "you can smoke later" jokes cheeky clubber Dee Hyland. We stop to sing along to Blondie: "I know a girl from a lonely street, cold as ice cream but still as sweet, dry your eyes Sunday Girl . . ." Alison McCarthy sits back and relaxes, pointing to the inside of her straw bag: "Look, it's the table-cloth lining which I think is the nicest part".
Not all the groovy people have handbags, but they all love the 1960s. Neil Moore, "one of Dublin's few mods" in a helmet haircut is here with his girlfriend Sue Carter, who has blue eye-shadow a la Mary Quant, and a dress with a white Peter Pan collar, designed by Sharon Kane, who sits beside her. Kane's sister, Dandelion, a Monday night DJ who knows all the right songs to play, is here, of course. The most popular number, she says, is Higher and Higher by Jackie Wilson. Dandelion changed her name by deed poll many years ago and called herself after the woman in the Rolling Stones song who was "timeless and free".
Another of the night's groovers is Liz Keane, who has a bag designed by her friend, artist Naomi Ryder, whose own creation features erotic line-drawings on mohair.
Another regular club attendee is Colm Walsh, of Velure Restaurant (of the amazing cocktails), who says they'll be opening The Modern Green Bar on Wexford Street soon. Spotted chewing a sweet cigarette is Buzz O'Neill, PR guru to the stars, while cool dude Martin Thomas, who runs the club ("music with words for your dancing pleasure"), is making sure everyone is happy.