FASHION AGENT Gwen Chapple is a prolific godmother and bucks the trend of being uninvolved. She has seven godchildren, ranging in age from 21 to six, and keeps in touch with them all.
“I don’t have any children myself; these are my children,” explains Chapple, who is in her mid-50s.
Some are children of friends, others of relatives; four live in Ireland, two in Germany and one in Chile.
Five were baptised into the Catholic Church and two into the Church of Ireland, Chapple’s own religion. She leaves their spiritual upbringing to the parents but clearly excels as a provider of gifts.
“They are all looked after in their own special ways, whether it is something small or something big, whatever I can do. I never forget their birthdays.”
The night before we speak, she was out with her eldest godchild, Sarah Rothschild, who was sporting a much coveted shade of taupe Chanel nail varnish that is not available in Ireland. Chapple had spotted it during a business trip to Germany and brought it home as a surprise for Sarah who says she is frequently asked where she got it. A touch of the fairy godmother there.
Orla Kennedy, the director of Imaginosity, the Dublin Children’s Museum, believes in the added value of being godmother as well as aunt to Zoe Kennedy (10) and Thomas Meade (23).
“I think it is very important and the kids get it. They like having this other special adult in their life.”
A child’s spiritual upbringing is a matter for the parents, she says, and she sees the role of godparent as helping out when needed. Kennedy’s own daughter has three godmothers, two in the US and one in England, with whom she communicates by e-mail and Skype.
“They are very special to her,” Kennedy says. “They have a completely different relationship and she is very proud of that.”
