A pasting for Dorian's picture

THE SOCIAL NETWORK:The director of the Abbey, Fiach Mac Conghail, had most of his family at the opening of The Picture of Dorian Gray at the Abbey on Wednesday evening. His parents were there as well as his daughter, Síofra. He may have wished that his uncle, the art historian Ciarán MacGonigal, had stayed in an attic and sent a picture instead. MacGonigal was not impressed by the performance and spoke his mind. "It doesn't work," he said frankly.

Referring to the lead actor, Tom Canton, who was making his theatrical debut, MacGonigal said, “He is tall and good-looking, but not sexy.” The former head of the Hunt Museum then reminisced about the Gate’s production of the same play some years ago.

It wasn’t just the play that had MacGonigal in a curmudgeonly mood. He was disappointed that his friend Bishop Paul Colton, the Church of Ireland Bishop of Cork, had not been appointed Primate of All Ireland earlier that day. Bishop Richard Clarke of Meath was elected instead.

Off the Rails presenter Sonya Lennon thought it was a great production and especially liked the costumes. She was accompanied by her co-presenter, Brendan Courtney. Cecelia Ahern arrived late to the show without her husband, David Keoghan, who was at the Goffs sale in Kildare with their daughter Robin. He was filming a documentary about buying a horse. Ahern gave birth to a baby boy, Sonny, in July.

Who we spotted

Seamus Heaney and his wife Marie who chatted to Prof Luke Gibbons; Pat Kenny and his wife Kathy; Paul Brady; Eamon Morrissey and his wife Anne; Joe Duffy; the actors Bosco Hogan, Mark O’Halloran and Tom Hickey; Noel Pearson; the artist Mick O’Dea RHA; the director Michael Scott