THE Kilkenny Beer "Cream of Irish" awards got off to an excellent start at a ceremony in Dublin in Thursday. The sponsors picked a number of mainly arty categories and got together a very smart judging panel which included Irish Times fashion man Robert O'Byrne, musician Jim Lockhart and photographer Mike Bunn, who selected a shortlist which was refreshingly unpredictable.
The winners included Gerard Sweeney in the visual arts category Claire Garvery in fashion and Vivien Walsh in design.
Vivien has long been a champion of great design, first (and this is going way back) through her shop in the Galleria on St Stephen's Green, then in the much missed Kamouflage shop in Dawson Street, and now through her shop in the Powerscourt Townhouse Centre. In 1992 she started designing her own jewellery and what started as a one woman initiative has grown into a fully fledged business with the designer exporting to the US and Japan.
Producer Ed Guiney won in the film category. After collecting his" award he sprinted off to the airport; and a flight to Strasbourg where one of his movies, Guiltrip, is being shown in a film festival.