Having taken that in, it was quick sprint down to the Gallery of Photography in Temple Bar, where Michael Boran's exhibition had transformed the place into The Palace of Bubbles. As if stepping into a fantastic bubbled world, among the first were Gerry Stembridge, who is scouting for locations for his new film, and Pat Boran, Michael's brother, whose Portable Creative Writing Workshop is due out later this month from Salmon Press.
About the walls are more than 60 prints of photographs of bubbles - different sizes, moments, colours.
"The feeling is to be the moment, to explore the short life of bubbles, of light and dark," said Michael.
He is planning another exhibition with musician and composer Vincent Doherty at the Project @ the Mint later in the year.
During the evening Michael was presented with - what else? - a magnum of bubbly by the Billy Forrester of the Bubble Brothers, a Cork-based firm of specialist champagne importers. The bottle's label was specially made to incorporate one of the artist's prints, a feature of the firm's service. Amid the bubbles was a bubbly crowd including Donna and Vincent O'Shea of Information Ireland, Jack Gilligan, Dublin Corporation Arts Officer, poets Theo Dorgan, Enda Wyley and Mick Egan, artists Clea van der Grijn, Michael Duhan, Frank Carty and Paddy Jolley, and recent NMI Grand Prix Winner, Shay Madden.
And after that, it was off to Dun Laoghaire to see the aforementioned Launch of Ghost Ship.