WHILE the Irish at home were plunged into election fervour yesterday, many of the London Irish were getting excited about something completely different. It was the day of the Motcomb's Bar Oaks Lunch, and Jane Lawless had gathered 120 or more expat Irish for a day of eating, drinking and gambling on the day prior to the Derby.
John Magee, John Carey and Seamus Grant, who are all in the construction business, were there, and Anglo Irish Bank's Dave Murray and AIB's Noel Carroll also came along. Sports presenter Des Lynam also popped in to watch the racing although Motcomb Club, the racehorse owned by him and a syndicate of 13 other customers was not running until next week.
Irish Youth Foundation's Nessa O'Neill took a break from organising corporate hospitality for the Fleadh music festival that will take place in London this weekend - it moves on to New York next weekend - and six of the seven Kelly brothers who make up Kelly Communications also took over a table.
Jane Lawless only just finished the organisation of Friday's lunch before she had to move onto another event - the Belgravia Village street party. On July 1st, 5,000 of London's finest will take to the streets to enjoy strawberries, Pimms, fire juggling, belly dancing and a surprise guest who Jane surmises will be either Michael Barrymore, Jeremy Irons or Anthony Andrews.