The Abbey Theatre and the opening of Dancing at Lughnasa was the last stop on Wednesday night. Guests catching up on the chat included poet Seamus Heaney; set designer Joe Vanek, who is about to start work on Frank McGuinness's Dolly West's Kitchen at the Abbey; Willie White of Loose Canon theatre company and Suzanne Cave, who besides being the daughter of Des Cave (who plays Father Jack in Lughnasa) is currently designing costumes for Loose Canon's forthcoming production of Hamlet.
The director of the Project Arts Centre, Fiach Mac Conghail was there with his wife actress Brid Ni Neachtain, who was re-living memories of her days as a Mundy sister in the original production of Lughnasa. Other prominent guests included playwright Bernard Farrell, whose play Kevin's Bed is returning to the Abbey in August; producer Noel Pearson; the Minister for Arts et al, Sile de Valera and the US ambassador, Michael Sullivan. Following the performance a number of guests, including playwrights Brian Friel and Tom Murphy, retired to the Abbey bar where it turned out to be a very late one indeed.