No paupers but a prince, a pianist and a woman from Padua come to see a new sculpture by Orla de Bri. The piece, which is called Intrigue, is unveiled in Bojangles night club on Harcourt Street. The Taoiseach, Bertie Ahern and the Minister for Justice, John O'Donoghue, also arrive to view the steel and bronze statue of a dancing couple. The piece stands 7 foot 8 inches tall, and represents "those few magic moments before the kiss", the artist explains. Pianist Mathew Lalor, from Mountmellick in Co Laois, mimics a drumroll as the sheet is pulled back by Coronation Street star Gabrielle Glaister, who as Debs has just absconded with her sister's boyfriend. On the regal front, Paul Neale, prince of the Saltee Islands in St George's Channel, and a dentist by profession, is here also. Some are tempted to curtsey. Some do. The Paduan is Francesca Cardin, who has come with her friends Riann Coulter and Jenifer Ni Ghradaigh, who say they will definitely come back to the Russell Court Hotel basement nightclub, which is aimed at the 35-plus age group, when they are older. One of the hotel's owners, Eileen Wright, explains the nightclub is dedicated to the memory of her late husband, Maurice Wright, who was owner of the original Bojangles, which opened in 1975 on Leeson Street. The party - and the sculpture - celebrate the new Bojangles first birthday.
Also here are Sean Osborne, jewellery designer to the stars; his girlfriend, singer Una O'Boyle (in glittering silver platforms); and management-performance trainer Debbie Mooney who will "definitely come back again".