Vanessa Redgrave made a flying visit to Dublin on Thursday when she attended UNICEF's Mother's Day lunch at the Conrad Hotel. A glamorous 6ft 2in tall with cropped white hair, she fairly stunned the assembled guests before joining Liam Neeson's mother, Kitty Neeson, and UNICEF's Maura Quinn at the top table. Redgrave is a special representative for UNICEF and she is also the mother of Natasha Richardson, who is married to Liam Neeson, who is UNICEF special patron for Ireland.
He could not make the lunch as the first preview of his play Judas Kiss, in which he plays Oscar Wilde, opened in London that evening. Indeed, after lunch both Vanessa and Kitty, who was accompanied by her daughter, Eliza- beth Connaughton, headed off to London to catch his play. The lunch was well attended. Susan McKeon of the Baroda Stud came along and got lucky in the raffle, winning a beautiful suit donated by John Rocha. It was a lucky day for Norma Smurfit too, as she won a weekend away at Annesbrook, a Hidden Ireland retreat, and John Stephenson, who went home the proud owner of a gorgeous Lainey Keogh knitted stole. Lainey made the piece in the bluey-purple colour of the UNICEF logo.
It is to be hoped that Noel Car- roll of the Chamber of Commerce is a fan of Sam Stephenson's work; he won a painting by Sam of the Rotunda hospital. Both Sam and his sister Helen Stephenson took a table each; Sam hosted his with his wife Caroline, who was on the fund-raising committee. Jane Clare, also on the fundraising committee, took a table with her husband, Anthony Clare.
Others there included actress Jeananne Crowley; legal eagle Ger- aldine Clarke; Sushil Teji, head of Sony Ireland; Elizabeth and Michael Garvan of the Conrad Hotel, which generously sponsored the lunch; Olive Braidan of the Rape Crisis Centre who was a guest of Norma Smurfit, and solicitor Clodagh Kean.