On The Town: On Tuesday morning four Galwegians made a dash for St Stephen's Green with a plan to rent a pony and trap. A stranded bride, or bizarre scavenger hunt perhaps? Not exactly; they were members of the Galway International Oyster Festival Committee in search of a nifty gimmick for the festival's launch on Tuesday afternoon at the Schoolhouse Hotel.
Soon, a number of the pearls, gorgeous ladies vying to become the face of the 52nd Galway International Oyster Festival, were perched on that very pony and trap as they posed for the cameras. A black and purple bracelet, dangling from one of their wrists, seemed somewhat out of place though.
"About five of us were there this weekend," confided one of the Pearls, referring to last weekend's Electric Picnic. Even potential Pearls have to party.
On Tuesday, however, there was not a psychedelic wellington or mud-caked windcheater in sight.
Grace Lohan, whose parents Pat and Geraldine own Lohan's Bar and restaurant in Salthill, is following a family tradition - her two sisters having previously competed as festival pearls.
Galway Independent Pearl Elka Parsons fittingly sipped a glass of chardonnay rather than a pint of Guinness, hailing as she does from the famous wine-growing region of the Barossa Valley in South Australia.
The Galway event is the elaborate full stop at the end of a busy season in the west of Ireland, and is described by the festival chairman Pádraic Ó Máille as "a massive party", with more than 3,000 revellers set to attend the formal events alone.
The most important part of the festival, of course, is the oyster itself, and it was well represented at the launch.
Michael Kelly, who supplies oysters to festivals home and abroad, was at the launch, as well as Mairín Ui Chomáin, author of the gourmet cookbook Irish Oyster Cuisine.
Current Irish oyster-opening champion Michael Moran got in some practise as he prised open oysters more quickly than the assembled guests could consume them.
"I've grown up opening oysters," said Moran, whose family has run the famous Moran's on the weir in Kilcolgan for seven generations.
"Galway, Guinness and Oysters, it's the perfect fit," concluded Diageo sponsorship manager Rory Sheridan.
Galway International Oyster festival takes place from September 28th to October 1st
A look into the art of darkness
Think of paintings and stately homes and many ideas might spring to mind.
Enormous portraits of dusty ancestors, or maybe a perfectly manicured lawn and a group of artists sitting sedately before their easels as they sip iced tea. Whatever comes to mind, it is bound to be a million miles away from the latest exhibition by artist Colin Martin, which opened on Thursday evening at the Ashford Gallery at the Royal Hibernian Academy.
Titled The Night Demesne, Martin's exhibition consists of a number of nocturnal scenes set on the grounds of the country estate. Martin, who always works from photographs he takes, took his night-time snaps at a number of different locations, including Airfield House in Dundrum and Marlay Park in Rathfarmham.
"I took a number of photographs at different locations," explained Martin, "and then I composite them together." Martin was joined on the night by his partner, Elaine Leader, as well as his brother Gary.
Frank Buckley, chairman of the Contemporary Irish Art Society, admired the artist's technique as he viewed the 13 paintings on display.
"It is lovely to see good painting technique in a young man's work," said Buckley.
Artist Rosemary O'Reilly described Martin as a "tonal painter", summing up her enthusiasm for the Dublin-born artist with the assertion that "he just has it". Also at the Ashford Gallery were artists Carmel Kelly, Alan Daly and Carey Clarke.
The Night Demesne is at the Ashford Gallery until September 28th
Raising a glass to 'The Glass Room'
A recent Declan Kiberd column extolling the virtues of the controversial designation "chick-lit" proved a popular talking point among the many female authors who had turned out to welcome the latest addition to the sisterhood.
In Dún Laoghaire's Hughes & Hughes book store, peopled with female thespians, authors and presenters (as well as their energetic offspring), The Glass Room, the first novel of Irish Times journalist Kate Holmquist, was launched.
"I was stunned to discover I'd been writing chick-lit," joked Kate, referring to recent reviews of her latest novel. "Penguin kept that very quiet." Popular author Cathy Kelly, who launched the novel, told those gathered that Kate's novel had made the hairs stand up on the back of her neck and described the writing as elegant, predicting this would be the first of many, many launches for the "amazing journalist".
Marian Keyes and husband Tony Baines were in Hughes & Hughes for the launch. Marian explained how she met Kate while she was in the process of writing The Glass Room. "I know the journey she has been on," she said, adding, "A first book is a very special thing". Fellow Penguin author Denise Deegan came along to support Kate, as well as Fair City actress Rachel Murphy and RTÉ presenter Blathnaid Ní Chofaigh. Comedian Dermot Carmody and wife Barbara attended the launch with their 10-week-old son, Henry.
Kate's friends and family were also out in force. Her husband Ferdia MacAnna, and three children Sienna (14), Bessa (11) and Finn (9), were there, as well as Ferdia's sister Fiona and her husband, James.
Kate thanked her children and husband for their support, joking that they have had to share her with a laptop for a long time.
"To all my sisters, and brothers, I have only one thing to say about chick-lit: R-E-S-P-E-C-T," she announced.
"And, I can spell," she quipped. The sisterhood of Irish authors have welcomed a new and sassy spokeswoman into their ranks.
The Glass Room by Kate Holmquist is published by Penguin, £10.99
The revolution will be staged
'Do know who he is?" whispered the man next me. "He led a revolution in Romania." The helpful stranger was referring to Ion Caramitru, the director of the Romanian National Theatre, who was in the Abbey Theatre on Wednesday to launch East of Eden, an anthology of four Romanian plays that have been translated into English.
The process was more one of adaptation than straight translation, according to Andrei Marinescu, from the literary department of the Romanian National Theatre, who carried out the initial literal translations.
Marinescu worked with both the Romanian playwrights and three Irish playwrights, Christian O'Reilly, Michael Collins and Paul Meade, who were brought on board for the project and to ensure that nothing was lost in translation.
"It was a case of trying to understand the intention behind the play," said O'Reilly, "of collaboratively teasing out meaning." After an overwhelmingly positive response to a reading in Galway last month of one of the plays, Insomniacs, O'Reilly is hoping to produce the play there next year.
John Fairleigh of the Ireland Romania Cultural Foundation was the subject of much praise on the night, being frequently lauded as the "mastermind" behind the anthology. Former minister and joint chair of the foundation Gemma Hussey described the anthology as another step on the foundation's road towards exploring and strengthening cultural links between the countries.
A number of young Irish playwrights came along to lend their support, as did some artistic directors, prompting Fiach MacConghail, director of the Abbey, to ponder what the collective noun for them might be.
"Apparently it's a drama," he quipped.
Playwrights Eugene O'Brien and Gerald Murphy chatted to Jim Culleton, director of Fishamble Theatre Company, who described the initiative as "really exciting".
Ion Caramitru, the former Romanian minister for culture with a distinguished acting career, suggested it was time to persuade the Romanian and Irish governments to open up a direct flight between their two capital cities. Considering he rode the tank that led the charge on Ceausescu's television station, perhaps Aer Lingus should give his idea some serious consideration.