THE hot hospitality ticket of the week is the Fianna Fail tent. It's a big earner for the party a table for 10 costs £6,009 for four days and there's a waiting list of people clamouring to book tables. This year the very hospitable auctioneer Fintan Gunne took two tables trainers John Magnier, Jim Bolger and J.P. McManus took tables, with McManus's the most unhorsey in terms of guests his invite list included a tanned Brendan Grace and his wife Eileen, and Christy O'Connnor Jnr. The golfer quickly signed up J.P. to play in his ProAm in aid of the Galway Leukaemia Trust at the Galway Bay Golf and Country Club on September 23rd.
Bertie Ahern and Celia Larkin were very much the hosts for the week and the party was out in force. Donegal TD Jim McDaid had the best luck at the bookies and was besieged by fellow party members looking for tips, Brian Cowen seemed keener on the food than on the tote, and Maire Geoghegan Quinn looked very much at home entertaining a table of old friends including Paddy and Breda Ryan.
Maire was a judge for the best dressed person competition on Thursday but from the start of the week got into sartorial training by wearing a different completely co-ordinated outfit every day with an array of matching hats. She revealed that an independent film company has shown some interest in buying the film rights of her best selling book The Green Diamond but negotiations are at an early stage, the main thing I'd like is that an Irish film company gets to make it," said the author, who won't be able to start work on her next book until "after the elections".