Last night in the Everyman Theatre in Cork daughter Deirdre was presented with her bursary.
This was a substantial award, €14,000, to be used in her further education and which will be used to pay for her time in the Royal College in Cardiff.
They brought over the amazing Bob Crowley to present the award so all the cameras, lights and reporters were there.
As someone who left Cork and its theatrical scene forty years ago, a thin fair haired young man, it was my delight for the evening to re-introduce myself to people I had known in the sixties.
I was fairly reliably greeted with a “On my god you are not!”.
I suppose I should be offended but not at all, I reckon I left the vanity behind in the dressing room along with the greasepaint.
It is ironic really but one of the very few theatrical people I kept contact with was Pat Murray himself.
Pat was always in demand as a set designer and used to appear in Waterford from time to time. He also was on the Arts council when they sometimes had their meetings in my restaurant.
I remember the first time I saw him in Dwyers he was at a table when I came out to do my chef’s “tour” at the end of the night.
We were both amazed to see each other and Pat said “Jesus, Martin Dwyer !
I should have guessed, the place looks like a f*****g stage set!”
Last night was a great night for the daughter, well covered in the Examiner she tells me but not in the one that got to Waterford.