It could be Berlin in the 20s, New York in the 1950s.

Or Ireland in the 1980s.

Taken at the United Arts Club in Fitzwilliam Street on Wednesday night for Speaking Suppers – a monthly dinner/wine/public speaking mash-up for people who call their ‘tea’  ‘supper‘ and want to speak in public.

Speakers included Naoise Nunn (centre in linen jacket), of Leviathan, Shane MacGowan (left), organiser Victoria Mary Clarke (centre with feather) and Paul Trainer, of The Dubliner (seated far right with white shirt and glasses).

A living molten pit of Hell for many. A night of old-fashioned story telling and hi-jinks for others. Bodger literally ran screaming while Ewok woke up in bed with one of Victoria Mary Clarke’s angels. Again.

Speaking Suppers

Declared Interest: Chompsky’s groomer (twice-monthly) is the lady in black, Sarah Leahy, one of Speaking Suppers organisers.
(Malachy Geelan)

“The geography of the alleged assault raises equally serious doubts….There are two sets of toilets in the VIP area, both of which are permanently manned by attendants.

“One is a group of six cubicles, which has a long queue of punters waiting in line on a Saturday night. The other gents is an open plan toilet with urinals which again, at this time of night, would never be empty. For an assault to have happened in either without anyone noticing is simply impossible.

“…Therefore, Louis would have had to not only assault a complete stranger in a bathroom – ridiculous enough in itself – but he’d also have had to immediately buy the silence of witnesses and attendants and stop them from sharing the story…”

Holmes drifted off, lost in a cloud of his own keenly aroused thoughts. Watson could see this was a two-pipe problem and left the room.

The Allegations Against Louis Are More Than Fishy – They Are Absurd (Michael O’Doherty, Evening Herald) – (Not yet available online)

Broadsheet.ie