Full house for private dining

THE SOCIAL NETWORK:Fiona Kelly, the general manager of Brasserie le Pont, which is celebrating its first anniversary, is putting the finishing touches to a new business located beside the restaurant on Fitzwilliam Place in Dublin.

Kelly and her siblings, who own the restaurant, are planning to open an exclusive private venue in an adjacent Georgian town house in September. She sees an opening for such a venture, even in the current climate. “I think there is a huge gap in the market. We have many inquiries for private dining in the restaurant,” she says.

Clients will be able to hire the whole house or one of its five rooms. The interior designer Helen Turkington has been drafted in to advise on the colour scheme.

Meanwhile, Kelly and her fiancé, Darragh O’Regan, who is a behaviour therapist at RehabCare, are expecting their first child next month.