Wilde nights beckon on Wicklow Street

THE SOCIAL NETWORK:Claudine and Robbie Keane may not have made it from Los Angeles to the opening of Wilde on Wicklow Street on Thursday evening, but Claudine's mother

Joan Palmer delivered a message of congratulations to Julian Benson, who runs the club.

Palmer was delighted to catch up with the talent agent, who put her daughter on the catwalk during his days of organising the UCD Fashion Show. Benson was also celebrating the news that his show Celtic Rising is travelling to Dubai in January.

Alan Amsby aka Mr Pussy loves the name of the new club. “It’s about time someone named a club after Oscar,” he said. He came to Ireland 40 years ago, “when the only time a man could wear a dress was at Halloween”.

The drag queen Lady Portia de Monte is the club’s hostess and she greeted guests as they navigated their way through fire-eaters, snake charmers, drummers and men on stilts. Late-night shoppers on Grafton Street didn’t know what to think.

Rugby international Jamie Heaslip caught up with Conor Buckley of Krystle nightclub in the smoking area on the first floor. The model Roz Purcell said the club reminded her of the Box, which is her favourite club in New York.

Tom Ponsonby, who grew up in the Palladian mansion of Ballynatray, in Co Cork, was joined by his girlfriend Rebecca Wardell, who is the deputy director of trade and investment at the British Embassy in Dublin. Ponsonby, who lives in Sandymount and is managing director of ExSite communications, is responsible for Wilde’s website.

Darren Kennedy was accompanied by his friend Norman Pratt. Kennedy was looking forward to the screening of a new documentary he will feature in on September 18th on RTÉ 2.

Ali Davis did the catering and she flew in celebrity chef Kirsten Zschokke, who worked for Tiger Woods for eight years.

Who we spotted: Vivienne Connolly and her partner, John Norton; Gavin Friday; hairstylist Gary Kavanagh; TV3's Alan Hughes; Niall Stokes of Hot Press; Richard Kavanagh of Social Personal; Declan Leavy of thedailyupdate.ie; Mathew Condell of The Four Seasons; Carmel Breheny of Marks & Spencer

What we drank: Berry mojitos and mango and apple martinis

What we ate: Golden chicken popcorn and tuna lollipops