THE SOCIAL NETWORK:It was a belated opening of the annual January JMW Turner collection at the National Gallery of Ireland on Wednesday evening, which also doubled as the launch of a new publication on the collection, The Works of JMW Turner at the National Gallery of Ireland. The co-authors of the catalogue, Anne Hodge and Niamh MacNally, attended. Both are curators at the gallery.

Guests enjoyed a cocktail reception by Hennessy as Britain’s ambassador, Dominick Chilcott, officially opened the exhibition of watercolours, which have been on view since January 1st. He said Turner was known to “brave horrendous weather in order to capture a view”. The same could be said for the attendees, who included Ruth Carroll, a curator at the Royal Hibernian Academy, and the graphic designer Jason Ellams, who designed the Turner book.

Also in attendance was UK sailor Peter Sizer who was consulted in the book on the location of the well-known watercolour on the front of the catalogue, A Ship against the Mew-Stone, at the Entrance of Plymouth Sound. It is in view of his home in south Devon.

Who we spotted:Stefano Vaiani, managing director of Unicredit Bank Ireland; Tim Cooke, director and chief executive of National Museums Northern Ireland.