The Edge: Alison is bonding with her chukka tycoon

The two of them have been getting to know each other over the last six or seven weeks. Alison and Bryan's amorous entanglement - albeit in the early stages of romance, whatever about the first bloom of love - is obviously going well. (And therefore Alison's on-off romance with meat baron Tadhg Geary is long-since over.)

Your diarist can tell you that Alison and Bryan went to Deauville, France, where they were spotted being very much the hottest couple in town, if not the entire continent of Europe. My well-placed sources tell me that the romance between Grace Kelly-lookalike Alison and the businessman with the matinee idol looks, Bryan, is one of the worst kept secrets among the Dublin 4 beau monde, as they say in Deauville.

Be very happy, indulge, says Morah

Morah Ryan is a woman of many parts. Only French theatre (a Racine play, shall we say) could do justice to her tragi-comic life. This weekend, however, she is in the proud mother mode. She's having a big beano to celebrate the fact that her son Elliott, as she told me, "got his choice in UCD. So we're all heading to Kinara on the seafront in Clontarf to indulge and be very happy."

Indulging and being happy? Morah should really think about setting up her own political party. Doubtless her late husband would have approved.

Morah was at the opening of Ballyturk at the Olympia theatre and enjoyed the production so much, she told me, that she and her bright young brood (Lottie, Rex, Bonnie, Babette and aforementioned Elliott) "plan on going back before it ends."

In the meantime, the chic, to say nothing of cultural, Ryans went to see Hilda Fay in the one man show Alice Devine - Not For Sale at, said Morah, "our local little theatre, The Viking."

What's the female for Viking? That would be Morah, surely.

Famous 'mamil' seen in Côte d'Azur

Just to warn you, I'll be talking here mostly about mammals. And no, I haven't turned into natural history egghead David Attenborough. The mamils I refer to are 
middle-aged men in Lycra...

My spies in the south 
of France tell me that Bono is apparently reinventing the genre that mogul Johnny Ronan first popularised. The U2 star has clearly found what 
he's looking for - cycling where the streets have no name. Someone stop me, please!

Anyway, I have nothing but the greatest respect for Bono (I will take to my grave the memory of the night he took me on the razz around San Francisco in 1992, and his existential tunes are never off my sound system at home). Now I admire him even more that he had the balls - in this case literally in some lovely Lycra fabric - to wear tight cycling gear in public.

My idol was recently spotted on his bike in Eze, where he has a sea-front mansion, and why not?

By all accounts, he looked kind of cool in the get-fit rig-out. Nice to see him taking his lead from Johnny Ronan in Lycra (JRIL - sounds like an offshoot of Nama , doesn't it?)

Jim Sheridan is possibly a year or two older than Bono, but at times he is way cooler. For starters, he obviously understands the nuances of age-appropriate clothing. Indeed when I met the acclaimed film director in the Dylan hotel on Tuesday night at 10.30pm, he was dressed in jeans and a leather jacket and was full of the joys of life (he always is). He and his lovely wife Fran had flown in that evening from LA and - despite the jet-lag - were full of Joie de vivre.

The not-so-old boys' club at lunch

John F Kennedy had it all wrong. Ask not what you can do for your country. Ask what's for lunch.

There was an illustrious group of men who clearly agreed with my philosophy last Friday afternoon in Bellucci's in Ballsbridge. And where else to hold such a foodie gathering of male-bonding than Robbie Fox's restaurant? It was quite an attendance, too: everyone from star of Game Of Thrones' Liam Cunningham, to uber-chef and TV star Dylan McGrath, to ex Irish rugby international Eddie Halvey and someone called Redser. No - not me, mystifyingly.

This to say nothing of beef magnate Gerry Purcell, or Gate Theatre impresario Michael Colgan, both of whom add large amounts of za-za-zoom at any respectable luncheon 
on these shores. They all 
sat on the terrace in the sun and enjoyed what used to be known as a boys' lunch.

I couldn't possibly reveal what time they left the restaurant, but you are safe in deducing that it was a good lunch.

Bruce has a hungry heart
in Marco's

It's got to the stage where a social diarist can't go to his local restaurant without being seated next to international superstars. It's  a tough job but someone has to do it, don't they?

So there I was not minding my own business in the Marco Pierre White Courtyard Bar & Grill in Donnybrook the other week, when who should walk in, but Bruce Springsteen.

I nearly choked on my filet mignon when I saw him. (It was not quite the same shock as seeing Bono in Lycra - see opposite page - more of a pleasant surprise, if you like.)

He came in en famille for dinner - his wife Patti Scialfa and daughter Jess, and some people from America. The boss and his wife, who were staying in the nearby Four Seasons hotel in Ballsbridge, were in Dublin ostensibly to see Jess showjump at the RDS.

But back to the dinner in Marco's ... I am going to morph into the incomparable Lucinda O'Sullivan for the next paragraph as I tell you that Mr Springsteen had the mouth-watering boned char-grilled chicken, preceded by a sumptuous soup. Whatever about a hungry heart, he certainly had a hungry appetite on the night. I can also tell you on good authority that 
Bruce was lovely and very friendly and chatted to fellow diners.

Across town in Pasta Fresca on Chatham Street, former Celtic FC manager Neil Lennon was the star attraction last weekend. That said, May Frisby's famous Italian restaurant is, of course, a second kitchen to the starry likes of Larry Mullen, Liam Neeson et al. Noshed-up Neil was in for dinner with his beautiful wife, Irene McCloy.

Men dining with their wives; whatever will they think of next?

La La Land goes gaga goo-goo with Sonya

La La Land went from gaga to gaga goo-goo on Monday afternoon. It was all courtesy of a gorgeous Irish actress. Sonya Macari, who is based in Los Angeles, gave birth to her (and her rockstar husband Colin Devlin's) first child.

"A little miracle saw the light of day Monday at 4.12 pm, Colin Devlin and I welcome Evie Devlin into the world! We are overjoyed with our beautiful new arrival" she said. 6,000 miles to the east in southern Spain on Wednesday night, Sonya's equally beautiful sister Virginia was the star-turn at the Ladies Only High Tea to raise funds for Positively Pink in The Boardwalk restaurant in Marbella. (I was unable to attend because - despite being a big girl's blouse - I am not actually, er...a lady.)

Virginia, who is a fashion designer as well as the onetime mainstay of TV3's much-lamented Dublin Housewives, donated a stunning swimsuit piece, specially made for the occasion. It was auctioned off for a small fortune (the entire night raised €1,805 for Positively Pink, which provides free breast screening for women.) The swimsuit range, Virginia told me, will be available in Brown Thomas from January, 2015. Other notable Irish women in The Boardwalk in Marbs on the evening were Theresa Rocca and her two daughters, Sophia and Lidia.

Diane De Burgh (with husband Chris) was the notable Irish woman at the opening night of Pride and Prejudice at The Gate in Dublin on Thursday. Only saying.