BOWLED OVER: Dunnes Stores homewares departments are so smart these days that it's worth a regular mooch.
Hot off the presses this week: prints by Guggi featuring, what else, a jug and a few bowls . . . mounted on board they cost €55. Very rock'n'roll.
SHARP MOVERS: "We spend so long in track suits, runners and T-shirts that when we get into a suit we feel a little bit more sharp and smart, especially if the suit is a bespoke one," says Gordon D'Arcy, the Irish rugby player who cuts a dash both on and off the pitch. Kennedy & McSharry and Magee have just launched launching a formal wear partnership with the Irish rugby team, making made-to-measure suits for each member of the team including D'Arcy, seen here being measured by Tony McSharry. The traditional navy blue blazer and grey slacks are being replaced by sharp, slim-fitting suits in fine, striped navy wool with a discreet crest on the breast pocket. Magee's made-to-measure suits take 20 days to complete, and cost between €475 and €700, depending on cloth. "When you see the care going into the suit that's being made for you, it affects how you feel about it," says D'Arcy, and though he admits he prefers wearing suits without a tie, "a bespoke suit gives you a great deal of confidence and looks more professional". He's caught the bug early. Deirdre McQuillan
A FRESH FACE: Watching as iconic Dublin restaurant Sheries on Lower Abbey Street succumbed to the builder's hammer over the past few months has been like watching an episode of The Swan. When you look at that dreadful make-over programme you can't help shouting to the participants, "noooo, you are grand, so what if your nose is a bit on the Streisand side, can't you just accept yourself the way you are?". Sheries, with its long, low formica counter, bacon 'n' parsley sauce menu and eclectic clientele, was one of the few Dublin eateries untouched by the Celtic Tiger. Presided over by the charming Adam Isherwood - his family has owned it since the 1940s - you could rely on Sheries to always stay the same. Not any more. The low counter has gone, replaced by a higher, smarter version, and the menu is more blue cheese frittata than liver and onion. Fortunately, Adam still presides over the place with a smile almost as dazzling as the golden restaurant sign which was rescued from the skip and has pride of place behind the bar, so we never forget the homely girl Sheries once was. As if we could. Róisín Ingle
FILM FOUR: The Jameson Dublin International Film Festival, now in its fourth year, runs from February 17th-26th and will feature 100 Irish and international films. It opens with the world premiere of Paul Mercier's Studs, and will include the Irish premieres of Golden Globe winners Capote, Transamerica and Paradise Now (pictured), as well as Palme d'Or winner L'Enfant, and The Matador starring Pierce Brosnan. The complete festival programme will be launched next Wednesday. The box office opens on Thursday, and if previous years are anything to go by, you should book early to avoid disappointment. Season ticket: €200; 10 ticket pass: €70; Individual tickets: €9/€15. Membership: €2.50 daily, or €8 full membership. The box office will be located at Filmbase, Curved Street, Temple Bar. Tickets can be bought by calling 01-6728861 or online at www.dubliniff.com Eimear McKeith
GREEN SPEAK: The annual Garden and Landscape Designers' Association seminar is not to be missed by serious gardeners. Gardens in Motion, Sacred Geometry and Naturalistic Planting are just some of the topics that will be covered when an international panel of speakers descends on UCD next month. Isabelle Van Groeningen, who has worked with the National Trust in England, will talk about how gardens can be less artificial by using native plants such as grasses, while Chelsea veteran Andy Sturgeon will discuss contemporary garden design. French plant explorer, designer and author, Gilles Clément, will talk about how gardens constantly evolve - much like the gardens he has designed in large open spaces in the suburbs of Paris. Unusually for this GLDA seminar, there is an Irish speaker: Michael Rice will explain his concepts of organic architecture (above). Book now as tickets are limited. The GLDA Annual Seminar, Landscape Polygamy: Marrying the Client, the Site and the Designer, February 11th, Clinton Auditorium, University College Dublin, €115 for members/€132 for non-members, 01-2781824, www.glda.ie. Nicoline Greer
GREEN FINGERS: The Organic Centre, Rossinver, Co Leitrim runs a wide range of one- and two-day courses. Coming up in February are courses in subjects such as creating an organic garden, planting a small woodland, and cooking with wholefood. Later in the year, you could learn about installing solar heating systems, the links between blood group and diet, cooking with seaweed, and eco-landscaping your garden (now there's something you could spend your SSIA on). One-day courses range from €80-€90; two-day courses are €160-€180. Vegetarian lunch is included. Book on 071-9854338 or see www.theorganiccentre.ie. Eimear McKeith
WRITE ON: With the phenomenal success of JK Rowling's Harry Potter, Philip Pullman's His Dark Materials and Lemony Snicket's Series of Unfortunate Events, and the revival of interest in CS Lewis's Narnia series, it seems that children's books have never been more popular. So for all those Rowling wannabes (and there are sure to be plenty of them considering that she has amassed an estimated wealth of around £500 million), Anthology Books in Temple Bar, Dublin 2, is running a one-day introductory workshop on writing for children. It will be led by Sandy Fitzgerald, an author of children's books and former director of the City Arts Centre in Dublin. He takes a practical, hands-on approach, and will focus on topics such as as writing techniques, audience, editing and getting published. The course takes place from noon to 5pm next Sunday, February 5th and costs €85. To book call 01-6351422. For people who are already writing regularly, check out the literary competitions, carrying prizes which range from €650 to €10,000, which are part of Listowel 2006 Writers' Week. Entries must be in by Friday, March 3rd and a full list of competition categories is available at www.writersweek.ie. Eimear McKeith
PUPPY LOVE: An Post's new Love and Greetings stamps offer a pooch-eye view of the world in celebration of the Chinese Year of the Dog, which starts tomorrow.The Love stamp in the series features an elegant Irish Setter gazing up at a couple embracing on a deserted beach. Three Greetings stamps show a German long-haired Pointer puppy playing with his owner's runner; a Golden Labrador resting beside his young owner's pink shoes, and two Chinese Crested show dogs striking a pose in an urban setting. They are designed by award-winning Dublin graphic designer Amanda Brady, and a set of 10 self-adhesive greetings stamps comes in a handy booklet, perfect for dressing up wedding invitations, Chinese New Year greetings and all those St Valentine's Day cards. Available now at the GPO, Dublin and online at www.irishstamps.ie. Róisín Ingle
LIGHTER THAN A FEATHER: On a cold and wintry night, there is nothing better than snuggling up under your duvet. Silver Hill Feathers is a Co Monaghan duck farm that supplies pure duck down duvets and pillows. Duck down comes from the breast of the duck, and is the lightest, fluffiest filling you will find. It goes through a thorough washing process, as most allergies are a reaction to dust mites rather than the down itself. Silver Hill also supplies cooked duckling, crispy roast half-duckling with Chinese pancakes and Hoisin sauce, and crispy aromatic duckling to supermarkets and Chinese food shops. The company has also launched an environmental project to deal with a less palatable by-product of the ducks - slurry - which they will recycle to create dry fertiliser, heat and power. Duvets cost from €109 and pillows from €8.50. www.silverhillfeathers.com, 047-86712. Nicoline Greer