What's new in the world
ROCKING ALL OVER THE WORLD
If you are a rock fan, the Hard Rock Café in Dublin's Temple Bar has lots of memorabilia, from Bono's glasses to guitars once played by Motley Crue. Where did all this stuff come from? Rita Gilligan, who started work with the first café on the day it opened in London in 1971, explains: "We had nothing on the walls at the beginning, and then one day Eric Clapton came in. Isaac [one of the founders] was behind the bar, and Clapton handed him a guitar saying, 'This is for you.' He told him he couldn't play the damned thing, and Clapton said, 'I tell you what, let's have it on the wall to mark my place at the bar.' A few weeks later Pete Townshend heard about this and sent down one of his guitars with a note saying, 'Mine is as bloody good as his, get it up!' That was how it all started."
Now, with 140 Hard Rock Cafés operating in 42 countries, the company has about 87,000 pieces of memorabilia, which it rotates on a five-year cycle. The café also works with many charities in each local community.
Gilligan, a native of Galway, who was awarded an MBE for her contribution to the entertainment industry, has a fund of memories of legendary rock stars. The Dublin Hard Rock has guitars from U2 and Aslan, along with items belonging to the Beatles, Hendrix, and more. The food is good, the staff are pleasant, and there is a friendly, relaxed feel to the place. But this is a hard rock house - boy bands better stay away. Colm Banville
CROSAIRE WORDS
When Derek Crozier began composing The Irish Times Crosaire crosswords, the second World War was still in progress. Now in his 80s and living in Zimbabwe, the former teacher is still crosswording away, and sending his work in for daily publication in this newspaper. For those who have not fully mastered his arcane - but always logical - system of clues, here is a slim selection of his common conventions. Clue in bold; meaning in italic.
After tea: word begins with T
Cornelius: con
Dragon: bore (drag on)
Fifty, half a century: L
Five hundred: D
In order: tidy, neat
Nothing left: right
Knock out: ko, stun
Reference: re
Wine: port
Should this knowledge make you so nifty that you can manage more than one Crosaire a day, O'Brien Press has just made a book of 120 previously published puzzles, priced at €9.95. Conor Goodman
GET THE MASSAGE
Ayurvedic massage uses strokes and stretches based on yoga, boosting the circulation and releasing toxins. It is said to strengthen the immune system and help many conditions, from depression to hormonal imbalances, as well as problems with organs, joints and muscles. A course starting this week at Dynamics Holistic Centre, 11 Hume Street, Dublin 2, teaches the massage basics, relaxation, contraindications, and how to take care of one's own body. There's also a massage every day for participants. Teacher Vandana is from India and teaches Ayurvedic massage all over the world. Depending on class numbers, the course will either run from Monday, for seven days (4-8 p.m. Mon-Fri and noon to 5 p.m. Sat-Sun) and cost €500 or as a three-day introductory course from next Friday to Sunday (10 a.m.-5 p.m.) and cost €300. Information: Leanne Macken, 087-9484698. Antonia O'Keeffe
THE FLOWER POTTERS
A therapeutic way of acquiring a new skill is learning how to make pottery and literally how to throw your own Christmas gifts. The Botanic Art School in Glasnevin, Dublin 9, which has been running art courses for children and adults for the past five years, is opening a new pottery on Monday next, where two kinds of adult courses will be on offer. One is from September to June, and includes drawing, watercolours, batik as well as pottery with one-hour, two-hour and a half-hour class a week (morning or evening). The second course, on pottery alone, consists of one term of 10 classes morning or evening from 10 a.m. or 7 p.m. Pupils will learn about clay, slab building, coil pots, sculpture (figurines) and wheel work. "Making pottery", says Alwyn Gillespie (who runs the school and painted the above picture of one of her own pots), "is like making pastry - very relaxing, very physical and very creative." For further information, contact her at 01-8304720 or alwyn@gofree.indigo.ie. Deirdre McQuillan
IF YOU GO DOWN TO THE WOODS
The Sickener, Death Cap, Deceiver, Angel of Death ... not grisly horror flicks, but equally deadly mushrooms and toadstools. It's mushroom-hunting time, and there will be two opportunities next month to learn how tell a hedgehog from a panther (they're both fungi, but only one could kill you). Bill O'Dea has been collecting and eating wild mushrooms for more than 30 years, and survives to tell the tale. He will impart the secrets of his success as a fungi forager at the Avondale mushroom hunt at Avondale House, Rathdrum, Co Wicklow on Saturday, October 9th, and the following day he leads the fifth annual Cavistons mushroom hunt. The Cavistons outing, organised in conjunction with the Glasthule, Co Dublin delicatessen and restaurant, is held at a secret location - mushroom hunters keep their best patches to themselves. Both events include an introduction to mushroom hunting, a guided hunt, a mushroom identification workshop and lunch. Hedgehogs on toast, anyone?
Book with Avondale House (0404-46111), for the hunt there, and with Cavistons shop in Glasthule, Co Dublin or Fitzgerald's pub in Sandycove for the mystery tour, which includes coach transfer to the top secret location. Bill O'Dea will also take bookings at billodea@eircom.net, and on 086-8274899. If you are bitten by the bug, O'Dea leads a small group of mushroom hunters on an expedition to Catalonia in north eastern Spain on November 13-16th, and there are places still available. Marie-Claire Digby
OYSTER WORLD
The 50th International Oyster Festival takes place in Claddagh village, Galway, this weekend. The festival, described by AA Travel as "one of the seven best cultural weekends in Europe", offers copious amounts of seafood and light musical entertainment beside the Atlantic coast as participants from 18 countries take part in the annual World Oyster Opening Championships. This year's guest of honour is newsreader Gráinne Seoige. For further information contact the Galway International Oyster Festival on 091-522066, www.galwayoysterfest.com. Fiachra Ó Cionnaith
I TAKE IT ALL BACK
Let's say you've just written an e-mail slagging off your boss - and accidentally sent it to your boss. Or dashed off a "flirt-mail" to your lover, but inadvertently sent it to your spouse. Calm down. You can turn back the clock with a little-known electronic fix-it called Retract Mail. In Outlook (not Outlook Express, alas), find your Sent Items folder, open the offending message, and from the Actions menu choose Recall This Message. If you do this before the unintended recipient has checked their mail, it'll be whipped out of their Inbox straight away. Non-slip corporate ladder and intact love triangles guaranteed.
SLOW DOWN
Today, the Temple Bar Food Market is celebrating the harvest season with a special event, Slow Food in the Square, for those who like to linger over good meals. International Food Circus, the inspired travelling gourmet gig created by chefs Dave Gumbleton of Australia and Enrico Fantasia from Italy, will work their culinary miracles from 1 p.m. to 4 p.m., offering large (€10) and small (€5) plates of specialities prepared from seasonal ingredients. To whet the appetite, Meet the Producers takes place from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m., during which a variety of Irish food producers from the market stalls, such as Silke Croppe of Corleggy Cheese, butcher Ed Hick, the "Oyster Man" John McCarthy, organic farmer Dennis Healy and Oliver Hughes from the Porter House give short talks about their wares. Eastern European cuisine features in Foods of All Nations, an opportunity to sample international dishes throughout the day. And beginning at 1 p.m., Eden Restaurant offers a four-course menu of autumnal fruits and flavours starting at €23 for Slow Food members, €27 for non-members, with guest Richard Corrigan of Lindsay House in London as after-lunch speaker. Credit card bookings on 01-6705372. Christine Madden