POSTCARD PRETTY Some tourists may still come to Ireland expecting to meet only red-haired children working in turf fields with a donkey by their side.
That was the Ireland of the 1960s John Hinde postcards, which projected our idyllic and innocent island image to the world. But it seems that romantic Ireland's dead and gone, and now the people at Go Ireland are looking for the image that captures contemporary Ireland. Their photography competition invites tourists, as well as people who live here, to send in their photographs of what they think best represents picture-perfect modern Ireland. The three categories are scenery, people and places. The winning photograph will be reproduced as an original postcard by the Hinde Group, and the photographer will win a Nikon D70S digital camera. You can enter online at www.goireland.com or by e-mail at photographyawards@goireland.com. Nicoline Greer
PUT A SPELL ON YOU
Rachel Wood began making her tiny fairies (above) in a shed at the bottom of her garden. These Co Galway creatures have a mischievous and slightly batty character. Wood makes guardian fairies for new babies, tooth fairies, pixies, wizards and mermaids, as well as fairy brides and grooms, from silks, satins and beads. The Goddess range, made from hand-painted silk, and is embellished with glass beads and semi-precious stones. Each fairy comes with a pretty handmade bag and fairy certificate and can be personalised. The fairies cost from €15. See www.awaywiththefairies.biz or call 091-847818. Nicoline Greer
LIE OF THE LAND The travel writer Jonathan Raban once said: "Land is just land until it is shaped, interpreted, written about or drawn. Then it becomes landscape." Land is more than just land, however: it is memory and history. Having been in every county in Ireland apart from Mayo, Des Fox's first visit there coincided with his gradual move away from the diverse discipline of illustration towards painting. This show reflects his instant appreciation of Achill Island and his love for landscape. "Drawing can be a meditative process, but a painting freezes time both for the artist and for the person who stops to look at it," he says. Standing Still, an exhibition of paintings by Des Fox, is at Rathfarnham Castle, Dublin, until August 18th (10am-5pm each day). Inquiries to 01-4939462. Sylvia Thompson
STORM IN A COFFEE CUP Howthites have been mourning the departure of Coffee Angel, Karl Purdy's mobile coffee van. He didn't want to leave the area, either, but after a year of warming up walkers on the
east pier with good coffee and good manners, his licence to operate from the pier has gone to Wrights of Howth. Purdy started to sell steaming Fairtrade coffee and Boulangerie des Gourmets pastries a year and a half ago, "as a Band-Aid to the mental nightmare" of the closure of his restaurant, Bond. Purdy's "little van and happy life" have been hugely successful, and he is looking into buying a second three-wheeled van and franchising the business. The northside's loss is the southside's gain.
You will find Coffee Angel on Dún Laoghaire pier at the weekend and at the IFSC during the week, as well as at events such as Electric Picnic and the Festival of World Cultures. Nicoline Greer
GO NATIVE If you're out on the Burren this weekend, you could seek out the natural artwork of butterflies' wings. From today until Monday, the Northern Ireland Butterfly Conversation Group will looking for up to 20 species among the flowers of the Burren. They are meeting at 10am today and tomorrow at the small car park on the south side of the road at Lough Bunny, Co Clare. See the excellent Burren information website www.burrenbeo.com for more information on the Burren. Nicoline Greer
AB FAB IN DUNDRUM The long-awaited Harvey Nichols store at Dundrum Town Centre, due to open in mid September, will draw foodies as well as fashionistas, with its soaring, glass-walled 85-seat restaurant, 80-seat cocktail bar with DJ and dance floor, and ground-floor cafe. Simon Preston, senior hospitality manager, comes to the Dublin branch from Harvey Nichols in Edinburgh, and has lofty ambitions for the group's first restaurant outside the UK. "It will be a fine-dining experience, and we're going for an even higher spec than our Knightsbridge flagship," he says. The soon-to-be appointed head chef – "already established in Dublin", according to Preston – will lead a team of 17 chefs; the restaurant, bar and food-and-wine emporium will employ 100 people. The cocktail bar, serving hot and cold snacks, will open until 2am, serviced by the dedicated lift opening from the main square in Dundrum. There will also be a food market and wine shop – not as big as the one in Knightsbridge – which will carry Harvey Nichols' own-brand products, as well as gourmet treats from across the globe – so no need any longer to drag those distinctive, treat-packed bags home on the plane. Marie-Claire Digby
GO NATIVE If you're out on the Burren this weekend, you could seek out the natural artwork of butterflies' wings. From today until Monday, the Northern Ireland Butterfly Conversation Group will looking for up to 20 species among the flowers of the Burren. They are meeting at 10am today and tomorrow at the small car park on the south side of the road at Lough Bunny, Co Clare. See the excellent Burren information website www.burrenbeo.com for more information on the Burren. Nicoline Greer
OVER THE HILLS AND FAR AWAY Get fit, explore a fascinating country and do a good deed at the same time by signing up for the Barretstown children's charity trek in Vietnam next spring. The 10-day adventure takes in six days' hiking (moderate fitness is required, as you'll be walking for up to six hours a day) followed by a few days' sightseeing in Hanoi. Trekkers must raise a minimum of ¤5,000. Further details are available from Helen at Barretstown on 045-864115. There are two planned treks, leaving Ireland on April 13th and April 20th Marie-Claire Digby
SLOGANEERING The problem with slogan-based T-shirts is that some of of them are painfully stupid. But if you're looking for an alternative to shirts that clumsily announce your supposed drunkenness, you need the Toronto-based company Glarkware. From it you can get a shirt to declare your love of irony (ironically? Who knows?). Or what about advertising your membership of the Goth Union, whose slogan is 'Individuality through Conformity'? The shirts come in generic unisex and well-fitting girlie cuts, and there is even a range of baby shirts. Glarkware also produces Movie Manners Courtesy Cards, which bear the words "Ssssh! We are trying to enjoy the movie" and which (if you're brave) can be handed to noisy fellow cinema-goers. There's something for everyone at www.glarkware.com. Anna Carey
STORM IN A COFFEE CUP Howthites have been mourning the departure of Coffee Angel, Karl Purdy's mobile coffee van. He didn't want to leave the area, either, but after a year of warming up walkers on the east pier with good coffee and good manners, his licence to operate from the pier has gone to Wrights of Howth. Purdy started to sell steaming Fairtrade coffee and Boulangerie des Gourmets pastries a year and a half ago, "as a Band-Aid to the mental nightmare" of the closure of his restaurant, Bond. Purdy's "little van and happy life" have been hugely successful, and he is looking into buying a second three-wheeled van and franchising the business. The northside's loss is the southside's gain. You will find Coffee Angel on Dún Laoghaire pier at the weekend and at the IFSC during the week, as well as at events such as Electric Picnic and the Festival of World Cultures. Nicoline Greer