Conservation Volunteers Ireland is aiming to beat the Guinness World Record in tree planting over three days in November. Working with the British Tree Council, the group plans to plant over 110,000 trees throughout Ireland and the UK. CVI is keen to hear from community groups, residents' associations, schools or any other organisation willing to get in on the action from November 24th to 26th. Tel: 014547185, fax: 01-4546935 or e-mail: info@cvi.ie and CVI will send you an "expression of interest" form. You will then receive a full information pack on how the event will be organised and the criteria which must be met for the Guinness Book of Records.
Irish people have always been conscious of what is being worn on the continent and have never completely followed a unique, home-bred style. This is the thrust of Mairead Dunlevy's lecture, "Look at History - how distinctive was Irish dress?" on Wednesday at 1.10 p.m. in the RDS, Ballsbridge, Dublin. A keeper in the Art and Industrial division of the National Museum of Ireland, Dunlevy will talk about red petticoats, the Irish mantle (a woollen garment which was exported throughout Europe in the late medieval period) and other precursors of contemporary clothing. Other lectures in the RDS autumn series include Dr Peter Harbison's talk on the 18th-century antiquarian drawings of Co Dublin by topographical artist, Gabriel Beranger, on November 16th at 8 p.m.; and Brendan McWilliams's lecture on meteorological serendipity on November 29th at 1.10 p.m. All lectures take place in the Minerva Suite (Merrion Road entrance) of the RDS. Admission is £5. Pre-booking on: 01-2407211.
The month-long tree festival, Feile Shamhna na gCrann continues with a mixture of guided woodland walks, tree plantings, seed collections, talks and children's events. This weekend, highlights include a celebration and exploration of "the spirituality and deep ecology of trees" at Dalgan Park, Navan, Co Meath tomorrow (2 p.m. - 5.30 p.m.) and a guided walk in Woodstock Demense, Inistiogue, Co Kilkenny tomorrow at 2.30 p.m. (meet at the car park). For more details, tel: 509-51718.
A guided tree walk and seed collection goes ahead on Monday at 3 p.m. at in Tullig Wood, near Templeglantine (between Newcastle West and Abbeyfeale), Co Limerick. This walk is organised by the Great Southern Trail group whose aim is to preserve a trail along the best of the old Great Southern railway lines. In fact, they are hosting an information evening on this subject on Friday in Templeglantine at 8 p.m.
Two major issues are keeping An Taisce heritage officer Ian Lumley busy these days: conserving the windows of our towns and cities and keeping a close eye on urban development in general.
On Wednesday at 6.30 p.m. in the Longford County Council offices, he will make a slide presentation to coincide with the opening of an exhibition: Conserving Longford's Windows. The exhibition continues for three weeks. On Friday at 7.30 p.m., Lumley will join Limerick city planning officer, Richard Tobin in addressing a public meeting in Jury's Hotel, Limerick: "The Future of Limerick - City and County". This is the first such meeting - whose aim is to highlight environmental and heritage issues - outside Dublin. Issues of concern particular to Limerick include proposals for a new river crossing, poor access to Shannon Airport and the loss of character of Georgian Limerick.
Web World
www.historicheartdublin.com
A fascinating website for anyone interested in the conservation and restoration of the historic buildings in Dublin city. Its greatest strength is its information: details and pictures of projects in hand; training schemes for craftspeople in traditional building and conservation skills; and contacts with heritage bodies in other European cities. Its weakness is that there is no fun element or interactive option.
Save The Planet
Save Water. We use 70 per cent more water in our houses now than we did 30 years ago. Even in Ireland, water is a finite resource. Conserve it by having a shower instead of a bath. A shower uses 70 per cent less water than a bath, so you can save 100 litres each time. Place a simple water displacement devise (for example a half-litre plastic bottle full of water) in your cistern. A leaking tap can waste up to 90 litres a day. If you have one, fix it. Use full loads only in dishwashers and washing machines. And, turn off the tap while you brush your teeth.
E-mail: horizons@irish-times.ie
