Horizons

Four mini-festivals: The Convergence Festival in Temple Bar, Dublin will take on a new format this year, dividing its packed programme of events into four mini-festivals instead of one large one.

The first of these will have the theme of Building Healthy Communities and will run from April 20th - 24th. Highlights include a talk by Swedish sustainability expert, Torbjorn Lahti (April 20th, 8pm €20). Re-thinking the City is a day-long conference looking at the crucial role of urban planning on Thursday, April 21st (€150). The annual Green Builders Conference goes ahead on Friday, April 22nd (€150), and nutritionist Patrick Holford will speak about optimum nutrition on Friday, April 22nd at 7.30pm (€20). The festival is designed to coincide with Earth Day on Saturday, April 24th, and celebrations include an earth fair, connecting Temple Bar's weekly organic market with a flower and plant fair and the fashion stalls in Cow's Lane. Full programme details on www.sustainable.ie/convergence/7 or Tel: 01-6746415.

Guidelines for planners

Architectural Heritage Protection Guidelines for Planning Authorities is a new user-friendly guide aimed at owners of historic properties, architects, interested members of the public and local authority planning and heritage officers. A revision of an earlier draft document, it explains how to identify and protect elements of historic buildings as required by the Planning and Development Act 2000. It also explains how to carry out an architectural heritage impact assessment in cases where a planning application has been made to alter a protected structure or develop the land around it. Copies of the guide are available from the Government Publications Sales Office, Molesworth Street, Dublin (€10) or can be downloaded on www.environ.ie

Walking the Wicklow Way

The Wicklow Mountains National Park offers visitors an opportunity to enjoy walks of various lengths and levels of difficulty. The information centre in the Upper Lake car park in Glendalough is also the starting point for a range of walks from now until September. Among these are a mining walk on April 24th, a wildflower walk on June 12th, a bog walk on July 10th and a dragonfly walk on August 7th. Each walk starts at 2pm. Nature rambles also take place on occasional Saturdays, the next of which leaves from the information centre at 2 pm on April 2nd. A spring clean of the Glendalough Valley is also planned for April 16th from 2pm and volunteers are welcome. Keen bird watchers should also take note that there will be a dawn chorus walk with Birdwatch Ireland at 5.30am on May 15th. Details from Tel: 0404-45656 or e-mail wickloweducationcentre@duchas.ie

Easter at Castle Espie

Looking for somewhere new to bring the family this Easter? How about taking a trip to Castle Espie, the Wildfowl and Wetlands Trust, Ballydrain Road, Comber, Co Down. Apart from the usual exhibits and woodland walks, children can help make a giant egg today from 2pm-4pm or paint eggs (bring your own hard-boiled egg) and join in egg-rolling competitions tomorrow from 1pm. See www.wwt.org.uk/visit/castleespie