Anyone for tennis?

So there is to be a new recital hall at Earlsfort Terrace. The plan was given the go-ahead after a public hearing by An Bord Pleanala. ala. A lobby for the sport known as "real tennis" became vocal when the idea of converting a uniquely historic real tennis court (currently in use as an engineering facility) was first mooted. They, and conservationists may take some consolation from the fact that any work on the historic building must, as a result of An Bord Pleanala's decision, be carried out in a manner that's shown to be reversible.

And the National Concert Hall can take consolation from the fact that a second performing space is now more clearly on the cards.

What is an "autocratic artistic performance"? You'll have to go to the Edinburgh Fringe Festival between August 8th-30th to find out - the press release describes it as the "established platform" for such events. Yes, that's yet another reason to make it to the whey-faced beauty of a city this summer, on top of the 15,699 performances of the 1,345 shows which will take place in 167 venues. Apart from the usual lorry-load of Irish comedians who will perform in the Fringe, including Dylan Moran, Eddie Bannon, John Henderson, Dara O'Briain and Deirdre O'Kane, four out of 12 shows at the ultra-plush Traverse are Irish: Corcadorca is taking Enda Walsh's Misterman, Kabosh is taking Owen McCafferty's Mojo-Mickybo, the Lyric is taking Marie Jones's Stones in His Pockets, and Rough Magic is going with Frances Sheridan's The Whisperers. And the Assembly Rooms will host the Bush Theatre production of Mark O'Rowe's Howie the Rookie.

Edinburgh Fringe Festival: 0044-131- 2265138

In the words of Rosie Turner, assistant executive director of the Belfast Festival at Queen's, it's a case of "business as usual", as the 1999 festival looms on the horizon. There has been much speculation about who will succeed Sean Doran, who, with a year of his three-year contract still to run, left Belfast seven months ago to take up a five-year term as director of the Perth Festival. So far no obvious progress has been made on finding a successor. Queen's University has not advertised the post of programme director, although Turner is hoping that the new incumbent might be in place in time to have a watching brief in November.

The Belfast Festival: 08-01232- 667687

The Rock 'n' Stroll Trail around Dublin's "principal musical landmarks" will get going again this month. Among the "hot spots" which lucky punters will have a chance to visit, is the Bad Ass Cafe "where Sinead O'Connor worked as a waitress while waiting for fame to knock at her door".

The Rock 'n' Stroll Trail 01-8783345

Heinrich Boll's Irish Diary, written in Achill Island, Co Mayo in the 1950s, is the reason gangs of rain-soaked Germans can be seen scanning the hedgerows for his little cottage there every year. His son Rene will exhibit art on the island for the first time from Sunday, when a collection of his work on canvas, on wood, and with Chinese ink, as well as lithography and watercolours, will open at the Western Light Gallery.

Tel: 098-43325

Dublin's Storytellers Theatre Company is in Berlin to perform When the Wall Came Down, Renate Ahrens-Kramer's drama about forced adoptions in communist East Germany. It will be intriguing to see how the German public responds to the play, which opens tonight in a theatre close to the former border between East and West Berlin. Hundreds of political dissidents in East Germany were forced to give up their children for adoption, and most were not reunited until after the Wall collapsed 10 years ago.

Directed by Bairbre Ni Chaoimh, the cast includes Johnny Murphy, Ruth McCabe, Mary Elizabeth Burke-Kennedy and Iseult Golden.

You would imagine a bible written in Hebrew, Greek, Latin, Syriac, Ethiopic, Arabic and Persian - and that's just one page - would have, shall we say, a limited appeal. However, Archbishop Marsh treasured it carefully, and it will be on display in his library from tomorrow in an exhibition called The Wisdom of the East. The texts, dating from the 17th and 18th centuries, are mostly Arabic and Hebrew, but the picture (left) is Turkish, and laughingly entitled by director, Muriel McCarthy, "A hat for the horseshow?"

Marsh's Library: 01-4543511

Bank of Ireland has just launched a £10 million scholarship scheme for musicians and artists to enable them to continue their studies. The first scholarships will be awarded in 2000, and further information is available from Bank of Ireland Group Public Affairs Office, Head Office, Lower Baggot Street, Dublin 2, or 01-6043836.

The South Side Literary Festival runs for a week from Friday in Tallaght, and writers including Cathal O Searcaigh, Seamus Deane and Evelyn Conlon will give workshops. Tel: 01-4520611 . . . Extreme Rhythm, a group of 12 drummers from Wexford led by solo percussionist Nicholas Baily perform in Spellbinder at St Michael's Theatre, New Ross, from June 24th-26th . . . Bewley's Cafe Theatre, Grafton Street, opens again on Monday at lunchtime, with a production of Her Big Chance by Alan Bennett . . . on July 17th and 18th there will be ballet workshops at Garter Lane in Waterford with Joanna Banks and Esther O'Brolchain - tel 051-855038 . . . You have until August 7th to submit work to the Royal Ulster Academy's Annual Exhibition - tel 08-01232-237717 . . . Armagh-based or born artists can apply for a special bursary to spend two weeks working at the Tyrone Guthrie Centre at Annaghmakerrig, Co Monaghan. Tel: 08-01861-521805 . . . Phone the same number for details of another Armagh-based bursary to go to the John Hewitt Summer School in Antrim, July 26th-31st.