A SHORT HAND: Boats in Bullock Harbour, play-acting on Bloomsday and wine tasters in Mitchells off-licence, Glasthule are among the subjects John Short chose to paint for his exhibition, A Portrait of Sandycove and Dalkey, which opens on Thursday evening (7pm) at the Dalkey Arts Centre, 19 Railway Road, Dalkey, Co Dublin.
This series of brightly-painted works evokes summery scenes among Dublin's boating, swimming and slurping set. Contact 01-2849663, www.dalkeyarts.ie.
SIGNINGS UP Clever people can get Christmas presents for tricky people sorted by looking at the Eason website, www.eason.ie. Under the section "Signing Events" (scroll to bottom left of the homepage), the site lists upcoming book signings. Rachel Allen will be signing in November and December in Eason shops around the country, and Des Lynam and Frank Bruno will both be in Dublin during November. Darren Shan's books already have a cult standing, so a signed copy of Cirque du Freak will send any young teenager in your house to goth-nirvana. If you miss a signing, Eason also stocks limited numbers of signed books. For the full list of dates see www.eason.ie Nicoline Greer
SPECIAL K Denizens of Straffan, Co Kildare, have the pleasure, these days, of having their entire town dug up as houses fly up and roads are widened in preparation for the Ryder Cup in September 2006. The golf classic will last all of a long weekend but the infrastructure is certainly being put in place. The local K Club has just won an award from Condé Nast Traveller magazine, which is sure to hasten bookings - in November you can spend the night for €245, which includes breakfast and a round of golf. We like to call in occasionally for tea and to admire the paintings in the Yeats Room when it is free, the Lavery in the lobby and the Modigliani hiding in the hallway. It can't be said that they throw their arms wide open to welcome hoi polloi, but if you are feeling flahoolach, it's a setting that's hard to beat. Patsey Murphy
SHOPS AND THE CITY If you're lucky enough to be shopping in New York before Christmas, O'Neill's Bar and Restaurant in Manhattan might be a good place to stop for a break. The bar is trying to lure Irish visitors to New York by promising to provide information on the city, its shops and bargains, to customers. While sipping on a "Christmas Shopper" cocktail, which contains secret ingredients and a layer of champagne, you can find inspiration in the library of guidebooks, such as The Girlshop Guide to NYC Shopping. Owner Ciaran Staunton, from Co Mayo, says his staff will share all they know about the best shops in the city that never sleeps. O'Neill's Bar is at 729 3rd Avenue, near 42nd Street, conveniently close to shops such as Bloomingdales and FAO Schwarz. Nicoline Greer
BOYS BOYS BOYS Early every Sunday morning, in Vienna, a queue forms outside the Hofburg chapel for Mass at 9.15am. If you get there later than 8am, you might not even get in. The reason so many people are willing to forgo their weekend lie-in is that the world-famous Vienna Boys' Choir sings solemn Mass there every Sunday, continuing a tradition that has been unbroken since 1498. Tomorrow week – without going all the way to Vienna – you'll have a chance to see one of the oldest boys' choirs in the world at the National Concert Hall for one night. On Sunday November 13th. The boys will perform a varied programme featuring music from all over the world and including Gregorian Chant, Mozart, Bruckner, Schütz and Humperdinck. Tickets, €15-€39 from 01-417000 or www.nch.ie. Eimear McKeith
KARAOKE DOKEY For almost a year, musician Rory O'Keeffe and club promoter Martin Thomas have been packing The Village on Wexford Street with "Songs of Praise", their rock 'n' roll karaoke night, every Sunday. Between now and Christmas they're offering their services – visuals, musicians, dancers, comedians, venue decoration and hostess Sister Barbara – for office and private parties. The karaoke songs are taken from a list based in the rock, indie, guitar and glam genres. No cheese. They cater for groups of 50 to 500. Call 01-6673920/086-2518594. Eoin Lyons
PERUSE THE VENUE Those trawling for a venue for a Christmas party or a wedding should visit a new website, www.venuesearch.ie. They have venues you might not think of, such as the cool Denzille Lane Private Cinema, Dublin 2, or the James Joyce House, Dublin 8. Thirty-six venues, from conference centres to castles, are listed. There are also lists of photographers, DJs, florists and other party people. The site runs a competition every month – last month, they gave away a party for 14 at the Ballyhannon Castle; this month, two people will win two nights with dinner in the Mount Juliet Conrad Hotel, Co Kilkenny. www.venuesearch.ie. Nicoline Greer
CHARITY WITHOUT CASH There are lots of ways to support charities
without simply handing over cash. One thing you can do is give up food for a day – this year's Concern 24-hour fast is taking place on Thursday November 24th. If you sign up now, you'll have plenty of time to persuade all your family, friends and work colleagues to sponsor you. To register, call 1850 505055, text FAST to 50500 or log on to www.concernfast.org.
Another is to give your used printer cartridges and old mobile phones to the Jack and Jill Foundation for recycling. They can be sent by freepost, or large volumes can be collected from your home or company free of charge. The service benefits the environment in a minor way, and raises funds to provide home nursing facilities for seriously ill babies and children. Call 1850 525545 or log on to www.jackandjill.ie. Eimear McKeith