Compiled by Nicoline Greer
HOW OTHERS SEE US Representing Ireland is an exhibition of more than 200 photographs taken by tourists. The culmination of a four-year project by Michael Durand, it runs in the Gallery of Photography in Temple Bar, Dublin 2, until November 18th. The tourists were asked to contribute the image that they felt best represented this country. The result includes the quirky and the boring, the glamorous and the grim. So it provides a refreshing alternative to the usual clichés about Ireland, and might even make us question some preconceptions about ourselves.
BLACK MAGIC In John Rocha's new line of crystal for Waterford, the black glass is less about being fashionable and more about following his own fashion: black is a colour forever synonymous with Rocha. Each piece in the new Waterford line - which includes glassware, bowls and vases - has a band of diamond-cut crystal slicing through it. Since the original Rocha designs for Waterford were launched in 1997, various companies have introduced modern ranges, but Rocha reckons this new stuff is sexier and more opulent than previous offerings. If you've got some of his older crystal, Rocha suggests you mix pieces of the new black glass with it and let the variety create a glamorous but informal feeling. It's now available in Brown Thomas countrywide. Eoin Lyons
THINGS WE LEARNED READING ... CHEAP CHIC This book by Emily Chalmers and Ali Hanan has lots of ideas about how to get a house looking good on a budget.
Cheap Chic is published by Ryland Peters and Small, €28.50
JOIN THE CLUB Oprah has one. So do Richard and Judy. Book clubs are all the rage. One Dublin bookclub of seven readers wanted to expand their numbers - and they've already done it by a few thousand. Their new website, www.bibliocentric.com, includes reviews, discussions, interviews and news from the literary world. Their group is so dedicated that one of the members who moved to London commutes back once a month to discuss the book of the month. They have an Irish bias in their book choice, but this month's book is The Shadow of the Sun: My African Life, by Polish author Ryszard Kapuscinski. Read it and post it as a goodie or a baddie on www.bibliocentric.com.
CASA IN THE SUN Ireland's love affair with all things Iberian is growing more intense. There's a bit of a fiesta at the RDS next weekend, with flamenco dancers, majestic Andalucían horses, and the top names in Spanish property, and, of course, food and drink. Viva España will include 100 exhibitors, and you may go intending to eat a tapa and come away loaded down with property brochures. Fancy a Malaga townhouse for under €50,000? Or perhaps a Marbella 10-bedroom beachfront villa? Its attractive features include outdoor and indoor pools, staff quarters, walk-in fridges, two guest houses ... and bullet proof glass. Is Marbella a particularly violent place, or do people just want to kill those who can spare the €15,000,000 it costs? Viva España from Friday-Sunday, October 29th-31st, at the RDS, Dublin 4. Adults €5 in advance, €10 on the door. Kids 16 years and under go free. For more information and to book half-price advance tickets, visit www.vivaespana2004.com or call 0818-719391.
MONEY TALKS Eddie Hobbs, presenter of Show Me the Money!, is the equivalent of a financial personal trainer - he has put people on financial diets and reels in wayward credit cards. In the next talk in the RDS Autumn Speaker Series, "Money doesn't come with instructions" (never a truer word ... ), he'll talk about how to get the most out of deposits, property, equities, bonds and traded currencies. He will also cover mortgages and personal loans, and there will be a chance to ask questions at the end. 6 p.m., Wednesday, Merrion Room, RDS, Ballsbridge, Dublin 4. Lectures are free, but booking is encouraged. E-mail: lectures@rds.ie or call 01-2407256.
OAKY DOKEY Peter Vallely of Heritage Buildings Ireland has discovered the new toy favoured by the rich and famous of Ireland. It's a swimming pool, enclosed in oak surrounds. And lucky for him, he's building them. His new company, Heritage Buildings, also specialises in garden rooms. More than a garden shed, less than a house, these can be for "I want to be alone" moments or as a private entertainment/party room. It uses oak from sustainably farmed forests in Russia, France and Scandinavia. He started by building car-ports for classic cars - the oak provides the perfect dry climate, whereas in a concrete building, condensation can build up. "The building almost breathes," says Peter. Wave goodbye to PVC and concrete, and say hello to period-style traditional oak beams. Prices start at about €30,000 and they usually takes less than two weeks to construct. Heritage Buildings (01-4019030)