Frontlines

A round-up of today's other stories in brief

Feach ar seo

TG4’s new edgy online teen drama called Na Rúin has been scripted and performed by young people aged between 15 and 21, as per UK hit TV series Skins. Pictured are cast members Gráinne Bleasdale and Anna Ní Chearúil. The storyline starts with the disappearance of a child in the mainstream soap Ros na Rún and the action centres on a group of troubled teens living in a care home in the village. The six gritty episodes feature rebels, runaways and mean girls, set against a whodunit murder mystery background. Devised by Ros na Rún to foster exiting new Irish language talent in the arts, it should be part of your oral Irish homework. See naruin.ie.

Alanna Gallagher

Go west boys and girls

Hotel Westport, situated on the edge of the Co Mayo town, is hosting two weekends in November for members of the gay and lesbian communities. Boys Go West takes place on November 11th-12th and Ladies Purple Weekend is scheduled for November 18th-19th. Both weekends will start with a drinks reception on the Friday evening. On Saturday afternoon, groups will be invited to complete a list of fun, photo-led activities while exploring the town. Saturday evening will feature a black-and-white-themed banquet for the guys and a masquerade gala dinner for the girls, with spot prizes preceding a post-dinner party. The weekend package costs from €139 per person sharing, and includes two nights’ bed and breakfast, the welcome reception, afternoon activities, and dinner and entertainment on the Saturday night. Saturday night’s dinner and disco are also open to non-residents (€39). Enquiries to 098-25122 or see hotelwestport.ie.

Alanna Gallagher

Make a mask camp

You can be the wickedest witch or the scariest zombie by making your own Halloween mask at a class at Airfield in Dundrum, Dublin 14 next Saturday, October 15th. The camp will run from 10.30am to 1pm. It is being taught by artists Sarah Kernaghan and Jane Groves and the attendance fee of €10 includes materials. Booking is essential and numbers are limited: tel: 01-2984301.

Learn more about who you are

Back To Our Past is an Irish genealogy, family and social history event taking place in the RDS, Dublin 4, from Friday, October 21st to Sunday, October 23rd. All the main Irish record sources will be available under one roof – the National Archives, the National Library, the Public Records Office of Northern Ireland, Derry Archives and others. Also taking part will be the Commonwealth War Graves Commission, which maintains nearly two million graves from the first and second World Wars. It can try to trace the grave of a person’s relative killed in the wars, and will even provide a photograph if they find it. Advance tickets cost €5. Entrance on the door is €10.

See backtoourpast.com.

Alanna Gallagher

Take the babogs to Baboro

The international children’s festival Baboró turns 15 this year. If Baboró were an actual child – and we’ve heard stranger names called out in the playground – this would obviously cue much stomping about and slamming of doors. Far from being a truculent teenager, however, Baboró 2011 in Galway offers an enchanting line-up of more than 100 events, including dance, theatre, puppetry, film, storytelling, music, literature and craft. Highlights include Irish/Romanian production Silver Tree, where youngsters aged up to three years are encouraged to choose their “blessings” in an interactive game. (For those worried about mid-performance tantrums, the organisers insist it’s never too early to introduce even your littlest folk to the arts.) Mr and Mrs Sommerflugel is the story, among other whimsies, of a romance between a whale and a ship, while the world premiere of Irish production Losha is expected to charm. The actual truculent teenagers in your life are also well served with breakdancing from White Caps and a writers’ event featuring young adult fiction author Melvin Burgess. Pictured is the ladder dance from Nubes, which will be performed by the Spanish dance company Aracaladanza, a co-production with Sadler’s Wells. Baboró takes place from October 16th-23rd in Galway. See baboro.ie.

Roisin Ingle

Index

WHAT’S HOT

School reunionsYou dread going to them, but then stay up til 4am having a laugh

O'Conaill's hot chocolateThe best in the country and possibly the continent, from O'Conaill's Cafe, French Church Street, Cork

Armchair shoppingBig brands including Cos, Banana Republic and Massimo Dutti now online, charging in euro and shipping to Ireland

ExamVillage.comOnline one-to-one and group Junior and Leaving Cert grinds in your own home, via computer and webcam

Fake tan in OctoberAt the time of writing, it's still warm enough for bare legs

CelinePhoebe Philo's new collection shown at Paris Fashion Week revives the colour orange, as an accent only, for next summer

Matt Williams and Neil Francis on SetantaThe lighting's terrible, Frano's clothes are not great. and there's no one else in the studio – but it's still the best sports programme, and some of the best telly

The (reasonably) happy marriageForget the newly-weds, respect to the lifers

Shellac manicuresExpensive, but they last

WHAT’S NOT

Enough with the overseas weddingsWe can't afford to say yes

Gok WanGok's Clothes RoadShow has him styling the public on a budget, but the styling's pretty gick. How many shoulder pads can one man use?

Alcohol fearsA new survey reveals that too much drinking causes both pimples and cellulite. Much more frightening news for our young people than statistics on liver disease and cancer

Fat taxIn Denmark foods with more than 2.3 per cent saturated far are now taxed, so butter and crisps have gone up in price. Luckily our health nazis are on sick leave

Mwah, mwahKiss social kissing goodbye as the winter flu germs arrive

Champagne corks popping in Kinsale this weekend

Kinsale is the place to be this weekend, for the 35th Bollinger Kinsale Gourmet Festival. The Mad Hatter's Taste of Kinsale is today's main event and it's an all-day tasting tour of the town's gourmet hotspots. Tomorrow, you can join TV presenter Derek Davis for a fruits de mer lunch of lobster, crab, prawns and other seafood, with accompanying wines, at 1pm, followed by live entertainment. Tickets, €75, are available at kinsalerestaurants.com, or by calling 021-4773571. Kinsale restaurateur Martin Shanahan is pictured launching the festival with the help of mini chef Christopher Taylor

Marie-Claire Digby

Wear your heart on your shirt

Be Rowland has launched an eco and art business. She began with posters, and says that people wanted to buy the T-shirt, so she is producing bright, organic, planet-minded clothes that carry a message, literally and symbolically. They also apparently incentivise: "People seem to like my designs because they are fresh and slightly quirky and they have the added bonus of encouraging mindfulness, which helps people focus and get more done," says Rowland. The Mayo-based business is called Mindful Productivity, and the T-shirts start at €27. See mindfulproductivity.net.

Emma Cullinan

Word on the street Jorts

What it means:Summer may have been cancelled this year, but there was some consolation – at least we didn't have to look at grown men sporting jorts in public. Jorts are that very unlovely combination of jeans and shorts – with all the worst traits of both. Take an old pair of denim jeans, cut off the legs and – hey presto – you've got jorts.

You've also got a serious style issue. Jorts belong on a Beach Boys album cover from the 1970s, not on Irish men. It's a summer fashion disaster we thought we'd avoided, but with the recent Indian summer, the threat of jorts on our streets loomed large once again.

Where it comes from: Let's face it, we Irish men have never been known for our summer style. We're so unused to Mediterranean weather that when the sun comes out, we don't know what to do about our wardrobe. So out come the Metallica T-shirts, sandals-with-socks, and the dreaded jorts. It doesn't help that fashion designers are getting in on the trend for the "jeans look". Jeggings have become hugely popular with women, but guys, stay away from such monstrosities as pyjama jeans and junderpants.

How to say it:"Oh, Frank, your new jorts are perfect – for washing the car."

Kevin Courtney