Two delegations from Leinster House are off to Iran within the next few days but they are not expected to meet. For one is female and one is male. FG's Monica Barnes and FF's Mary Hanafin leave on Wednesday for a meeting with Iranian women parliamentarians now that the new regime is trying to liberalise things a bit.
They have been told that they must cover all parts of the body except the hands and face "from hairline to neckline", to ensure that the outer layer of clothing gives no hint of the shape of the body and that men won't shake hands with them. Quidnunc is looking forward to a photograph.
This weekend a delegation from the Public Accounts Committee, FF's Sean Doherty and Sean Ardagh and FG's Jim Mitchell and Bernard Durkan leave for an exchange of views with their Iranian counterparts in the Majils on accountability in public office. They have been told they must wear full-length trousers, not shorts, and that it is "inadvisable" to sit next to a member of the opposite sex. There's unlikely to be any Dancing At The Crossroads.