Horizons

Heritage at risk: The European network of national heritage organizations will meet in Ireland next month for the first time at a conference entitled Reconciling Heritage Conservation with Prosperity.

Ireland has been chosen as this year's hosts because of the rapid economic development in the last 10 years and the opportunities and threats this poses to our heritage. Speakers from Russia, Italy, Poland, France, Slovakia and Ireland will discuss themes such as manor houses and heritage landscapes, maritime and coastal heritage, industrial and military heritage and vernacular architecture. The conference, which will be held in the Emmaus conference and retreat centre, Swords, Co Dublin, from October 5th-9th is hosted by An Taisce. For more information, contact David Owen, 01-4541786 or ennhoantaisce.org. See also www.ennho.org The significance of vernacular (native) architecture in Irish towns, villages and countryside will be debated at a seminar in Co Mayo on Friday and Saturday. Architects, planners and museum curators will discuss future planning, design and townscape management and conservation in practice. The seminar will be held in the Knock House Hotel, Knock on Friday. Contact 094-9047672 or architectureseminar@mayococo.ie .

Biodiversity celebration

European Agricultural Biodiversity Day will be celebrated at the Irish Seed Savers Association (ISSA) gardens and orchards in Capparoe, Scarriff, Co Clare, on Sunday, October 1st. Activities include talks on the Native Grain project, beekeeping and how to save and process vegetable seeds. Rare breeds of poultry will be shown by the Irish Society of Poultry Fanciers and a breeder of Irish draught horses will talk about the history of these farm animals. There will be a demonstration of horse-drawn ploughing. Guided tours of the heritage gardens and orchards, apple juicing and stone wall building demonstrations, nature walks and bug hunts are also planned. Workshops must be booked in advance by contacting the ISSA on 061-921866 or info@irishseedsavers.ie. See www.save-foundation.net

Heart of glass

Creatures, a public exhibition of the intricately beautiful glass models of jellyfish, anemones and other marine invertebrate known as the Blaschka models opens next Saturday at the Natural History Museum in Dublin. The museum has the largest collection of Blaschka models in Europe and this exhibition will include pieces from Irish universities which have never been on public exhibition before. The exhibition is held in conjunction with the Dublin Blaschka Congress on Thursday to Saturday in which museum curators will discuss how best to conserve these unique models in the future. See www.ucd.ie/blaschka. Meanwhile, an adult tour of the Natural History Museum's Blaschka models goes ahead today at 2pm.

The White House 'Cat'

Finally, a symposium on James Hoban, the Co Kilkenny-born architect who designed the White House in Washington DC goes ahead on Friday in Kilkenny Castle. See www.heritagecouncil.ie for information on last minute booking.