Opening doors in Dublin The Irish Architecture Foundation is offering people a rare chance to see historic and modern buildings in Dublin for free, during its first Open House trail, which runs from Friday to Sunday next. Buildings around the city centre will be open at selected times.
In Trinity College, for example, there will be tours of the Provost's House, while in Temple Bar there will be visits to modern apartments. In the south inner city, members of the public will be able to take a look at a traditional Iveagh Trust flat, the Civic Offices, City Hall and the eco-friendly Daintree Building in Pleasant's Place. In the north inner city, there will be tours of the King's Inns and the recently converted Temple Cottages, as well as boat trips around the Docklands area.
Some events require booking from info@architecturefoundation.ie or 01-6330055. Others require tickets from Open House Dublin, Temple Bar Cultural Information Centre, 12 East Essex Street, Dublin 2. See also www.architecturefoundation.ie.
Meanwhile, in Cork city, English architect Will Alsop will give a public lecture on how architectural design can improve people's lives. It takes place on Tuesday at 7pm in the Millennium Hall, Cork. The lecture is part of the Creating a Cultural City lecture series. Admission free. Details: 021-4924298.
Corncrake crisis The number of corncrakes in Ireland remains at a critically low level in spite of the work of the Corncrake Conservation Project since 1991. Birdwatch Ireland's end-of-season report showed mixed fortunes for Ireland's corncrakes in key breeding areas. In the Shannon Callows area, there were just 17 calling males recorded this year, the lowest number yet. On the Connemara islands of Inishbofin, Inishturbot and Omey, however, the number of calling males continues to increase, and the island of Inisturk heard its first corncrake in 15 years. Corncrake locations are monitored by Birdwatch Ireland, while grants are awarded to farmers who delay hay mowing and silage crops on lands where there are nesting corncrakes. For details, e-mail bcaffrey@birdwatchireland.ie.
Mixing it up in Letterfrack Connemara Sea Week runs from Friday, October 20th until Monday, October 30th in the village of Letterfrack, Co Galway. The mix of artistic, cultural and sporting events culminates with a three-day conference called 20/20: Imagining the Future. Speakers will include anthropologist Lelia Doolin, former Greenpeace member Bev Thorpe, the Marine Institute's Michael O'Cinneide and ecologist Michelene Sheehy-Skeffington. Contact Leo Hallissey on 095-41034 or e-mail lfrack@eircom.net for booking details. See also www.ceecc.org.
Crann plans The chairman of Crann, Ben Simon, will lead guided walks of Belvoir Forest Park in Belfast tomorrow at 1pm and on Saturday, November 4th at 11am. The walks are part of Crann's autumn festival of trees, which concludes with a party, held jointly by Crann and the Irish Timber Growers Association, on Saturday, November 11th at 7.30pm in Belvedere House, Mullingar, Co Westmeath. For details, telephone 01-6275075 or e-mail info@crann.ie.