Certain phrases have a dated ring. If, for example, I remark chez nous that a certain tune appears to be doing nicely on the "hit parade", my children ask "what's that?" and then convulse in hysterics at their dinosauric dad. Nowadays, they say, it's called "the charts".
Likewise, when I was growing up a great attraction at the local cinema was a "double feature"; the normal sequence of advertisements, a cartoon or two, the Pathe news, a travelogue, and then two feature films of almost equal length. You never see a double feature now but, in a way, the concept is revived tonight.
The Irish Meteorological Society will stage, not one, but two lectures on a common theme. The theme is Hurricane Mitch.
Hurricane Mitch, you may remember, was a catastrophic storm that occurred about a year ago. It was fourth in the hierarchy of the Caribbean's strongest-ever hurricanes and was the most severe in the region since Gilbert had caused its devastation 10 years previously.
Mitch stalled off the coast of Honduras for 48 hours from October 27th to October 29th, 1998, and wreaked havoc with its winds and heavy rains. It caused widespread floods and mudslides, was responsible, it is said, for at least 10,000 deaths, and dealt the Honduran economy a blow from which it will not recover for many years.
This evening's double bill will begin with an appropriately double-titled talk by Met Eireann's Ms Phil Stokes. "The Bluffer's Guide to Hurricanes", or "All You Ever Wanted to Know about Hurricanes but Were Afraid to Ask", will no doubt be as amusing and informative as the useful self-improvement guides whose names it seems to echo.
Phil will tell us about the climatic conditions required for hurricanes to be conceived, the places they are born, how they are named and the tracks they tend to follow in their brief, eventful lives. Thus will the scene be set for Comdt Alan Wool head. Comdt Woolhead's lecture is entitled "Hurricane Mitch and the Response of the Irish Army in Honduras", and for those, like me, who did know there was one, it promises to be very informative indeed.
Be warned, however. The venue is not the Irish Meteorological Society's accustomed haunt in Earlsfort Terrace. Tonight's talks, which begin at 8 p.m., will be delivered in Cathal Brugha Barracks in Rathmines, Dublin. For some reason, the society would like you to phone 086234 4216 if you would like to go but I have no idea what searching questions it may ask you if you do.