music James Brown , who is second only to Elvis Presley for having hits, with almost 100 of them in the US, will be making it funky at the Olympia, in Dublin, tomorrow and Monday.
If that's not your thing, the theatre's hosting a completely different kind of concert on Tuesday, when Motörhead roll out Ace of Spades, Bomber and more from their 30-year back catalogue, supported by Therapy? See www.ticketmaster.ie.
photography Mark Curran, who teaches photography at Dublin Institute of Technology, spent almost two years visiting the Hewlett-Packard technology complex in Co Kildare, which intrigued him as an example of the way global businesses operate. You can see the results (left) until November 22nd at the Gallery of Photography, in Temple Bar (which is also holding a lunchtime seminar, on "representing globalised Ireland", on Wednesday, November 8th).
christmas shopping Yes, we should be shot for mentioning it in October, but, come December, you might be glad to have started early. The Heavenly Gift Fair has upmarket presents from Dalkey Design Co (including chandeliers, right), Enniskerry Trading Co, The Tramyard Gallery, Johann Designs, O'Kelly Antiques, Oberg Candles and Venture Photography. RDS, Friday (noon-8pm) and next Saturday and Sunday (10am-6pm). See www.rds.ie; call 01-2351346.
international rules You'll be lucky to find a ticket for the International Rules First Test, at Pearse Stadium in Galway today, where Ireland will be hoping to make up for last year's heavy defeats against Australia and to edge ahead in the series, which each side has won four times since 1998. You'll probably have to settle for watching it on TV. Throw-in is at 7.15pm; RTÉ2's coverage starts at 7pm. The second test is at Croke Park tomorrow week. See www.gaa.ie for more.
choirs Sligo International Choral Festival begins on Thursday, with choirs from Britain, the US, Norway and Venezuela joining more than 30 from Ireland to compete for titles, trophies and €10,000 of prize money. As well as 12 competitions for everything from sacred music and madrigals to barbershop, the four-day event features masterclasses and workshops for school and youth choirs. See www.sligochoralfest.org.
horse-racing Galway Races holds its October meeting tomorrow (when the first race is at 1.35pm) and on Monday. The course is turning the bank holiday into a Halloween-themed family day, with clowns, a children's disco, face-painting and free family-portrait photography. Admission is free for under-14s. See www.galwayraces.com. Then, on Friday and Saturday, Down Royal, in Lisburn, holds its Festival of Racing. See www.downroyal.com.