Film: Tomorrow, the 51st Cork Film Festival gets under way for a week-long showcase of feature films, shorts, documentaries and animation by some of the best film-makers on the national and international film circuits.
Among the highlights is the drive-in movies strand, where Rocky and The Silence of the Lambs will be shown and punters can tune in to the soundtrack on their car radios. See www.corkfilmfest.org.
spectacles
On Thursday you can see big men bash and dash about on little skates, as the Belfast Giants take on Cardiff Devils in ice hockey in Belfast's Odyssey Arena. Bookings on 028-90739074. See www.belfastgiants.com for details. Meanwhile, at the Down Arts Centre is Alison Jayne Couture - 15 Years of Gorgeous Gowns. This exhibition of elegant, sophisticated, unusual gowns includes spectacular hand-crafted silk dresses. Call 028-44615283 for details.
books
Charlie Bird will be signing copies of and discussing his new book, This is Charlie Bird - in which he tells of his career in journalism and his family background and Dublin childhood - in the Pavilion Theatre, Marine Road, Dún Laoghaire on Wednesday at 7pm. Tickets cost €3 and are available from Hughes & Hughes book shop, Dún Laoghaire or the nearby Pavilion Theatre. Call 01-2312929 or visit www.paviliontheatre.ie
exhibition
, an exhibition of 40 paintings of a fictional aquatic world by occasional Irish Times illustrator Chris Judge, is at The Loft, Powerscourt Townhouse, Dublin 2 this Friday and Saturday the 14th. Soldiers and Chiefs, a new permanent exhibition on Irish military history, from 1550 to the present day, is on show at the National Museum of Ireland in Collins Barracks, www.museum.ie, 01-6777444.
music
On Thursday the Galway Jazz Festival kicks off around the city for the weekend, with performances by the West Coast Big Band, Kenny Garrett Quartet, Ian Shaw and many more. See www.galwayjazzfestival.com.
Hard Working Class Heroes, a platform for emerging Irish musical talent, begins on Friday in venues around Dublin. This year's line-up includes Cowboy X and Delarentos. Bookings at www.ticketmaster.ie.
fitness
Aidan Boyle brings his "bikini boot camp" to Harvey's Point Country Hotel, outside Donegal town, for a number of weekends, the first of which runs from this Thursday until Sunday the 15th. The programme of activities includes yoga, long hikes, massage sessions and general fitness sessions, at a cost of €820 for the weekend. The average weight-loss is five to 10lb, the organisers claim. Booking: www.harveyspoint.com