A LITTLE IDYLL IN LITTLE ITALY Not many family hotels can boast almost two centuries of hospitality. When brothers Placido and Giorgio Mion, along with their sister Pina, opened a restaurant with rooms in 1862 near Padua in Italy, they started a catering tradition that is carried on proudly to this day.
Roberto Mion and his sister Giannina, great grandchildren of Placido, own and run the elegant Mion Hotel in Pescara. Both started working in the business as soon as they could walk. "It's in our blood," they say and, it shows. This bright and spacious 64-bedroom beachside hotel, which opened in 1961, has its own private beach, swimming pool and a broad terrace filled with flowers and palms. Ryanair has brought many Irish visitors, adding to an established clientele from all over Europe. I stayed there recently and can vouch for its appealing location, stylish decor and impressive cuisine. Roberto, a qualified engineer, runs the show while the perfectionist Giannina attends to the details. Local fresh seasonal produce, notably fish, features on the five-course dinner menu, which changes daily.
There's an interesting collection of ceramics (including an Arnaldo Pomodoro) and a beautiful bar in cherry and chestnut wood, the last object made by Roberto's father, a furniture designer as well as hotelier. Prices for half board (which includes breakfast and dinner) start at €85 per person in the low season. For further information, see www.mionhotel.com. Deirdre McQuillan
SWOT UP ON THE OTHER CUP
As Ryder Cup fever sweeps the greens, get into the swing of it all with the new Ryder Cup 2006: Ireland, the K Club DVD. This 28-minute programme provides a taster of what to expect from the competition, featuring interviews with some of the world's top golfers, as well as an exploration of the history of both the event and the exclusive location. Last-minute gift for Father's Day, perhaps? Rachel Dugan
VIVE LA REPUBLIQUE
We've been hearing terrific things about yet another admission-free weekly event in Dublin. La Republique (Pravda, Liffey Street, Thursday, 9pm-2.30am) is the brainchild of four National College of Art and Design students who were tiring of the same old, same old approach to an evening out in Dublin. Taking their idea to John Brereton of the Thomas Read Group, the quartet came up with the idea of fusing their own interests in music and art into one weekly "happening"-type event. What you get is a novel blend of live music, film shorts, "on-the-night" art exhibitions (from NCAD students and art groups), and a few DJs (in the unlikely event that you get bored). "Everyone these days is much more open to a collaborative approach," says Brereton, a man-about-town with fingers in quite a few pies (member of Sack, writer with Totally Dublin, no mean DJ himself). The event has been running for the past few weeks and is, reckons Brereton, a testament to the collective energy of creative, like-minded types. Music is provided by up-and-coming acts such as House of Cosy Cushions, Poppy, Flash My Frankenstein and Trip Hazard. Indie and electro DJs include Paul Byrne, Rob Rice and Darren Kilian. There are drink promos and free snacks, too. What are we doing sitting at home when there's stuff like this on? Tony Clayton-Lea
TEENAGE FLICKS
Instead of spending summer in front of a TV screen, kids can get behind the camera by doing a film-making course run by the Irish Film Institute and Filmbase. Taught by film-makers, the summer courses involve devising, writing and shooting a short film, with additional workshops on acting for camera and improvisation. All participants receive a DVD of the film they make. Reel Magic, aimed at 10 to 13-year-olds, focuses on practical filmmaking skills, while Screenagers, for the 14-16 plus age group, emphasises story and character development.Reel Magic: July 17-21; €250; 01-6795744. Screenagers: July 24-28, July 31-Aug 4; €250; 01-6796716. Eimear McKeith
STAR SAILORS
Raising finance for an Olympic sailing challenge is a difficult, time-consuming task. Maurice "Prof" O'Connell and Ed Peel have both been sailing since they were children. They and their Star boat have gone from being rank 283 in the world to No 7 in just 12 months and now have their sights on the 2008 Olympics. They've come up with the 5K Club Challenge, and they are inviting individuals and companies to contribute toward their Olympic campaign in return for benefits including sailing on a top Irish racing yacht. If you can put some wind in their sails, call 086-2364200 or see www.oconnellpeel.ie. Patsey Murphy
* www.thelookdublin.com deals directly with couture houses and promises designer labels at affordable prices (Gucci leather handbag: €395). To make room for the new buys, offload your old garb at www.clothesagency.com wh ich advertises quality second-hand garments online
PLAYING THE MODERN WAY
Mon dieu, those mainland Europeans know how to do urban playgrounds. Visit central Paris or Barcelona and there seems to be one on every street corner. How lovely, you exclaim on beholding the first stainless-steel and wood chip jungle. Let's stop for a few minutes. By day three, though, you're taking the long route back to the hotel, to avoid the ubiquitous collections of kiddie infrastructure, each of which represents a half-hour stop to placate an obstinate child.
In Ireland, we're luckier. Busy parents have only to avoid the single Bear in the Big Blue House ride outside the supermarket, and even if you have to go there, it only lasts about 30 seconds. Seriously, though, there are playgrounds if you know where to look, and some of the newer ones are every bit as good as their continental counterparts.
The facilities in Cabinteely Park, south Dublin, include a giant spiderweb climbing frame, slides, sandpits and a zipwire, and occupy a huge site. There's something to satisfy every age group here. Not far away, there's a smaller but impressive new toddlers' playground in the Deerpark in Mount Merrion. In north Dublin, Howth has a brand new harbourside playground - a perfect diversion for visitors to the Sunday market.
Galway has become something of a playground mecca. Toft Park Playground, Sea Point, Salthill occupies a prime piece of real-estate. Located across the road from the beach, adjacent to an aquarium and a five-minute stroll to Leisureland, this playground is in the centre of a cluster of child-centred amenities. Among many pieces of funky paraphernalia, the star attraction is the "saucer swing".
Located between Galway's cathedral and the River Corrib, the Millennium Children's Park is small with a number of play areas categorised by age, including a skateboard area for teenagers. Don't bother with the new Eyre Square playground, which like the project as a whole, is far from perfect.
A reader in the south-east tells us of two fairly new playgrounds in city, one in the People's Park, with a huge climbing frame and, for younger children, a toy ship. The other, in , near Waterford Regional Hospital, is smaller but "also great". Another in has lots of original balancing frames and merry-go-rounds, and is great as long as you don't mind graffiti. She has also spotted, but not visited, a promising-looking new playground in , Co Waterford.
Also seen from the road was a "really sophisticated playground" near the train station in , Co Kildare where there's a high red-and-silver climbing frame with chrome tube slides down to the ground.
Finally, a favourite around this office is Powerscourt Waterfall, Co Wicklow. The playground has diggers and other types of sand-moving machinery in a beautiful setting, although visitors are charged an entrance fee.