Classy kind of corner shop: Helen McAlinden's chic new shop called simply No 6 in Dublin's Castle Market opened its glass doors yesterday, joining Fallon & Byrne as another star in a blossoming city-centre area.
A corner shop with a difference, it houses a stylish mix of furniture, fashion, accessories and garden items as well as her revamped Foxford range of blankets and bedlinens. The range includes smart grey pinstriped duvet covers, what she describes as "winter suits for your beds".
There are some stunning pieces of furniture, such as antique Spanish metal chandeliers, mirrors made from recycled 1920s embossed tin ceilings from New York, old French pattern-cutting tables and small cubed occasional tables made from resinated Irish crochet.
"I just want an interesting and eclecticblend of interesting quality items," she says. She has brought on board architect Maria McVeigh to supervise the interior fit-out and the award-winning garden designer Paul Martin to look after the outdoor section. As well as her own "jeans and weekend" fashion collection, she is introducing a new Australian label called Lee Matthews and a line of vintage sunglasses from Italy. No 6 certainly heralds a welcome new style of retail in Dublin, a hip antidote for all the mall-fatigued Irish shoppers. Deirdre McQuillan
QUEEN VISITS KILKENNY: "She looked like a greyhound in a pack of overfed pugs". Such was the description of one of the most elegant and influential leaders of late 19th-century fashion, Danish-born Queen Alexandra, wife of King Edward VII of England. She had a slim figure and a dazzling sense of style that was widely copied. Famously, she popularised the wearing of chokers when she used them to cover a neck scar. The wardrobe for her visit to Kilkenny Castle in the late 1800s as the guest of the 3rd Marquess of Ormond is the subject of an illustrated talk by costume historian and curator Joanne Marschner on Monday, August 28th at 8pm in Kilkenny Castle. Marschner, the curator of the royal ceremonial dress collection at Kensington Palace, will discuss Alexandra's personal style and its social context, as well as the relationship between the British royal family and Irish industries of the time. Tickets, available on a first-come, first-served basis, can be obtained from catherine.oconnor@opw.ie or from 01-6476586. The talk is part of the second series of "Family Connections: Heritage House & Castles through Historic Irish Family Lives", an OPW series of events at selected properties around the country. Deirdre McQuillan
"She looked like a greyhound in a pack of overfed pugs". Such was the description of one of the most elegant and influential leaders of late 19th-century fashion, Danish-born Queen Alexandra, wife of King Edward VII of England. She had a slim figure and a dazzling sense of style that was widely copied. Famously, she popularised the wearing of chokers when she used them to cover a neck scar. The wardrobe for her visit to Kilkenny Castle in the late 1800s as the guest of the 3
rd
Marquess of Ormond is the subject of an illustrated talk by costume historian and curator Joanne Marschner on Monday, August 28th at 8pm in Kilkenny Castle. Marschner, the curator of the royal ceremonial dress collection at Kensington Palace, will discuss Alexandra's personal style and its social context, as well as the relationship between the British royal family and Irish industries of the time. Tickets, available on a first-come, first-served basis, can be obtained from catherine.oconnor@opw.ie or from 01-6476586. The talk is part of the second series of "Family Connections: Heritage House & Castles through Historic Irish Family Lives", an OPW series of events at selected properties around the country.
Deirdre McQuillan
THE ORIGINAL FITTED KITCHEN: The kitchen currently in stock at Retrospect on Cow's Lane is a fine example of recycling. Surplus aluminium for Spitfire aircraft from the second World War went into the original 1950s kitchen, the "English Rose" kitchen. One of the first in the era of modular kitchens, it is exactly what modern brands have been imitating with their bright, retro red appliances. The kitchen design classic includes 25 cream aluminium units, yellow Formica counters and tulip-shaped drawers with welded handles. Run by Janet Doyle and Marcus O'Riain, Retrospect also stocks a range of 20th-century small furniture items such as lamps, glassware and fabrics from all over Europe. Retrospect, Unit 2, Cow's Lane, Temple Bar west. Call 01-6726188. Open every day except Tuesday, or by appointment. Nicoline Greer
READ YOUR WAY INTO THE WEST: Two essential new books for regular visitors to the Aran Islands and the Burren have come to hand: first, Con O'Rourke's pocket-sized Nature Guide to the Aran Islands, complete with waterproof cover, published by Lilliput Press (¤15). Con O'Rourke organises natural history courses as Gaeilge for trainee teachers, students and visitors and this is a concise guide to the flora, fauna, geology, climate and ecosystems of the islands. The bibliography is a good read in itself. The Fertile Rock by Carsten Krieger is a photographic study of the Burren which he devoted three years to, determined to capture the changing light, colour, flora and fauna of each season. Keep it where you can flick through it regularly and you may be tempted to visit the lunar limestone landscape more often. It's published by the Collins Press and costs €25. Patsey Murphy
The kitchen currently in stock at Retrospect on Cow's Lane is a fine example of recycling. Surplus aluminium for Spitfire aircraft from the second World War went into the original 1950s kitchen, the "English Rose" kitchen. One of the first in the era of modular kitchens, it is exactly what modern brands have been imitating with their bright, retro red appliances. The kitchen design classic includes 25 cream aluminium units, yellow Formica counters and tulip-shaped drawers with welded handles. Run by Janet Doyle and Marcus O'Riain, Retrospect also stocks a range of 20th-century small furniture items such as lamps, glassware and fabrics from all over Europe. Retrospect, Unit 2, Cow's Lane, Temple Bar west. Call 01-6726188. Open every day except Tuesday, or by appointment.
Nicoline Greer
READ YOUR WAY INTO THE WEST: Two essential new books for regular visitors to the Aran Islands and the Burren have come to hand: first, Con O'Rourke's pocket-sized Nature Guide to the Aran Islands, complete with waterproof cover, published by Lilliput Press (¤15). Con O'Rourke organises natural history courses as Gaeilge for trainee teachers, students and visitors and this is a concise guide to the flora, fauna, geology, climate and ecosystems of the islands. The bibliography is a good read in itself. The Fertile Rock by Carsten Krieger is a photographic study of the Burren which he devoted three years to, determined to capture the changing light, colour, flora and fauna of each season. Keep it where you can flick through it regularly and you may be tempted to visit the lunar limestone landscape more often. It's published by the Collins Press and costs €25. Patsey Murphy
Two essential new books for regular visitors to the Aran Islands and the Burren have come to hand: first, Con O'Rourke's pocket-sized Nature Guide to the Aran Islands, complete with waterproof cover, published by Lilliput Press (¤15). Con O'Rourke organises natural history courses as Gaeilge for trainee teachers, students and visitors and this is a concise guide to the flora, fauna, geology, climate and ecosystems of the islands. The bibliography is a good read in itself. The Fertile Rock by Carsten Krieger is a photographic study of the Burren which he devoted three years to, determined to capture the changing light, colour, flora and fauna of each season. Keep it where you can flick through it regularly and you may be tempted to visit the lunar limestone landscape more often. It's published by the Collins Press and costs €25.
Patsey Murphy
THE BEST LOVED IRISH HORSE: Nicola Russell has a big ambition to establish herself as a 21st-century Stubbs - the great English artist George Stubbs, who is renowned for his pictures of horses, both in terms of the anatomical accuracy of his work and his ability to capture the beauty and transcendental spirit of the animal on huge canvases. Belfast artist Russell is staging an exhibition called The Best of Ireland at the RDS Dublin Horse Show this weekend, and is inviting people to nominate their favourite Irish horse, the animal they feel best reflects the strength and power of Ireland's equine tradition. Probably Stubbs's most famous painting is that of the prancing Whistlejacket, painted about 1762 and on display in Britain's National Gallery. Russell hopes to go one better by immortalising whatever horse the Irish people nominate on a canvas in excess of 4.5m x 4.5m (15ft x 15ft), which she will present to the Irish National Collection.
Russell says her "big picture" idea was inspired through painting recent champions for the exhibition, such as Cheltenham Gold Cup winner War of Attrition, Aintree Grand National winner Numbersixvalverde, and Cheltenham favourite Brave Inca. Odds are that Arkle, that most beloved of Irish steeplechasers, will be chosen. She has already painted the great champion, but if that is what the Irish people want then they will get another, bigger one of Arkle from Russell. "But they might pick another horse," she muses. Russell has painted flowers, landscapes and portraits (her paintings of Mo Mowlam and former US president Bill Clinton around the time of the Good Friday Agreement earned her considerable publicity), but horses are her favourite subjects.
"I agree with Carl Jung who said that the horse represents the human spirit." Like Stubbs, she has carefully studied the anatomy of the animal. "You have to get the horse spot on. If there is a leg or a muscle out of place the eye settles on it. It must be right," she says. Queen Elizabeth is a fan of her work - the queen has one of Russell's paintings, Wild Irish Colt, in her collection - as is the trainer, commentator and former amateur jockey Ted Walsh. Russell's work can be viewed at www.nicola russell.com. Readers can also nominate their favourite Irish horse on the website. Gerry Moriarty