SPINNING A YARN Weaving, spinning, dyeing, beading, felting - there are not many crafts that Suzie Sullivan has not mastered.
She and her husband came to live in Ireland four years ago, when "we got sick of the fumes" in Cheshire, in England. And it's all the fault of a pub in Westport, Co Mayo. They both play trad; she plays the tin whistle and the bazouki, and he plays the tenor banjo. A CD recorded in Matt Molloy's pub led them to Westport, where they stayed. Her workshop space and shop, where she stocks her unusual jewellery, scarves and clothes, are nestled underneath Croagh Patrick. The fleeces she hand-spins, dyes and knits with are from Wensleydale sheep - "it is so lustrous and soft," she says. You will find pretty items such as these Spikey Slub scarves, and necklaces made from crocheted wire and semi-precious stones, such as amber and garnet, in an increasing number of shops around the country, including Mitton & Hickey, in Clonakilty, Co Cork, and the Waterfront Gallery in Westport. Derryaun Crafts, Drummin, Co Mayo, 098-21888, www.derryauncrafts.com. Nicoline Greer
NET ON THE MOVE Wireless internet is all the rage, and O2's i-mode service should bring the web to your pocket faster than in the past. Three nifty new handsets, including one from NEC that owes quite a debt to the iPod's elegance, allow you to access more than 80 well-known sites, such as PaddyPower.com, HostelWorld.com and, indeed, Ireland.com. So if you fancy placing a bet but are miles from a bookie's, need to book a hostel but have already started travelling or need to check on something in The Irish Times but left your paper in the office, then i-mode could make all the difference. Add e-mail, and very reasonable browsing charges, and the i-mode might be the device to finally change the way we access the web. Davin O'Dwyer
SPOOKY TREATS Spider buns, monster-mush punch, roast pumpkin and gooey burgers, barbecue skeleton bones and bloody hand sandwiches are just some of the treats on the menu at Cooks Academy's Halloween workshop for children. Aoileann Garavaglia (above), presenter of YUMee on RTÉ television, will cast a spell on your 11- to 16-year-olds from October 31st to November 4th (Monday-Friday), from 10.30am to 1.30pm. The price is €175, and the junior master chefs will take home a recipe pack so they can re-create the treats at home. Cooks Academy is at 2 Charlemont Terrace, across from Dún Laoghaire Dart station. www.cooksacademy.com. Marie-Claire Digby
OFF THE WALL Since Habitat's Dublin store reopened in its new location, on College Green, it has taken up the cause of democracy. Realising that artists often struggle to get gallery space, it has initiated a Democratic Art Wall, to which artists from all over Ireland can submit work to be displayed. The range of prices means there should be something to suit every pocket. The wall is rather like an ever-changing art exhibition - when one work sells, it's replaced with another. If the works don't sell within a month, they are given back to the artists; if they do, the artists get a reasonable 60 per cent of the sale price. More information from 01-6771433. Pictured below is a painting by Stephen Synnott, on sale for €995. Eimear McKeith
DANCE THE NIGHT AWAY CoisCéim Dance Theatre is enjoying success in leaps and bounds, having just won best production at this year's Dublin Fringe Festival for its dynamic, energetic Knots. Now you'll be able to follow in their footsteps, because the innovative company is enrolling for a new term of adult dance lessons. The evening classes are aimed at the general public rather than dance professionals, and there are beginner and intermediate levels. You can choose between Contemporary Dance, All that Jazz, and Ballet for Everybody. Six-week courses start on November 7th and cost €75. They will take place in CoisCéim's studio, at Sackville Place, Dublin 1. For a timetable see www.coisceim.com; to book call 01-8780558 or e-mail info@coisceim.com. Eimear McKeith
BE A SAINT All Saints is a shop that opened about two weeks ago in former Karen Millen premises in the Powerscourt Centre, in Dublin. Although the small London-based chain sells clothes for women, the thrill lies in its stuff for men. The look is not about quiet good taste but is focused on things that are as unique as it's fair to expect from a chain: rough leather inserts on sweaters, buckled coat fabrics, embroidered T-shirts. None of it is too precious, and there's lots that rock'n'roll boys will like, such as tight black-and-grey-stripe sweaters (€130), wide studded belts (€95), slashed messy T-shirts (€72) and black, high-button military jackets (€402). The quality is good and prices are not over the top. All Saints, Powerscourt Centre, Dublin 2 (01-6339701). Eoin Lyons
VINTAGE OPERA Exploring the seven deadly sins each Monday in November seems a novel way to get through the penultimate month of the year. But it reaches an altogether more intriguing plane when wedded to wine, women and song. As part of their 200th-birthday celebrations, the wine merchants at Mitchell & Son, in association with Dillon & O'Brien Productions, are hosting a four-week workshop for aspiring opera and wine lovers, who will explore the themes of the seven deadly sins as they feature in opera. The workshops, which will take place at Bewley's Café Theatre, on Grafton Street in Dublin, will be hosted by the Irish soprano Sylvia O'Brien and Peter Dunne of Mitchell & Son. They will be "geared for people interested in acquainting themselves with opera in terms of its history, narrative themes, songs and voices, as well as familiarising themselves with wine, without signing up for heavyweight masterclasses." For those who may have forgotten, the seven deadly sins are pride, covetousness, lust, anger, gluttony, envy, and sloth. Wine will be served and songs will be sung. There are 50 places on the course, and tickets cost €195 for the four weeks. Book with Lee Dillon on 087-6572737 or e-mail operaandwine@eircom.net. Joe Breen
LOOKING FOR ADVENTURE? Go where penguins live with Pat Falvey's "Beyond Endurance" expedition. Falvey is more commonly found up mountains, but in December next year he sets off for the Antarctic, to trace the steps of Ernest Shackleton. Falvey is looking for 54 "ordinary men and women" to take part in the expedition support cruise. This will include 20 days sailing to South Georgia and Elephant Island. Next, 12 ordinary (but experienced) people are required to leave the boat and cross South Georgia. Finally, three people from the South Georgia expedition will go with Falvey, Clare O'Leary and Ger McDonnell to follow Shackleton's 1909 route. Falvey wants to highlight the unsung Irish heroes of Shackleton's expedition, such as Corkmen Robert Forde and Patrick Keohane, and Tim and Mortimer McCarthy, from Kinsale. Falvey says expedition members can expect cold, danger and adventure. See www.beyondendurance.ie. Nicoline Greer
BABORÓ'S BARREL OF LAUGHS Children need the arts as much as they air, otherwise they perish on the inside." These words, spoken by children's author Phillip Pullman, have been taken as a mantra for Baroró International Arts Festival for Children, which starts in Galway on Monday and runs until tomorrow week. The theme of the festival this year is the art of fairy tale and fantasy, the week will feature some 60 performances, workshops, exhibitions and storytelling sessions by a range of international companies. Highlights include three Danish productions: Dorthe's Heart, for two- to-six-year-olds; Pist!, for four-to 10 year-olds; and Diva, a darkly humorous pupper perforamnce for the 11-plus age group. The Ugly Duckling, in a version by Shona Reppe Puppets, will also draw the crowds. If you can't make it to Galway for the festival, a number of the productions will travel to other parts of the country over the next few weeks. See www.baboro.ie Eimear McKeith