QUAY HOUSE: A Bengal tiger that had eaten 11 women stopped me dead in my tracks in Clifden, Co Galway recently. The striking predator with fearsome teeth and claws, shot in India in 1937 by local man Pat Irwin, hangs at the foot of the marble staircase in the Quay House, one of the most stylish places to stay in the west.
Along with a snarling Russian wolf and the shell of a giant leatherback turtle (washed up on a nearby beach), the Bengali is just one of many handsome and curious objects in Patrick and Julia Foyle's inimitable guest house on the Beach Road. Dating back to 1820, the former harbour master's house has been restored with flair and individuality. Huge antique gilt mirrors and Gustavian colours give the place a modern airiness, and the collection of marine paintings underlines its seaside location. People linger over breakfast in the conservatory, where the menu includes the morning's catch, chunky homemade breads, stewed fruits and tea in silver teapots. No wonder the place keeps winning awards. Each of its seven bedrooms and seven studios has its own character and most overlook the harbour. Perfect for a springtime break, if you can get a booking. Book on 095-21369 or www.thequayhouse.com. Deirdre McQuillan
THEATRE NIGHTS: A night at the theatre is not exactly budget entertainment, with tickets usually costing in the region of €20-€30. So, if you have a passion for theatre, but lack the funds to match, you should make your way to Project Arts Centre, East Essex Street, Dublin 2 on Monday, May 15th, where you can catch a "pay what you can" performance of the Olivier-award winning comedy, Hysteria. Try not to be too stingy - I know what you're thinking, but 50 cent is just a bit mean. Written by Terry Johnson (the man who adapted The Graduate for stage), the play re-imagines an actual encounter between Sigmund Freud and Salvador Dali, with chaotic and hilarious results. Presented by b*spoke Theatre Company and directed by Loveday Ingram, it is the Irish premiere of the play, and stars Rory Keenan, Darragh Kelly, Alison McKenna and John Olohan. The production almost coincides with the 150th anniversary of Freud's birth, today. If you're willing to pay the full price (€12-€22), the play starts this Wednesday and runs until June 3rd. There will be a post-show discussion on Tuesday, May 16th. Book on 01-8819613/4. Eimear McKeith
A POSITIVE SPIN: The Wool Initiative in Co Down is preserving the breeds of sheep that the mass market doesn't want. Sheep aren't all white, you know, according to Freda Magill who breeds Wensleydales for their wonderfully shaggy fleeces. Between the five people involved in the initiative, they can source 27 different breeds in about six different colour variations, from breeds such as Kerry Hill and Whitefaced Woodland. "We sell anything from fleece, right through to Christening robes," says Magill. Much of the wool goes to specialist textile artists and craftspeople, but they also produce rugs, throws and cushions made from the fleece. Not only are these "black sheep of the family" being preserved, but so, too, are the traditional skills of spinning and weaving, which is done by specialists such as Kerry Woollen Mills in Killarney, as well as individuals around the country. Magill also sells meat from the sheep. This gourmet meat isn't suitable for factories, so her local butcher prepares them to order. www.woolinitiative.com (048-40630772). Nicoline Greer
FLY FEST IN GALWAY: There is a town in Wyoming which has eight churches, four pubs and a general store with the motto "if we don't have it, you don't need it". However, Saratoga is also home to a ninth world wonder - the largest collection on record of individually-framed salmon flies. It was, for American fly tier Marvin Nolte, a "dream order" and one which he began working on in 1993. The original request from a customer in Saratoga was for 350 flies, but Nolte stopped at 342, when his client ran out of wall space. Given that it can take four to six hours to tie a fly, Nolte agreed to deliver six a month, and enlisted the help of some West Coast worm ranchers and mulberry-leaf picking friends to ensure he had sufficient silkworm gut.
Nolte, a biology graduate from Missouri, is used to intricate work. His first job was as a bomb disposal officer with the US Army, and he then became a health physicist at a uranium mill in Wyoming, where he was responsible for employee protection against radiation. In the mid-1970s, he became interested in making the magical lures to catch wild salmon. He turned professional in 1983, and set to it full-time some 10 years later. Dressing flies to lure salmon dates back to 500 AD, but became something of a fine art in Victorian times when explorers brought back exotic bird feathers from their travels, according to Peter Dunne, a landscape gardener and founder of Flytying Ireland. Ghillies normally made the flies for their "masters", which is why fly tying and angling are not always synonymous. The "Jock Scott" fly is named after a Scottish ghillie, and one of the best known tiers in Europe, the late Megan Boyd, never fished at all, Dunne says.
Nolte runs courses in both fly tying and aquatic entomology, and this weekend he is at the Menlo Park Hotel in Galway city, where he will be judging at the 2006 Irish Open Flytying Championship. He will also be running workshops with fellow experts and authors on the subject, including Peter O'Reilly, Ted Malone and Robert Gillespie. Members of the public are free to attend today and tomorrow from 9am to 5pm. Not one fish will be hooked after all the effort though. "Too good for them; these are works of art," says Dunne. Instead, they'll be caught behind some good frames. www.flytyingireland.com.Lorna Siggins Siggins
GET IN ON THE ACT: Got a bit of spare cash to hand (well, €85,000-€115,000 to be precise)? If so, you might consider putting in a bid for a 1980 portrait of Samuel Beckett by Louis le Brocquy. It will be auctioned at the 10th anniversary Irish sale at Christie's, King Street, London this Friday, May 12th. The sale is particularly timely, considering both Beckett's centenary and the le Brocquy exhibition which opens at IMMA this Wednesday to celebrate his 90th birthday. For inquiries call 059-8624996 or see www.christies.com. Eimear McKeith
GET FRESH: Fresh2Cook meals are aimed at tired urban workers; the ones who want a nutritious meal but don't have the energy to cook one. The brainchild of Alan Brophy, who worked in the UK for 10 years and spotted a gap in the Irish market, they are the "type of recipes you would see in a cookbook but wouldn't have time to cook". It's all about freshness, he says: throw the pre-marinated chicken and the chopped fresh vegetables into a pan, add the pre-prepared sauce, cook up your rice or potatoes, and you have a full, tasty meal in 10 minutes with no microwave in sight. The green Thai curry is particularly good, and Fresh2Cook also sells white wine chicken, sun-dried tomato and basil chicken and wholegrain mustard chicken. Available from Supervalu and Superquinn. Double portions: €7.99. Nicoline Greer
WE LOVE . . . these gimmicky but sweet Mini-Poule frying pans. The heart-shaped eggs they make are sure to put a smile on any bleary-eyed face in the morning. Available from Urban Outfitters, 4 Cecilia Street, Temple Bar, Dublin 2, €20.