DES Action Ireland is hosting a seminar on "Stilboestrol, Past Use and Present Problems" next Monday at 8 pm. in the Mont Clare Hotel, Dublin. DES, better known as Stilboestrol, was given to women to prevent miscarriage, and has since been discovered to be the cause of a rare form of cancer in daughters born to women who were prescribed the drug. DES daughters are also prone to developing problems during pregnancy, and DES sons may be infertile. The seminar will be opened by Frances Fitzgerald, T.D., and chaired by Professor Walter Prendiville of the Coombe Women's Hospital. Tel 01 6762873.
THIS weekend, the Baby and Kids Show will take place at the RDS in Dublin, complete with exhibition stands with all the latest children's fashions, toys and nursery equipment. Penelope Leach and a panel of expert speakers will give child care advice. Admission is £6 for adults children under 12 are free. The Show moves to Cork in May. Tel 1550 345345.
OVER the May bank holiday weekend (May 3rd-6th) there will be an Insight Meditation Retreat at the Orlagh Retreat Centre in Templeogue, Dublin. Insight Meditation is used in the Fast as an aid to personal and spiritual development. Venerable Bodhidhamma, an English born Buddhist monk, currently living in Sri Lanka, will run the Retreat, which costs £70. Tel 01 2854076.
AT LEAST 2,700 Irish people with a mental handicap are currently falling outside the established workshop training services provided for them. This is one of the chief concerns of the Parent's Future Planning Group, a group of parents of children with a mental handicap, linked to the Ballymun Training Centre. The group has organised a parent's forum entitled "A Voice for the Mentally Handicapped" on Thursday, in St Michael's House, Ballymun Road, Dublin, to discuss this and other issues.
ALCOHOLICS Anonymous is holding its Golden Jubilee Convention from Thursday to Sunday in the Gleneagle Hotel Conference Centre, Killarney, Co Kerry. There will be marathon meetings and workshops, as well as an exhibition of 50 years of AA archive material. Registration costs £5. Tel 01 4538998.