Reconnecting with nature"We have become progressively more distanced from basic realities of our existence - the day, the year, the climate." So says Rob Beighton in one of the profound pieces of text that accompany his photographic essay, 'Ireland's High Places - from the Mountains to the Sea' (Collins Press, €28.95).
The Cheshire-born mountaineer and award-winning photographer goes on to say that "the environment or surroundings underlines the truth of this split; we have come to see nature as external to ourselves, as an object of study, rather than one of feeling". According to Beighton, "we grow in health when we start to reconnect with our primitive nature . . . we fall ill when we fail to honour it". This book of beautiful colour photographs of the mountains around the coast of Ireland are a mesmeric meditation that stops you in your tracks. Whether you feel a part of it is another matter entirely.
Early doors and any old iron
Architect, environmentalist and writer Michael Fewer will give a talk on Doorways of Ireland on Tuesday at 7.30pm in the Royal Society of Antiquaries, 63 Merrion Square, Dublin 2. The illustrated talk will take a historic look at how entrances have been dealt with by builders, designers and craftspeople over the years. Meanwhile, Ali Davey will give a talk on architectural ironwork in Ireland at 7.30pm on Thursday, January 22nd in the Irish Architectural Archive, 45 Merrion Square, Dublin 2.
This talk will give an overview of the production, design and use of decorative architectural ironwork, as well as looking at the practicalities of maintaining, conserving and repairing historic ironwork. Admission is €10 to each talk.
More bin for your buck
Householders in all Dublin local-authority areas can place bags of dry recyclables next to their green bins on the next collection day, according to Greyhound Recycling.
The recycling business began collecting recyclable waste on behalf of South Dublin County Council, Dublin City Council, Fingal County Council and Dún Laoghaire-Rathdown County Council on January 2nd. Thousands of Dublin residents had been left holding large amounts of recyclable rubbish following the failure to collect by Oxigen, which had previously operated the green-bin service in the Dublin area. Greyhound will also process the green-bin material (which now includes all forms of plastic, cardboard, newspapers, drink and food cans and Tetra-Pak containers) at the new multi-million euro recycling facility at Ballymount. Customers can access collection times and dates on www.greenbin.ie, by calling 1890-342342 or e-mail customercare@greenbin.ie.
Get involved with nature
There are opportunities to get involved in various recording schemes which are currently seeking volunteers to monitor different species. For instance, anyone keen to monitor butterflies in a specific area should contact Stefanie Fleischer at the National Biodiversity Data Centre ( sfleischer@biodiversityireland.ie). Those keen to join teams mapping birds during the winter months and breeding season for the Bird Atlas 2007-2011 should check out www.bto.org/birdatlas. And, if you're interested in surveying a plot in your local forest or woodland for edible funghi, contact Maria Cullen at maria.cullen@ul.ie
ECOWEB
www.extremeireland.ie
Keen to be more active in 2009? If so, check out this website for adventure holidays and walking tours in Ireland. There's everything from rock-climbing and sea-kayaking to horse-riding and bog-snorkelling. The latest addition is three- to four-hour guided full-moon walks in the Wicklow mountains.