ireland.com - The Irish Times

True Peter
Designer Peter O'Brien is horrified by the pole-dancer, fake-tan look favoured by so many young Irishwomen, he tells Deirdre McQuillan on the eve of his second collection for a|wear. p

Meet the ancestors
During the week she has a regular home in Ranelagh. At the weekend she lives in a castle. Fiona McCann meets Eliza Pakenham, granddaughter of the seventh Earl of Longford, who has written a vivid account of her extraordinary family . p

The cutting edge
Trained in Paris, Neillí Mulcahy was seen as a standard bearer for the new Ireland of the 1950s and 1960s. Now the public can get a unique insight into the workings of her distinctly Irish haute couture salon, writes Liz Clery p

Behind the zines
Gareth Williamson is putting the humble music fanzine back on the photocopier, writes Larry Ryan p
The comforts of home
When Tom Doorley's in the kitchen with his children, the results are irresistibly delicious p
Press gang
A news agency run by young people covers hard stories and changes lives, reports Fionola Meredith p

Opening lines
New-look Guilbaud's The plutocrats who form the regular clientele at Restaurant Patrick Guilbaud, in Dublin, are demanding sorts, and the two-Michelin-star establishment has been keeping them happy for years. Some of them doubtless feel that a serious meal there is incomplete without smoking a Cohiba afterwards, and until now they have had to take it out on the street. But Guilbaud's root-and-branch refurbishment means there is now a heated terrace where the blue smoke of Havana tobacco can be enjoyed legally. p
My big week
Pete Wedderburn , vet ambassador for this weekend's Pet Expo p
Planet matters
Sustainable communities If you ask some people what they plan to do when the cheap and easy oil starts running out, they look blank, look away, or - more likely - look at you as if you're a loony. Or they feel pretty confident that government will provide the answers. In other words, they're not really engaged by the idea. p
What's going on
October 13th-19th p

The heat is on
Jack Sprat would eat no fat, his wife would eat no lean. It's a bit like that round our house. There are other differences, too. "Jack" likes the heating on full blast if even the merest hint of a tint of a chill is in the air. His "wife" can't bear being too hot, so has to negotiate terms that go something like this. "You can have half an hour's worth of central heating and watch your Liverpool struggle against Spurs in peace, in exchange for a massage, a peanut Moro and the bedroom window open all night." I never said the negotiations were fair. p

Brasserie Sixty6, D2
Eating out: I'm always in two minds about sending stuff back. When I'm off duty I will happily return the offending dish to the kitchen, because, on such occasions, I'm supposed to be enjoying myself. When I'm reviewing it's understood that enjoyment, although eminently possible, is a bonus. p
Green fuel
Cooking in: Brassicas reward a little creativity p
Three's company
Simon Tyrrell has teamed up with two top sommeliers to buy quality wines at source, writes Joe Breen p
Bottles of the week
Lombeline Saint Aubin, Les Castets 2005, Monte de Peceguina Tinto 2006 and Mercurey, 1er Cru, Les Champs-Martin 2004 are reviewed p

Clothesline
Gems at Brown Thomas When Gabrielle Chanel, better known for costume jewellery, exhibited her first collection of fine jewellery in 1932, it caused a sensation. p
About face
This month, many cosmetics companies are making generous donations to breast cancer research, writes Phyl Clarke p

Snip and tuck
Broadcaster John Cushnie hates the 'girlie' approach to pruning, writes Jane Powers p
Tips for pruning
Gardener, broadcaster and writer John Cushnie gives some useful tips for pruning p

The art of learning
A converted school has given the artist Stephen McKenna the perfect place to work, writes Gemma Tipton . p

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