Horizons

The council's five-year vision:Working to ensure that the management of landscape, biodiversity and archaeological resources is at the heart of Government policy is one of the key priorities in the Heritage Council's five-year strategic plan, launched last week.

Conserving and re-opening ancient walkways such as the pilgrim paths, finding new uses for disused farmyard buildings and churches and giving policy advice on issues such as the impact of climate change on our natural heritage are other priorities. See www.heritagecouncil.ie. Meanwhile, community groups, individuals and tourism enterprises keen to host an event during Heritage Week (August 25th to September 2nd) can register their event on www.heritageweek.ie or with the Heritage Council on 056-7770777.

Chums of the old city

Friends of Medieval Dublin are holding their ninth symposium on medieval Dublin from 9.30am to 5pm on Saturday, May 12th in Room 2037 of Trinity College Dublin's Arts Building. Open to everyone interested, the event will include discussion on the excavations at May Lane and Church Street, which have revealed two medieval timber-framed buildings. Historian Peter Harbison will look at two centuries of illustrations of St Doolagh's medieval church in Malahide, Co Dublin. Admission is free. For more information, contact Sean Duffy on 01-8961801, e-mail sduffy@tcd.ie.

Cultivate can set you straight

Are you interested in making a difference to the environment in your home and workplace? If so, consider attending a six-week evening course starting on Wednesday at 7pm in Cultivate, Temple Bar, Dublin. Facilitated by the GAP (Global Action Plan) environmental action team from Ballymun, the sessions will cover recycling, water and energy saving and eco-friendly transport and holiday options. Cost is €10 per session or €50 for all six. Meanwhile, children and parents can participate in a gardening course for families at Cultivate, which runs every Saturday from May 12th to June 16th (10-11am for families and 3-4pm for adults), at a cost of €5 per class. Details on 01-6746396 or www.cultivate.ie.

Awards for architectural ability

The trend for box-in-the-garden house extensions has had its day, according to a judge of this year's entries for the annual Architectural Association of Ireland (AAI) awards. House extensions don't feature among the winners, which include the North Campus extension to the Cork Institute of Technology, Cork (de Blacam and Meagher; Boyd Barrett Murphy O'Connor), the Solstice Arts Centre, Navan, Co Meath (Grafton Architects) and the Source Arts Centre and Library, Thurles, Co Tipperary (McCullough Mulvin Architects). Private homes in Ballyconneely, Co Galway (de Paor Architects) and Drumahair, Co Leitrim (Dominic Stevens) also picked up awards. The awards exhibition is open to the public in Filmbase, Temple Bar, from April 30th to May 9th, from where it will travel to venues around the country.

Finally, eco-architect and broadcaster Duncan Stewart will be joined by election candidates from various political parties for a Q&A session on climate change in the Westlodge Hotel, Bantry, Co Cork on Monday at 7.30pm. More details on 028-21889.

EcoWeb

www.biodieselfillingstations.co.uk

Provides information on where to fill up on biodiesel in Britain. Links to other countries too but none for Ireland yet.