Pictured is Keith Duffy, Ambassador and “First Mate” for Tall Ships Races 2012 Dublin

One of the most anticipated events of the year, The Tall Ships Races 2012 – Dublin takes place from Thursday August 23rd until Sunday August 26th.

Presented by Szczecin and organised by Sail Training International, the Tall Ships arrives in Dublin on Thursday 23rd August and will see the city come alive with a festival atmosphere both on and off the water.

Dublin City will be bustling with entertainment as part of The Tall Ships Races 2012 – Dublin. The quaysides will be alive with street performers, buskers and bands all weekend.  An exciting Family Programme in Grand Canal Square will present nautical themed workshops and installations, interactive concerts, puppet shows, storytelling and amazing water sports displays in Grand Canal Dock.

Bulmers will present a free live music stage in George’s Dock where there will be performances from Therapy?, The Undertones and many more amazing music acts nightly. (Full line up to be released). The evening programme will feature a special programme of illuminations and performances along the quays, literary trails, heritage events and visual arts exhibitions, which celebrate the personal stories and memories of Dublin’s seafaring community and the docks, are also planned for the Festival.

The full festival programme will be announced in July. Check out www.dublintallships.ie for regular updates.

The ‘Thank you Crumlin, Love Mia’ fashion show in association with Fastway Couriers takes place Friday 25^th May in the Dublin Convention Centre.

Guests will get to enjoy an evening of fashion and entertainment at a fashion show organised by 11-year-old Mia Keaveney with some of Ireland’s top fashion designers including John Rocha, Louise Kennedy, Matt Doody, DeborahVeale, Tyrrell & Brennan and Peter O’Brien.

Entertainment on the night will include Ryan Sheridan, Brian Kennedy and The Nualas and there will be plenty of well know faces modeling Mia’s designs that were brought to life by some of Ireland’s most recognised designers.

Tickets cost €35 each. All money raised will go to Our Lady’s Children’s Hospital, Crumlin a place which, over the past 10 years, has been a home away from home for Mia who has undergone numerous operations and treatments there.

For more information and to purchase tickets go to www.thankyoucrumin.ie

The show, which will bring together Ireland’s top fashion designers, aims to raise much-needed funds to help upgrade and expand the number of consultation and waiting rooms available for the busy orthopaedic and ophthalmic clinics in Our Lady’s Children’s Hospital, Crumlin, a place which, over the past 10 years, has been a home away from home for Mia who has undergone numerous operations and treatments there.

Mia was born in China and, as a baby had an accident that left her badly burned. In 2002, Mia came to live with her Irish family in Dublin; it was at this stage that Mia began treatment in Our Lady’s Children’s Hospital, Crumlin. Mia said today ‘ I love to draw and sketch fashion designs, especially when I was undergoing treatment in hospital, a friend of my mums sent them to fashion designer John Rocha who then invited me to come meet him, it was a dream come true.” This meeting gave Mia the encouragement to use her drawings to do something positive and she came up with the idea ‘Thank You Crumlin, Love Mia’ as a way to do what she loved but also to show her appreciation for the support she received in Our Lady’s Children’s Hospital, Crumlin.

‘Thank You Crumlin, Love Mia’ takes place in the Dublin Convention Centre on May 25th and will see Ireland’s leading fashion designers create couture pieces based on Mia’s own sketches. The designers to date that have agreed to be part of this special night include John Rocha, Louise Kennedy, Deborah Veale, Tyrell & Brennan, Jennifer Rothwell, Peter O’Brien and Mary Grant.

Mia’s mother, Sally Keaveney, said, “As a parent who has been in and out of Our Lady’s Children’s Hospital, Crumlin with Mia, I have seen first hand what is needed in this unit and am excited about giving back to the hospital that has been so good to us over the years. The event promises to be a night of fashion and fun; we have some of the Ireland’s top fashion designers involved and some great entertainment lined up with all proceeds going towards a fantastic cause.”

Tickets for ‘Thank You Crumlin, Love Mia’ are on sale now and can be bought from www.thankyoucrumlin.ie. Please note, tickets are allocated on a first come, first serve basis.

The Life Style Sports ASICS Trainer Scrappage Scheme takes place in all 62 Life Style Sports stores throughout Ireland.

From the 7th March to the 8th April, the scheme will allow people to trade in their old trainers leaving them in special recycle bins in any Life Style Sports store and get 25% off any full priced ASICS trainers safe in the knowledge their old trainers will be recycled. To that end Life Style Sports will host 6 running clinics using their brand new ASICS Technical Gait Analysis Running hubs across Ireland:

Life Style Sports Wilton Shopping Centre, Cork – 5th April  and

Life Style Sports Manor West, Kerry – 7th April

Getting your gait analysed will provide customers with essential information about their running style. This is important however long an individual has been running as it will allow them to select the right trainers to maximise their running performance and potential, but most importantly minimising risk of injury, such as painful shins and joints. The service is FREE and could prove invaluable to runners whether new to running or a seasoned pro.

Pictured is avid runner and fitness expert, Georgina Byrne who took the opportunity to ‘scrap’ her old trainers and put on her new ASICS trainers in the run up to The Great Ireland Run on the 15th April.

Pictured: Marlies Dekkers Bra €85 and  Thong €37