Next week will see a celebration of the cultural links between Ireland and southern Spain take place in the city of Malaga.

Famous throughout the art world as the birthplace of Pablo Picasso, Malaga was also the occasional home of one of Ireland’s most celebrated painters, George Campbell.

To coincide with the visit of an Irish tourism delegation to the Costa del Sol next week, a documentary film about Campbell’s life will be shown in tribute to the great artist, who died in 1979.

Born in County Wicklow, Campbell grew up in Belfast but made yearly trips to Spain for much of his adult life and established a second home in Malaga, where he would do much of his painting.

In recognition of his efforts to promote relations between Ireland and Spain, a street in Malaga was named after Campbell in 2005.

The Looking for George Campbell film will be shown at Malaga’s Castillo de Santa Catalina Hotel on February 27th.

Spain’s contribution to the world of art was recently celebrated in Andrew Graham-Dixon’s three-part BBC series The Art of Spain.

A new glass roof is currently being added to the famous cathedral in Malaga city to address a long-term problem with a leak.

Work on the roof is “progressing well” and should be completed in 12 month’s time, Typically Spanish reports.

The new glass structure is being built above the existing roof to give the cathedral more protection from the elements, with funding provided by a joint agreement between Malaga City Hall and the Junta de Andalucia.

According to the website, the 22 domes in the roof area of the cathedral will be preserved during the renovation work.

Built during the 17th century, Malaga Cathedral is known affectionately as La Manquita - loosely translated as ‘the one armed woman’ - by local people in the Costa del Sol city. This is because the building only has one tower, despite the original plans featuring two.

Combining elements of Renaissance and Baroque styles, the interior of the cathedral contains statues of saints carved by Pedro de Mena, one of Spain’s most revered craftsmen who spent several years of his life in Malaga.

The Art of Spain concludes this week and has proved popular with audiences keen to learn more about Spain’s unique contribution to modern European art.

A three-part BBC series presented by Andrew Graham-Dixon, the programme has seen the art expert travel from the south coast of Spain to the far north and trace the country’s historical development as an artistic nation on his journey.

Graham-Dixon considered Spain’s artistic identity in both paintings and architecture, so the Alcazar castle-palace in Seville or Gaudi’s buildings in Barcelona were afforded as much attention as Picasso’s Guernica, according to the Guardian.

“Spain has produced some of the most startling and original art ever created,” Mr Graham-Dixon said at the start of the series.

“It holds the key to understanding all of Europe and its culture,” he added.

Mr Graham-Dixon argued that Spanish art has perhaps played a more important role than the Italian masters in shaping the identity of Europe.

The final instalment of The Art of Spain can be seen on BBC Four this Thursday (February 14th) at 21:00 GMT.

Considered one of Spain’s finest and most influential artists, Picasso was born in Malaga in 1881.

Spanish utility company Gas Natural has announced plans to extend its services to several Costa del Sol locations which are without a mains gas supply.

The firm currently provides 54 Andalucian municipalities with gas via pipeline and is now bringing its supply to Estepona in the west and Nerja in the east, Typically Spanish reports.

Marbella will also benefit from a new gas supply - it is currently the only place in the country with a population of over 100,000 that is not connected to mains gas, according to the website.

Based in Barcelona, Gas Natural has recently set up a natural liquid gas plant in Velez-Malaga.

The expansion of the gas network on the Costa del Sol is set to continue throughout the year, subject to government authorisation.

Velez-Malaga’s mayor recently requested funding from the Junta de Andalucia in order to boost the city’s tram system, encouraging residents to take public transport and keep carbon emissions down.

The Spanish football team travelled to Malaga yesterday ahead of the friendly international game against France.

Luis Aragones’ team take on the French at Malaga FC’s La Roseleda stadium tonight (February 6th) as they continue their preparations for the European Championship in Austria and Switzerland this summer.

The squad gave a high-profile demonstration of Spain’s state of the art transport links by making the journey from Madrid to Malaga on the AVE train yesterday, Typically Spanish reports.

Launched in December, the new high-speed service connects the Spanish capital with the Costa del Sol city in just two hours and 30 minutes.

Included in the squad is the 17-year-old Barcelona striker Bojan Krkic, who will become the youngest ever player to represent Spain at international level if he is selected.

Aragones has also caused controversy by refusing to pick Real Madrid captain Raul for the national side, despite his current good form.

La Roselada has a capacity of 28,963 and was extensively rebuilt in 2006.

Property in Spain has plenty to offer both second home buyers and professional investors, an expert has said.

Editor of independent property website BuyAssociation Paul Collins said that Spain will “always be popular with British overseas buyers” for a variety of reasons, such as the country’s climate, way of life and established status as a favourite holiday destination.

However, he also stated that Spanish property is very useful for investment purposes, particularly as the element of risk is comparatively low compared with other investment markets such as eastern Europe.

“Spain still offers some really good investment opportunities,” he said.

Mr Collins advised people looking for a property in Spain to take time over their decision and research all locations thoroughly, no matter what purpose they are buying for.

“Make sure that the property you find is exactly the right one for you,” he added.

According to a recent survey by pensions provider Scottish Widows, 39 per cent of British people consider moving overseas for their retirement, with many people favouring the warm weather and laidback lifestyle of the Costa del Sol and Costa Blanca.

A relaxing break with plenty of sun and sand is still a popular option for newly-married couples, it has been claimed.

Wedding planning service Hitched.co.uk said that “traditional” locations are still preferred by many British honeymooners, despite people generally becoming more “adventurous” with their choice of holiday in recent times.

A large number of couples could be arranging trips to the beaches of the Costa Blanca and Costa del Sol this month, with the company revealing that the start of the year is a peak time for honeymoon bookings, due to the number of competitive travel deals available.

“Some couples like to do the traditional style of honeymoon [and] relax on a deserted beach for two weeks, whereas others opt for the more adventurous type of trip,” explained Hitched.co.uk spokesperson Francesca Moore.

A record number of people travelled to Spain last year, according to figures from the Industrial, Tourism and Trade Ministry, with the country receiving 59.2 million visitors in 2007.

The British Ambassador to Spain Denise Holt made her first trip to Malaga province last week on an official visit.

Accompanied by British Consul Bruce McIntyre, Ms Holt held talks with Spanish authorities in Malaga before visiting the city’s famous English cemetery and the Cudeca Hospice in nearby Benalmadena.

The ambassador was particularly impressed with the cemetery, which was built in 1831 by the then British Consul in Malaga, southern Spanish newspaper Sur reports.

Describing the cemetery as a “wonderful historic site”, Ms Holt visited the graves of several famous former Malaga residents, including the writer Gerald Brenan, whom she called “a great hero of mine”.

The cemetery was run by the British Consulate until recently, when it was handed over to a specially-created foundation containing members of the local British, Spanish and German communities.

Brenan’s former home in Malaga is to be turned into a museum commemorating his life and the “romantic travellers” of Spain, Typically Spanish reported recently.

A company offering personalised tours around Seville is ensuring that each visitor to the Andalucian capital enjoys a unique experience.

Writing in the Independent on Sunday, Adrian Mourby describes his encounter with Really Discover, a new walking tour service set up by Seville native Luis Salas and his British business partner David Cox.

Charging €25 (£18) for two and a half hours, Really Discover is different from other tour guides in that customers can make precise requests on what they would like to see, while Mr Salas runs his tour each day no matter how many people are present.

Of course, Seville has plenty of interesting sights, with the 18th century Fabrica de Tabacos - Spain’s second largest building - the Plaza de Toros de la Maestranza and various sites made famous in Bizet’s opera Carmen all mentioned by Mr Mourby.

The bullring is one the oldest in the country and is described as “dazzling” by the journalist, with statues of famous matadors lined up outside to remind visitors of Spain’s proud tradition.

Next month will see the launch of new high-speed AVE rail service between Malaga and Seville, enabling people to travel from the Costa del Sol to the heart of Andalucia in just one hour and 55 minutes.

The long-awaited opening of the new terminal at London’s Heathrow Airport is set to make travelling to Spain even easier for British passengers.

Although the UK already enjoys excellent links to the Costa del Sol and Costa Blanca, the £4.3 billion Terminal 5 will provide even more flights to southern Spain and significantly reduce queues and waiting times for holidaymakers.

Due to open on March 27th and built exclusively for the use of British Airways, the terminal will be capable of handling 30 million passengers each year and is five times as large as Terminal 4, the Telegraph reports.

However, it has other advantages in addition to its size, with a number of innovative features designed to make the experience of taking a flight as quick and comfortable as possible. Terminal 5 will offer an online check-in system, eliminating the need for queues at the desk, while luggage can also be conveniently deposited at one of the 96 ‘fast bag drops’.

The terminal also contains a number of designer stores bound to appeal to shopping fans, including such prestigious names as Harrods, Prada and Paul Smith.

BA’s franchise GB Airways currently operates flights to Malaga from Heathrow, while an Alicante route is available from nearby London Gatwick.