Event Guide for FREE Events in Greater Dublin

The Drimnagh Festival is taking place from 17 May. But before I tell you what is happening, maybe I should tell you where Drimnagh is because many might have difficulty pinpointing it. Drimnagh is in Dublin 12, which is surrounded by Dublin 6w, 8, 10 and 24. In Dublin 12 there are also Crumlin, Terenure and Walkinstown.

The festival will run from Friday until Sunday and the events on Friday are:

18:00: Drimnagh Parade with Crumlin Community Youth Band, Street Performers, Majorettes, Vintage Cars and Local Groups (Route: From Dromard Road to Keeper Road boxing club via Mourne Road.)
19:00: Launch of Festival in Keeper Road boxing Club by Michael Carruth & special guests and Boxing Exhibition
21:00: “The Voice of Drimnagh” Grand Final, Good Counsel GAA Club

It is not clear if all the events are free, but the parade definitely is!

On Saturday at Drimnagh Castle, this will entertain you:

10:00-11:30: Children’s creative art workshop (Young kids 4-12 yrs old)
13:00-15:00: Intergenerational Storytelling
11:00 Historical/photographic walk of Drimnagh (Meet at Suir Bridge)
15:00-17:00: Historical Re-enactment

There are also a number of events taking place at the Bosco Youth Centre and you can find the list by following the link below.

On Sunday 19 May a Family Fun Day will take place:

14:00-17:00 Fun Day at Good Cousel GAA Club

A free Greek and European Folk Dance class open to all. Contact Katerini Papathanasiou on papath.kat@gmail.com

“The Palestinian Nakba – An Ongoing Catastrophe” with Mousa Abu Maria is a talk

Mousa Abu Maria is a Palestinian activist and farmer from the town of Beit Ommar, in the West Bank between Bethlehem and Hebron, which is currently surrounded by six Israeli settlements. He has spent spent several years in Israeli prison and he is the co-founder of a Palestinian-run grassroots organisation committed to non-violent resistance to the Israeli Occupation.

The free fashion magazine Tabitha is launching the 4th edition on Friday in the Workman’s Club and I am told that admission is free.

Need to wind down after a tiring week? Free Sahaja Yoga Meditation (not physical yoga, but “yoga meditation”!) classes every Friday at 19:30 at 4/5 Eustace Street, Temple Bar (next to IFI, ring bell no. 3)

A drop in class, with newcomers welcome.

Cornucopia Café & Restaurant host live music three evenings a week (Thurs, Fri and Sat). The restaurant is a Wholefood & Vegetarian Restaurant and is open until 22:15.
+ Every second Thursday N.C Lawlor, a songwriter, session player and troubadour plays a mix of country, bluegrass & blues from 19:30-21:30.
+ Every Friday (19:30-21:30) Junshi Murakami plays Irish Harp.
+ Every Saturday (19:30-21:30) Nollaig Mann plays a collection of popular and jazz classics.

“Dublin Tribal Spirit” is a weekly event that gives you the great experience of a drumming circle with african drums and authentic tribal rhythms. Tom and Sinead, who run that event are providing lots of drums for it and teach you the rhythms.

There is no formal admission charge for this event, but donations are expected. The organisers bring their own 20-30 drums to it every week, so they are looking for donations to keep the event going.

The Addison Lodge are inviting local bands, musicians, poets, comedians and performers to share their talents at the new Addison Lodge Open Mic Nights in Glasnevin (opposite the Botanic Gardens). The event will take place every week. Admission is free.

The Stillorgan Orchard provides regular live music. The upcoming gigs are detailed on the website below.

A weekly car boot sale, one of less than a handful that is still reliably taking place, has up to 200 cars/sellers. The stadium is just a few minutes walk from the Red LUAS line stop and numerous bus stops. For traders the Car Boot Sale opens at 06:30 for buyers from 08:00. If you are interested in selling, check the details and register on their website.

Explore the wonders of Ireland’s unique nature & wildlife! From beaches & bogs to forests & mountains, there are over 70 free events across the country to choose from. National Biodiversity Week is an opportunity to celebrate and enjoy the nature around us. Have fun, discover something new and share the experience with friends, family or other event participants. Events include family open days, garden tours, guided beach walks to explore your local marine biodiversity, night-time bat surveys, a stroll along an urban canal to look at canal wildlife, dawn choruses and talks. To find an event near you, visit www.ien.ie/bw13/events/ Events are organised by members groups of the Irish Environmental Network as well as the National Parks and Wildlife Service, the National Biodiversity Data Centre, many county councils and other groups.

I trawled through the list of events to find a few of the free events in Dublin for you:

18 May – 09:00: Bird Watching in Killiney (Killiney Hill)
18 May – 14:30: An afternoon by the Dodder (Milltown Co. Dublin)
19 May – 12:00: Wicklow Wetland Safari – Family Fun (Bray, Co. Wicklow)
20 May – 12:00: Biodiversity Walk (Booterstown Nature Reserve)
22 May – 10:00: BiodiverTeens (Mansion House, Dawson Street)
22 May – 11:00: Better Composting (Coultry Gardens, Ballymun)
22 May – 18:00: Biodiversity Walk along Santry River (Swords Road, Dublin 9)
25 May – 21:15: Night-time bat walk (Marlay Park, Co. Dublin)
26 May – ??:??: Biodiversity Beach Walk (Skerries, Co. Dublin)
There are also some information stands in Dublin Zoo.

This list is not complete but covers most free events in Dublin. Have a look at the long list ien.ie/bw13/events/ if yu have the time, otherwise you might find something in my summary.

The Dublin Food Co-op is open every Saturday at Newmarket for organic wholefoods and sustainable household products, plus over a dozen producer stalls offering organic fruit and veg., baked goods, dairy produce, wines, hot and cold food, etc. The Co-op is also open on Thursdays 12:00-20:00.

The weekly Honest2goodness food market in Glasnevin has fresh meat, vegetables, fish, baked goods, and wines. It is open from 09:30-16:00. It is behind Lidl in the Industrial Estate just after the Glasnevin Cemetary coming from the City Centre.

Parkrun Ireland is organising free weekly runs in parks. It is a timed run over 5km and participation is completely free, but registration before your first parkrun is required.

The SuperNatural Food Market is taking place every Saturday from 09:30-15:30 in St. Andrews Resource Centre in Pearse Street, Dublin 2.

The Drimnagh Festival is taking place from 17 May. But before I tell you what is happening, maybe I should tell you where Drimnagh is because many might have difficulty pinpointing it. Drimnagh is in Dublin 12, which is surrounded by Dublin 6w, 8, 10 and 24. In Dublin 12 there are also Crumlin, Terenure and Walkinstown.

The festival will run from Friday until Sunday and the events on Saturday at at Drimnagh Castle are:

10:00-11:30: Children’s creative art workshop (Young kids 4-12 yrs old)
13:00-15:00: Intergenerational Storytelling
11:00 Historical/photographic walk of Drimnagh (Meet at Suir Bridge)
15:00-17:00: Historical Re-enactment

There are also a number of events taking place at the Bosco Youth Centre and you can find the list by following the link below.

On Sunday 19 May a Family Fun Day will take place:

14:00-17:00 Fun Day at Good Cousel GAA Club

Jamestown Flea Market + Car Boot Sale takes place every Sat+Sun from 10:00-17:00. You can reach it from Tyrconnell Road and from Kylemore Road and it is within 3 min from Black Horse stop on the red Luas line. There is free parking.

The Merchants Market on East Wall Road is a relatively new weekly market on Saturdays and Sundays with more than 80 stalls. There is everything from furniture and antiques to paintings and mirrors, electronics and hot food to bicycles and buns. Sounds interesting and I will check it out over the coming weeks. It is just a few minutes walk away from the Point Theatre/O2 (walk in the direction of the Port Tunnel). www.facebook.com/merchantsindoormarket

An indoor market in Coolock with over 40 traders with a wide range of goods and a café on site as well.

This event is a free intergenerational self-guided art trail for National Drawing Day. The Central Library (ILAC Centre), the Hugh Lane Gallery and Dublin City Council Arts Office have joined forces. Pick up a worksheet from any of the three venues and wander with family, young and old, through the streets of Dublin to the next venue, taking in the buildings and history. There will be drawing stations in each of venues for you to draw what you have seen or even the building you are in!

Worksheets available from the Central Library, ILAC Centre on Saturday 18th May from 10:00-16:30.

The Temple Bar Markets (Food Market on Meeting House Square, Book Market on Temple Bar Square and the Designer Mart near Cow’s Lane) are taking place every Saturday from 10:00-16:30.

“These Are a Few of My Favourite Things” is the title of a Walking Tour that Emily Gallagher will run every Saturday. It will be an Alternative Arts and Culture Trail and she will bring you to “Dublin’s Best Cafes, Bars, Markets, Unusual Stores, Galleries, Theatres, Arts Spaces, and more! And hear some tales you’ve never heard before!”

Meeting point is at the Spire. The tours are free but donations are welcome and booking is required via egaldog@gmail.com or 085-2725095

At the Blackrock Market in the centre of Blackrock, you’ll find 50 stalls selling collectibles, antiques, handmade goods, books, food & there’s free popcorn, ballons & facepainting for the kids.
Open on Saturdays and Bank Holidays: 11:00-17:30, and Sundays: 12:00-17:30.

In Celebration of Fascination of Plants Day: Budding Botanists Flower Pressing Workshop

Kids, get great tips from the experts and you too can be a plant collector. Join this expedition through the gardens identifying and collecting suitable plants for pressing before constructing your own flower press, and starting your very own dried plant collection.

Admission is free, but you have to book using this form: www.botanicgardens.ie/news/bookings2013.pdf

The Dockland’s Summer Festival will take place on Sat 18 and Sun 19 May. Organised by Waterways Ireland and The Docklands Business Forum, expect a full programme of entertainment and family fun on the land and water. A huge array of activities are planned over the course of the weekend. There will be an assortment of water based activities for you to take part or to watch. Including kayaking, paddle boarding, barge rides, dragon boat displays and more. If you prefer to stay dry, you can enjoy the street performers, music, face painting, can take part in King’s of Concrete workshops (Skateboard, Urban Sports & Creative) or you can sponsor a duck in the Docklands Rubber Duck Race or play some water golf off the jettie.
There will also be a Farmer’s Market and food stalls.

The full programme is here: www.docklandssummerfestival.com/festival-programme-3/

The main events programme runs from 11:00-17:00, but later in the evening, at 22:00, a movie will be screened at the Grand Canal. The movie is Disney’s “Lion King” and admission is free.

Eason Story Time is back. As part of Eason’s “Get Into Reading” campaign, a specially selected children’s book will be read at 11:00 each Saturday in every Eason store in the country. On the website below are the dates and book titles from now until mid-June and for the next two months I have them included here:

18 May: Squash & A Squeeze 20th Anniversary Edition by Julia Donaldson
25 May: Hugless Douglas & The Big Sleep by David Melling
01 Jun: I Am Not Sleepy & I Will Not Go To Bed by Lauren Child
08 Jun: This Moose Belongs to Me by Oliver Jeffers
15 Jun: Come On, Daisy by Jane Simmons

On the National Drawinf Day, the Hugh Lane Gallery is inviting to

11:00-13:00 Drop-in Drawing Worksop with artists Joe Coveney and Mary Noonan
15:00-16:00 Tape Drawing with artist Aoife Flynn

Both events are free.

They also run a “Culture Trail” together with the Central Library and the LAB:

“We have joined forces with the Central Library (Ilac Centre) and Dublin City Council Arts Office the LAB (Foley Street), to create this trail. Pick up a worksheet from any of the three venues and wander through the streets of Dublin to the next venue, taking in the buildings, street art and history. There will be drawing stations in each of the venues for you to get creative.”

The Ferocious Mingle Marcade (Market and Arcade) place every Thursday, Friday, Saturday and Sunday. On Sunday it is a fancy dress market. It’s a flea-market type permanent market with stalls and “chalets” for traders. The Oscar Verne Café on site and (at least at the weekends) live music adds even more character.

The National Gallery has an extensive programme of free talks, public tours and Art Documentary screenings focusing on highlights of the European and Irish Collection every day of the week. Check their website for details.

The next Walking Tour of Art for Art’s Sake will take place on Saturday. The tours introduce you to galleries, studios, exhibitions and artists in Dublin. They are informal and a freat opportunity to meet other people interested in art and the people who make it happen.

Meeting point this week is the The Lab, Foley St, Dublin 1. From there the tour will visit exhibitions at Unit 4, FLOOD, Dance Ireland, Talbot Gallery and the CHQ.

Participation is free, but donations are welcome. To book your place contact artforartsake.gallery@gmail.com or go to the website below to register.

ERC’s European club rugby finals are back in Dublin and more than 70,000 fans will be in Dublin for it. For supporters of all rugby colour and creed who want to enjoy the unique atmosphere of a major European rugby occasion, ERC has created a European Champions Village which will be situated in Merrion Square. A big screen will broadcast the Heineken Cup Final live, and there will be the opportunity for supporters to have their photo taken with the trophy and to buy official merchandise.

Merrion Square will also be the HQ for the official Supporters Clubs of both ASM Clermont Auvergne and RC Toulon and will be the starting point of their march to the Aviva Stadium.

The schedule at the European Champions Village is:

12:00 Gates Open
12:15 Heineken Cup Trophy arrives with special guests on open top bus
12:30 Heineken Cup Trophy photo opportunities in ERC activity zone
12:30 Keywest play live on stage
14:30 The LOLS play live on stage
17:00 Heineken Cup Final live on big screen
19:00 DJ until late.

Admission is free and open to fans of all ages.

The weekly Ha’penny Flea Market is an indoor market in the Grand Social Pub, which offers vintage Men and Women’s clothing, contemporary crafts, books, DVDs, vinyl records, vintage and handmade jewellery, vintage hair styles, art, photography and much more. Dux & Co will offer food and the Grand Social’s Bar and Gourmet Coffee options are available.

Fallen Rule are celebrating the release of their debut record and will be in Tower Records for an In-Store event. Admission is free.

Astronomy Ireland are continuing their weekly Sun Shows at the Astronomy Ireland Shop in Swords. Each Saturday, the staff of the Astronomy Ireland Shop will be showing you amazing views of our nearest star. Using special filters and some of the largest telescopes in Ireland you will get to see sunspots bigger than Earth and huge solar flare bursting from our nearest star. If it’s cloudy, there will be a telescope demonstration and you will find out how you can safely observe the Sun and undertake some daytime astronomy using your own telescope.

The IFI continues with its free “Archive at Lunchtime” screenings on three days every week in May.
The Double Bill on Saturdays is described here:
04+11+18+25 May: www.ifi.ie/film/archive-at-lunchtime-double-bill-10/
The Monday/Wednesday programmes are here
01+06+15+20+29 May: www.ifi.ie/film/archive-at-lunchtime-programme-1-26/
08+13+22-27 May: www.ifi.ie/film/archive-at-lunchtime-programme-2-25/

As part of the Dublin Dance Festival, playgrounds will come alive with the unique high energy performances of Spill, combining quirky dance with street gymnastics.There will be two performances each day at 13:30 and 15:30 and admission is free.

The playgrounds where this event takes place are:

Sat: 18 May; Ringsend Park Playground, entry via Bridge Street, Ringsend, Dublin 4
Sun 19 May: Fairview Playground, opp. Marino College, Clontarf Road, Fairview, Dublin 3

Combining quirky dance with high energy street gymnastics, the dancers blaze a colourful trail across the structures and landscapes of the playground.

Event times and locations are subject to change in case of adverse weather. Please check www.dublindancefestival.ie in advance of attendance.

Amber, or fossilized tree resin, has been treasured by people for thousands of years. Join Matthew Parkes, Museum Geologist, for a bead-making workshop using real amber and learn more about how people used this amazing material in the past. Limited to 15 people, so booking is essential via 01 6486 332 or email mjfitzsimons@museum.ie.

An exciting range of self-guided and fun

Drawing materials and exercises will be provided for all families who visit the National Print Museum’s Education Area to celebrate National Drawing Day. If you’re an adult and wish to take part, there will be a number of sketching stations set up throughout the Museum with paper, pencils and some inspirational sketches of the collection to get the creative juices flowing. Admission is free, but be aware that this is a self-guided activity.

Plants have always supported a huge part of the world’s economy. From the humble potato to the exotic vanilla pod. Find out the intriguing history of tea and why we have goats to thank for our morning coffee. Learn about the world’s largest herb and discover which tropical plant makes cheddar cheese orange and lipstick red.- Sounds really interesting!

Admission is free.

To start off International Biodiversity Week join us on this tour to find out more about the horrible side of nature. Admission is free and no booking required. Suitable for Families.

A Discovery Choir Community Event is taking place. And for it, St Thomas’s Church will be transforemd into a Cafe. Come from 17:00 with your friends, kids, families for some tea, coffee, and treats and from 19:00 you will treated to some soulful music, story telling and lots of upbeat Discovery Choir classics.

Admission is free and no booking required, but it would be great if you could indicate on the facebook page if you are coming.

The launch of the exhibition and mural installation, a short talk on street art and the screening of a MURO video, including timeplapse of work in process and interviews with the artists will take place.

MURO is an expo of the work of some very talented street artists based in Dublin from Ireland, Italy and Mexico. This innovative and free street art event involves a series of commissioned murals on public view in the heart of Dublin city (painted from the 3rd of May) with the main event on 18-19 May, which includes mural installations, an exhibition, a talk and workshop in Exchange Dublin. www.facebook.com/murostreetartdublin

The Eskies are playing in the “Live from the Window” slot in Whelan’s. Admissionis free.

Cornucopia Café & Restaurant host live music three evenings a week (Thurs, Fri and Sat). The restaurant is a Wholefood & Vegetarian Restaurant and is open until 22:15.
+ Every second Thursday N.C Lawlor, a songwriter, session player and troubadour plays a mix of country, bluegrass & blues from 19:30-21:30.
+ Every Friday (19:30-21:30) Junshi Murakami plays Irish Harp.
+ Every Saturday (19:30-21:30) Nollaig Mann plays a collection of popular and jazz classics.

This is a weekly Saturday night jazz event in the basement Wine Cave of KC Peaches wholefood restaurant/café. Food will be served until 22:00 and wine, minerals & music will be available until later. Admission is free and a donation into a hat at the end of the evening is appreciated.

I wasn’t able to find a free Eurovision Song Contest party anywhere, but you can easily have your own party. :-) But another option would be to just ignore the spectacle. I remember sitting in front of the TV every year watching the song contest with my parents when I was much younger. Thankfully I grew out of that! :-)

The Stillorgan Orchard provides regular live music. The upcoming gigs are listed on the website below.

“Ten-Past-Seven” with guests “Family Planning” are playing in the “best new talent in Ireland” showcase slot “The Midnight Hour”. Admission is free before 22:30. The gig will start at 00:00. There is a “guest list” link on the website, but I still don’t know what significance it has for Midnight Hour events.

Birdwatch Ireland’s National Dawn Chorus Day is traditionally the day when wildlife enthusiasts the length and breadth of Ireland set their alarm clocks much earlier than usual and go out to enjoy a morning of beautiful birdsong.

Now you have to get up with the birds for that OR not go to bed the night before. That latter solution might be the better option for people like me who like to sleep long in the morning. :-)

There are a number of events taking place in Dublin:

Dublin Fingal:
(1) Skerries Mills. Meet at the main car park at 5:15am.
(2) Newbridge Demesne. Meet at the main car park at 5:15am

Dublin South:
Meet at the car park beside Cabinteely House at 4.00am

Dublin Tolka:
Meet at the front gate of the Botanic Gardens at 4:30am. Please note: gate will close at 4:30am, so no admission thereafter.

The times for Dublin Tolka seem to be a little wrong (or do you really only have 59 seconds to get into the park?) I suggest you be at the gate a bit before 04:30.

Explore the wonders of Ireland’s unique nature & wildlife! From beaches & bogs to forests & mountains, there are over 70 free events across the country to choose from. National Biodiversity Week is an opportunity to celebrate and enjoy the nature around us. Have fun, discover something new and share the experience with friends, family or other event participants. Events include family open days, garden tours, guided beach walks to explore your local marine biodiversity, night-time bat surveys, a stroll along an urban canal to look at canal wildlife, dawn choruses and talks. To find an event near you, visit www.ien.ie/bw13/events/ Events are organised by members groups of the Irish Environmental Network as well as the National Parks and Wildlife Service, the National Biodiversity Data Centre, many county councils and other groups.

I trawled through the list of events to find a few of the free events in Dublin for you:

18 May – 09:00: Bird Watching in Killiney (Killiney Hill)
18 May – 14:30: An afternoon by the Dodder (Milltown Co. Dublin)
19 May – 12:00: Wicklow Wetland Safari – Family Fun (Bray, Co. Wicklow)
20 May – 12:00: Biodiversity Walk (Booterstown Nature Reserve)
22 May – 10:00: BiodiverTeens (Mansion House, Dawson Street)
22 May – 11:00: Better Composting (Coultry Gardens, Ballymun)
22 May – 18:00: Biodiversity Walk along Santry River (Swords Road, Dublin 9)
25 May – 21:15: Night-time bat walk (Marlay Park, Co. Dublin)
26 May – ??:??: Biodiversity Beach Walk (Skerries, Co. Dublin)
There are also some information stands in Dublin Zoo.

This list is not complete but covers most free events in Dublin. Have a look at the long list ien.ie/bw13/events/ if yu have the time, otherwise you might find something in my summary.

Jamestown Flea Market + Car Boot Sale takes place every Sat+Sun from 10:00-17:00. You can reach it from Tyrconnell Road and from Kylemore Road and it is within 3 min from Black Horse stop on the red Luas line. There is free parking.

The Long Mile Road Market behind Wigoders on Long MIle Road (across the road from Aldi) hosts more than 50 stalls and there is also a Cafe on site.

The Merchants Market on East Wall Road is a relatively new weekly market on Saturdays and Sundays with more than 80 stalls. There is everything from furniture and antiques to paintings and mirrors, electronics and hot food to bicycles and buns. Sounds interesting and I will check it out over the coming weeks. It is just a few minutes walk away from the Point Theatre/O2 (walk in the direction of the Port Tunnel). www.facebook.com/merchantsindoormarket

Every Sunday, the Merrion Square Open Air Art Gallery takes place. Up to 200 artists exhibit their paintings on the railings on three sides (West, North and East) of Merrion Square and you can just enjoy the exhibition or even buy.

A workshop hosted by DMC (Dermot McConaghy) will take place in connection with MURO. There are, however, still a lot of detail missing about this event…at least on the Facebook event page. E.g. the start time, if there is a cost, if you have to register. Not sure how you will be able to find out! Maybe try Anna Tosatto somehow or leave a message on the Facebook event page?

MURO is an expo of the work of some very talented street artists based in Dublin from Ireland, Italy and Mexico. This innovative and free street art event involves a series of commissioned murals on public view in the heart of Dublin city (painted from the 3rd of May) with the main event on 18-19 May, which includes mural installations, an exhibition, a talk and workshop in Exchange Dublin. www.facebook.com/murostreetartdublin

The Children’s Art Cart Workshops will be held again in the Phoenix Park Visitor Centre (01-6770095) every Sunday from 24 March to 22 December 2013. Currently the workshop is still free, but there is a possibility that a fee will be introduced at some point. Children must be over 6 years of age and must be supervised by an adult.
You can’t pre-book, so early arrival is required because there are only 20 places per session.

The themes are:
05 May: Creepy Crawlies in the Park
12 May: Animal Masks
19 May: Trees: What would we do without them
26 May: Make a surprise.

The Brocante Market will take place on Sun. It is a collection of antiques, furniture, vintage jewellery, collectables and curiosities from the past and present, second-hand, refurbished, antique and hand-crafted stuff for your house and garden. If you are an interior designer or just have and eye for style and are looking for a special piece or maybe a bargain then this is the market for you. The market is held every 3rd Sunday of the month.

The Dockland’s Summer Festival will take place on Sat 18 and Sun 19 May. Organised by Waterways Ireland and The Docklands Business Forum, expect a full programme of entertainment and family fun on the land and water. A huge array of activities are planned over the course of the weekend. There will be an assortment of water based activities for you to take part or to watch. Including kayaking, paddle boarding, barge rides, dragon boat displays and more. If you prefer to stay dry, you can enjoy the street performers, music, face painting, can take part in King’s of Concrete workshops (Skateboard, Urban Sports & Creative) or you can sponsor a duck in the Docklands Rubber Duck Race or play some water golf off the jettie.
There will also be a Farmer’s Market and food stalls.

The full programme is here: www.docklandssummerfestival.com/festival-programme-3/

The main events programme runs from 11:00-17:00, but later in the evening, at 22:00, a movie will be screened at the Grand Canal. The movie is Disney’s “Lion King” and admission is free.

Family Day is a day-long festival in the beautiful Iveagh Gardens. There will be a huge amount of entertainment, fun activities and useful information for all types of families and for the young and old. Family Day is organised by “One Family”, who stress that all types and “configurations” of families are invited. Admission is free. You can bring your own picnic or buy food from the food vendors in the gardens on Sunday. To get an idea about the wide spectrum of entertainment and activities, check out www.familyday.ie/wp-content/uploads/Family-Day_Brochure-for-Site.pdf

There will be games, sports demonstrations, acting classes, magic, dance performances, comedy, music and information boots about a variety of topics. Bring your family and enjoy the day out in the lovely Iveagh Gardens.

The well known Palestrina Choir sing every Sunday at the mass in St Mary’s Pro-Cathedral. They sing complete masterworks by Mozart, Haydn, Dvorak, Palestrina, de Victoria, usually accompanied by Prof. Gerard Gillen on the organ, who often also plays a solo piece.

The Ferocious Mingle Marcade (Market and Arcade) place every Thursday, Friday, Saturday and Sunday. On Sunday it is a fancy dress market. It’s a flea-market type permanent market with stalls and “chalets” for traders. The Oscar Verne Café on site and (at least at the weekends) live music adds even more character.

The National Gallery has an extensive programme of free talks, public tours and Art Documentary screenings focusing on highlights of the European and Irish Collection every day of the week. Check their website for details.

At the Blackrock Market in the centre of Blackrock, you’ll find 50 stalls selling collectibles, antiques, handmade goods, books, food & there’s free popcorn, ballons & facepainting for the kids.
Open on Sundays: 12:00-17:30. Open on Saturdays and Bank Holidays: 11:00-17:30.

A free Fitness Class will take place in the Exchange. Join in if you wish.

An indoor market in Coolock with over 40 traders with a wide range of goods and a café on site as well.

The Sundays at Noon Concert Series continues in the Sculpture Gallery at the Hugh Lane Gallery. Now in its 36th year, this series of free (mainly classical) concerts continues to present the best of Irish and International music and musicians. Concerts run from September to June. The next concert will feature Camerata Kilkenny & Calmus Ensemble (Leipzig). They will play pieces from Johann Sebastian Bach.

As part of the Dublin Dance Festival, playgrounds will come alive with the unique high energy performances of Spill, combining quirky dance with street gymnastics.There will be two performances each day at 13:30 and 15:30 and admission is free.

The playgrounds where this event takes place are:

Sat: 18 May; Ringsend Park Playground, entry via Bridge Street, Ringsend, Dublin 4
Sun 19 May: Fairview Playground, opp. Marino College, Clontarf Road, Fairview, Dublin 3

Combining quirky dance with high energy street gymnastics, the dancers blaze a colourful trail across the structures and landscapes of the playground.

Event times and locations are subject to change in case of adverse weather. Please check www.dublindancefestival.ie in advance of attendance.

The Bluebell is the symbol of The Friends of St Luke’s, who will now be supporting the needs of cancer patients attending the St Luke’s Radiation Oncology network at St Luke’s, St James and Beaumont hospitals, as they go through their cancer journey. The supporters of St Luke’s are invited to “help create the Bluebell Garden” by donating and purchasing a bluebell through the website www.bluebellgarden.ie The Bluebell Garden will be located near Oakland Lodge, a home from home for patients travelling some distance for Radiotherapy. A complete refurbishment of the Lodge is nearing completion, providing the best in patient support and surroundings for all those who stay there for short and long term care.

Guests at the launch event will be Eoin O’Malley, Leinster Rugby, Face painters and a Brass Band. In addition to that Aideen Goggin (Chairperson), Deirdre Hughes (Appeals Director) and fundraisers from across the country.

The Drimnagh Festival is taking place from 17 May. But before I tell you what is happening, maybe I should tell you where Drimnagh is because many might have difficulty pinpointing it. Drimnagh is in Dublin 12, which is surrounded by Dublin 6w, 8, 10 and 24. In Dublin 12 there are also Crumlin, Terenure and Walkinstown.

The festival will run from Friday until Sunday and the event on Sunday 19 May is:

14:00-17:00 Fun Day at Good Cousel GAA Club

The “Dublin Sketchers” is an informal group of typically hobby artists who go somewhere different in Dublin every Sunday (e.g. National Museum, Maritime Museum, Dublin Flea Market, Farmleigh, Botanic Gardens, Dublin Castle), sketch for one to two hours and then meet up for coffee afterwards and discuss their sketches. There are some hugely talented people among them and it is a great idea to meet up with others who have the same hobby. Find out on their website where they will meet and join them if you do some sketching/drawing yourself. I know that the Dublin Sketchers often use the Dublin Event Guide to find interesting free events and I am delighted to be able to help!

The Pegbar team are back have teamed up with Acme Filmworks and AWN.com to bring the Animation Show of Shows to the Science Gallery. Founded in 1998 by Ron Diamond, the Animation Show of Shows is a traveling selection of some of the best animation short films of the year. This Sunday you can watch some of the best short animations films of 2012 such as: Paperman, Daffy’s Rhapsody, Here and the Great Elsewhere and many, many more. Curated and presented by Ron Diamond.

Admission is free but booking on the website below is required.

Afternoon Jazz in Café en Seine. The Stella Bass Jazz Trio play every Sunday from 14:00-16:00 in Café en Seine in Dawson Street. Admission is free. A video is here www.youtube.com/watch?v=l8aKqtOB5S8

Come to the Family Drawing Sundays in the RHA. All children are welcome to use the RHA Art Cart, in the RHA Atrium. Admission is free. For further information, contact Ruth Carroll on 01 6612558 or via ruth@rhagallery.ie

The Irish Wildlife Trust is running a Geology Walk this weekend:

“Come and join us this weekend as we go back in time on Killiney beach with a geological investigation of Whiterock.

Travel back in time over 500 million years with the IWT Dublin Branch, in the footsteps of Robert Mallet, the Dubliner known as the Father of Seismology. A leisurely walk, led by Muireann McDonnell and Kieran Craven of TCD Department of Geology, we will look at the different rocks forming the surrounding landscape, examine the pebbles underfoot and the glacial deposits of the cliffs above, and see the dramatic contact between two contrasting rock types at Whiterock.

We’re meeting at Killiney Dart station and if you’d like to join us, just send a message to dublinbranch@iwt.ie with the number of places you’d like to reserve. The event is free of charge but you are welcome to make a donation on the day. “

“Many of our common garden plants are Chinese in origin. May is the best time of the year to see Peonies, the Handkerchief Tree, Wisteria and many others in full bloom. Come and see the Chinese plants at their best.” Admission is free.

“Historic sites & images of the west of Ireland” with Michael Gibbons, Historian & Archaeologist is a talk in the National Gallery. Admission is free and no booking necessary.

Unlike the three branches of the National Museum, the National Print Museum is normally not free, but every Sunday there is a free public tour for the next few weeks. Every visit begins with a short audio-visual presentation where the audience can observe active retired printers providing practical demonstrations of machines from the Museum’s collection.

Director Michael Scott hosts a discussion with writer/director Gerry Stembridge and Film and TV Producer Bill Hughes on the presence of the g ay identity on stage and screen. Audience involvement is encouraged in this final event of explorations of g ay identity in Irish life. This is a free event – no pre-booking necessary and all are welcome.

The next Sunday Sketching for 7+ Year olds has the title “Catching the Musical Mood”. No booking necessary. Admission is free and early arrival is recommended.

Saucy Sundays is a weekly free live music afternoon and evening in the Grand Social. The line-up and links to all bands/performers are available via the Saucy Sundays Facebook Page (see link below). The performers this week are Race the Flux, WOB, Able Archer, Juhn Echo, Grace Wilde, Jon Doran plus special guests.

The Trinity Bar, nect to the Cetntral Bank on Dame Street, has live music four nights/afternoons every week and admission is free:
Tues – 20:00: Theo Red (Alternative Rock)
Wed – 20:00: Tara Hill (Folk Rock, Celtic and Traditional)
Thurs – 20:00: Pachino Brothers (cover versions, oldies and own material)
Sun – 17:00: Traditional LIve Music

The wedding and party band The Long John Jump Band play every Sunday evening in Café en Seine. Admission is free.

Rackhouse Pilfer, a six-piece bluegrass, folk, alt-country and Americana Band based in Sligo, are playing in the “Live From The Window” slot. Admission is free.

The Gardiner Street Gospel Choir Mass invites to a Mass in St. Francis Xavier Church at the top of Gardiner Street near the junction with Dorset Street every Sunday at 19:30. The Gardiner Street Gospel Choir, one of the best known choirs in Ireland will sing during the mass and everybody is welcome independent from your level of religiousness.

Every Sunday a band will play from 21:00-22:30, a Latin Beat Club, Brazilian DJs and Salsa Classes (from 18:00) are additional features. Admission is free.

Every Sunday this singer-songwriter night takes place in the Bleeding Horse in Camden St. from 8.30pm. It is an Open mic night and performers can just turn up and put their name on the list for that night.

The Comedy Crunch is a free Stand Up comedy downstairs in Stag’s Head, Dame Lane from 21:00 every week on Sun+Mon. Every week different comedians entertain and on top of that there is some free ice cream. The line-up can be found via the Comedy Crunch Facebook Page (see link below).

Rogério from the Brazilian dance project “Forró de Lampião” in Dublin tells me: Forró de Lampião is Brazilian music that has the same roots as Samba and there is a whole culture that has developed around “forro”. Every Sunday, free dance classes take place in the Grand Social (new loation!) and if you are interested, just turn up one Sunday.

“Rhythm Rocker at The Globe” is a weekly event on Sunday night in The Globe in Sth Great Georges Street, Dublin 2. It is a Rockabilly, R’n'R, Roots night with alternating (week by week) live bands Pavement Kings, Donna & The Sazzy Catz, The Mosquitoes and The Pacifics from 21:00 and with DJs from 23:00-01:30. Admission is free.

The weekly Sunday Roast is a free event in the Mercantile where live music is combined with free roast potatoes. The line-up for the upcoming Sunday Roast is available via the Sunday Roast Facebook Page (see link below): Punch Face Champions, Robert Grace, The Last Monroes, Greg Clifford, Cash is King.

Billy Treacy & The Ha’Penny Heads are playing Ballads, Folk, Trad and Classic Country every Sunday. Featuring Guitar, Mandolin, Fiddle and Banjo.

Every Sunday (except at Bank Holiday weekends), the Ragtime, Roots and Country Blues Band “Cool Hand Dukes” play in the Porterhouse near Grafton Street.

The Living Room describes itself as a Centre for Silence and Contemplative Arts (and has nothing to do with the pub with the same name!). The Centre is open to all with a contemplative attitude coming from any spiritual tradition or background. There are lots of free events and also other workshops (check the website). The daily free events are taking place Mondays -Fridays
+ 08:00-08:45: Common Early Morning Meditation
+ 13:00-14:00 Lunchtime Guided Meditation (Mon: John Main, Tue: Carmelite Wisdom, Wed: Centering in Love, Thurs: Tibetan Singing Bowls, Fri: Insight Meditation for Beginners)
+ 15:00-15:30: Accompanied Silence (also Mon+Wed+Thurs from 11:00-11:30)

Explore the wonders of Ireland’s unique nature & wildlife! From beaches & bogs to forests & mountains, there are over 70 free events across the country to choose from. National Biodiversity Week is an opportunity to celebrate and enjoy the nature around us. Have fun, discover something new and share the experience with friends, family or other event participants. Events include family open days, garden tours, guided beach walks to explore your local marine biodiversity, night-time bat surveys, a stroll along an urban canal to look at canal wildlife, dawn choruses and talks. To find an event near you, visit www.ien.ie/bw13/events/ Events are organised by members groups of the Irish Environmental Network as well as the National Parks and Wildlife Service, the National Biodiversity Data Centre, many county councils and other groups.

I trawled through the list of events to find a few of the free events in Dublin for you:

18 May – 09:00: Bird Watching in Killiney (Killiney Hill)
18 May – 14:30: An afternoon by the Dodder (Milltown Co. Dublin)
19 May – 12:00: Wicklow Wetland Safari – Family Fun (Bray, Co. Wicklow)
20 May – 12:00: Biodiversity Walk (Booterstown Nature Reserve)
22 May – 10:00: BiodiverTeens (Mansion House, Dawson Street)
22 May – 11:00: Better Composting (Coultry Gardens, Ballymun)
22 May – 18:00: Biodiversity Walk along Santry River (Swords Road, Dublin 9)
25 May – 21:15: Night-time bat walk (Marlay Park, Co. Dublin)
26 May – ??:??: Biodiversity Beach Walk (Skerries, Co. Dublin)
There are also some information stands in Dublin Zoo.

This list is not complete but covers most free events in Dublin. Have a look at the long list ien.ie/bw13/events/ if yu have the time, otherwise you might find something in my summary.

The Dublin Writers’ Festival is taking place again and consists of readings, discussions, debates, workshops, performance and screenings, A good few very interesting events (example: Dan Brown, the author of The Da Vinci Code, will be in Dublin), but the majority of events are not free. There are a few free events though, and I have listed the ones below that are not yet booked out. The full programme can be found at www.dublinwritersfestival.com/programme/programme-2013

Tues 21 May – 13:05: Eurovisions: Drawing Inspiration from the Continent
Thurs 23 May – 21:15: Festival Club with Three Men Talking
Fri 24 May – 11:00: Drawing Children In: Approaches to Programming Literature Events
Fri 24 May – 21:15: Festival Club with Lisa O’Neill
Sat 25 May – 10:30: Graphic Fiction Workshop
Sat 25 May – 12:00: Drop-In Book Clinic
Sat 25 May – 12:00: Writers on Writers: Harry Clifton on Louis MacNeice’s Autumn Journal
Sat 25 May – 12:00: Story Pod Decoration
Sat 25 May – 15:00: A Festival of Reading with Christine Dwyer Hickey & Naomi Alderman
Sun 26 May – 12:00: Writers on Writers with Thomas Keneally

A number of events require pre-booking, so if you se something in that list, check out the event programme to find out the details.

The Round Room of Mansion House will be the venue for the 2-day event “Your Future City – A Showcase of Technology in Action”, where Dublin City will offer you a window to the future, “demonstrating how technological innovation is affecting every aspect of our lives from our homes and gardens to our work, our schools and our city.”

The showcase will be broken into zones (i.e. home, work, school, city, environment and garden) and each zone will include demonstrations displaying innovation. A workshop by Lego under a roof on the forecourt of the Mansion House will involve people of all ages using Lego to build their vision of the Dublin of the future. A giant interactive social media wall will allow you to view and interact with up-to-the-minute social media commentary on the event and ideas on how Dublin can engage more with digital technology. Naoise O Muiri, the current Lord Mayor of Dublin, is a strong driving force behind Digital Dublin and his office is inviting to this event.

The event will take place on Mon 20 May and Tues 21 May and admission is free.

The National Gallery has an extensive programme of free talks, public tours and Art Documentary screenings focusing on highlights of the European and Irish Collection every day of the week. Check their website for details.

The IFI continues with its free “Archive at Lunchtime” screenings on three days every week in May.
The Double Bill on Saturdays is described here:
04+11+18+25 May: www.ifi.ie/film/archive-at-lunchtime-double-bill-10/
The Monday/Wednesday programmes are here
01+06+15+20+29 May: www.ifi.ie/film/archive-at-lunchtime-programme-1-26/
08+13+22-27 May: www.ifi.ie/film/archive-at-lunchtime-programme-2-25/

Whelans Singer songwriter night ‘Song Cycle’ continues to offer a platform for local and non local acts to experiment, sing and share in the friendly informal setting of Whelans front window. The line-up is Kevin Ryan, Rufus Coates, Woodlark, Lucky Bones.

Admission is free.

The Italian Institute of Culture – Dublin in collaboration with Trinity College Dublin Department of Italian, Trinity Long Room Hub Arts, Humanities Research Institute and the Irish Writers’ Centre invite to a conversation between Claudio Magris, author of the book “Blindly” and John Banville.The event will be in English.

Admission is free and you are asked to register on iicdublino@esteri.it – Italian Refreshments will be served.

Christodoulos Makrisfrom Nicosia and Rocio Ceron from Mexico are two of the poets who participated in last summer’s Poetry Parnassus festival at London’s Southbank Centre. They are in the Writers’ Centre for readings.

The public talk “Bullying in Adolescents” with Dr Keith Holmes Consultant Child & Adolescent Psychiatrist will take place and admission is free.

(On Mon 27 May the talk “Mental Health and Spirituality – The Mind, Life’s Meaning and Me” with Ms Maureen McCabe with Br Hugh Gillan OH Pastoral Care Department will take place)

The Monday Echo is a weekly songwriter and poetry live showcase held on Mondays in the basement of The International Bar. Usually, the show has 3 songwriters and 3 poets who perform for roughly 20 minutes each. Admission is free.
The weekly line-up can be found via the Facebook Page below.

Exchange Focus is a collective photography group. They act as a forum and meeting point for Dublin photographers to share techniques and collaborate on projects and they regularly exhibit their work and run free workshops in all aspects of photography. The group meets every second week on Monday nights and is open to everyone. All levels of experience are catered for.

The Comedy Crunch is a free Stand Up comedy event every Sunday and Monday. Every week different comedians entertain and on top of good comedy you will get free ice cream. Admission is free. The line-up can be found via the Comedy Crunch Facebook Page (see link below).

The 4-piece band Loose Trad are performing every Monday in Mother Reilly’s. www.loosetrad.com/ Admission is free.

Every Monday, a mix of musicians from bands like The Seven Deadly Skins / Animal Cracker / Upbeat Generation / Crete Boom & more come together to play a free night of Rock & Reggae.

The Living Room describes itself as a Centre for Silence and Contemplative Arts (and has nothing to do with the pub with the same name!). The Centre is open to all with a contemplative attitude coming from any spiritual tradition or background. There are lots of free events and also other workshops (check the website). The daily free events are taking place Mondays -Fridays
+ 08:00-08:45: Common Early Morning Meditation
+ 13:00-14:00 Lunchtime Guided Meditation (Mon: John Main, Tue: Carmelite Wisdom, Wed: Centering in Love, Thurs: Tibetan Singing Bowls, Fri: Insight Meditation for Beginners)
+ 15:00-15:30: Accompanied Silence (also Mon+Wed+Thurs from 11:00-11:30)

The Dublin Writers’ Festival is taking place again and consists of readings, discussions, debates, workshops, performance and screenings, A good few very interesting events (example: Dan Brown, the author of The Da Vinci Code, will be in Dublin), but the majority of events are not free. There are a few free events though, and I have listed the ones below that are not yet booked out. The full programme can be found at www.dublinwritersfestival.com/programme/programme-2013

Tues 21 May – 13:05: Eurovisions: Drawing Inspiration from the Continent
Thurs 23 May – 21:15: Festival Club with Three Men Talking
Fri 24 May – 11:00: Drawing Children In: Approaches to Programming Literature Events
Fri 24 May – 21:15: Festival Club with Lisa O’Neill
Sat 25 May – 10:30: Graphic Fiction Workshop
Sat 25 May – 12:00: Drop-In Book Clinic
Sat 25 May – 12:00: Writers on Writers: Harry Clifton on Louis MacNeice’s Autumn Journal
Sat 25 May – 12:00: Story Pod Decoration
Sat 25 May – 15:00: A Festival of Reading with Christine Dwyer Hickey & Naomi Alderman
Sun 26 May – 12:00: Writers on Writers with Thomas Keneally

A number of events require pre-booking, so if you se something in that list, check out the event programme to find out the details.

“Engaging Women: Taking the Next Step into Politics” is the title of a seminar hosted by One Family & Women for Election.
It features keynote speaker Jessica N Grounds, Executive Director of Running Start and Training Lead for Hillary Clinton’s presidential campaign for the Iowa Caucuses. This free seminar will be chaired by Mary Wilson (RTÉ), and will hear inputs from Ciara Conway T.D.; Rita Fagan, Community Activist; Karen Kiernan, One Family; and Niamh Gallagher, Women for Election, who will share their personal experiences in the areas of activism, lobbying and politics.
The seminar is designed to inform and stimulate women who may already be making a difference in their communities or who would like to become more politically active in some way. There will be plenty of opportunities for questions and discussion too, and a light lunch will be followed after the event.

You have to register for this event (admission is free) via the website below.

The Round Room of Mansion House will be the venue for the 2-day event “Your Future City – A Showcase of Technology in Action”, where Dublin City will offer you a window to the future, “demonstrating how technological innovation is affecting every aspect of our lives from our homes and gardens to our work, our schools and our city.”

The showcase will be broken into zones (i.e. home, work, school, city, environment and garden) and each zone will include demonstrations displaying innovation. A workshop by Lego under a roof on the forecourt of the Mansion House will involve people of all ages using Lego to build their vision of the Dublin of the future. A giant interactive social media wall will allow you to view and interact with up-to-the-minute social media commentary on the event and ideas on how Dublin can engage more with digital technology. Naoise O Muiri, the current Lord Mayor of Dublin, is a strong driving force behind Digital Dublin and his office is inviting to this event.

The event will take place on Mon 20 May and Tues 21 May and admission is free.

The National Gallery has an extensive programme of free talks, public tours and Art Documentary screenings focusing on highlights of the European and Irish Collection every day of the week. Check their website for details.

Bring your toddler along to meet the “Prince of Pre-school” Hervé Tullet and find out more about his picture books. Hervé will be reading to the children and helping them create their own masterpieces. I am not 100% certain, but I is possible that the event will be in French. You better check before hand if that makes a difference to you!

Admission is free, but registration via info@alliance-francaise.ie with the subject “RSVP Herve Tullet” is required.

“Winton’s Children; How one man saved hundreds of children from death in the Holocaust” is the title of an event to commemorate Nicholas Winton. Rathmines Library in association with The Jewish Historical Society of Ireland (a division of the Irish Jewish Museum,) and the Czech Embassy screen a film and a documentary about Winton:

Tues 16:00: “All My Loved Ones” – fictionalised movie about the Winton Children
Tues 18:00: “Nicky Winton” – a documentary on Nicolas Winton

Admission is free and booking is not required, but advised.

The Ruuts & Shuuts Catering Collective are holding a weekly drop-in café every Tuesday with vegan food and music, films and talks.

The Instituto Cervantes celebrates the 25th anniversary of the wine region Rias Baixas with the presentation of the book of photography “Rias Baixas – The wine of the sea”. Ramón Huidobro, Secretary-General of DO Rias Baixas will take you on this (photo) trip to Galicia, the green, wind-swept north-western region with ancient Celtic ties. Sommelier Lisa O’Doherty talk about her last trip to Rias Baixas and love for this Celtic area in Spain.

A wine from Rias Baixas will be served. Admission is free.

The Science Gallery has teamed up with the Alliance Française Dublin for a series of events where scientists will speak to a café audience about some of the latest research and findings from their field. The theme of the debate is: Life-long Learning: The New Science of Memory and Decision-Making.

So much of our learning happens outside of school: From learning how to speak to learning how to avoid danger, we are constantly adding to our skill-set. Join a panel of neuroscientists and psychologists as they talk us through how the brain learns, and why we need never stop learning new things.

I assume that this event is NOT in French, but you can never be certain. ;-)

Admission is free and there will be refreshments, but you will have to register at info@alliance-francaise.ie with the subject “RSVP Risk Lab”

“The Bloomsday Survival Kit crew are romping around Dublin reading Ulysses by James Joyce in the places it was set. Join them on Tuesday at Isaacs Hostel. Enjoy coffee and buns while listening to an old sailor weave tall tales. The second half of Chapter 16 – Eumaeus will be read. ….The one with the seaman!” More readings will take place on 28 May and 04 June and then on Blooms Day (11 June).

This is an open mic night with Special Guests. Arrive, sign in (from 19:00) and play and if you are a performer you get a free beer. Admission is free.

The graduates of this year’s Hot Press ‘MIX’ course have created “Rewind & Fast Forward”, a mini-series of music showcase nights where Irish talent can be discovered upstairs in Odessa Club, Dame Court.

Running over two dates, 21 May & 11 June, some of Ireland’s emerging talents will play, including Hot Press ‘big break’ candidates Third Smoke, ska/alternative sensation Dem Fools, melodic blessing Gill Ryder, Greg Clifford, indie-rockers Jones Apollo and many more.

Admission is free.

Open Mic Night with The Last Tycoons in O’Donoghue’s on Suffolk Street every Tues from 20:00. It’s free and anyone can get up, sing a song or do whatever they like.

The Trinity Bar, nect to the Cetntral Bank on Dame Street, has live music four nights/afternoons every week and admission is free:
Tues – 20:00: Theo Red (Alternative Rock)
Wed – 20:00: Tara Hill (Folk Rock, Celtic and Traditional)
Thurs – 20:00: Pachino Brothers (cover versions, oldies and own material)
Sun – 17:00: Traditional LIve Music

Produced by Jake Bourke, Longshot Comedy is a free monthly showcase of New and Alternative Irish comedy. This month sees a a selection of Southern and Northern Irish comedians doing new or different acts. The Comedy line-up is Neil Hickey, Alan Irwin, Christian Talbot, Ronan Linskey, , Graeme Watson, Ruairi Woods with MC: Sean Semple

The Playlist is provided by: The Hot Sprockets, The Fibbs, Pet Fox, Tic Till Friday

Admission is free.

The weekly “Grand Folk Club” will feature Trad, Ballads, Americana, Folk, World Music & More. This Tuesday, the line-up is: The Trad of Dylan, featuring Niamh Parsons, Pete Cummins, Alison O’Donnell, Radie Peat + more. Admission is free and you can bring your guitar!

White Chocolate is playing Rock Covers from 23:30 in The Mezz in Temple Bar.

The Living Room describes itself as a Centre for Silence and Contemplative Arts (and has nothing to do with the pub with the same name!). The Centre is open to all with a contemplative attitude coming from any spiritual tradition or background. There are lots of free events and also other workshops (check the website). The daily free events are taking place Mondays -Fridays
+ 08:00-08:45: Common Early Morning Meditation
+ 13:00-14:00 Lunchtime Guided Meditation (Mon: John Main, Tue: Carmelite Wisdom, Wed: Centering in Love, Thurs: Tibetan Singing Bowls, Fri: Insight Meditation for Beginners)
+ 15:00-15:30: Accompanied Silence (also Mon+Wed+Thurs from 11:00-11:30)

IT solutions provider, Zinopy along with technology partners, Citrix Systems, Check Point Software Technologies and Boldon James will hold a seminar, on Wed to examine the proposed changes to the data protection laws and outline how they will affect businesses operating in Ireland.

Admission is free, but booking is required.

Explore the wonders of Ireland’s unique nature & wildlife! From beaches & bogs to forests & mountains, there are over 70 free events across the country to choose from. National Biodiversity Week is an opportunity to celebrate and enjoy the nature around us. Have fun, discover something new and share the experience with friends, family or other event participants. Events include family open days, garden tours, guided beach walks to explore your local marine biodiversity, night-time bat surveys, a stroll along an urban canal to look at canal wildlife, dawn choruses and talks. To find an event near you, visit www.ien.ie/bw13/events/ Events are organised by members groups of the Irish Environmental Network as well as the National Parks and Wildlife Service, the National Biodiversity Data Centre, many county councils and other groups.

I trawled through the list of events to find a few of the free events in Dublin for you:

18 May – 09:00: Bird Watching in Killiney (Killiney Hill)
18 May – 14:30: An afternoon by the Dodder (Milltown Co. Dublin)
19 May – 12:00: Wicklow Wetland Safari – Family Fun (Bray, Co. Wicklow)
20 May – 12:00: Biodiversity Walk (Booterstown Nature Reserve)
22 May – 10:00: BiodiverTeens (Mansion House, Dawson Street)
22 May – 11:00: Better Composting (Coultry Gardens, Ballymun)
22 May – 18:00: Biodiversity Walk along Santry River (Swords Road, Dublin 9)
25 May – 21:15: Night-time bat walk (Marlay Park, Co. Dublin)
26 May – ??:??: Biodiversity Beach Walk (Skerries, Co. Dublin)
There are also some information stands in Dublin Zoo.

This list is not complete but covers most free events in Dublin. Have a look at the long list ien.ie/bw13/events/ if yu have the time, otherwise you might find something in my summary.

A guided walk “Sports in the Phoenix Park “with Roy Barron. will take place in Phoenix Park. Meeting point is the Visitor Centre. Participation is free.

The National Gallery has an extensive programme of free talks, public tours and Art Documentary screenings focusing on highlights of the European and Irish Collection every day of the week. Check their website for details.

The IFI continues with its free “Archive at Lunchtime” screenings on three days every week in May.
The Double Bill on Saturdays is described here:
04+11+18+25 May: www.ifi.ie/film/archive-at-lunchtime-double-bill-10/
The Monday/Wednesday programmes are here
01+06+15+20+29 May: www.ifi.ie/film/archive-at-lunchtime-programme-1-26/
08+13+22-27 May: www.ifi.ie/film/archive-at-lunchtime-programme-2-25/

The “Havana International Language Exchange” is taking place every Wed from 16:30-19:30 in Havana Tapas Bar in George’s Street. There are many Spanish speakers and English-speakers are explicitly invited, but everyone else is certainly very welcome too, to meet for a chat to improve your Spanish or English.

Winton’s Children; How one man saved hundreds of children from death in the Holocaust.

A Symposium in Honour of Nicholas Winton will take place in the Samuel Taca Hall in Terenure Synagogue. It starts at 17:00 and all programme details can be found on the website below. Admission is free, but booking is required. Check the website for contact information.

“Readings with Cois Tine, comprising a reader, an artist, and a musician, will salute the old Irish tradition of sharing stories by the fireside. In these readings the stories of Patrick Pearse (Íosagáin, Brigid of the Songs, and Barbara) will be read in the English translation by Joseph Campbell.” Admission is free and no booking required.

“The EU and the Peace Process in Northern Ireland” is a lecture by Dr Etain Tannam (TCD) as part of the Euro-Visions Public Lecture Series on Europe. Admission is free,

The Instituto Cervantes pays homage to Chilean Director Miguel Littin with a screening of one of his greatest films. Actas de Marusia (Letters from Marusia) was filmed in Mexico but tells the fascinating story of the life and death of the Chilean saltpetre workers of the early 20th century.Admission is free. The film will be in Spanish with English subtitles.

Laydeez do Comics is an international network of meetings celebrating the diverse expressions of the comic book medium. Started in 2009 in London, it now has groups across the UK, America, and now Ireland. The group is women-led but not women-only, and all are welcome. Guests for the first meeting will be Sarah McIntyre, Alan Nolan, and Maeve Clancy.

Thanks for Lynda R for letting me know!

The event is free, but a donation of EUR 3-5 is suggested to cover the cost. It will take place in the Rooftop Bar in Odessa.

The King Kong Club is a weekly music game-show in the Mercantile. Each week 6-7 bands/solo artists play three songs each. At the end of all the performances a clap-off with the King Kong Club Clap-o-Meter takes place and the winner goes through to a semi-final and it all culminates after six months of competition with The Grand Final, held in front of a panel of celebrity judges.

The list of performers is not yet announced on their Facebook Page and I am not sure if it will be put up there, but check it anyway.

The Trinity Bar, nect to the Cetntral Bank on Dame Street, has live music four nights/afternoons every week and admission is free:
Tues – 20:00: Theo Red (Alternative Rock)
Wed – 20:00: Tara Hill (Folk Rock, Celtic and Traditional)
Thurs – 20:00: Pachino Brothers (cover versions, oldies and own material)
Sun – 17:00: Traditional LIve Music

“The Song Room” is another open mic event. It takes place in The Globe in George’s Street at 20:30 every Wednesday.

“The Zodiac Sessions” is a regular open mic event from 20:30 in Bruxelles (between Grafton Street and Westbury Hotel) for unsigned musicians. Admission is free and there is a different line-up every week.

Bad Boy Jake are every Wednesday in the Gypsy Rose Rock & Blues Bar playing their rock, blues and American.

Traditional Irish Music Session in Hedigan’s (The Brian Boru) in Phibsborough from 21:30 every Wednesday. If you play an instrument you are especially welcome (all levels are welcome).

The Living Room describes itself as a Centre for Silence and Contemplative Arts (and has nothing to do with the pub with the same name!). The Centre is open to all with a contemplative attitude coming from any spiritual tradition or background. There are lots of free events and also other workshops (check the website). The daily free events are taking place Mondays -Fridays
+ 08:00-08:45: Common Early Morning Meditation
+ 13:00-14:00 Lunchtime Guided Meditation (Mon: John Main, Tue: Carmelite Wisdom, Wed: Centering in Love, Thurs: Tibetan Singing Bowls, Fri: Insight Meditation for Beginners)
+ 15:00-15:30: Accompanied Silence (also Mon+Wed+Thurs from 11:00-11:30)

The Dublin Writers’ Festival is taking place again and consists of readings, discussions, debates, workshops, performance and screenings, A good few very interesting events (example: Dan Brown, the author of The Da Vinci Code, will be in Dublin), but the majority of events are not free. There are a few free events though, and I have listed the ones below that are not yet booked out. The full programme can be found at www.dublinwritersfestival.com/programme/programme-2013

Tues 21 May – 13:05: Eurovisions: Drawing Inspiration from the Continent
Thurs 23 May – 21:15: Festival Club with Three Men Talking
Fri 24 May – 11:00: Drawing Children In: Approaches to Programming Literature Events
Fri 24 May – 21:15: Festival Club with Lisa O’Neill
Sat 25 May – 10:30: Graphic Fiction Workshop
Sat 25 May – 12:00: Drop-In Book Clinic
Sat 25 May – 12:00: Writers on Writers: Harry Clifton on Louis MacNeice’s Autumn Journal
Sat 25 May – 12:00: Story Pod Decoration
Sat 25 May – 15:00: A Festival of Reading with Christine Dwyer Hickey & Naomi Alderman
Sun 26 May – 12:00: Writers on Writers with Thomas Keneally

A number of events require pre-booking, so if you se something in that list, check out the event programme to find out the details.

“Caring for your Collection: Conservation workshop” is an event in the programme of the Bealtaine Festival 2013.

Join one of the library’s conservators for this workshop on caring for your paper-based collections. Aimed at the amateur collector/family historian, this is an opportunity to share and discuss issues around conservation and to learn how best to look after your own collection. Free but booking required via learning@nli.ie or call 01 603 0259.

The Ferocious Mingle Marcade (Market and Arcade) place every Thursday, Friday, Saturday and Sunday. On Sunday it is a fancy dress market. It’s a flea-market type permanent market with stalls and “chalets” for traders. The Oscar Verne Café on site and (at least at the weekends) live music adds even more character.

The National Gallery has an extensive programme of free talks, public tours and Art Documentary screenings focusing on highlights of the European and Irish Collection every day of the week. Check their website for details.

The Dublin Food Co-op is open every Thursday at Newmarket for organic wholefoods and sustainable household products, plus over a dozen producer stalls offering organic fruit and veg., baked goods, dairy produce, wines, hot and cold food, etc.
The Co-op is also opened on Saturdays 09:30 – 16:30. 12:00-20:00.

The Lunchtime Talk “Figures as Flowers: Aniconism, Islam and a Unique Chester Beatty Library Manuscript” with Finbarr Barry Flood, William R. Kenan Jr, Professor of Humanities, New York University

The next Career Direction and Development Programme event will be “Building Career Resilience – Building Employability” with Jane Downes, Career Coach. Admission is free, but booking is required via 01 8734333 or businesslibrary@dublincity.ie

To celebrate the Bealtaine Festival 2013, the National Print Museum will host a reminiscence evening with the Museum’s valued volunteer active retired printers and typesetters and any letterpress, printing, oral history or Bealtaine enthusiast who wishes to attend.
Hear the captivating memories of the volunteers’ time in the printing industry shared in an informal and relaxed setting and pose any unanswered questions you may have about the traditional craft of letterpress which the volunteers will endeavour to answer with plenty of intelligence, wit and charm.

Admission is free, but booking is required because capacity is limited. (Ring 01-6603770)

The Dublin Art and Technology Association (DATA) has the intention of promoting, exploring, discussing, and exhibiting art and technology in Ireland and the world. D.A.T.A is dedicated to both showcasing the work of technologists, musicians, and artists using technology as well as providing a meeting point for the intersection of these disciplines.

Their next event will take place on Thursday with speakers RYBN.

RYBN.ORG is an extra-disciplinary artistic research platform, funded in 2000 as a web entity, disseminated into several servers all over the internet and physically present in Paris, Montréal, Berlin and Bruxelles. RYBN.ORG operates through interactive & networked installations, digital/analog visual cross-performances and pervasive computing. …and for more information, check the website below.

The novel “All Things Return” by Fionnuala Brennan will be laucnhed on Thursday and you are invited. Admission is free.

The Start Your Own Business Programme 2013, in association with Dublin City Enterprise Board, is a biannual (Spring & Autumn) series of 12 free lectures for you if you are contemplating self employment or have started recently and are in need of advice and expertise in all aspects of starting and/or developing a business in Ireland. This year the theme is Innovation for Business.

The lectures are:
18 April: An Introduction to Self Employment
25 April: Ideas Generation & Market Research
02 May: Financing your Business
09 May: Digital Marketing and Social Media
16 May: Ethnic Entrepreneurship
23 May: Business Planning Structure

More details are here www.dublincity.ie/RecreationandCulture/libraries/Events/Pages/syob_2013.aspx The training programme is free, but booking is required via 01-8733996 or businesslibrary@dublincity.ie

The Dublin Writers’ Forum welcomes writers of all genres, of all ages and all levels of experience. DWF is an open group of writers who share a common passion for all things literary. It is a safe ‘working space’ where on a weekly basis writers can bring their work to be critiqued by other writers.

Dimestore Recordings run a weekly event in Sweeney Mongrel’s, Dame Street (formerly Le Cirk) with a variety of bands and performers. It starts at 20:00, follow the link for the line up.

The Trinity Bar, nect to the Cetntral Bank on Dame Street, has live music four nights/afternoons every week and admission is free:
Tues – 20:00: Theo Red (Alternative Rock)
Wed – 20:00: Tara Hill (Folk Rock, Celtic and Traditional)
Thurs – 20:00: Pachino Brothers (cover versions, oldies and own material)
Sun – 17:00: Traditional LIve Music

Bad Boy Jake are every Thursday until the end of February in the newly re-opened Rathmines Inn, playing their rock, blues and Americana.

Jaime Nanci & The Blue Boys are playing a weekly gig in the Mercantile Hotel on Thursdays. Their music is swing, blues, bebop and doo wop. Admission is free.

The Max Zaska group and the Patrick Groenland group will perform on alternating Thursdays from 21:00 in the International Bar on 23 Wicklow Street.

“Thirsty Thursday” Open Mic Night from 21:00 in the Bridge Inn in Chapelizod Village.

Every Thursday “Left Right & Centre” play a mix of blues & soul with a bit of rock&roll.

Catfish & The Bottlemen form the UK and Leaders of Men from Ireland will perfrom the weekly “Zebra” slot. Admission is free if you arrive before 22:30.

The Living Room describes itself as a Centre for Silence and Contemplative Arts (and has nothing to do with the pub with the same name!). The Centre is open to all with a contemplative attitude coming from any spiritual tradition or background. There are lots of free events and also other workshops (check the website). The daily free events are taking place Mondays -Fridays
+ 08:00-08:45: Common Early Morning Meditation
+ 13:00-14:00 Lunchtime Guided Meditation (Mon: John Main, Tue: Carmelite Wisdom, Wed: Centering in Love, Thurs: Tibetan Singing Bowls, Fri: Insight Meditation for Beginners)
+ 15:00-15:30: Accompanied Silence (also Mon+Wed+Thurs from 11:00-11:30)

The Dublin Writers’ Festival is taking place again and consists of readings, discussions, debates, workshops, performance and screenings, A good few very interesting events (example: Dan Brown, the author of The Da Vinci Code, will be in Dublin), but the majority of events are not free. There are a few free events though, and I have listed the ones below that are not yet booked out. The full programme can be found at www.dublinwritersfestival.com/programme/programme-2013

Tues 21 May – 13:05: Eurovisions: Drawing Inspiration from the Continent
Thurs 23 May – 21:15: Festival Club with Three Men Talking
Fri 24 May – 11:00: Drawing Children In: Approaches to Programming Literature Events
Fri 24 May – 21:15: Festival Club with Lisa O’Neill
Sat 25 May – 10:30: Graphic Fiction Workshop
Sat 25 May – 12:00: Drop-In Book Clinic
Sat 25 May – 12:00: Writers on Writers: Harry Clifton on Louis MacNeice’s Autumn Journal
Sat 25 May – 12:00: Story Pod Decoration
Sat 25 May – 15:00: A Festival of Reading with Christine Dwyer Hickey & Naomi Alderman
Sun 26 May – 12:00: Writers on Writers with Thomas Keneally

A number of events require pre-booking, so if you se something in that list, check out the event programme to find out the details.

The Ferocious Mingle Marcade (Market and Arcade) place every Thursday, Friday, Saturday and Sunday. On Sunday it is a fancy dress market. It’s a flea-market type permanent market with stalls and “chalets” for traders. The Oscar Verne Café on site and (at least at the weekends) live music adds even more character.

The National Gallery has an extensive programme of free talks, public tours and Art Documentary screenings focusing on highlights of the European and Irish Collection every day of the week. Check their website for details.

Ben Reel will be in Tower Records for an In-Store event to promote his new album.

The Serenade Duo (Michelle LaPorte (flute) & Gerry Saulter (guitar)) will perform in St. Ann’s Church. Admission is free, but donations are welcome.

Dawn Porter will be signing her new book “Paper Aeroplanes” in Eason Dundrum. Admission is free.

The new Flea Friday, a Flea Market in the Dark Hose Inn on Fridays will start from 19 April. You will find clothes, jewellery, cake, records, art, etc at the market. Admission is free.

A free Greek and European Folk Dance class open to all. Contact Katerini Papathanasiou on papath.kat@gmail.com

Need to wind down after a tiring week? Free Sahaja Yoga Meditation (not physical yoga, but “yoga meditation”!) classes every Friday at 19:30 at 4/5 Eustace Street, Temple Bar (next to IFI, ring bell no. 3). This is a srop in class and newcomers are welcome.

Cornucopia Café & Restaurant host live music three evenings a week (Thurs, Fri and Sat). The restaurant is a Wholefood & Vegetarian Restaurant and is open until 22:15.
+ Every second Thursday N.C Lawlor, a songwriter, session player and troubadour plays a mix of country, bluegrass & blues from 19:30-21:30.
+ Every Friday (19:30-21:30) Junshi Murakami plays Irish Harp.
+ Every Saturday (19:30-21:30) Nollaig Mann plays a collection of popular and jazz classics.

“Dublin Tribal Spirit” is a weekly event that gives you the great experience of a drumming circle with african drums and authentic tribal rhythms. Tom and Sinead, who run that event are providing lots of drums for it and teach you the rhythms.

There is no formal admission charge for this event, but donations are expected. The organisers bring their own 20-30 drums to it every week, so they are looking for donations to keep the event going.

The Addison Lodge are inviting local bands, musicians, poets, comedians and performers to share their talents at the new Addison Lodge Open Mic Nights in Glasnevin (opposite the Botanic Gardens). The event takes place every week. Admission is free.

The Stillorgan Orchard provides regular live music. The upcoming gigs are detailed on the website below.