Event Guide for free Events in Greater Dublin

Bloomsday is around the corner again. The James Joyce inspired day that causes major palpitations for Joyce fans and doesn’t move the rest in the slightest. The festival runs from Monday 11 June – Saturday 16 June with the main Bloomsday on Saturday 16 June.

There are plenty of events happening during the week, but nearly all of them are not free, some even quite pricey. Maybe that is an indication about the affluence of the audience that is Bloomsday mad?

Luckily there is one glorious exception! The James Joyce Museum in the James Joyce Tower in Sandycove will have a whole range events that are all free of charge.

After a whole week of events, the final day and main day will look like this:

The Tower opens at 08:00 for a day of Bloomsday festivities. Actor Bryan Murray reads excerpts from Ulysses at intervals over the morning and early afternoon, with occasional performances by Caitriona Ni Threaisaigh and Mary Pat Moloney and traditional contributions by Joycean pilgrims and the visiting public throughout the day.

Admission is free.

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.

Bike Week 2018 will take place from Sat 09 – Sun 17 June. There will be Bike Tours, Bike Maintenance Clinics, a Street Velodrome event, a Bike Fest and a Cycling Photo Exhibition.

A lot of events are listed separately in this Dublin Event Guide, but to find out about the free Bike Maintenance Clinics, please check the website at www.bikeweek.ie/events

The “Everyday Cycling Photo Exhibition”, a collection current and historical images depicting the role of the bicycle in everyday and sometimes strange, situations, will be on show from 09-29 June in the offices of Dublin City Council on Wood Quay from Monday to Friday (09:00-17:00). Admission is free.

All Bike Week events are free.

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.

A whole range of Parkruns take place every week:
+ Malahide Park, Dublin Road, Malahide, Co. Dublin
+ Cabinteely Park, Old Bray Road, Cabinteely, Dublin 18
+ Shanganagh Park, Shankill, Co. Dublin
+ Marlay Park, Grange Road, Rathfarnham, Dublin, Co. Dublin
+ St. Anne’s Park, Raheny, Dublin 5
+ Father Collins Park, Donaghmeade/Clongriffin, Dublin 13
+ Tymon Park, Tallaght, Dublin 24
+ Bushy Park, Terenure, Dublin 6
+ Corcagh Park, Clondalkin, Dublin 22
+ Tolka Valley Park, Finglas South, Dublin 11
+ Porterstown Park, Castleknock, Dublin 15
+ Bricksfield Park, Crumlin Road, Dublin 12

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 Green Door Market is a new indoor food/Farmer’s Market that takes place just a few doors down from the Dublin Food Co-op at Newmarket in Dublin 8. Admission is free.

Opening hours are Thu-Fri 12:00-19:00 and Sat 09:30-16:00.

The Belgard Weekend Market is an indoor market with stalls with handcraft (incl. designer jewellery, aran jumpers and wool, christening robes and shawls, cards and cross stitch), household items, bric and brac, furniture, flowers, make-up, clothes, shoes, showers, upholstery, toys, kitchens, cafe, army memorabilia, collectors items, sweets, handbags books, blinds, party shop, tools and more.

It is open every Saturday and Sunday and is located in the Glen Abbey complex (opposite Jacobs) on Belgard Road.

Smithfield Plaza is the venue of the Street Velodrome on Saturday and for that reason a Dublin Cycling Village will also be set up there. Expect information about cycling and stalls with bike accessories.

Admission is free.

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 County Council Market (CoCo) in Marlay Park is taking place every Saturday and Sunday. You will find a wide range of products. There will be food to eat there and food to cook at home but also crafts and arts and books and lots more.

Solarfest 2018 will take place in Dunsink Observatory from Friday until Sunday. The tickets for the Family Afternoon on Sunday are long gone, but it seems that there are still some tickets for the talks on Saturday. Admission is free but booking is required.

The list of talks on Saturday is here

10:30 Registration
11:00 Ronan Newman ‘Clouds at the Edge of Space: An insight to their History, Formation & link to Solar Minimum’
11:45 Shane Maloney (TCD) – ESA Solar Orbiter
12:30 Ciara Maguire (TCD) and Oisin Creaner (DIAS) – I-LOFAR
13:15 Live Classical Music by Sarah Joyce / Observatory Tour / Bring Your Own Picnic
14:30 US Solar Eclipse Report: Michael O’Connell (IFAS)
Phd Session:
15:10 Sam Green (DIAS)
15:30 Maria Moutzouri (DIAS)
15:50 Samuel McKeague (DCU)
16:10 Camille Stock (DIAS)
16:30 Q&A Session – All Speakers
16:45 Conference Close with Poetry Reading by Sarah Joyce
17:00 onwards: Informal get together – pizza (EUR 10 pp)

More information is on this page and that’s also where you book.

Street Velodrome is a pop-up cycling track that will give you an opportunity to try cycling like a professional cyclist. All equipment (bikes and helmet) will be provided and Pro Riders coaches will explain everything to you before you get racing.

The last day of the pop-up Street Velodrome will be
+ Sat 16 June: Smithield Plaza – Viking Pro Series for Pro/Elit Riders. Register here.

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.

The Terenure Bushy Park Market is taking place every weekk. The market has more than 30 stalls, offering a whole variety of foods and crafts.

Admission is free.

Dublin City Hall has a museum/exhibition in the basement, called “The Story of the Capital”, it is an exhibition that you should definitely check out at some stage.

To celebrate the Easter Rising Anniversary, admission to that exhibititon was free in 2016, but lucky for us, Dublin City decided to also waive the admission charge for 2018.

Opening hours are Monday-Saturday 10:00-17:15.

Áras an Uachtaráin is the residence of the President of Ireland in the middle of Phoenix Park. It started as a modest brick house for the Phoenix Park Chief Ranger in 1751, was then turned into th ‘occasional residence’ for the Lords-Lieutenant and gradually evolved into a huge mansion. After Ireland gained independence it was turned after 1937 into the residence of the Irish president.

Every Saturday a number of public tours take place and admission is free. Tickets will be issued at the Phoenix Park Visitor Centre on the day, on a first come, first served basis. Group and/or advance booking is not possible.

The tours will be at 10:15, 11:30, 12:45, 14:00 and 15:15 and take approx. 1 hour.

The Smithfield Plaza Festival “Hotter Than July” and the Big Bang Festival of Rhythm are inviting to a series of Workshops leading up to a performance at “Hotter Than July” on Sunday 29 July.

Learn African Dance & Dabke Dance with Catherine Young at a series of Saturday workshops in Dance House. The workshops will take place from 10:30 – 13:00 and will be on Saturdays 16 June, 23 June, 07 July, 14 July and 21 July. A dress rehearsal is on 28 July and the performance on Sunday 29 July.

Admission is free, but you have to attend at least 5 out of 6 rehearsals.

Find all details on this poster.

The Drumcondra Village Market is now the “Art, Bites, Crafts Drumcondra Market”. And as you guessed it, it is an arts and crafts fair in the centre of Drumcondra. :-) There will also be some food and music.

The market is open on Saturday and Sunday from 10:30-15:30.

Admission is free.

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.

“The Secret Life of Bats” with Bat Conservation Ireland is a Drop-in Activity in the Discovery Zone. During this hands-on session, discover the different species that live in Ireland and their night-time behaviours.

Admission is free. No booking required but there may be a short waiting time. Suitable for all ages.

The National Gallery has an extensive programme of free talks, public tours and Art Documentary screenings every day of the week. Currently there is at least one free tour every day. Check their website for details. Some special events will be listed separately.

Admission to the gallery and to most events is free.

The Eatyard is a court yard with food stalls next to the Bernard Shaw Pub that is open every Thursday to Sunday (12:00-15:00+17:00-22:00).

This weekend a “Crisp Festival” will be the culinary highlight of the Eatyard.

There will be crisp tastings, a discussion about King’s vs Tayto on Saturday at 17:00 and on Sunday at 16:00 a Blind Tasting will happen.

Find a list of all events on the website below. Admission is free.

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. Grand Social’s Bar and Gourmet Coffee options are available.

Chase and Marshall from cartoon “Paw Patrol” will be appearing during Story Time sessions at 12:00, 14:00 and 16:00 and also for an additional Meet & Greet at 13:00 and 15:00. The Story Time has to be booked and places are limited. The Meet & Greet at 13:00 and 15:00 doesn’t require a ticket.

Admission is free, but booking is required for the story telling and you can book via the link on the Facebook page below.

Archive at Lunchtime screenings take place Saturdays (Double Bill), Mondays and Wednesdays. The programme is changing weekly now (instead of monthly as in the past). To find out what film(s) will be screened go to www.ifi.ie/whatson/now-showing-coming-soon/ and look for “Archive at Lunchtime” on the right. Admission is free.

Part of Dun Laoghaire-Rathdown County Council celebration of National Bike Week is BikeFest 2018 in Cabinteely Park.

There will be Bike Tune Ups, Bling UR Bike decorations, Cycling Information, Food and Smoothies made by a pedal powered Smoothie maker. “Cycle Circus” performers and Street Entertainers will alos be present.

The highlight of BikeFest will be a unique cycle stunt show from Ben Savage’s Savage Skills. Savage Skills riders have set Guinness World Records and won World Championships with their unrivalled abilities on two wheels. They will present four shows, on the half hour of 20 minutes duration during the event. Between shows Savage Skills riders will teach visitors safe cycling skills on their custom BMX track.

Admission is free. There is very limited parking in the area around Cabinteely Park so you are encouraged to cycle, walk or use public transport to get to the event.

Every Saturday a free guided tour will take place in the Chester Betty Library. The tour starts at 14:00.

In addition there is another free tour every Wednesday at 13:00 and one on Sundays at 15:00

The Institute of Technology in Tallaght is inviting to a Family Fun Day on Saturday afternoon. There will be tech projects from lego robotics to inflatable obstacle courses & tech workshops.

If you wonder what else and where it will all happen, I unfortunately have to tell you that the IT Tallaght is not at all helpful. MAYBE you will be told after you register, but you can’t be too certain. Considering that the IT Tallaght is teaching Marketing and Advertising courses, I would have expected a MUCH better effort, :-O

Admission is free, but booking is required via the link here.

“Summer Sun Discs” is the title of a Drop-in Activity for families in the National Museum in Kildare Street.

“In Early Bronze Age Ireland, people made beautiful gold discs to look like the sun. Drop in to find out more about these precious objects and make your own shining sun disc.”

Admission is free. No booking required. Located in the Kildare Room, Ground Floor.

“A Magnet for Artists: Luggala & Garech Browne” is a talk by writer Robert O’Byrne, in conjunction with the ‘Face to Face’ exhibition.

Admission is free, but places are limited. Book via farmleighevents@opw.ie

“Bloomsday at the NLI” will be an afternoon of Words and Muisc for Bloomsday. Professor Barry McCrea and singer Simon Morgan present a selection of Joycean songs in English, Irish, and Italian, with some short explanations on the meaning of these songs in Joyce’s works.

Admission is free but booking is required via this link.

On Bloomsday, an afternoon of songs, readings and performances from Ulysses is one of only a handful of free (and/or not yet booked out events).

“Featuring a chaotic cast of noted Irish actors, politicians, musicians, pundits, procrastinators and everyone in between, this is a wonderful opportunity to celebrate the book amongst seasoned Joycean veterans and Bloomsday beginners alike.”

Peter Murphy (writer, spoken-word performer and actor) will lead the following group of contributors:

Poets Elaine Feeney, Andrej Kapor and Lena Chen, Writer Christine Dwyer Hickey, Poet Jessica Traynor, Senator David Norris, James Joyce lookalike John Shevlin, Actor Stephen Quinn, Writer Alan McMonagle, Writer & Playwright Gerry Stembridge, Playwright+Poet Dermot Bolger, YA writer Dave Rudden, Writer Paul Murray, Actress Hilda Fay, Actress & Comedian Tara Flynn, Writer June Caldwell, Actress Leah Minto, Actress & Comedian Katherine Lynch.

Admission is free.

With the talk “What have rocks ever done for us?”, Siobhán Power (Geologist with the Geological Survey of Ireland and a member of Earth Science Ireland) will make you look at rocks in a very different light. Learn how dependent we all are on rocks for so many facets of our everyday lives.

Admission is free. Suitable for adults.

John P Brady is launching his book “Back to the Gaff – Scandalous Narratives of Contemporary Ireland” with a wine reception, book reading and lice music.

Admission is free.

Darren Beckett will play a gig in the Harbour Bar.

Admission is free.

Folk Songwriter Joshua Burnside from Northern Ireland will be in Sin E for a gig.

Admission is free.

The Stillorgan Orchard has live music every Friday and Saturday. Many of the performers are established and very good bands. The upcoming gigs are detailed on the website below. Admission is always free.

Rock Tribunal will play a gig in the Porterhouse in Temple Bar.

Admission is free.

In addition to the Saturday Car Boot Sale in Tallaght, Irish Car Boot Sales run a weekly Sunday Car Boot Sales in Ballymun.

Admission for buyers is free.

Bike Week 2018 will take place from Sat 09 – Sun 17 June. There will be Bike Tours, Bike Maintenance Clinics, a Street Velodrome event, a Bike Fest and a Cycling Photo Exhibition.

A lot of events are listed separately in this Dublin Event Guide, but to find out about the free Bike Maintenance Clinics, please check the website at www.bikeweek.ie/events

The “Everyday Cycling Photo Exhibition”, a collection current and historical images depicting the role of the bicycle in everyday and sometimes strange, situations, will be on show from 09-29 June in the offices of Dublin City Council on Wood Quay from Monday to Friday (09:00-17:00). Admission is free.

All Bike Week events are free.

This is a Summer Wellness Event in Clondalkin with Yoga, Somatic Movements, Breathing Practices, Meditation and Relaxation with Catriona Leavey.

Admission is free.

The Belgard Weekend Market is an indoor market with stalls with handcraft (incl. designer jewellery, aran jumpers and wool, christening robes and shawls, cards and cross stitch), household items, bric and brac, furniture, flowers, make-up, clothes, shoes, showers, upholstery, toys, kitchens, cafe, army memorabilia, collectors items, sweets, handbags books, blinds, party shop, tools and more.

It is open every Saturday and Sunday and is located in the Glen Abbey complex (opposite Jacobs) on Belgard Road.

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 Magazine Fort in Phoenix Park was for a long time completely neglected, but it is hugely rich in history. Many have seen it as a barred off concrete fortress in a corner of Phoenix Park and even more don’t even know or have forgotten that it exists. The old Phoenix House, the home of the British Viceroy, was on the site where the fort was built from the early 17th century and then in 1734 the Fort was built and extended in 1801.

In 1916 the Fort was raided by the rebels who expected to find a lot of explosives there, but found the Fort nearly empty. In 1939 the IRA raided the Fort and stole more than a million rounds of ammunition, but most of it was recovered over the following weeks.

Since 1988, the Irish Army doesn’t use the Fort anymore and gave it back to the Office of Public Works (OPW), but not much good has happened to the Fort in the last 30 years (!!) and there were numerous speculations about the reasons for that.

Finally since 2016, guided tours are provided and this year from April until end of October there will be three tours every Sunday at 10:00, 12:00 and 14:00. Only 20 places are available on each tour and if there is a big event in Phoenix Park the tour will be cancelled.

Tickets are available at the Phoenix Park Visitor Centre on a first come, first served basis and can not be pre-booked. A shuttle bus will bring the ticket holders to the Fort.

The County Council Market (CoCo) in Marlay Park is taking place every Saturday and Sunday. You will find a wide range of products. There will be food to eat there and food to cook at home but also crafts and arts and books and lots more.

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.

The Drumcondra Village Market is now the “Art, Bites, Crafts Drumcondra Market”. And as you guessed it, it is an arts and crafts fair in the centre of Drumcondra. :-) There will also be some food and music.

The market is open on Saturday and Sunday from 10:30-15:30.

Admission is free.

The National Botanic Gardens runs “Kids Drop by Activities” on Sundays.

There will be fun activities in the dedicated Children’s Garden. Sow seeds, make seed bombs, design bug hotels and re-use everyday items to create your own piece of eco art. Suitable from age 4. All children must bring their own grown up.

The event times are: 11:00, 11:30, 15:00, 15:30

Admission is free.

A weekly market with lots of food, but also many other products (art & crafts, books, etc) takes place every Sunday in the beautiful People’s Park in Dun Laoghaire. It is a very popular market and with around 50 vendors also one of the bigger markets.

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 National Gallery has an extensive programme of free talks, public tours and Art Documentary screenings every day of the week. Currently there is at least one free tour every day. Check their website for details. Some special events will be listed separately.

Admission to the gallery and to most events is free.

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.

The Eatyard is a court yard with food stalls next to the Bernard Shaw Pub that is open every Thursday to Sunday (12:00-15:00+17:00-22:00).

This weekend a “Crisp Festival” will be the culinary highlight of the Eatyard.

There will be crisp tastings, a discussion about King’s vs Tayto on Saturday at 17:00 and on Sunday at 16:00 a Blind Tasting will happen.

Find a list of all events on the website below. Admission is free.

Every Sunday, the National Botanic Gardens invite to two guided walks. The first one is at 12:00 and the second one at 14:30.

Admission is free.

The title above is one I invented. It doesn’t fully describe the event, but the official title is “Freedom Machine Bike to the Bikefest!” and that tells you even less unless you understand what is going on.

Freedom Machines were the bikes and the cycle is going from the Sails Sculpture on Clontarf Seafront at Alfie Byrne Road to St. Anne’s Park. So it is a super short cycle, but it is a cycle of a group of women to celebrate the 100th anniversary of the right to vote for women.

On Sunday, however, all genders and all ages are invited to join the women on the cycle to the Bike Fest in St. Anne’s Park, so everybody is welcome.

Admission is free.

The Sundays at Noon Concert Series continues in the Sculpture Gallery at the Hugh Lane Gallery. 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 CONCORDE, the Contemporary Music Ensemble (Jane O’Leary director/piano, Madeleine Staunton flute/alto flute, Paul Roe clarinet/bass clarinet, Elaine Clark violin, Martin Johnson cello, Dermot Dunne accordion)

This Family Tour is specially designed for children and their guardians, parents and carers to make the works on display in the National Gallery fun and engaging for kids.

Admission is free. Meet at the Merrion Square information desk.

Mick Brady with Chris Burke and Vinny Clohisey will perform at the Sunday Songbrunch. There will also be an Open Mic and Closing Jam.

Admission is free.

Cycling Ireland are inviting you to the BikeFest 2018 in Dublin’s St. Anne’s Park on Sunday.

There will be skills courses, coached zones, family cycles and races. Savage Skills Cycle Stunt Team will show their skills, the RSA simulator will allow you to test your driving skolls and there will be food stalls and a picnic zone.

Admission is free.

Bark in the Park is a sponsored Dog Walk for pet charity “Irish Blue Cross”. The walk starts at 15:00, but before the walk free classes and demos already start at 14:00.

The “Dublin Sketchers” is an informal group of (hobby) artists who go somewhere different in Dublin every Sunday (e.g. National Museum, Maritime Museum, Dublin Flea Market, Farmleigh, Botanic Gardens, Dublin Castle, Science Gallery, …), 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 below or on their Facebook Page 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!

Every Sunday a free tour takes place in the Hugh Lane Gallery.

Admission is free and booking is not required, but places are limited, so early arrival is recommended.

This is an Intercultural Tour in Japanese Language with Community Ambassador Hiromi Anzai.

Admission is free. Meeting point is in the atrium of the Library.

The Western “Once Upon a Time in the West” from 1968 will be screened in the Chester Beatty Library. (English, PG, 1968, 164 min)

Admission is free.

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

Every Sunday a free guided tour will take place in the Chester Betty Library. The tour starts at 15:00.

In addition there is another free tour every Wednesday at 13:00 and one on Saturdays at 14:00

The Walk & Talk “Mammals of the Phoenix Park” will take place on Sunday.

“From the fallow deer stocked in the park in the 1600s to the badgers, squirrels, foxes and rabbits. The diversity of mammals so close to a city is will be covered.”

Admission is free. To book ring 01-6770095.

Find details in the Phoenix Park Programme Brochure here.

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.

Sunday Sketching for the whole family takes place every Sunday in the Hugh Lane Gallery and admission is free.

Families are invited to explore and respond together the gallery’s collection and temporary exhibitions through discussion and drawing. Bring your own sketchbook along or use the drawing materials provided.

Admission is free and no booking required, although numbers may be limited. Suited for ages 6+.

Travel around European traditional dancing culture without a ticket at the weekly Bal Folk Dance Sessions.
And if you don’t know how to dance, don’t worry! Workshops are provided and admission is free. Donations are appreciated.
The event takes place every Sunday in the Cobblestone Pub.

The High Leeson is a Bluegrass band that plays every Sunday in the Leeson Longe.

Admission is free, donations are appreciated.

The Dixeland Jazzmen play a weekly gig in Sin E. Admission is free.

At the Jawbone Gig night in Arthur’s Pub, Acoustic Folk & Blues will be performed every Sunday. Admission is free.

www.facebook.com/pages/Jawbone-Dublin-Acoustic-Folk-Blues-Commune/724102984268967

The line-up at Jazz at the Mission Bar is

Darragh Hennessy on organ, Brendan Doherty on drums and Peter Dobai on tenor saxophone

Admission is free.

The Comedy Crunch is a free Stand Up comedy downstairs in Stag’s Head, Dame Lane from 21:00 every week on Sunday, Monday and Tuesday. 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).

Kelly McGrath will be in the Harbour Bar for a gig of Country, Americana and Pop.

Admission is free.

The National Gallery has an extensive programme of free talks, public tours and Art Documentary screenings every day of the week. Currently there is at least one free tour every day. Check their website for details. Some special events will be listed separately.

Admission to the gallery and to most events is free.

Archive at Lunchtime screenings take place Saturdays (Double Bill), Mondays and Wednesdays. The programme is changing weekly now (instead of monthly as in the past). To find out what film(s) will be screened go to www.ifi.ie/whatson/now-showing-coming-soon/ and look for “Archive at Lunchtime” on the right. Admission is free.

If you regularly or occasionally buy books online, you can help the Dublin Event Guide hugely even without having to pay cent directly. In fact you even save money this way:

Buy your books from The Book Depository and get better prices and free (!!) delivery for all orders independent from the volume and when you click on the picture here before you buy, then 5% of what normally The Book Depository would get, they give back to the Dublin Event Guide. Everybody wins!

www.bookdepository.com?a_aid=dubevg

If you prefer Amazon to buy your books (for free postage you need to order a minimum of GBP 25), then use this Amazon link to help the Dublin Event Guide. Thanks!

Song Cycle is a weekly Singer/Songriter showcase in Wheelan’s.

Admission is free.

The Circle Sessions is an “Open Mic” that provides an opportunity for up and coming musicians, spoken word artists, poets and comedians to perform.

Come to this weekly show to perform or to simply watch a great mix of music, poetry, spoken word and comedy.

Admission is free.

Every Monday a Jazz Jam Session will take place in the Grand Social and you are invited to listen or even to participate. Admission is free for musicians and audience.

Instruments are supplied (drums (no cymbals), double bass, guitar amp, bass amp, PA system) and ideas and themes will be proposed prior to the session to the musicians who join the event on Facebook (see Facebook Page below).

Every Monday the Woolshed Bar hosts “The Comedy Shed”, usually with 3 headline acts.

Admission is free.

The Comedy Crunch is a free Stand Up comedy event every Sunday, Monday and Tuesday. 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).

Guitarist Jimmy Smyth will play a gig in the Leeson Lounge with band Organised and guests.

Admission is free.

An Open Trad Music Session is taking place every Monday in Mother Reilly’s. Admission is free.

That’s It Recordings is an open mic every Monday at Sin E. Just turn up and play. Sign up before 22:00 to ensure you get a slot. Bring a USB stick along and you will get a recording of your music to take home.

Admission is free.

The National Gallery has an extensive programme of free talks, public tours and Art Documentary screenings every day of the week. Currently there is at least one free tour every day. Check their website for details. Some special events will be listed separately.

Admission to the gallery and to most events is free.

Martin Hansard will perform songs and read poems from his recently published book “IFIKA YOUIKA: The journey through the eye of a songster”.

Admission is free but booking is required via 01-8734333

Author and historian Michael B. Barry will launch his new book “Málaga. A Souvenir and Guide”. It is a visual guide of the city of Málaga and includes an account of the city’s history and other interesting details for the traveler.

EveryTuesday at 19:00, The Dublin Language Exchange takes place in the Czech Inn. It is the biggest free meeting of people from all around Dublin that are interested in learning languages and communicate with speakers of other languages.

Admission is free and the meetup is completely informal. No booking required.

Rumours have it that the Bluegrass Collective will perform in Sin É on Tuesday and there might even be an open Bluegrass Jam! Admission is free.

Jesters is a weekly open mic comedy event where a lot of comedians do 5 minutes of material.

Admission is free. If you would like to perform then send a message to the Jesters Facebook Page via the link below.

Every Tuesday an informal sing along with Ukulele and Toy Musical Instruments takes place in the Stag’s Head. Just bring your instrument and come along. Beginners are welcome. Admission is free and further details (and a big book of songs) are available on the Facebook Page below.

Ben Prevo will be for his weekly gig in the Bowery. Expect Blues, Funk, Jazz and even Country.

Admission is free.

The Comedy Crunch is a free Stand Up comedy event every Sunday, Monday and Tuesday. 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 Lounge Quintet plays this gig every Tuesday: Jazz Standards, Latin and Bebop. Often guest musicians and singers join them. Admission is free, donations are welcome.

Every Tuesday and Thursday the International Bar invites to a Jazz night in the Lounge.

Groups led by Cote Calmet, Sean Maynard Smith, Dominic Mullan, Paddy Groenland, Georgia Cusack & Alex Mathias are performing regularly with occasional guest players, but there are also other bands from all over.

Admission is free, with a suggested donation of EUR 5. The website clearly says that there is no entry fee, but – and that makes a lot of sense – that your donations are very much appreciated (Musicians need to pay for rent and food too!) Be generous after the gig if you liked it, but if someone wants to charge an admission charge, please point out that the “rules” as described on their website are like I have explained.

Every Tuesday, a pub quiz is taking place in the Woolshed.

Admission is free. Max team size is 6 people.

Did you ever want to give drawing a go? Or maybe you are a budding artist looking for like-minded people to draw with? The Drawing Group for Adults in Rua Red runs free weekly drawing sessions on Wednesdays from 11:00-12:00. Materials are provided.

The National Gallery has an extensive programme of free talks, public tours and Art Documentary screenings every day of the week. Currently there is at least one free tour every day. Check their website for details. Some special events will be listed separately.

Admission to the gallery and to most events is free.

Archive at Lunchtime screenings take place Saturdays (Double Bill), Mondays and Wednesdays. The programme is changing weekly now (instead of monthly as in the past). To find out what film(s) will be screened go to www.ifi.ie/whatson/now-showing-coming-soon/ and look for “Archive at Lunchtime” on the right. Admission is free.

The lunchtime lecture “Tourism in Dublin: a visit to an ever-changing city” will take place on Wednesday.

“What were the top 10 tourist attractions in Dublin in 1891? Where was the trendiest hotel to stay and which was the best pub to get yourself a ‘pint of plain’? Once seen as the ‘second city in the Empire’, how did Dublin market itself after independence?

Historian Maeve Casserly will use guidebooks from the National Library’s collections to show how the tourism industry in Ireland changed between the 1890s and 1960s.

Admission is free.

A free guided tour will take place at the National War Memorial at Islandbridge every Wednesday at 14:00 from March until the end of October.

The tour will focus on World War I, in which nearly 50,000 Irish soldiers died. You will also hear about the main features of the gardens at this tour.

Meeting point is the car park at 14:00 (next to the Trinity College Boat Club). For further information and to check that it is taking place, contact 01-6770095 (Phoenix Park Visitor Centre).

Medical Journalist Ivan Oransky will talk about misdimeanours in scientific publishing and the importance of reporting when papers have been retracted or corrected.

In an age of “publish or perish”, where the pressure to rapidly publish academic research can foster a large volume of poor quality work or even unethical practices, Ivan co-founded Retraction Watch, a tracking service.

Admission is free, but booking is required via the link below.

The Mojo Men’s Shed in Jobstown has an Open Evening & BBQ and all men are invited. Contact Fran on 085 870 0676 or Pat on 085 758 8774 for more information.

The Dwarf Jar House Trio (Daniel Rorke (sax), Cormac O’Brien (bass) and Matthew Jacobson(drums)) will play a weekly Jazz gig every Wednesday in Dwarf Jar Cafe and they usually have one or more guest musicians or singers supporting them.

Admission is free.

Jesters is a weekly open mic comedy event where a lot of comedians do 5 minutes of material.

Admission is free. If you would like to perform then send a message to the Jesters Facebook Page via the link below.

The Roots Band “Brand New Switcharoo” will perform in the Harbour Bar. Admission is free.

The Dublin Jam Session is an open Jam with full back line. It is open to all levels of musicians and singers and all genres of music and the only rule is that you must jam with others (not all your own band).

It takes place every Wednesday and admission is free.

The Wow Wignal Sessions is a weekly gig night in Bagots Hutton. The line up is usually announced just a few days before on the Facebook Page below.

Admission is free.

The Anseo Comedy Club takes place every Wednesday in Anseo (upstairs).

Admission is free, donations are welcome.

“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.

Dance Forro every week at this “Forro Wednesday” in the Woolshed for free.

Los Paradiso are playing Rockabilly, Tex Mex, Western Swing, Surf in the Leeson Lounge. Admission is free, but donations are appreciated.

“Shipwrecked” is the name of the Bowery’s Open Mic on Wednesdays.

Each week there will be an array of music, comedy, spoken word and all things in between.

Admission is free.

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).

Every Thursday a free tour of Grangegorman Military Cemetery on Blackhorse Avenue takes place. Meet inside the cemetery gates.

Admission is free and everybody is welcome. Ring 01-6770095 for more information.

Grangegorman Military Cemetery is in Blackhorse Avenue just outside Phoenix Park. It is the largest military cemetery in Ireland. It was first opened in 1876 to serve as a graveyard for the soldiers of what was then Marlborough Barracks, now McKee Barracks, and their families. Specific zones were laid out for English, Canadian, New Zealand, and Australian service men. The cemetery’s pedestrian gate is open from 10:00-16:00 seven days a week.

The National Gallery has an extensive programme of free talks, public tours and Art Documentary screenings every day of the week. Currently there is at least one free tour every day. Check their website for details. Some special events will be listed separately.

Admission to the gallery and to most events is free.

If you regularly or occasionally buy books online, you can help the Dublin Event Guide hugely even without having to pay cent directly. In fact you even save money this way:

Buy your books from The Book Depository and get better prices and free (!!) delivery for all orders independent from the volume and when you click on the picture here before you buy, then 5% of what normally The Book Depository would get, they give back to the Dublin Event Guide. Everybody wins!

www.bookdepository.com?a_aid=dubevg

If you prefer Amazon to buy your books (for free postage you need to order a minimum of GBP 25), then use this Amazon link to help the Dublin Event Guide. Thanks!

On International Yoga Day the Chester Beatty Library is inviting to a lunchtime session. This drop-in workshop with Mary Dowling is suitable for all levels of strength and flexibility, and will focus on gentle movements, stretching and breathing techniques.

Admission is free. Places limited and will be allocated on a first come – first served basis. Bring your own mat.

The talk “Let’s Connect” will explain the importance of networking in a business and social context presented by Alec Drew (The Business Expert).

Admission is free.

The Temple Bar Craft Market during the week is back and it has moved to Thursdays in 2018. Organised by the Temple Bar Company the market will bring handcrafted jewellery, wood design, handmade soaps, original art, photography, fashion, specialised cards and stained-glass crafts.

The market starts at 14:00 and finishes at 20:00, but is still carrying the totally nonsensical and completely misleading name “Temple Bar NIGHT Market”. I will just ignore this unsuitable and incorrect name and will rename it to “Temple Bar Craft Market”. ;-)

The National Gallery invites to a “Thursday Late” to celebrate the Summer Solstice on Thursday. There will be food, drink, lawn games, circus demonstrations in the Merrion Square courtyard of the National Gallery, the Lords of Strut will perform there comedic contortionist show from 18:00-18:30.

Because the National Gallery website is broken at the time of writing this, I am not sure if the event is free, but if it is, I epxect that you will have to register. Try the link below on Monday or Tuesday to find out more.

“Philosophy, Information & the Brain” is a talk by Dr Rosa Cao (Stanford University), as part of the Neurohumanities Lecture series 2018.

Dr Rosa Cao is interested in issues at the intersection of philosophy of mind, neuroscience, and cognitive science. Can we get a naturalistic theory of representation that works for neuroscience? How should neural computation be understood, and what is the neural code? How does physiology constrain functional architecture, and vice versa?

Admission is free, but registration is required via the link below.

The Spanish Film Club in Pearse Street Library will screen “La lengua de las mariposas” in Spanish with English subtitles.

Find out more about the film via the website below.

Admission is free.

A weekly Jazz Club event with live band is taking place at J.W. Sweetman’s.

Admission is free.

Every Thursday the Little Museum of Dublin waives their admission charges for two guided tours thanks to sponsorship from Guinness. The first tour is at 18:00 and the second tour is at 19:00. Make sure that you are there at least 10 minutes before the start of the tour to get one of the limited places.

The Little Museum of Dublin has a fascinating collection of artefacts from the last 100 years Dublin’s history.

On other days and other times, admission is EUR 10 for adults and admission is by guided tour only.

The newest Science Gallery exhibition will be launched on Thursday. It is called “Life at the Edges” and will look at inhospitable places and desolate environments, at living in extreme conditions and at adventure and pioneering.

I will find out more on Thursday morning so that I can fill you in about the exhibition in next week’s Dublin Event Guide. Alternatively you can come to the Launch Party and find out yourself what the new exhibition is all about.

Admission is free, but booking is required via the link below.

Explore some of the highlights of the National Gallery exhibitons at this evening tour.

Admission is free. Meet at the Merrion Square information desk.

Please note: It is not certain that this Evening Tour is happening. But the National Gallery website was unavailable and I couldn’t check if the Evening Tour is on the schedule. It often is, therefore I am mentioning it here.

“In War and Revolution, the actions of sons of Ballyfermot” is a history talk in Ballyfermot Library by historian Cathy Scuffil.

Admission is free.

An expatriate or expat is a person temporarily or permanently residing in a country other than that of their citizenship.

And this is a weekly meeting for all Expats in Dublin (new and old!). If you are new to the city, this is an excellent way to meet people.

Admission is free (no booking required!), but you are asked to give the same kind of welcoming to new members as is given to you.

The Thursday Night Board Gaming event is running for more than 10 years already and it is a weekly event for all Board Game enthusiasts. But even if you are a Board Game newbie, you are welcome. Just come along! More information can be found here: www.meetup.com/IrishGamesAssociation/

Admission is free.

“Rhythm and Brews Craft Beer Club” is a monthly meet-up and beer review in Sin E. The next event is on Thursday and you will be able to try the beer of the month, talk about it with other beer enthusiasts and listen to live music.

For more info contact: gerard AT mentorpitch.com

UK Blues Rock Band “Willie and the Bandits” will be in Dublin for a gig and they will be supported by the great Irish band “Mongrel State”. This looks like a great gig!

Admission is free.

Lucky Bones will play Rock/Americana at this gig in Bray.

Admission is free.

Every Thursday a Singer Songwriter Night will take place in Mother Reilly’s in Rathmines. This is YOUR chance to show everyone what you can do, alternatively you can just listen to the talented Singer/Songwriters. Admission is free.

A Fun Pub Quiz takes place in Brady’s in Terenure on Thurs. The quiz will be on every Thursday night in the Lounge at Brady’s. Keith McLoughlin is the Quiz Master.

There will be six rounds of the quiz with picture questions, audio questions and general knowledge questions. Admission to the quiz is free and therr will be free drink vouchers for the winning and runner up teams. (No phones to get answers allowed.)

Every Tuesday and Thursday the International Bar invites to a Jazz night in the Lounge.

Groups led by Cote Calmet, Sean Maynard Smith, Dominic Mullan, Paddy Groenland, Georgia Cusack & Alex Mathias are performing regularly with occasional guest players, but there are also other bands from all over.

Admission is free, with a suggested donation of EUR 5. The website clearly says that there is no entry fee, but – and that makes a lot of sense – that your donations are very much appreciated (Musicians need to pay for rent and food too!) Be generous after the gig if you liked it, but if someone wants to charge an admission charge, please point out that the “rules” as described on their website are like I have explained.

A weekly Trad Music Night is taking place in McLoughlin’s in Dun Laoghaire. It is an acoustic night and all musicians are welcome. Admission is free.

Every Thursday a free Trad Session takes place in McNeills and often there are high profile Trad musicians performing.

The Woolshed Karaoke is happening every Thursday from 21:30. Anyone can participate! Admission is free.

The BIMM Music College is organising the Midnight Hour on Thursdays in Whelan’s. The line-up has not yet been announced.

Admission is free.

Dogs Trust Ireland is asking restaurants, hotels, workplaces, public transport and anything in between to allow dogs access their premises on this one day to make Ireland more dog friendly.

And dog owners are encouraged to visit the premises that support “Dog Friendly Ireland Day” together with their dog.

Oddly, though Dogs Trust Ireland missed an important aspect of this day: It is necessary to provide a comprehensive list that mentions all locations across Ireland where dogs are allowed in on that day. It seems that Dogs Trust had the right idea and participating premises could register and would get a Goody Bag with posters, treats and tips. But when they ran out of Goody Bags, they made the mistake to stop registration. Oops! And even the ones that managed to register are not listed on the website. Double Oops!

Dublin City Hall has a museum/exhibition in the basement, called “The Story of the Capital”, it is an exhibition about Dublin’s History and you should definitely check it out at some stage.

To celebrate the Easter Rising Anniversary, admission to that exhibititon was free in 2016, but lucky for us, Dublin City decided to also waive the admission charge for 2018.

Opening hours are Monday-Saturday 10:00-17:15.

Six times this year the “People’s Art 2018″ exhibition will take place. It is an art exhibition on the rails/fence of St. Stephen’s Green.

(If you want to exhibit at one of the events in the future, check the website for cost and conditions.)

Visiting the People’s Art Exhibition is free and you will be able to admire (and buy) a huge amount of great art works from the artists themselves. The event starts close to 11:00 and typically finishes around 17:00, it runs from Friday until Sunday with the main activity on Saturday and Sunday.

People’s Art Dublin is a voluntary, part time, non profit making group, brought together by Dublin City Council to promote the visual arts to the public of Dublin. A huge variety of art/paintings are displayed and if the weather is nice it is a great art-filled stroll around Stephen’s Green. Definitely recommended!

The National Gallery has an extensive programme of free talks, public tours and Art Documentary screenings every day of the week. Currently there is at least one free tour every day. Check their website for details. Some special events will be listed separately.

Admission to the gallery and to most events is free.

Artists, contributors and curators of the newest Science Gallery exhibition “Life at the Edges” will talk about their exhibits and the inspiration behind exhibits and the whole exhibition.

Admission is free, but booking is required via the link below.

Ríona Sally Hartman is the Musician in Residence with Dublin City Council and she invites to a Listening Party on Friday: Choose an album from the Music Library collections, or bring along your own, and then listen with her to the music and discuss what makes them great.

Admission is free, but booking is required via 01-8734333

The Cemetery at Arbour Hill is the last resting place of 14 of the leaders of the 1916 Rising. Among those buried there are Pádraig Pearse, James Connolly and Thomas Clarke. This tour every Friday introduce the Cemetery and will also explain the background and the event of the Easter Rising.

Admission is free and no booking necessary. The meeting point is inside the cemetery gates.

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.

The Stoneybatter Festival (22-24 June) will be launched on Friday and the launch will feature a piper from UN Veterans Association, Stoneybatter Festival Quartet, High Hopes Choir & Brother Kevin Singers, D7 Educate Together and MC is Joe Costello, Chairperson of Stoneybatter Pride of Place.

Admission is free.

The Albert Ross Foundation will play Classic Rock, Rhythm & Blues and Rock n’ Roll in the Bowery.

Admission is free.

Birds Of Olympus will play Neo-psychedelic and Electronic Music at this gig.

Admission is free.

Alternative Rock Band “Empathy” will play a gig in Sin E.

Admission is free.

The Stillorgan Orchard has live music every Friday and Saturday. Many of the performers are established and very good bands. The upcoming gigs are detailed on the website below. Admission is always free.

A “From The Jam” Aftershow will take place in the Grand Social after the “From the Jam” gig in the Academy.

Admission is free.

A night with three Dance DJs from France and Italy is organised by the French Friday team to celebrate the “Fête de la Musique” on Friday.

Admission is free.

The Cosmic Funk Band will play a gig in the Bowery from midnight.

Admission is free before 23:00 and EUR 5 after.