The Dublin Sidewalk Astronomers meet at the Martello Tower car park in Sandymount for a public star-gazing. Members bring along their telescopes and share the wonders of the night-sky with you. Admission is free.

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.

Elastic Sleep will perform in the Midnight Hour Slot in Whelan’s. Admission is free if you arrive before 22:30.

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.

“Sculpture in Context” is a brilliant idea and concept: It is Ireland’s largest outdoor sculpture exhibition were beautiful sculptures from talented artists are perfectly integrated in the amazing Botanic Garden.

“The gardens are not only a botanical haven, and a quiet oasis on the outskirts of a modern European City; they also provide a challenging venue that gives the artist the rare opportunity of realising large-scale work. The sculptures will be displayed throughout the gardens, ponds, Great Palm House, and Curvilinear Range, with the smaller works exhibited in the gallery above the Visitor Centre. On Saturdays throughout the exhibition, you will have a rare opportunity to join the artists for a guided tour throughout the exhibition. “

Admission is free. This year’s exhibition will run until 18 October.

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.

Another job, career, graduates exhibition! There will be about 80 exhibitors, Career Workshops, Career Clinic, a Tech Box. Admission is free.

The International Dragon Boat Regatta takes place this weekend on Sat and Sun. You can watch the – quite brief – races, but be prepared that there is NO other activities on Grand Canal Square. Last year I went there, expecting some festival atmosphere on land while the Dragon Boats compete in the water, but there was nothing else but Dragon Boats racing on the water. That was also interesting to watch, but not what I had expected. So, enjoy the race, but be aware what will await you.

Six teams compete against each other and teams can consist of 17 – 20 people; 16 paddlers, 1 drummer and up to 3 reserves. Teams are from Ireland, Dubay, Italy, UK.

The Garden Squares Day is a celebration of architecture and landscapes of the city’s squares by the Dublin Civic Trust. A range of events take place on St. Stephen’s Green, Merrion Square, Fitzwilliam Square, Mountjoy Square, Parnell Square and Iveagh Gardens.

The events are guided tours in houses or in the park, Opera in the Park, Art, Music, Lawn Bowling and Croquet, Chess Exhibition, Swing Dancing, etc. have a look at the full programme at www.dublincivictrust.ie/_webgears/_filescontent/1378122528.pdf if you want to download it and some further information on the website below.

On a vacant site where a few years ago still social housing was standing, the voluntary arts collective, Upstart, has created a big urban Pop-up Park, called Granby Park. The park opened on Thursday and will be there until 22 Sept. During this time a whole range of events will take place in the park and nearly all of them will be free.

Granby Park will be open Mon-Fri from 08:00-19:00 and Sat&Sun from 10:00-19:00 and you are invited to visit it. Food & Drink will be sold on site, but alcohol is not permitted.

I strongly recommend that you check it out and I will also tell you about the upcoming events in the next few weeks.

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.

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.

Discover the beautiful restored Victorian Walled Kitchen Garden and learn about growing your own fruit and vegetables, herbs and lots more. Meet OPW professional gardeners Brian and Meeda at the Victorian Walled Kitchen Garden. They have lots of advice to plan your perfect garden for the Winter months ahead. Please bring suitable footwear. Admission is free and car parking is available.

The Victorian Walled Kitchen Garden is located next to the Phoenix Park Visitor Centre, and the Phoenix Café. The OPW professional gardeners are on site on the second Saturday of the month, (February to November).

“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

The Alliance Francaise is inviting to an Open Day, giving you the opportunity to meet the staff and to learn about the courses and events for 2014. Get a free level assessment, try out various sample classes, check out the book stand and find out about the various activities, experiment with some face painting, then relax with a complimentary coffee and croissant in La Cocotte.
Toddlers, children, teens, parents and grandparents: whatever your age, there will be something for you. Admission is free and includes a complimentary croissant and coffee.

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.

As part of Eason’s Get Into Reading campaign, there will be a reading of a specially selected children’s book at 11:00 each Saturday in every Eason store in the country. The schedule of Story Time books, covering mid-June through mid-September, is on the website below.

And children attending the in-store kids’ book readings throughout the summer will receive their own Story Time Reward Card and they will get a special Story Time sticker on their card for each reading they attend. Children who collect three stickers will receive a free copy of Tyrannosaurus Drip by Julia Donaldson. For more information check the website below too.

The 17th SARI Soccerfest takes place this weekend. SARI stands for Sports against Racism Ireland and the purpose of the Soccerfest is to create bridges and to remove boundaries. Approx. 46 teams will take place and up to 4000 spectators have been seen in previous years. The events take place on Sat and Sun and in addition to the football, there is also family entertainment. In Phoenix Park the event takes place on the Garda & Camogie Sports Grounds near the Zoo, just off Chesterfield Avenue.

Participation is not free, but watching the tournament and taking part in the other entertainment activities is free.

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.

This September, the 4th Underground Cinema Film Festival will take place in Dun Laoghaire from 12-15 Sept. The venues are the Pavilion Theatre, The Royal Marine Hotel and the Dun Laoghaire Club. Over 100 films from adventurous independent filmmakers will be screened and in addition there are workshops, the Underground Cinema Expo and an evening entertainment programme with BBQ and music.

Film Festivals are usually not free and the same applies to the Underground Film Festival. However, all the workshops at the festival are free and the Expo is free too and for that reason I am happy to mention this festival and recommend that you check free AND non free events. The festival programme can be found at www.undergroundcinema-filmfestival.com or if you prefer to download a PDF, get it here. The free workshops are listed on Paged 20+21.

A brief overview of the workshops is here:
Sat (14:00): Demystifying Section 481 with John Phelan
Sun (11:00): Makeup Workshop with Debs Leonard
Sun (14:00): Film Making On The Fly with Noel Brady

Places for the workshops are limited and you need to book to get your free space. Check the website for all information and also the other events.

This will be the fourth year for “Yoga in the Park” and I think it is a brilliant initiative for a very worthy cause. From May until September, Fiona from www.twopalmsyoga.com and her team of teachers invite to an hour of Yoga in Phoenix Park every Saturday. No booking is required and you decide how much you give, the class is donation based.

All proceeds go to the Dublin Simon Community, a charity that does invaluable work for the homeless people in Dublin. Just bring a mat or a towel, some water and (hopefully) even some sun protection to the class. Should the weather be bad, the bandstand will be shelter or even training location. The training is suitable for all levels, so even total beginners are very welcome.

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.

An Art and Craft Market will take place in the Exchange Dublin and 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. Dux & Co will offer food and the Grand Social’s Bar and Gourmet Coffee options are available.

The Dublin Harvest Festival, organised by the Dublin Community Growers, is an event with Workshops (Bee Keeping, Apple Pressing), Children’s’ Activities (Face Painting, Story Telling, Flower Pot Painting), Demonstrations and Live Music (R3Winder & Prairie Dogs). The purpose of the event is to entertain, to educate and to demonstrate the benefits of organic food.

Dublin Community Growers is a voluntary non-profit group dedicated to helping people set up community gardens around Dublin City and anyone who is interested in community gardening can join.

Only three more weekends! If you haven’t been there, don’t wait any longer!

The current Science Gallery exhibition “ILLUSION: Nothing is as it seems” will run from 12 July-29 Sept and is really interesting. Admission is free.

The exhibition is all about Illusions and it is a “perception-shattering insight into the human mind, playfully combining the techniques used by magicians and explored by psychologists.”

More than 20 installations will deceive your eyes (and ears) and will show you that what we perceive is often radically different from the reality. You will find impressive and amazing things, but nothing will be boring! The exhibition is suitable for all ages, so bring your children or – if you don’t have any – just bring yourself.

I have seen nearly every Science Gallery exhibition and I would say this is definitely one of the best.

ILLUSION was curated by psychologist, author and magician Richard Wiseman, and was researched by deception artist Paul Gleeson and a large group of mediators are available in the gallery to explain all the things that you see (or hear) to you.

Have a look at the website below to see an outline on what is on show. I strongly recommend that you see the show and tell me afterwards what you thought about it: dublineventguide@gmail.com (During the week (Tues-Fri) the exhibition is open until 20:00 and from 12:00 and on Sat+Sun; 12:00-18:00).

The next Ink Slingers Creative Writing Hour will take place on Sat. Two weeks ago it pointed out that the event is free. That reference is not in the text anymore this time. I only stress that because before the summer there was some unrest over some charges that were brought in and people felt they weren’t sufficiently forewarned.

The hour includes writing exercises and prompts to get ideas flowing. It is open to everyone and is suitable for all levels of experience

“Augrim Street: Older than it seems” is the next Let’s Walk & Talk event.
The area around Aughrim Street, the North Circular Road and Grangegorman may seem to be no older than the 18th century however this tour will uncover its historical connections which go back to Viking times and even to the Celts.

As part of the Dublin Gardens Squares Day there will be a 1-hour Opera performance in Mountjoy Square at 12:00 and in Merrion Square at 15:00. Admission is free and no booking required.

Unfortunately, though, the Dublin City Arts office, forgot to tell us what Opera will be performed, Maybe thinking along those lines: “Ahh, these pesky citizens should apprecaite that we give them any kind of Opera. Who cares which one it is! They won’t get it anyway!”???? …or maybe they just forgot to ask or tell the performers? :-O

After daily Archive at Lunchtime events in July and August, the schedule goes back to events on Saturdays, Mondays and Wednesdays. In addition the programme will change more frequently, and if the IFI keep changing the website address, the links below might not always be correct. In that case, just go to www.ifi.ie and search for “Archive at Lunchtime”

Saturdays: www.ifi.ie/film/archive-at-lunchtime-double-bill-free-event/
Monday: www.ifi.ie/film/archive-at-lunchtime-programme-1-free-event/
Wednesday: www.ifi.ie/film/archive-at-lunchtime-programme-2-free-event/

Community Ambassador Tiedong Yang will introduce the collections in Mandarin. Family-friendly activities will also be available in Mandarin. Admission is free and no booking required

The Dublin Swing Dancing Scene is meeting at the Bandstand in St. Stephen’s Green and will dance, picnic and enjoy Swing music. If you enjoy Swing dancing, come to the bandstand and have a chat with the people there. They run lots of events and you might find something that interests you. If you just want to watch the dancing, that’s cool too.

An afternoon dedicated to showcasing the very finest talents from Ireland’s folk and traditional music scene, including performances by local acts, and jigs and reels by children from O’Dea-Kenny School of Irish Dancing.

The full line-up hasn’t been announced yet, check back on the website below.

On Saturdays for the duration of the Sculpture in Context exhibition, you will have the opportunity to join the artists for a guided tour through the exhibition.

A Louis MacNeice Commemoration will take place on Saturday in the Creative Space of the Bleeding Horse Pub. Frederick Louis MacNeice (1907-1963) was an Irish poet and playwright and Cine Cafe Founder and MC Howard Linnane commemorates MacNeice in the month of the 50th anniversary of his death with a Poetry Reading. Howard has also written a short theatrical piece “From Freddie to Louis” exploring several episodes in MacNiece’s life, but I am not sure if there will be time enough for this.

Pilgrim Blues will perform live and admission is 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.

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

Brasserie 7 is a bright and spacious bar/restaurant on Capel Street, which now functions as a Jazz club every Saturday night. There will be piano jazz from 18:00 on their Grand piano, followed by a vocal jazz trio from 21:30. On Sat the Clare Wallace Duo will perform with Clare Wallace (Vocals) and Bryan Mullen (Piano). Admission is free.

Richard Farrell & The Last Tribe will perform in the “Midnight Hour” slot. Admission is free if you arrive before 22:30

“Sculpture in Context” is a brilliant idea and concept: It is Ireland’s largest outdoor sculpture exhibition were beautiful sculptures from talented artists are perfectly integrated in the amazing Botanic Garden.

“The gardens are not only a botanical haven, and a quiet oasis on the outskirts of a modern European City; they also provide a challenging venue that gives the artist the rare opportunity of realising large-scale work. The sculptures will be displayed throughout the gardens, ponds, Great Palm House, and Curvilinear Range, with the smaller works exhibited in the gallery above the Visitor Centre. On Saturdays throughout the exhibition, you will have a rare opportunity to join the artists for a guided tour throughout the exhibition. “

Admission is free. This year’s exhibition will run until 18 October.

The International Dragon Boat Regatta takes place this weekend on Sat and Sun. You can watch the – quite brief – races, but be prepared that there is NO other activities on Grand Canal Square. Last year I went there, expecting some festival atmosphere on land while the Dragon Boats compete in the water, but there was nothing else but Dragon Boats racing on the water. That was also interesting to watch, but not what I had expected. So, enjoy the race, but be aware what will await you.

Six teams compete against each other and teams can consist of 17 – 20 people; 16 paddlers, 1 drummer and up to 3 reserves. Teams are from Ireland, Dubay, Italy, UK.

The Farmleigh House Foor Market with a wide selection of foods to eat and take home with you are available.

From 14:00-16:00 there will be music on the bandstand, but the name of the band/performers has not yet been announced.

On a vacant site where a few years ago still social housing was standing, the voluntary arts collective, Upstart, has created a big urban Pop-up Park, called Granby Park. The park opened on Thursday and will be there until 22 Sept. During this time a whole range of events will take place in the park and nearly all of them will be free.

Granby Park will be open Mon-Fri from 08:00-19:00 and Sat&Sun from 10:00-19:00 and you are invited to visit it. Food & Drink will be sold on site, but alcohol is not permitted.

I strongly recommend that you check it out and I will also tell you about the upcoming events in the next few weeks.

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

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 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:
15 Sept: Animals in the Phoenix Park Zoo
22 Sept: Autumn in the Walled Garden
29 Sept: Cycling in the Park
06 Oct: Deer in Phoenix Park

This is a little further away from Dublin, but some of you might be interested nevertheless.

A guided hike in the Wicklow Mountains National Park will take place on Sunday. The event is organised by the Irish Wildlife Trust and is free (EUR 4 charge for using the carpark). The hike is 9km long (approx 4 hrs) and you need to wear good walking shoes and bring all-weather gear. You might also want to bring some food. Participants must be over 18 yrs)

Places are limited and booking is required via dublinbranch@iwt.ie

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.

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.

There seem to be TWO weekly markets on Long Mile Road and both are very close to each other. One is behind Wigoders on Long Mile Road (across the road from Aldi). It hosts more than 50 stalls and there is also a Cafe on site. www.facebook.com/WigodersLongmileMarket And the other one is just on the other side of the road, next to Aldi. www.facebook.com/TheLongMileRdMarket

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 17th SARI Soccerfest takes place this weekend. SARI stands for Sports against Racism Ireland and the purpose of the Soccerfest is to create bridges and to remove boundaries. Approx. 46 teams will take place and up to 4000 spectators have been seen in previous years. The events take place on Sat and Sun and in addition to the football, there is also family entertainment. In Phoenix Park the event takes place on the Garda & Camogie Sports Grounds near the Zoo, just off Chesterfield Avenue.

Participation is not free, but watching the tournament and taking part in the other entertainment activities is free.

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.

This September, the 4th Underground Cinema Film Festival will take place in Dun Laoghaire from 12-15 Sept. The venues are the Pavilion Theatre, The Royal Marine Hotel and the Dun Laoghaire Club. Over 100 films from adventurous independent filmmakers will be screened and in addition there are workshops, the Underground Cinema Expo and an evening entertainment programme with BBQ and music.

Film Festivals are usually not free and the same applies to the Underground Film Festival. However, all the workshops at the festival are free and the Expo is free too and for that reason I am happy to mention this festival and recommend that you check free AND non free events. The festival programme can be found at www.undergroundcinema-filmfestival.com or if you prefer to download a PDF, get it here. The free workshops are listed on Paged 20+21.

A brief overview of the workshops is here:
Sat (14:00): Demystifying Section 481 with John Phelan
Sun (11:00): Makeup Workshop with Debs Leonard
Sun (14:00): Film Making On The Fly with Noel Brady

Places for the workshops are limited and you need to book to get your free space. Check the website for all information and also the other events.

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.

FlightFest is a fly-over of 30 aircraft, old and new, small and very large (Airbus A380). The planes and helicopters will fly along the Liffey from the East Link Toll Bridge to Liberty Hall and everybody is invited to watch the fly-over. The running order is here www.flightfest.ie/latest-news/detail/running-order-for-aircraft-at-flightfest-now-available

The event is organised by the Irish Aviation Authority for the Gathering and there is therefore a high probability that it will be a once-off, never to be repeated event.

The fly-over will start at 14:00 and will continue until 17:00. Three hours for 30 aircraft means that approx. every 4 minutes a fly-by will take place. The quays on the North side and the South side of the Liffey between Customs House and Dublin Port will be closed for traffic and there will be family attractions, stalls and festivities.

The planes will fly at a height of below 250 metres (800ft), which is just a little bit higher than the 207 m high Poolbeg chimneys. So you have the best possible opportunity to see these planes really close. It is expected that up to 100,000 people will come to the event. Unfortunately, though, the weather forecast is not great. Windy with 77% cloud cover and periods of rain is not the best condition for such an event. Let’s hope for a good weather surprise.

Apart from the Sammuel Beckett Bridge, all traffic bridges will remain open for cars. The Sean O’Casey Bridge (Pedestrian Bridge at CHQ) will be closed. You are allowed to cross the other bridges, but you are not allowed to watch the fly-over standing on a bridge. The quays will be closed for traffic from 06:00-19:00, so if you need to drive somewhere avoid the area!

The fly-over will start at 14:00, but the festivities will already start at 12:00.

Only three more weekends! If you haven’t been there, don’t wait any longer!

The current Science Gallery exhibition “ILLUSION: Nothing is as it seems” will run from 12 July-29 Sept and is really interesting. Admission is free.

The exhibition is all about Illusions and it is a “perception-shattering insight into the human mind, playfully combining the techniques used by magicians and explored by psychologists.”

More than 20 installations will deceive your eyes (and ears) and will show you that what we perceive is often radically different from the reality. You will find impressive and amazing things, but nothing will be boring! The exhibition is suitable for all ages, so bring your children or – if you don’t have any – just bring yourself.

I have seen nearly every Science Gallery exhibition and I would say this is definitely one of the best.

ILLUSION was curated by psychologist, author and magician Richard Wiseman, and was researched by deception artist Paul Gleeson and a large group of mediators are available in the gallery to explain all the things that you see (or hear) to you.

Have a look at the website below to see an outline on what is on show. I strongly recommend that you see the show and tell me afterwards what you thought about it: dublineventguide@gmail.com (During the week (Tues-Fri) the exhibition is open until 20:00 and from 12:00 and on Sat+Sun; 12:00-18:00).

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. 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 “Concert 3” covering the 27 Mozart & Beethoven Sonatas For Piano & Violin (with Brian MacNamara (Piano) and Keith Pascoe (Violin).

Dun Laoghaire Rathdown is creating a Carnival for all families. In front of Cabinteely House a free family fun day will take place, featuring circus performers, activities and a chance for you to learn some circus skills.

Jack Wise will show off his Ventriloquist, Pickpocket, breathtaking Sword Swallowing skills and he will also perform some amazing magic tricks. There will also be a spectacular trapeze and acrobatic show by Barron Carrousel and Jugglers and Marcel the Mime Artist.In the Circus Skills School, adults and children can try their hand at Juggling, Unicycling, Poi Spinning, Plate Spinning and Stilt Walking. And there are also Inflatable Bouncy Castles, Slides and Obstacle Courses.

The dlr Sports Department will run a Soccer Skills schools, a snag Golf Area and some throwing games with Frisbees and beanbag accuracy test.

The Co Co Markets will be open during the event, offering a selection of food and drinks for sale.

All activities are free but parking is very limited at the park so you should walk or use public transport where possible. Dublin Bus services the area with bus numbers 45, 63, 84 and 145.

Wikipedia explains: A lindy exchange is a gathering of lindy hop (a form of jazz dance and part of the swing dance family) dancers in one city for several days to experience the dance venues and styles of that local community and to dance with visitors and locals.

The Dublin Lindy Exchange invites to an interesting event in Phoenix Park:

The Great American Tea Party will be an afternoon of Swing dancing with the Long John Jump Band providing the music for it. 10 minute interval classes of Charleston, Jive, and Swing will take place and you can watch 100 dancers demonstrate their skills.There will be performances from ‘The Vaudeville Vamps’ from Galway and you can admire cars and motor bikes from Dublin’s Vintage Cars and Harley Davidson clubs. A food market, Carnival Booths, Candy Floss, Popcorn, Roller Skates, and everything ’50s are the other attractions.

Admission is free and everybody is welcome, even if you are not a Swing Dancer. The event takes place on the closed off area of Chesterfield Avenue in Phoenix Park between the Mountjoy and Phoenix roundabouts.

An Intercultural Tour in Arabic with Community Ambassador Karma el Shawa will introduce the collections in the Chester Beatty Library. Admission is free and no booking required

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!

Macnas events are usually quite surreal, but at the same time often charming and definitely interesting.

Maybe this one is more of the surreal type? “Wild beasts follow an ethereal alchemist, accompanied by a curious insect on a penny farthing. As they meander their way through the city they create striking vignettes that will entice, excite and feed your curiosity.”

It is a rare Fringe Fest event because it is free and you can expect that the demand will be according. There will be two shows, one at 14:00 and the other at 17:00 and the duration is 45 minutes.

Tickets can only be obtained in person or by phone from the Fringe Fest box office (Opening Hours: Mon-Sat 10:00-18:00, Sun 12:00-18:00). The Box Office is in Filmbase, Curved Street, Temple Bar, Dublin 2 and the phone number is 1850 374 643

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

Explore some of the artefacts from the Museum’s collection of objects for handling with Museum educators – a fascinating drop-in handling session for all ages. Admission is free and no booking required. Suitable for all ages.

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.

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

Three different guitar acts, including bluegrass and “The Aqualights” will perform all evening in the Beerhouse in Capel Street. Admission is free.

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). In brief: Val Normal, The Wood Burning Savages, Serena Pryne & The Mandevilles, Those Creeps and Garret Baker & The Random Nouns.

The “Me, Sunday Best” Club presents Sutil, a funk band from Spain and Blue Tack & The Geen Horns, a 6-piece Funk/Soul Band. Admission is free.

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.

The Gardiner Street Gospel Choir is back for its weekly gig in God’s gaff!

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 up-to-date songs with a Gospel-y message during the mass and everybody is welcome independent from your level of religiousness.

The Clockwork Orchestra makes unusual, interesting & entertaining music with vintage synthesizers, organs, drum machines & vocals and at the live shows, a drummer & bass player are thrown into the mix.

On Sunday Discotekken will feature the Clockwork Orchestra (Live) and support comes from Louis Scully. Admission is free.
www.clockworkorchestra.com

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). In brief: Marita Connolly, The Ourz, Carol Faherty, Remedy. Ding Dong O’Reilly, Mandervilles.

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 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.

After daily Archive at Lunchtime events in July and August, the schedule goes back to events on Saturdays, Mondays and Wednesdays. In addition the programme will change more frequently, and if the IFI keep changing the website address, the links below might not always be correct. In that case, just go to www.ifi.ie and search for “Archive at Lunchtime”

Saturdays: www.ifi.ie/film/archive-at-lunchtime-double-bill-free-event/
Monday: www.ifi.ie/film/archive-at-lunchtime-programme-1-free-event/
Wednesday: www.ifi.ie/film/archive-at-lunchtime-programme-2-free-event/

Not necessarily the talk you expect in the cultural institute of a country, but the talk is by Italian consultant Dr. Antonio Terranova, so that’s the link:

This lecture is about the importance of breast screening and the effectiveness of radiology diagnostic testing in cancer prevention. Dr. Antonio Terranova is a Consultant Breast Radiologist at the Galway Clinic. Testimonial by Adele Clarke, President of the Association “Onda Nuova”, on behalf of the Italian Movement “Dragon Boat Donne in Rosa”. Introductory speech by S.E. Maurizio Zanini, Ambassador of Italy to Ireland. Admission is free.

The Ranelagh Arts Festival takes place from 16-29 September and there are plenty of free events taking place. have a look at the website below to see the full programme.

A Capoeira Workshop with Robson Jamaica takes place. Admission is free.

Song Cycle is a weekly Singer/Songriter showcase. The line-up is not always easily findable on the Whelan’s website, but admission is always free.

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.

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.

A new Monday night event is taking place in Whelan’s “The Monday Midnight Club” will present a Breakthrough Band at 23:00, The Midnight Act at 12:00 and Funk/Rock/Soul DJs at 01:00. Admission is free and the line-up for the next few weeks is:

09 Sept: The Viking Project / Pet Fox / DJ Meow Cat + Guests
16 Sept: White Trash and The Spear Headed Sparrow Hawks / Half Past Dead (Folk Show) / DJ Meow Cat + Guests
23 Sept: Color//Sound / Marcus Karcus and The Street Wise / DJ Meow Cat
30 Sept: Cold Comfort / Those Creeps / DJ Meow Cat+ Guests

Sometimes I wonder if these band names are real, if they are one or two or more bands and if they are full of typos that I just copy. But if I have never heard of a band before, I just have to go with the information the organiser provides.

The Monday Midnight Club in Whelans’s is featuring White Trash & The Spear Headed Sparraw Hawks (or maybe Sparrow?) and it seems that another band called “Half Pass Dead” will also perform.

“These Are a Few of My Favourite Things” is the title of a Walking Tour that Emily Gallagher will on Tuesday now as well. 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

The Inherit Ballyfermot Festival runs from Tues 17 Sept until Sat 21 Sept and celebrates the re-opening of Ballyfermot Library and it showcases the wealth of heritage, of imagination, of character and spirit of people living in the Ballyfermot, Cherry Orchard and Chapelizod communities.

The Festival is a Celebration and Exploration of the theme of Inheritance and what that means today in peoples lives.

The festival programme includes Puppet Making, Food Made Easy Course, Bookmark Design, Ballyfermot History Talks, Film screening, Crochet, Creative Writing Workshop, Indoor Gardening and more and the festival flyer that includes the schedule, can be found here www.activelink.ie/node/13680

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 American College Dublin celebrates its 20st birthday next week and invites all alumni to come to the celebration. If you have studied there or if you know somebody who studied at the American College, check out www.amcd.ie/news/acd-celebrates-20-years-excellence

The Ranelagh Arts Festival takes place from 16-29 September and there are plenty of free events taking place. have a look at the website below to see the full programme.

Ben Prevo & friends play saucy Blues & soul every Tuesday

The Plateau Sessions is an open mic night that features some special guest acts from all over Ireland. This week there will be Yellowbridge, The Black Captain and Michael Evans plus more.

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

Exchange Words, a new scriptwriting (film and theatre) group is starting up again. It is a safe space where writers, artists and actors can come together to collaborate, create and have fun. The workshop is free and open to all.

More detail is here

The weekly “Grand Folk Club” will feature Trad, Ballads, Americana, Folk, World Music & More. This Tuesday, the line-up is: Lynched (Urban Folk / Ballads). Admission is free.

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

A walk to Farmleigh House covering its history with Joyce Dillon.

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.

After daily Archive at Lunchtime events in July and August, the schedule goes back to events on Saturdays, Mondays and Wednesdays. In addition the programme will change more frequently, and if the IFI keep changing the website address, the links below might not always be correct. In that case, just go to www.ifi.ie and search for “Archive at Lunchtime”

Saturdays: www.ifi.ie/film/archive-at-lunchtime-double-bill-free-event/
Monday: www.ifi.ie/film/archive-at-lunchtime-programme-1-free-event/
Wednesday: www.ifi.ie/film/archive-at-lunchtime-programme-2-free-event/

“Jeannie Johnston – Famine Ship of a different kind” with Laura Moore is the Lunchtime Talk on Wednesday. Admission is free.

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.

On Wednesday, the first day after the Dail’s summer break, a “Jobs & Fairness, Not Cuts & Austerity” Protest will take place in Kildare Street. Find out more information on the website below.

The Ranelagh Arts Festival takes place from 16-29 September and there are plenty of free events taking place. have a look at the website below to see the full programme.

Refresh Dublin is an event that promotes design, technology, usability and standards and provides a cross-discipline insight into all things design, interactive, creative and technical, so that different disciplines can learn from each other.

This month’s talk is “Video & Motion Graphics in Digital Design” with Owen Derby (Creative Director at iQ Content).

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

The Public Lecture “A Moving Landscape of Wildlife Natural Histories – Uncommon Glimpses for survival, adaptive resilience and biomedical discovery” with Dr. Stephen O’Brien will take place. His lecture will highlight why it is important to conserve species and describe what state-of-the-art genetics can teach us about our environment and also ourselves. He will also outline how studies of wild cats can help us advance our understanding of deadly human diseases such as AIDS and SARS.

Admission is free, but booking is required here

The lecture “Costa Brava for Birds” with John Fox is an illustrated talk looking at the geese, ducks and wading birds that make Dublin’s coast their winter home. Admission is free. The event is organised by the Tolka branch of Birdwatch Ireland. Doors open at 19:30.

Kevin Healy will launch his EP and special guest Adela Meally and also Burning Boy will perform as well. Admission is free.

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.

Could somebody please let me know if this event is still taking place or if it has finished?

“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).

Every Thursday, free tours of Grangegorman Military Cemetery on Blackhorse Avenue take place. Meet inside the Cemetery Gates. Admission is free and everybody is welcome.

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.

It is THAT time of the year again! :-O Yes, Oktober is coming closer and closer and traditionally the Oktoberfest in Dublin takes place in September. This year from 19 Sept – 06 Oct. It is a German Beer Festival with Erdinger Weissbräu Beer, lots of German Bavarian Food (I love the Schweinshaxen!) and awful ;-) (but typical and authentic) Bavarian music.

Opening hours are Sun-Wed 12:00-23:00 and Thurs-Sat: 12:00-00:30.

The Festival Tent is on the platform in George’s Dock and there are severe admission restrictions (quantity of people). With already huge but still growing popularity of the Oktoberfest, this means there will be long queues already from around 17:30. You can get beer and some food next to the CHQ building as well, so you don’t have to queue to get into the tent, but if that is what you want, you might need to pre-book.

Admission is free, but after 22:00 an somewhat strange wristband system kicks in whereby you have to buy a wristband for EUR 6 that gives you a EUR 5 food voucher. Allegedly licensing rules force them to do that.

The Irish Academic Press invites you to a reception to celebrate the launch of “Locked Out – A Century of Irish Working-Class Life” edited by David Covery. Guest Speaker will be Diarmaid Ferriter. There will be music by “The Punky Reggae Sound System”. Admission is free and all are welcome, but you have to register your attendance via colin.eustace@iap.ie

The Ranelagh Arts Festival takes place from 16-29 September and there are plenty of free events taking place. have a look at the website below to see the full programme.

Doubleday Ireland invites you to a launch to celebrate the publication of “The Convictions of John Delahunt” by Andrew Hughes, Andrew started the novel while attending a historical fiction workshop at the Irish Writers’ Centre led by the author John Givens, and is delighted to be launching it back where it all began.

“These Are a Few of My Favourite Things” is the title of a Walking Tour that Emily Gallagher will run next Thursday. 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

The Alzheimer Society of Ireland are inviting to an Information Evening on Thursday with Dr. Frank Marmion, GP, Samantha Taylor, Information Manager, The Alzheimer Society of Ireland and Denise Monahan, family carer.

If you want to more about Alzheimer’s or Dementia, come to this free event.

During European Mobility Week cycling activist Joachim Hochstein will talk about the specific challenges of mobility within the economic metropolis Frankfurt on the river Main. Hochstein is the director of a specific cycling office of the city of Frankfurt as well as the vice chairman of the regional association Hessen of the Allgemeiner Deutscher Fahrradclub (ADFC, “General German Bicycle Club”). For more than twenty years he has been engaged in bringing the people to cycle more often and, importantly, safer.

The key objective in Hochstein’s talk will be to stress the central challenges of mobility in Frankfurt, which lie in an interaction of all the participants for the development of a sustainable urban mobility culture. The bike, he states, will make a significant contribution to that.

Admission is free.

You wonder what else is happening in Dublin during European Mobility Week? It seems that DublinCity is duly ignoring this EU-wide event: I wasn’t able to find a single event organised by DublinCity. Maybe they just keep it as a secret? :-/

During European Mobility Week cycling activist Joachim Hochstein will talk about the specific challenges of mobility within the economic metropolis Frankfurt on the river Main. Hochstein is the director of a specific cycling office of the city of Frankfurt as well as the vice chairman of the regional association Hessen of the Allgemeiner Deutscher Fahrradclub (ADFC, “General German Bicycle Club”). For more than twenty years he has been engaged in bringing the people to cycle more often and, importantly, safer.

The key objective in Hochstein’s talk will be to stress the central challenges of mobility in Frankfurt, which lie in an interaction of all the participants for the development of a sustainable urban mobility culture. The bike, he states, will make a significant contribution to that.

Admission is free.

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.

John Wadham (1936-2003) was a Jazz Drummer, Teacher, Broadcaster & authority in jazz recordings. He lived and worked in Dublin for over 40 years and was the drumming legend of his time. He died in September 10 years ago and is still very much missed by the people that performed with him and heard his drumming.

An Anniversary Concert will therefore take at the venue were his performances were legendary, in JJ Smyths in Aungier Street. The nights’ performance will feature many stalwarts from the Irish Jazz Scene that performed, toured and recorded with him over his career as well as many of John’s close friends such as:

Dave Fleming, Jim Doherty, Richie Buckley, Ronan Guilfoyle, Tommy Halferty ,Conor Guilfoyle, Neil McMahon Hugh Buckley, Honor Heffernan, Bob Whelan, Myles Drennan, Mike Nielsen, Shane O’Donavan, Kevin Brady, Dave Redmond, Phil Ware and many many more……

Admission to this rare Jazz Concert is free and if you are interested in Jazz and especially the history of Jazz in Ireland, you have to be there.

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

WOB!, Dublin’s live electronica/drum n’ bass trio will be hosting monthly parties that involve DJs, Musicians, MCs, VJs and more. Each event will see new artists improvising with WOB! on stage and the next event on 19 Sept will feature Live Electronica acts (Remedy [Rap/Dubstep], Activities [Electronica]) and Live Drum&Bass improv session (Siobhan Kavanagh [Vocals], Macaxeira Acioli [Percussion], Paul O’Hare [Effects], Stephen Kerr [Keyboards], Djollie [Drums]).

Admission is free and WOB! events will take place once a month (usually on the 1st Thursday of every month).

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

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.

Every Thursday a free Trad Session takes place in McNeills and often there are high profile Trad musicians performing. Until the end of August, that Thursday Session is part of the Steeple Sessions programme (www.steeplesessions.com )

Dearly Beloved & Hassle Merchants are performing live in the Zebra Club. Admission is free if you arrive before 22:30.

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.

Dublin PARK(ing) Day is taking place on Friday at almost 30 locations around the city, from Arbour Hill to Raheny and right through the City Centre.

PARK(ing) Day is a yearly event for reclaiming public space. For a single day, on-street metered car parking spaces around the city will be transformed into imaginative public spaces instead of being just a parking space. The idea started in San Francisco a few years ago and has spread to over 180 cities.

Artists, designers, urban, environmental and public health activists will create unique installations around the city that will each make a statement in favour of more people-friendly streets.

Mayor Oisin Quinn will launch Dublin PARK(ing) Day at the Dublin Cycling Campaign Installation on Molesworth Street at 13:30 on Friday. The locations and themes of the different parking spaces are not announced yet, but you will find it on the website below closer to the date. Until then you can look at a selection of pictures from the 2012 Parking Day to get an idea what people did: www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZCJldZf4ga0

As part of Culture Night 2013, BlueFire is hosting an Intercultural Festival from 12:00-22:00 on Wolfe Tone Square. It brings together the fantastic array of arts from all the different communities residing in Ireland and following on from the day events at Wolfe Tone Square will be a range of gigs and events in Sweeney’s Bar until late.

The outdoor event will have

Markets, Children’s Activities, Circus Workshops, Yoga Workshops, Food, Dance, Music, Djembe Drumming Workshop and a Buskers Corner (Line up on the Facebook Page below).

All information and more details about the night event in Sweeney’s Bar are on the Faceboo Page below.

It is THAT time of the year again! :-O Yes, Oktober is coming closer and closer and traditionally the Oktoberfest in Dublin takes place in September. This year from 19 Sept – 06 Oct. It is a German Beer Festival with Erdinger Weissbräu Beer, lots of German Bavarian Food (I love the Schweinshaxen!) and awful ;-) (but typical and authentic) Bavarian music.

Opening hours are Sun-Wed 12:00-23:00 and Thurs-Sat: 12:00-00:30.

The Festival Tent is on the platform in George’s Dock and there are severe admission restrictions (quantity of people). With already huge but still growing popularity of the Oktoberfest, this means there will be long queues already from around 17:30. You can get beer and some food next to the CHQ building as well, so you don’t have to queue to get into the tent, but if that is what you want, you might need to pre-book.

Admission is free, but after 22:00 an somewhat strange wristband system kicks in whereby you have to buy a wristband for EUR 6 that gives you a EUR 5 food voucher. Allegedly licensing rules force them to do that.

The Culture Night is one of the best events of the year and I really hope you will find the time to take part. I know people who “build” their work assignments avoiding to be away on Culture Night and a friend of mine even travels more than 1300km to be in Dublin for Culture Night.

On Friday Night from 17:00-23:00 museums, galleries and other venues are open late and there will be entertainment all over the city. The central virtual hub of Culture Night has traditionally been in and around Temple Bar (The Temple Bar Cultural Trust is the main organiser), but it is by far not limited to that area. And the best? All tours, concerts and performances are free (even in venues that normally charge for admission). Some require booking, though and for others the queues will be VERY long.

Nearly 200 venues take part and there are concerts, art demonstrations, museum and gallery tours, theatre performances, a Family Culture Trail, dance taster classes and lots more.

I will include a few events here, but they are just a teaser! :-) The full programme includes all events and it wouldn’t make sense if I copied all that.

The full downloadable programme is here www.culturenight.ie/wp-content/uploads/culture-night-2013-programme.pdf and there is also an iPhone app and there will be an Android app available in the next few days. Check on the website below for further details. The Culture Night Brochure is available from the Tourist Office in Suffolk Street and from any of the Dublin City Bid kiosks in town.

On Culture Night in Dublin, there will be free transport between the different quarters, organised and run by Dublin Bus. Culture Night visitors will also be able to enjoy a diverse programme on each bus, including spoken word, music and theatre performance.

Take your kids on an imaginative journey of discovery and join the special Family Culture Trail, an initiative comprised of 12 separate organisations, which will present fascinating objects of discovery from The Stokes Tapestry to The Great Auk. Each intriguing object will be surrounded by a range activities and specially staged events on Culture Night.

“Gutenberg and the Printing Press”. Love books and wonder where they came from? Find the inventor of the printed word, Johann Gutenberg, at a special printing press in the Museum and discover the traditional craft of letterpress. Together you can roll up your sleeves and print your very own poster.

These interactive activities are suitable for all the family including printing demonstrations, music, arts and crafts at the Education Area and mini workshops for adults and children.

The RTÉ Concert Orchestra will perform in Meeting House Square. The special flagship concert will feature popular classics as well as a performance of a specially commissioned piece which has been composed in celebration of Culture Night by contemporary Irish composer Stephen Gardener. The fanfare and entire concert will be broadcast live from the outdoor venue on RTÉ 1’s Arena.

The Dublin School of Flamenco at the Liffey Trust Studios invites you to a taste of flamenco and find that it’s not just about dance steps, you will learn about rhythm and clapping too. Everyone is welcome to join and admission is free.
From 17:45-18:30 a Taster class for Children & Families will take place and later from 20:45-21:30 a Taster class for Adults will tempt you. www.culturenight.ie/venue/dublin-school-of-flamenco/

Flamenco on the LUAS: Between 18:45 and 20:00, the LUAS Red Line will become the Flamenco Express. Students from the Dublin School of Flamenco take you through a rhythmical journey. Hop on and clap – hop off and catch them dancing at The Point and Smithfield stops. All details and the full schedule is here: www.culturenight.ie/venue/flamenco-on-the-move/

The Ranelagh Arts Festival takes place from 16-29 September and there are plenty of free events taking place. have a look at the website below to see the full programme.

The book launch of “Memories of Life in Dublin’s notorious Tenements” by Terry Fagan and the North Inner City Folklore Project will take place. Admission is free.

D-Riculous All Stars are performing in the “Live from the Window” slot at 19:00 and admission is 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.

“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.