Hi all!

I am just coming back from the first official “Dublin Event Guide Event”. We met up for an “Alternative Valentine’s Day” in Porterhouse and it was great to meet loads of people from the Dublin Event Guide Community. 35 came and I think that was a great number, especially considering that a meeting on this day makes it close to impossible for many people to come – unless they want to get in serious domestic/relationship trouble. Future events/meetings are planned and will be on a more socially acceptable going-out-day. :-) Thanks to everybody who came, it was really nice.
Oh and a little story from my way home: Usually I don’t drink any alcohol at all when I drive, but today I had a pint of Swedish apple cider. On the way home I was stopped by the police (the 6th time in the last 3 months) and was “invited” to an alcohol test!!! This was my fourth alcohol test in the last 3 months! Every time before I did not have any alcohol at all so I was very confident. This time, I was a little apprehensive. Surprisingly the result was ZERO! This doesn’t really make sense, but I didn’t argue too much! :-) Still, the loud and clear message is: Don’t risk it! There are tests everywhere! …and while I am writing this, Padraig is still waiting to be de-clamped. :-(

If you get this Event Guide for a while, you probably know by now, that the only two routes the Event Guide is “promoted” is by you (Word of Mouth) and through Facebook. Thanks for spreading the word!! Maybe someone can help me with this question in my head: More than 300 people have joined the Dublin Event Guide facebook group, but did NOT send a mail to dublineventguide@gmail.com. I thought I made it clear in the group description that you have to do that and all of you who found out about it through facebook and now get the Guide via e-mail did obviously understand that. But why did more than 300 people NOT understand it? Is it my English? ;-) Maybe one of you has an explanation for this phenomenon.

Like every week, I have an Event Guide FULL of ideas for the weekend (and part of next week) for you, so I hope you will find something. One of the big events this weekend and even until 24 Feb is the Dublin International Film Festival. As it is typical for cinema, most of the festival events are not free, but there are plenty of free events provided in the context of the festival and I have them listed in this issue. The website for the festival if you want to find out more is www.dubliniff.com.

And finally, just a public service announcement for you travelling people: Ryanair is completely shutting down their booking system for three days from 22 Feb to 25 Feb. Flights will operate as scheduled during these days, but it will neither be possible to book online nor over the phone. Make sure you consider this.

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______Friday___________________

HUMAN RIGHTS (THEATRE AND DISCUSSION)
The Amnesty International Irish Section Zimbabwe Group invite you to a performance of the play “A Footprint of Roses” by Elaine Desmond. The play is a stark portrayal of the human rights abuses endured by the women of Zimbabwe who continue to campaign for social and economic reform in a country teetering dangerously on the brink of total collapse.
The performance will be followed by a panel discussion on the human rights issues raised in the play. Panellists are: Colm O’Gorman (Executive Director, Amnesty International Irish Section), Kieran Clifford (Campaigns Manager, Amnesty International Irish Section), Selu Mdlalose (Member of Amnesty International Irish Section Zimbabwe Group), Barry Andrews (TD for Dun Laoghaire) and Joe Humphreys (Irish Times journalists based in Pretoria up to January 2008). Karen Coleman (Newstalk and TV3) will chair the discussion.
Admission is free and the event takes place on Fri (15 Feb) at 20:00 in St. Ann’s Parish Centre (Molesworth Lane, off Molesworth Street, Dublin 2)
Donations to Amnesty International Zimbabwe Group welcome.
www.amnesty.ie/live/irish/article.asp?id=16811&page=00

It’s a busy Friday for launches ;-) :

LAB EXHIBITION – SEAMUS NOLAN + NIALL DE BUITLEAR
The LAB in Foley Street is showing “Demesne” by Seamus Nolan from 16 Feb-22 Mar. The preview is on Friday 15 Feb from 18:00-20:00.
The description: “Seamus Nolan’s Demesne is created out of discarded cardboard and considers the distinction between waste and possibility, examining the role of landscape in the process of objectifying a concrete relationship with the external. The work considers the notion of a temporal relationship with place, looking at how the leisure or tourist industry assimilate the transitory experience of living in nature while the actual culture of historically nomadic people is situated outside of a legitimate public experience.” blackletter.ie/site/modules/piCal/index.php?action=View&event_id=0000007783
Separately, the LAB is also showing sculptures and drawings by Niall de Buitléar from 16 Feb-22 Mar and the preview is in parallel with the Seamus Nolan preview on Fri 15 Feb from 18:00-20:00. www.nialldebuitlear.com and
blackletter.ie/site/modules/piCal/index.php?action=View&event_id=0000007771
Opening hours for The LAB are: Mon-Sat 10:00-17:00.

ART INSTALLATION
From 15 Feb-18 Feb “Satellite” is on show on Library Square in Tallaght. “Satellite” is a showcase of work in light-based media by artists from In Context 3 (South Dublin County Council’s Per Cent for Art programme). The artists are Dermot Bolger, Michelle Browne, Cleary & Connolly, Andreas Kopp, Barbara Nealon, Jackie Sumell, Bik van der Pol, Jennifer Walshe. The launch is on 15 Feb from 18:30-20:00 in the Glashaus Hotel on Library Square in Tallaght. The display is certainly free to watch, the launch party is probably free as well, but there is a small chance that it is by invitation only. Unfortunately I don’t have a contact number to find out more.

ART BOOK LAUNCH
“House Projects” was a multi-disciplinary art project composed of seven events taking place in five venues across Ireland, one in New York and one in London between May and September of last year. A new 200 page book features documentation, essays and analysis of the artistic, critical and curatorial concerns of the project, with an overview by critic Declan Long. The launch of the book will take place on Fri 15 Feb from 17:00-18:30 in the Project Arts Centre (39 East Essex Street, Temple Bar, Dublin 2). www.houseprojects.net

CLOSING EXHIBITIONS
This is the last chance to view some exhibitions and especially the Chester Beatty Library exhibition seems to be worth a visit:
“One Hundred Aspects of the Moon” in the Chester Beatty Library is closing on 17 Feb: www.cbl.ie/Exhibitions/Temporary-Exhibitions.aspx
I had mentioned this exhibition before and suggest you look at the website to find out more.
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The Willard Wigan exhibition “In the Eye of a Needle” in the Oisin Gallery is closing on 16 Feb: www.oisingallery.com. The Gallery is in 44 Westland Row, D2 (near Pearse DART Station at the rear of Trinity College). Opening hours are Monday – Friday 09:00-17:30 and Sat 10:00-17:30.
I only found out about this exhibition now and it sounds amazing, so let me tell you a bit more: “Micro Sculptor Willard Wigan is the only artist in the world creating what can only be described as ‘micro art’. These tiny sculptures are smaller than the full stop at the end of this sentence – invisible to the naked eye – and are on display under high-powered microscopes. Artist Wigan uses tiny surgical blades or fragments of diamonds to carve his microscopic figures out of rice, grains of sand, and sugar, which are then displayed on items such as pinheads, the tip of an eyelash or within the eye of a regular sewing needle. One of the exhibits, entitled Zeta the Fairy, is made of wings from an actual fly, and rests on top of a pinhead.”
Had I known before about it, I would definitely have visited the Oisin Gallery. Unfortunately I can’t this weekend, but if you have a bit of time, spend it in the Oisin Gallery…maybe before you go to the Science Gallery, which is very close!

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______Saturday_________________

GRAVITATION 2008
For two days, on Sat and Sun (16 Feb+17 Feb) the Monkstown Pool & Fitness Centre will be home to boards, bikes, blades and beats for Gravitation 2008. Every day from 12:00-16:00 skateboarders and BMXers will show their skills to hip hop beats. Some of the city’s skateboarders and BMXers will perform and MC for the day will be Andy Critchlow.
Gravitation 2008, hosted by DLR Events, is an initiative by Dún Laoghaire Rathdown County Council and will feature demonstrations by experts over the 2 days at the new state of the art Skate Park just opened in Monkstown Pool and Fitness Centre. The skate park will be FREE to the public to test their skills and experts will be on hand to provide tips throughout the event. The aim of the event is to embrace the wide selection of alternative sports and urban culture in Ireland and provide a platform to showcase boards, bikes, blades and beats at their best.
To get to the pool get on a bus to Dun Laoghaire (I hear a song coming on! Bagatelle anybody??) and leave in Monkstown Village. Alternatively drive through Blackrock and take a turn on the Rock Road/Temple Hill to Monkstown. Once in Monkstown Village you should see the chess-figure like protestant church and the catholic chuch nearby. Go/drive up the street leaving the protestant church on the left and the catholic church on the right until you reach a roundabout. Take the 3rd exit (i.e. turn right) and after another 100m you will see the Monkstown Pool to your left. www.monkstownpool.com

PROPERTY EXHIBITION
The Sunday Business Property Expo is trying to help you expanding your property portfolio from Fri-Sun (15 Feb-17Feb). It is one of Ireland’s largest overseas property event and is aimed at the growing property investor, landlord, developer and speculator market. The exhibition is taking place in the Main Hall in the RDS in Ballsbridge and you can find more information here www.propertyexpo.ie.
Opening hours are on Fri 12:00-19:00 and Sat+Sun 11:00-18:00. Admission is free and all seminars are free as well.
Oh, and extra for parents with children: Ireland’s best face painting and balloon making team www.marvellousfaces.com will be there and provide their services for free.

SCIENCE GALLERY
I wrote about the new Science Gallery twice and managed to go there last Saturday. It was the last day of the “Lightwave” exhibition and the crowd QUEUING up to get in was huge. I waited more than half an hour to get in, but it was worth it. The Gallery is a lot smaller than I thought, but the exhibition is really interesting if you have an interest for light. The response was soo great that the Science Gallery decided to extend the show time for “Lightwave”. Last week they had a lot of talks and workshops as well and they couldn’t get extended or repeated, but the exhibition will be on show until 01 March. The opening hours are 17:00-21:00 (it has to be dark outside for the light objects to have the desired effect!) from Tues-Sun.
The Science Gallery is only a 7 minute walk from Grafton Street (at the Pearse Street/Westmoreland Street side of the Trinity College campus) and if you only want a quick peak, you won’t need more than 20-30 minutes, but I suggest to make your way there before the 01 March. Admission is free.
www.sciencegallery.com

DUBLIN ON SCREEN – FILM FESTIVAL LIBRARY EVENTS
The Jameson Dublin International Film Festival is starting this weekend and will run until the 24 Feb. In association with the Dublin Library Services the Film Festival will celebrate Dublin’s Cinemas. A series of twelve talks will take place across the festival dates in libraries across the city. Starting in Pearse Street Library on 16 Feb at 14:30, these events will explore the history of cinema-going in Dublin, identify the local cinemas in these areas, the film programmes, premieres and guests, the architecture of such buildings and the memories, past and present these venues provoke. A line-up of film writers, historians, filmmakers and critics will participate in this city-wide celebration.
If you are a cinema fan/expert and you live in Dublin, you have to go to one of these events. The full schedule is here www.dubliniff.com/event_live.php?id=5

FREE FILM SCREENINGS
To celebrate the vital role which Dublin has played on screen, the Dublin International Film Festival is presenting 6 programmes of films and non-fiction material shot on the streets of Dublin since 1897. Many Dubliners will remember the shooting of such classic Dublin films as Quackser Fortune Has A Cousin in the Bronx and The First Great Train Robbery.
The screenings are all outdoor screenings (Dress warmly! It still gets freezing cold when sitting outside for a while.) and are a great idea for the Dublin International Film Festival to get closer to the people in Dublin.
The screenings are:
– Lumiere Brothers Footage from 1897, Sat 16 Feb at 18:00-18:30 in O’Connell Street
– Quakser Fortune has a Cousin in the Bronx, Mon 18 Feb at 13:00,15:00,17:00,19:00+21:00 in Gravediggers Pub, Glasnevin, D9
– Docklands Documentaries, Tues 19 Feb at 12:30-18:30 in CHQ, Docklands, D1
– The First Great Train Robbery, Wed 20 Feb at 16:40 at Main Foyer, Heuston Station
– The Spy Who Came in from the Cold, Sat 23 Feb at14:00+16:30 at Smithfield Market, D1
– Educating Rita on Thurs 21Feb at 17:30+19:45 at Trinity College Dublin
All the listed screenings are free. www.dubliniff.com/screening_live.php

KITESURFING & SANDYACHTING
You have never heard of either one of these sports? Or you have heard about it but never really saw the masters ;-) at it? You have a great opportunity this weekend! The Irish Powerkite and Sandyacht Association is conducting a round of their National Championships on Sat+Sun (16-17 Feb). In addition they provide an opportunity to join in and learn about Kite Buggy racing, Kite Landboarding and Sandyachting. The event will take place at Bettystown Beach and will start at 11:00 on Saturday and finish at 17:00 on Sunday. See: www.ipksa.info Bettystown is a seaside town in Co. Meath, just a little south of Drogheda. So strictly speaking this is beyond the boundaries of the Greater Dublin Area which is the area for the Dublin Event Guide. But since it is such a unique event, I decided to list it this week.

EXHIBITION – CONSTRUCTED DOCUMENTS
The DIT School of Media is presenting Constructed Documents, an exhibition of final year photography students. The show is a preview to DIT graduate exhibition season and will showcase the work of four undergraduate students and emerging artists.
The show has been curated around the act of construction. The artists have built their images from a number of different elements. Solving and presenting equations of signs; coded and intriguing. The resulting documents yield evidence. Information that conveys the artist’s inner thoughts and questions the contemporary experience.
The artists are Jane McGarrigle, Daniel Graham, Niamh Grimes and Daniel Holfeld.
The exhibition will only run from 12 Feb-17 Feb, so you have to hurry to see it! It will take place in the Temple Bar Cultural Information Centre in 12 East Essex Street,
Temple Bar, Dublin 2 (Opposite Photographic Archive). Opening hours are Mon-Fri: 09:00-17:30 / Sat: 10:00-17:30 / Sun: 12:00-15:00.

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______Sunday __________________

SUNDAY AT NOON – CLASSICAL MUSIC
Still continuing is the Hugh Lane Gallery’s Sunday at Noon. Interestingly many readers of this Event Guide told me that they regularly intend to go to it, but never made it. Dear Readers, if you want to go, go soon! The Sunday at Noon will not be on forever AND you are missing out EVERY week.
This week the Sunday at Noon concert in the Hugh Lane Gallery (Parnell Square North) is featuring William Butt (cello) and Archie Chen (piano) and they are playing Bach, Beethoven and Schumann. The concert starts at 12:00 and lasts one hour.

GARDINER STREET GOSPEL CHOIR
Every Sunday evening the Gardiner Street Gospel Choir sings during the Gospel Mass in St. Francis Xavier Church in Gardiner Street (near the junction with Dorset Street) from 19:30-20:30. Everybody is welcome and while it is a mass, you don’t have to be catholic or religious to enjoy the singing. This week, as a special treat, the Archdiocese of Boston Black Catholic Choir will sing with the Gardiner Street Gospel Choir and will do a mini-concert after the mass. Admission is free and I expect it will be a great event. By the way, I am involved with the Gardiner Street Gospel Choir, so I am slightly biased: They are brilliant! ;-)

INTERNATIONAL FILM CRITICISM
As part of the Dublin International Film Festival, a panel of distinguished film critics, journalists and commentators will discuss the current state of criticism, film journalism and the intersection of traditional film writing and blogging.
The panellists are Todd McCarthy (Chief Film Critic, Variety), Jason Solomons (Film Writer, The Observer),  Ciaran Carty (Arts Editor, The Sunday Tribune), Ted Sheehy (Film Correspondent), Michael Dwyer (Film Correspondent, The Irish Times).
If you are interested in attending this event please e-mail events@dubliniff.com stating International Criticism in the subject line. This is a free event and tickets will be issued on a first come first serve basis. The event takes place on Sun 17 Feb at 16:00 and the venue is to be confirmed.

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______Next Week_______________

MEDCINS SANS FRONTIER – INFORMATION EVENING
Medical humanitarian aid agency, Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) will hold an Information Evening in Dublin on Tuesday 19 February. Returned MSF aid workers will share their experience of providing independent medical relief on the ground with MSF. The Information Evening is also an opportunity to find out how you can get involved with MSF and ask questions about MSF’s approach to humanitarian relief. MSF is the leading non-governmental organisation for emergency medical aid. The 1999 Nobel Peace Prize-winning agency provides independent medical relief to victims of war, disasters and epidemics in 60 countries around the world, treating those who need it most, regardless of ethnic origin, religion or political affiliation.
The event will take place in the Carmichael Centre (North Brunswick St, Smithfield, Dublin 7) on Tues 19 Feb at 19:30. (www.msf.ie)

SCREEN CENSORSHIP – WORKSHOP
A promising talk/event is “From Stopsign to Signpost: The Story of Screen Censorhip in Ireland”, an event which is part of the Dublin International Film Festival. Film Censor, John Kelleher, illustrates – with movie clips, stills and posters – how his Office has changed from its original remit as moral guardian of the nation to its present role as provider of a consumer service for parents and the public. This event will be followed by a ‘censorship’ screening where you join John and his team in classifying an upcoming film. The Irish Film Festival will distribute tickets for this unique event through a lottery, if you are interested in attending this event, please send an email request to events@dubliniff.com quoting Censorship Screening in the subject line by February 15. Successful applicants will be contacted by February 17th.
The event will take place on Wed 20 Feb at 11:00 (morning!) in the Irish Film Censor’s Office, 16 Harcourt Terrace, Dublin 2.

CINEMA AND FAITH – DISCUSSION
Sli Eile, the Jesuit Youth Organisation, is running monthly debates or “pub-conversations”. The sessions are informal, interactive debates on contemporary faith and justice issues and everybody is welcome. This month’s topic is “Cinema: the new Mysticism” with guest speaker Richard Leonard, a lecturer in cinema and theology at Melbourne University and a Jesuit. His recent book, “Movies that Matter: reading film through the lens of faith”, will be launched by Peter Sheridan on Wednesday 20 February at the Uí Chadhain Theatre in the Arts Building, Trinity College, at 19:30.
On Tuesday 19 Feb, he will be a guest on the Ryan Tubridy show, which starts at 09:00 on RTÉ Radio 1.
The Sli Eile debate will be on Tues 19 Feb at 19:30 in Room 1 of the Trinity Suite in the Gresham Hotel (23 Upper O’Connell Street, D1). Admission is free. For more details you can contact Fernando Galligo at 086-1021490 or the Slí Eile office (01-8880606).

SPANISH FILM SCREENING – CARNE TRÈMULA
The Instituto Cervantes (Spanish Cultural Institute) will show the Pedro Almodovar film “Carne Trémula” on Wed 20 Feb at 18:30. The film screening is free and the film will be shown in Spanish with English subtitles. dublin.cervantes.es/FichasCultura/Ficha47012_16_2.htm
The Instituto Cervantes has its offices in Lincoln House on Lincoln Place (back of TCD, between Kildare Street and Westmoreland Street).

TALENTS FROM SPAIN – VIDEOART
The Instituto Cervantes is inviting to a discussion with two Spanish artists. On the occasion of the exhibition “Everything I loved formed part of you (Todo cuanto amé formaba parte de ti)”, the young Spanish artists, Cova Macías and Carlos T. Mori, will present and introduce their works on Thur 21 Feb at 18:30. Chairman is Paul O’Brien.
dublin.cervantes.es/FichasCultura/Ficha47357_16_2.htm
This exhibition will be on show from the 22 Feb – 28 March and comprises of video art works from 27 Spanish artists.
dublin.cervantes.es/FichasCultura/Ficha47015_16_2.htm
Opening hours are Mon, Tues, Thur: 12:00-20:00, Wed, Fri: 12:00-17:00.
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It seems that every week there are LOTS of exhibitions and launches etc. but the number of musical events that I include is usually very low. This has three reasons a) regular free events I only list every few weeks instead of every week, b) Unfortunately many organisers of musical events do not subscribe to the “Free is Good” idea and c) Quite a number of events might or might not be free but the organisers have chosen not to specify either. I can’t check all events and find out if and why the organiser was so visitor-unfriendly and was seemingly afraid to mention a price. So if I can’t find a clear “FREE” label, I have to assume that the organiser wants to trick people into coming before they admit to a price. All these events I have to leave out.
If you play/sing in a band or if you know of a band that has free concerts/gigs, please let me (and the 700 people in the Dublin Event Guide Community) know about it!

Enjoy the weekend!

–Joerg

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Disclaimer: This Event Guide (the “Dublin Event Guide (for Free Events)”) is an Event Guide with a difference. It covers mostly free events based on the thinking that free events deserve additional support and that ticketed events have a better chance to pay for advertisement. The Guide is a _guide_ and not just a listing and is sent to friends, colleagues and whoever else is interested.
If you have feedback – good or bad – PLEASE tell me. If you want to be added to the mailing list or know somebody who would like to receive this guide, just send a mail to dublineventguide@gmail.com. If you don’t want to receive this mail anymore, send a mail to the same address, telling me to remove you from the distribution list.
BTW: I am not paid or otherwise rewarded for compiling and distributing this Event Guide it is purely a hobby. Donations are welcome. ;-)
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