Event Guide 274: Dragon Boat Regatta, Ranelagh Arts Fest, IFI Open Weekend, Oktoberfest, Culture Night

Cannonball Run was the title of a comedy movie with Burt Reynolds and Roger Moore. It was an illegal race across the USA with lots of cars and trucks. Since then Cannonball Runs have appeared in a number of countries and Ireland has its own Cannonball Run as well. The Irish version will take place from Fri 14 – Sun 16 Sept will run over 1000 km and about 150 cars and 400 participants will be part of the run. It is not a race, but a gentle drive. Participants pay quite a lot of money and some of the money will go to the charity “Children’s Sunshine Home” in Dublin who are caring for chronically ill children and their families.
But if you would love to see 150 nice cars and some of them will be supercars, then you have to be at Merrion Square between 07:00 and 10:00 as the Irish Cannonball Run will take off at 10:00. www.facebook.com/cannonball.ie

To celebrate 20 years of being in Temple Bar, the Tiernan MacBride library in the IFI is briefly transforming into a pop-up Museum, full of interesting and unusual artefacts from the collections of the IFI Irish Film Archive.

Archive staff willexplain the stories behind the objects, their choices for display and there will be tours of the Archive vaults to give you a real understanding of what goes on behind the scenes and how the IFI look after Ireland’s national film collection.

The Archive Tours will start at 11:00 and at 15:30 on Friday 14 September. They are on a first come first served basis, no need to book as the event is ticketless. Admission is free.

To celebrate the 250th birthday of Merrion Square a number of events will take place this month. From 03-29 Sept a Walking Tour will take place every Monday and Friday:
Discover the Square with Ingenious Ireland, with free guided tours every Monday and Friday throughout September. Meeting at 11:00 at the Oscar Wilde Statue. Advance booking is recommended.

The Tours take place on Mon 03+10+17+24 Sept and on Fri 07+14+21+28 Sept.

The Ferocious Mingle Market takes 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 and (at least at the weekends) live music adds even more character.

The location of the new indoor market is 72 Thomas Street (between the Vicar St venue & Cafe Notto) an opening hours are 11:00-18:00. There is also a Café, the Oscar Verne Café, open for business at the market.

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

The IFI continues with its free Archive at Lunchtime screenings in September and you can find all details on the website below. Admission to all lunchtime screenings is free, just collect your ticket at the ticket desk.

This year Dublin will experience not just one, but two “German” Oktoberfests. Some seem to think that the Oktoberfest moved from the George’s Dock to the Round Room, but that is incorrect. Instead, the Paulaner Oktoberfest will take place from 13-16 Sept in the Round Room and then from 27 Sept – 07 Oct the Erdinger Oktoberfest will take place in George’s Dock as in previous years. Admission is free, but expect long queues due to the popularity of German beer (and food). I am SURE it is not the music that atracts the crowds.

Opening times are on Fri and Sat from 17:00-00:00 and on Sunday from 15:00-22:00.

The Bambir, an Armenian band that combines hard rock, Armenian traditional music and poetry, pulsing beats and whirling trances, ancient tales and pagan wails into their own unique sound. Admission is free. www.youtube.com/TheBambir

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

A drop in class, with newcomers welcome.

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

A classical music evening with the “Duo Chagall” entitled “Autumn Sounds” will take place in Farmleigh House. The event is free, but ticketed and to request tickets you need to send a mail to farmleighinfo@opw.ie with the subject “Autumn Sounds 14th Sept”. Surprisingly the Farmleigh House website has no statement on it that says that the event is “sold out”, but I doubt that there are still tickets available.
The same concert will also take place on Fri 28 Sept, if you want tickets for that event instead, send a mail to the same address but with the subject “Autumn Sounds – Friday 28 Sept”. It is not clear if there will be a lottery or a first come first served system for the tickets.

The Stillorgan Orchard provides regular live music. The upcoming gigs are: Fri 14 Sep: Jungle Boogie and Sat 15 Sep: Full Circle

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.

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

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

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 great Dragon Boat Regatta is taking place again this weekend. From 10:00 until 17:30 (Sat + Sun) there will be a race every 20 minutes in Grand Canal Dock at Grand Canal Square. Each team will compete in a number of races over a race distance of 200m and if I remember it right from last year, the teams consist of 16 rowers (+3 “on the bench”) and a drummer. Teams will come to Dublin from all over the world and there will be international races for the serious teams and charity races for the hobbyists. The Irish Dragon Boat Association is organising the event, but is not toooo forthcoming with details www.facebook.com/pages/Irish-Dragon-Boat-Association/119795088073528 so I am not sure if there is any entertainment etc taking place on Grand Canal Square. But either way, have a look at the races, they are interesting to watch!

The Dublin City Community Forum invites you to participate in a workshop entitled ‘Dublin today – listening to immigrants who have made Dublin city home’ on Sat 15 Sept from 10:00-13:00.

This facilitated half-day session is an opportunity for immigrants who live and work locally to share their experiences, ideas and concerns about making Dublin City home. Information captured from the ‘Dublin today’ event will be documented by Dublin Community Television (DCTV) and presented to Dublin City Development Board and Dublin City Council.
If you would like to attend, register by completing the online form:
docs.google.com/spreadsheet/viewform?formkey=dDY3eXRGY2lTWW9iMkFoMHQ4OW9mYlE6MQ#gid=0
If you have any queries contact Barry at barry@dctv.ie
Due to the limited number of places, interested parties MUST REGISTER for this event.
www.dublin.ie/city-development-board/community-forum-upcoming_events.htm

The Dublin Marathon on the October Bank Holiday is only one single race, but there are in recent years four preparational races before the big day in October. This weekend the fourth one, a Half-Marathon (21km) will take place in Phoenix Park. The start is on Chesterfield Avenue, a little up from the roundabout at the entrance to Aras an Uachtarain and the finish is on Furze Road. A map is here dublinmarathon.ie/map12_halfmara.pdf The race is for serious runners :-), so there is no entertainment at the start or the finish as far as I could find out. But you could nevertheless cheer on the runners if you want.

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

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 Ranelagh Arts Festival will run from 15-30 Sept, spanning over three weekends. Last year the Ranelagh Arts Festival got unfotunately cancelled, but it seems it is back and bigger and better than ever before. There are a good few non-free events in the programme, so you have to have a close look, but it still leaves lots of interesting free events. Instead of listing all events and because the website is very easy to navigate, I will ask you to check the events at www.ranelagharts.org/ I will include some of the key events over the next two weeks, but makes sure that you have a look for yourself.

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.

Every Saturday until 25 Aug, Colette Burke, a Zumba fitness instructor, is running free Zumba fitness classes on the East Pier in Dun Laoghaire from 10:30-12:30 (weather permitting). If you want to take part you can contact Colette on 087-2476673 and find more information on her website.

Come to the Alliance Francaise Open Day to experience the full range of what they have to offer.

Test your level of French; Sample a general French class; Take part in many Workshops for adults and children; Try their toddler programme; Watch a short film; Get information about their Primary School classes, Corporate Classes and diplomas; Visit the French library & a special Book Fair; Taste French wines. You can also win a free French course in a raffle and get a special rate for your Alliance Francaise membership.

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 IFI celebrating its 20th birthday in Temple Bar and the celebration is a weekend of free film screenings to thank you for your support. 24 films willk be screened over the weekend and it is a WIDE range of films. Tickets for the screenings will be made available on the morning of the screening from 11:00 and you have to pick them up in person (max 4 tickets per person). So if you want to see one of the films, be there BEFORE 11:00!

You can download the programme here www.ifi.ie/wp-content/uploads/IFI20_flyer-low-res.pdf or check it out online here www.ifi.ie/openweekend But for your convenience I am listing the films here as well:

SATURDAY
Gentlemen Prefer Blondes Sat 13.00
Boudu Saved From Drowning Sat 13.20
Liberal Arts Sat 13.40
The Dirty Dozen Sat 15.00
Diary of a Lost Girl Sat 15.30
Shamus Sat 16.00
Alps Sat 17.45
True Romance Sat 18.00
Freaks Sat 18.20
The Hunt Sat 20.10
Bicycle Thieves Sat 20.20
“Audience Choice” Sat 20.40

The Ferocious Mingle Market takes 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 and (at least at the weekends) live music adds even more character.

The location of the new indoor market is 72 Thomas Street (between the Vicar St venue & Cafe Notto) an opening hours are 11:00-18:00. There is also a Café, the Oscar Verne Café, open for business at the market.

This will be the third year for “Yoga in the Park” and I think it is a brilliant initiative for a very worthy cause. From June until September, Fiona from www.twopalmsyoga.com invites to an hour of Yoga in Phoenix Park. 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.

The launch of the brand-new Irish comic label “Lightning Strike Comics” will take place. Admission is free and everbody is welcome.

A new Science Gallery Exhibition will open on Saturday and it will be great! I had a chance to see a very small preview and there are some amazing things to see. The exhibition is the first exhibition in the Science Gallery in cooperation with their direct neighbours in Trinity College, the nanoscience institute CRANN. Magical Materials is a month long show (only a month!!) which explores the peculiar properties of the world’s most futuristic and spectacular materials.

You will be able to see or touch nearly fifty Magical Materials including Aerogel (the lightest solid in the world), Graphene (a layer of graphite just one atom thick but 200 times stronger than steel) and Smart Textiles that store information and raise oxygen levels in blood.

As always, the Science Gallery exhibition is a MUST GO event and because you only have one month this time, you shouldn’t delay it. I plan to go this weekend! (The exhibition is well suitable for (school-going age) children as well.)

Oh and because the materials are all super materials with super powers, there is a nice an cool link with specifically designed comic book super heros. Great idea!

A Recovery Walk and Family Day takes place at George’s Dock and in the CHQ Building this Saturday. The walk is for people and their families who have or are recovering from addictions. I couldn’t find if a specific type of addiction is the focus, so I assume ALL people recovering from addictions are welcome. The walk is just a 1.4km walk in the Docklands (Northside). Then there will be Samba Band, Open mic, Poetry, and other types of Live Music. At the same time kids will be entertained in the CHQ Building. Find all details about the event on the website.

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

The IFI continues with its free Archive at Lunchtime screenings in September and you can find all details on the website below. Admission to all lunchtime screenings is free, just collect your ticket at the ticket desk.

The Ink Slingers Creative Writing Hour takes place every Saturday at the Irish Writers’ Centre. It is a free creative writing session that is organised and led by the Centre’s voluntary arts administrators. The hour includes writing exercises and prompts to get ideas flowing. It is open to everyone and is suitable for all levels of experience.

I only found out during the week that the Lucan Festival started last Sunday (09 Sept) and will continue until Sun 16 Sept. If you live in Lucan, I hope the organisers told you about it and if you don’t live in Lucan, you still have a chance to enjoy the last two days with your neighbours from Lucan.

On Saturday the “Lucan Sarsfield Family Day” will take place at the 12th Lock Club Grounds (from 14:00) and there is a Historical Exhibition in the Church of Ireland Parish Centre from 15:00.

On Sunday the big Family Fun Day will take place from 11:00-19:00 and Lucan village will be closed for traffic from Ardeevin to the Ulster Bank. The Family Fun Day will start at 14:00. There will be a Open Day at the Garda Station, The Lucan Gospel Choir will be in St. Andrews Church, an Open Air Stage will feature Drama, Irish Dancing, Irish Music and lots more, a Duck race will take place and there will be Craft Stalls, Stilt Walkers, Acrobats, Face Painting and Big Drum. For some more information check the nicely put together programme brochure lucanfestival.files.wordpress.com/2012/09/lucan-festival-programme.pdf

This literary afternoon in the Royal Society of Antiquaries is inspired by the life and times of Oscar Wilde and his extraordinary family who resided at No 1 Merrion Square. Produced by Pop up Productions this event will investigate Wilde’s artistic legacy, excavate the social history of this celebrated pocket of Georgian Dublin and explore the potential influences of the ideas of the time on the world we live in today. Speakers are Manchán Magan (Global Nomad), Una Mullally (Writer & Broadcaster), Noeline Kavanagh (Artistic Director, Macnas) Matthew Smyth (Founder of the Trinity Oscar Wilde Festival) & Lynne Parker ( Rough Magic ). Admission is free, bu tbooking is required.

This year Dublin will experience not just one, but two “German” Oktoberfests. Some seem to think that the Oktoberfest moved from the George’s Dock to the Round Room, but that is incorrect. Instead, the Paulaner Oktoberfest will take place from 13-16 Sept in the Round Room and then from 27 Sept – 07 Oct the Erdinger Oktoberfest will take place in George’s Dock as in previous years. Admission is free, but expect long queues due to the popularity of German beer (and food). I am SURE it is not the music that atracts the crowds.

Opening times are on Fri and Sat from 17:00-00:00 and on Sunday from 15:00-22:00.

Saucy Sundays is a weekly free live music afternoon and evening in the Grand Social that normally takes place every Sunday, but for one week only, it will move to Saturday. The line up this Saturday is Aoife Moriarty, The Braille Club, Any Suggestions, Mossy Nolan, The Fresh Kills, Red Sail.

With members from Dublin, Cork, Cavan, Venezuela and Brazil, Army of Bandits are playing pseudo-pop/rock, blues and funk. www.facebook.com/army.bandits Admission is free.

The Discovery Community and the Discovery Gospel Choir are inviting you to a Night of Worship, a monthly event (Third Saturday) where the Discovery Gospel Choir performs.

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 residency of a Jazz Quartet, featuring Michael Nielsen (guitar), Sam Comerford (sax), Cormac O Brien (bass), James Mackin (drums) 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: Fri 14 Sep: Jungle Boogie and Sat 15 Sep: Full Circle

The Urban Mojo Blues Band,is a Dublin based five piece band drawing influences from electric Chicago blues and rock to produce a lively uptempo grooving blues will be performing every Saturday in Oil Can Harry’s. www.facebook.com/pages/The-Urban-Mojo-Blues-Band/87569518524

The great Dragon Boat Regatta is taking place again this weekend. From 10:00 until 17:30 (Sat + Sun) there will be a race every 20 minutes in Grand Canal Dock at Grand Canal Square. Each team will compete in a number of races over a race distance of 200m and if I remember it right from last year, the teams consist of 16 rowers (+3 “on the bench”) and a drummer. Teams will come to Dublin from all over the world and there will be international races for the serious teams and charity races for the hobbyists. The Irish Dragon Boat Association is organising the event, but is not toooo forthcoming with details www.facebook.com/pages/Irish-Dragon-Boat-Association/119795088073528 so I am not sure if there is any entertainment etc taking place on Grand Canal Square. But either way, have a look at the races, they are interesting to watch!

Jamestown Flea Market + Car Boot Sale. Every Sunday from 10:00-17:00 the Jamestown Market is taking place. You can reach it from Tyrconnell Road and from Kylemore Road and it is within 3 min from Black Horse stop on red Luas line.

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.

Instead of a Food Market in Farmleigh House, this Sunday the Food Market will take place on Chesterfield Avenue, the main street, in Phoenix Park. It is part of the “Dancing at the Crossroads” event which is one of the 350th anniversary events in Phoenix Park.

The Ranelagh Arts Festival will run from 15-30 Sept, spanning over three weekends. Last year the Ranelagh Arts Festival got unfotunately cancelled, but it seems it is back and bigger and better than ever before. There are a good few non-free events in the programme, so you have to have a close look, but it still leaves lots of interesting free events. Instead of listing all events and because the website is very easy to navigate, I will ask you to check the events at www.ranelagharts.org/ I will include some of the key events over the next two weeks, but makes sure that you have a look for yourself.

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

The IFI celebrating its 20th birthday in Temple Bar and the celebration is a weekend of free film screenings to thank you for your support. 24 films willk be screened over the weekend and it is a WIDE range of films. Tickets for the screenings will be made available on the morning of the screening from 11:00 and you have to pick them up in person (max 4 tickets per person). So if you want to see one of the films, be there BEFORE 11:00!

You can download the programme here www.ifi.ie/wp-content/uploads/IFI20_flyer-low-res.pdf or check it out online here www.ifi.ie/openweekend But for your convenience I am adding the list of films here

SUNDAY
The Ladykillers Sun 13.00
Pandora and the Flying Dutchman Sun 13.15
The Arrival of Wang Sun 13.30
Singin’ in the Rain Sun 15.10
Fantastic Planet Sun 15.30
Circle of Friends Sun 16.00
Faster, pussycat! Kill! Kill! Sun 17.30
The Godfather Sun 17.30
Rat Sun 18.15
To Die For Sun 19.30
Sullivan’s Travels Sun 20.15
When Harry Met Sally Sun 21.00

The Ferocious Mingle Market takes 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 and (at least at the weekends) live music adds even more character.

The location of the new indoor market is 72 Thomas Street (between the Vicar St venue & Cafe Notto) an opening hours are 11:00-18:00. There is also a Café, the Oscar Verne Café, open for business at the market.

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.

In Tibradden Forest (www.dublinmountains.ie/recreation_sites/tibradden_wood_pine_forest) a Family Fun Day will take place with activities for all the family. ”
Be prepared to get dirty and have some serious fun in the forest with den building, cross-cutting, tree identification, orienteering, mountain biking (>8yrs), field archery, deer & wildlife, blindfold string trail, slacklining, conkers, wooden puzzles & Giant Jenga. Throw on your wellies and pack the rain gear (just in case) and join in.”

A new Science Gallery Exhibition will open on Saturday and it will be great! I had a chance to see a very small preview and there are some amazing things to see. The exhibition is the first exhibition in the Science Gallery in cooperation with their direct neighbours in Trinity College, the nanoscience institute CRANN. Magical Materials is a month long show (only a month!!) which explores the peculiar properties of the world’s most futuristic and spectacular materials.

You will be able to see or touch nearly fifty Magical Materials including Aerogel (the lightest solid in the world), Graphene (a layer of graphite just one atom thick but 200 times stronger than steel) and Smart Textiles that store information and raise oxygen levels in blood.

As always, the Science Gallery exhibition is a MUST GO event and because you only have one month this time, you shouldn’t delay it. I plan to go this weekend! (The exhibition is well suitable for (school-going age) children as well.)

Oh and because the materials are all super materials with super powers, there is a nice an cool link with specifically designed comic book super heros. Great idea!

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 is back after the summer break and takes place again in the Sculpture Gallery at the Hugh Lane Gallery. Now in its 36th year, this series of free (mainly classical) concerts continues to present the best of Irish and International music and musicians. Concerts run from September to June. The next concert will be a Violin and Piano Recital with Aisling O’Dea (violin) and Veronica McSwiney (piano) performing pieces from Brahms, Schubert and Manuel de Falla.

Brasserie Sixty6 is inviting to a Jazz Brunch every Sunday. The line-up for the next few Sundays is 16 Sept: Michael McLennan, 23 Sept: Gavin McCaffrey, 30 Sept: Michael McLennan. As you can imagine food and drinks are not free, but there is no cover or admission charge for the music.

The IFI continues with its free Archive at Lunchtime screenings in September and you can find all details on the website below. Admission to all lunchtime screenings is free, just collect your ticket at the ticket desk.

Part of World Parks Day celebrations and also part of the Phoenix Park’s 350th Anniversary celebrations is this unique event on Sunday. “Dancing at the Crossroads” on Chesterfield Avenue will bring you live traditional music with a ceilí, set dancing and even brush dancing.

There will also be a food market, you can meet the Celtic Goddess Bridget, enjoy living culture, face painting, free horse and carriage rides, Irish wolfhounds and more.

Admission is free and the event is suitable for the whole family.

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

The Ranelagh Gardens will be busy this Sunday with a family picnic, part of the Ranlegah Arts Festival. There will be clowns, giant games, face painting, Indian singers, music, peace meditation, head massages.

The Great Pink Run is a 10km Challenge or a 5km Fun Run in the Docklands for the charity “Breast Cancer Ireland”. And in addition to the run, there will be amusement and entertainment at the Point Village.

The race will start at the Point Village, will then go along North Wall Quay and Custom House Quay before crossing over Memorial Bridge down City Quay and Sir John Rogerson’s Quay. From there participants will follow Cardiff Lane, Hanover Quay and up Benson St and back onto Sir John Rogerson’s Quay before crossing over Samuel Beckett Bridge and finishing up on North Wall Quay.

1200 participants took part last year and raised EUR 90,000, but with this year’s new 10km option (2 laps instead of one!) it is expected that more people will be interested. Participants MUST wear at least one pink item of clothing, but it seems that they all get a pink T-Shirt anyway. Participation in the race is not free, but supporting the runners or enjoying the activities at the Point Village is free. There will be market stalls, street performers, face painting and more.

I only found out during the week that the Lucan Festival started last Sunday (09 Sept) and will continue until Sun 16 Sept. If you live in Lucan, I hope the organisers told you about it and if you don’t live in Lucan, you still have a chance to enjoy the last two days with your neighbours from Lucan.

On Sunday the big Family Fun Day will take place from 11:00-19:00 and Lucan village will be closed for traffic from Ardeevin to the Ulster Bank. The Family Fun Day will start at 14:00. There will be a Open Day at the Garda Station, The Lucan Gospel Choir will be in St. Andrews Church, an Open Air Stage will feature Drama, Irish Dancing, Irish Music and lots more, a Duck race will take place and there will be Craft Stalls, Stilt Walkers, Acrobats, Face Painting and Big Drum. For some more information check the nicely put together programme brochure lucanfestival.files.wordpress.com/2012/09/lucan-festival-programme.pdf

The Edel Meade Band will perform Jazz and Bee Bop Music in the Bandstand in Farmleigh House.

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

At a Duck Race lots of sponsored rubber ducks will be put in the water (Liffey or Grand Canal Dock) and the duck that swims over the finish line first is the winner. The sponsor of that duck (they have numbers) will win a price. The money that people paid for the sponsored ducks will go to a charity.

The Dublin Duck Race for Niall Mellon Township Trust will take place on Sun 16 Sept at 14:15. And you have still time to buy/sponsor one or more ducks for EUR 5. The race will start at the Millenium Bridge and will Finish at O’Connell Bridge.

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

A free afternoon concert with 12 of Europe’s leading young saxophonists will take place in the Upper Yard in Dublin Castle. (If it rains, the concert will move to the Button Factory in Temple Bar.) The European Saxophone Ensemble is a select group of twelve young and highly gifted saxophone players from twelve different countries in the European Union.

The repertoire was especially written for the Ensemble by five leading European composers. The musicians come from different musical backgrounds: from virtuous contemporary music soloist to punk baritone saxophonist player, from jazz tenor saxophonist to afro-soul Scandinavian baritone, from chamber soprano to alto playing in Eastern European traditional ensemble.

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.

This year Dublin will experience not just one, but two “German” Oktoberfests. Some seem to think that the Oktoberfest moved from the George’s Dock to the Round Room, but that is incorrect. Instead, the Paulaner Oktoberfest will take place from 13-16 Sept in the Round Room and then from 27 Sept – 07 Oct the Erdinger Oktoberfest will take place in George’s Dock as in previous years. Admission is free, but expect long queues due to the popularity of German beer (and food). I am SURE it is not the music that atracts the crowds.

Opening times are on Fri and Sat from 17:00-00:00 and on Sunday from 15:00-22:00.

The next Sunday Sketching for 7+ Year olds has the title “Big Bird by Niki de Saint Phalle and Other Animals”. No booking necessary. Admission is free and early arrival is recommended.

Saucy Sundays is a weekly free live music afternoon and evening in the Grand Social that normally takes place every Sunday, but for one week only, it will move to Saturday.

The Gardiner Street Gospel Mass is back after a summer break. You are invited to a Gospel Mass in St. Francis Xavier Church at the top of Gardiner Street near the junction with Dorset Street every Sunday at 19:30. Everybody is welcome independent from your level of religiousness. The Gardiner Street Gospel Choir is one of the best Gospel Choirs in Ireland and if you like uplifting pop & gospel music performed in a way that makse you smile and puts a spring in your step, then you should come to one of the masses that will take place from now until June every Sunday evening (with a few exceptions).

I am in charge of the sound engineering and technical management of the choir so you could think the description above is a little biased, but try it out and you will find out that it is absolutely true!

This is a meet-up for people who are interested in Burlesque. You can dance, watch, discuss, brainstorm develop shows or costumes. Whatever you would like to do in connection with Burlesque is ok.

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

The weekly Sunday Roast is an event in the Mercantile where live music is combined with free roast potatoes. The next Sunday Roast line up is The Shade, Mark Maxwell, Sixoversix and Bailer.

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. This Sunday’s line up is headliner Trevor Browne with support from Kevin Lockard, Neil Hickey, Carl Cullinane and Marcus O’Laoire .

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 Sweeney’s Bar on Dame Street and if you are interested, just turn up one Sunday.

Jaime Nanci & The Blue Boys are playing a weekly gig in Whelan’s Front Bar on Sundays. Their music is swing, blues, bebop and doo wop. Admission is free. www.whelanslive.com

“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.

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

To celebrate the 250th birthday of Merrion Square a number of events will take place this month. From 03-29 Sept a Walking Tour will take place every Monday and Friday:
Discover the Square with Ingenious Ireland, with free guided tours every Monday and Friday throughout September. Meeting at 11:00 at the Oscar Wilde Statue. Advance booking is recommended.

The Tours take place on Mon 03+10+17+24 Sept and on Fri 07+14+21+28 Sept.

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

The IFI continues with its free Archive at Lunchtime screenings in September and you can find all details on the website below. Admission to all lunchtime screenings is free, just collect your ticket at the ticket desk.

“To raise a bilingual child entails a great effort that stretches over a number of years. How does a child acquire language? Does bilingualism differ if we learn a second language from birth or from later on? Which is the best way to transmit two languages without creating imbalances? What are the effects of bilingualism on children’s intellectual development? How to help an adolescent to take advantage of double linguistic and cultural references? What does it mean to shape one’s identity from two languages and two cultures? Finally, how can the parents keep the skills of the minority language alive for their children? These are the questions and the themes we will consider and which we will attempt to answer during these two meetings.”

Dr. Sergio Spinelli, Psychologist and Jungian Psychotherapist, will talk about this on 17 and 24 Sept. Admission is free.

Irish Writers Centre in association with Salmon Poetry and the Poetry Ireland presents the launch of Anne Fitzgerald’s Beyond the Sea, The Breaking of the Day by Michael Heffernan and Thomas Lynch’s The Sin-Eater.

Need to wind down after a tiring week? Free Sahaja Yoga Meditation (not physical yoga, but “yoga meditation”!) classes every Monday from 19:00 in Blakestown Community Resource Centre (next to Lidl).

This is a drop in class, with newcomers are welcome.

A free Stress Control Seminar is provided by Dr Mark Harrold and Dr Alison Rooney and is supported by the Malahide Lions Club. It is a six week course (every Monday evening) and there is no charge. No registration required either, just come along on Monday. The first class will cover what the course is about, what stress is and gets you started on controlling stress.

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. This Monday’s line up is Rory O’Hanlon & George Fox with support from Anna Ryan, Damon Blake & Danny O’Brien (MC)

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

The 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 Music Library in the Central Library is inviting to “From clarity to chaos!”, where Michael Grant traces the development of western music across four centuries. The talks are
+ 11 Sept: 1600 to 1800 A.D.
+ 19 Sept: The 19th century
+ 25 Sept: From 1900 to date
Admission is free, but booking is essential.

The IFI continues with its free Archive at Lunchtime screenings in September and you can find all details on the website below. Admission to all lunchtime screenings is free, just collect your ticket at the ticket desk.

A concert of traditional music from fiddle players, Paddy Glackin and Dermot McLaughlin, chosen for the Irish Traditional Music Archive’s 25th Anniversary. Both players are well known for their expertise in the fiddle music of Co Donegal, and both were closely involved as Traditional Music Officers of the Arts Council in the formation of the Archive 25 years ago. Admission is free, but booking is required.

The Walk &Talk “Ranelagh – A Village Apart” will take place on Thuesday and will be led by historian Pat Liddy. Packed into a relatively small area is an inner city suburb that has never lost its identity as an independent village. The Ranelagh Arts Festival is taking place this weekend and the Walk & Talk is part of it. Participation is free and no booking required. www.ranelagharts.org

Learn how to transform your website into your best salesperson. Use SEO and Internet Marketing to drive traffic, engage your audience and convert visitors into buyers. Admission is free. To register go to businessbloomer.ie/seo-courses-seminars/

The launch of Gerry Hunt’s new graphic novel “At War with the Empire” will take place in Forbidden Planet. Guest speaker on the night will be comic book artist Will Sliney who will also be showcasing work from his forthcoming book “Celtic Warrior: The Legend of Cú Chulainn”. In addition to that get a sneak-peek at all the upcoming graphic novels from O’Brien Press.

Somebody recently said that “graphic novels” are nothing else than comic books, but since the topics are very much different to the usual comic books, I think a differntiation makes sense.

If you want to go to that event, contact Clare Kelly from O’Brien Press on 01 492 3333 or clarekelly@obrien.ie and tell her that you found out about the event in the Dublin Event Guide! ;-)

“Professor Brian Fagan takes us on a journey through the history of the complex relationship between humans and water over the past 10,000 years. He describes the central role of gravity in ancient water management, also stresses the importance of ritual in human attitudes toward water. When did humans first consider water an entitlement? What was the role of the Industrial Revolution in changing our attitudes toward the most fundamental of all commodities for human life? And does the history of water hold lessons for the present and future challenge of global water supplies?”
Admission is free, but booking is essential and if you wait too long all tickets will be gone! Royal Irish Academy talks are VERY popular.

In the film series “Great figures of Mexican cinema” (dublin.cervantes.es/FichasCultura/Ficha81660_16_2.htm) the next film screening is “María Candelaria” by Emilio Fernández (1943). The film is in Spanish with English subtitles it is suitable for Ages 15+. Admission is free.

This ‘science demonstration lecture performance’ spotlights the performing nature – or performativity – of materials. Zoe Laughlin explains, performance isn’t just about animate objects – inanimate objects perform, too. A Q&A session will follow the talk. Admission is free, but booking is required.

Dedalus Press presents the launch of Pat Boran’s The Next Life, Catherine Phil MacCarthy’s The Invisible Threshold and Mark Roper’s A Gather of Shadow.

This is a monthly discussion group featuring guest speakers hosted by the Irish Feminist Network. All are welcome and admission is free. This month the topic will be Migrant Women’s Rights. Guest speakers: TBC RSVP on Facebook: www.facebook.com/events/312643945500036 www.irishfeministnetwork.org

The September Alchemist Cafe, a forum for the discussion of important and interesting scientific issues that is much more informal and accessible than a public lecture will feature Klaus Dodds, who is Professor of Geopolitics at Royal Holloway, University of London and editor of The Geographical Journal. He will talk about “The Future of Antarctica”.

What does the future (or perhaps futures) hold for Antarctica? Can we be confident that science and international co-operation will continue to prevail under the terms of the 1959 Antarctic Treaty? Or do we need to face up to some pressing issues regarding unresolved territorial claims, resource potential and exploitation, ongoing environmental change, and growing anxieties about Asian countries such as China and India which may well unsettle hopes for a peaceful future for Antarctica.

Admission is free and there will be some complimentary finger food.

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 new weekly “Grand Folk Club” will feaure Trad, Ballads, Americana, Folk, World Music & More. This Tuesday, the line-up is: Lynched (Ballads/Trad/Urban Folk) and Sadhbh, Rabie Peat & Jem Mitchell (Americana/Trad). Admission is free.

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

The Ranelagh Arts Festival will run from 15-30 Sept, spanning over three weekends. Last year the Ranelagh Arts Festival got unfotunately cancelled, but it seems it is back and bigger and better than ever before. There are a good few non-free events in the programme, so you have to have a close look, but it still leaves lots of interesting free events. Instead of listing all events and because the website is very easy to navigate, I will ask you to check the events at www.ranelagharts.org/ I will include some of the key events over the next two weeks, but makes sure that you have a look for yourself.

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.

“Innovation, the Only Game in the West” is the title of a seminar with Hermann Hauser. Organised by UCD Innovation, the seminar is being delivered as part of the Brown Bag Lunch @ NovaUCD series of monthly talks. Sometimes one of the talks is opened to the wider business community as in this case.

The IFI continues with its free Archive at Lunchtime screenings in September and you can find all details on the website below. Admission to all lunchtime screenings is free, just collect your ticket at the ticket desk.

The lecture “The Absent Point of View; Merrion Square and the Fitzwilliam family’s vision for Dublin City” by Dr Finola O’Kane, University College Dublin, will take place in the Architectural Archive. Admission is free, but booking is required at 01 6633040 or slincoln@iarc.ie

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.

Benedict Anderson is Aaron L. Binenkorb Professor Emeritus of International Studies, Government & Asian Studies at Cornell University and is best known for his book Imagined Communities: Reflections on the Origin and Spread of Nationalism (1983). Prof. Anderson is a world leading theorist of nationalism and an expert on South East Asian politics and culture.
Admission to this talk is free and everyone is welcome. It will take place in Theatre NT1 in the Newman Building.

In the film series “Great figures of Mexican cinema” (dublin.cervantes.es/FichasCultura/Ficha81660_16_2.htm) the next film screening is “Modisto de Señoras” by René Cardona (1969). The film is in Spanish with English subtitles it is suitable for Ages 12+. Admission is free.

The Young Professionals Forum is a “platform for young professionals to network and engage with their peers to build and strengthen relationships that can be harnessed as a tool in the progression and advancement of their future careers”. After their inaugural event in June the second meeting will take place this week. It will be hosted by BDO and the speaker is Brian Fallon from Distilled Media (daft.ie, boards.ie, The Journal.ie). Bring Business Cards to network and there will be some light refreshments. Admission is free, but places are limted, so register on ypfdub.eventbrite.ie/

“Designing the Process” with Marcus Swan will look at: Can you communicate what you do as a designer? Can you explain what you do for clients? Can you explain it to your mum? This is a look at design process that helps to frame how designers and communicators can work with clients in a way that is clear and involving, without falling into dogma. Showing real-world examples of how these tools, techniques and processes can be used to create work and relationships that help to build brands, facilitate innovation and inspire change and success within organisations.

Admission is free, but booking is required.

Are you looking to explore options for your career? Maybe you would like to do something as an alternative to full time employment with one employer? Portfolio Careers are such an option and a five week course is available to teach you how to review your goals, identity and personality and how to explore options such as portfolio careers, freelance work and self employment.

A free information evening to introduce their this 5-week Second Curve Career Seminar will be held by psychologists Clare Mulligan and Owen O’Brien at the Stillorgan Park Hotel. Admission is free for the two hour event, but you have to register here claremulliganconsulting.eventbrite.com/

Before the printed cookbook became a standard item in peoples’ kitchens, recipes would often be collected in manuscript cookbooks. Food historian Dorothy Cashman has carried out extensive research of these cookbooks and will discuss her research in her talk ‘Miss Herbert’s Sponge Cake: A taste of history through the manuscript recipes of the National Library of Ireland’. Admission is free and all are welcome. No booking required.

“Poetry, prose and conversation with the audience from award-winning Australian writers Andy Kissane, Alex Skovron, Alison Wong and Robyn Rowland, growing out of Irish, Polish-Jewish, Chinese and New Zealand soils, addressing that essential issue of where we belong, where we fit. The tour of From Scattered Seed is supported by the Australian Embassy Ireland.”

The 4 Dame Lane Movie Club will feature a movie every Wednesday from 20:00. The upcoming movies are: 19 Sept: Michael Clarke Duncan Tribute – The Green Mile, 26 Sept: Risky Business, 03 Oct: A Fish Called Wanda
Admission is free, but booking (on their website) is recommended.

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

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

Bad Boy Jake, a band from Dublin that draws influences from all over the music spectrum including Rory Gallagher, Jimi Hendrix, ZZ Top, Deep Purple, blues rock and classic rock, is playing every Wednesday in Mother Reilly’s.

The next Inn Jokes Comedy Club is taking place in Kilmainham. The Inn Jokes is organised and MCd by Colm O’Regan and he is bringing headliner Colum McDonnell, Neil Hickey and Niamh Marron to perform for you. There will also be a short slot from Tiny James.

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).

Open House 2012 will take place in Dublin on 05+06+07 October. Over one weekend, nearly 100 buildings of all types will open their doors to allow you to explore the architecture of Dublin. It is a really great event and I will write more about it in two weeks time. But today I want to tell you that the full programme will be available free with the Irish Times on Thursday 20 Sept. So if you want it in printed form, don’t miss that date. Does that mean that the outstanding booklet that was available in previous years will not be available anymore? Or is it the booklet that will be distributed with the Irish Times? I am not sure, but we will find out.

If you miss the programme publication, you will be able to get it on the Open House website at www.openhousedublin.com/ but will have to print it yourself.

All Open House events in October are free, but some require pre-booking and pre-booking will be possible from 24 Sept. Keep that date in mind as well!

The Ranelagh Arts Festival will run from 15-30 Sept, spanning over three weekends. Last year the Ranelagh Arts Festival got unfotunately cancelled, but it seems it is back and bigger and better than ever before. There are a good few non-free events in the programme, so you have to have a close look, but it still leaves lots of interesting free events. Instead of listing all events and because the website is very easy to navigate, I will ask you to check the events at www.ranelagharts.org/ I will include some of the key events over the next two weeks, but makes sure that you have a look for yourself.

The Ferocious Mingle Market takes 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 and (at least at the weekends) live music adds even more character.

The location of the new indoor market is 72 Thomas Street (between the Vicar St venue & Cafe Notto) an opening hours are 11:00-18:00. There is also a Café, the Oscar Verne Café, open for business at the market.

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

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

The Erdinger Oktoberfest is starting earlier than planned, it seems. Initially planned to start on 27 Sept, it now already kicks off on Thurs 20 Sept and will continue until 07 Oct. The beer tent and the FULL selection of food is only available on George’s Dock, but the “passenger” number permitted on the platform in George’s Dock are soo stringent, that every year a long queue formed from around 18:00 (sometimes even earlier). Luckily there is some food and beer also available in the area next to the chq Building, but you won’t have music there and some foods are not available there either.

The Oktoberfest has been extremely popular in previous years and I don’t expect that to change, so expect big crowds…and enjoy the beer and food. After 22:00 a very odd wristband system is in place. Allegedly due to Irish licensing laws you have to buy a wristband for EUR 6 and you get a EUR 5 voucher for “a substantial meal” with it. (EUR 1 goes to a charity). The odd part is that this system only seems to apply to people who are on the George’s Dock platform and also it seems that only the person buying alcoholic drinks got checked for it in previous years. Make of this what you will. ;-)

Lunchtime Market at Christ Church Cathedral from 12:00-15:00.

The Italian Institute of Culture is inviting to the film Screening of “Se fossi in te” by Giulio Manfredonia (2001) on Thursday at 13:00 and again at 18:30. Q&A with Monica Insinga after the evening screenings. In Italian with English subtitles. Admission is free.

The IFI continues with its free Archive at Lunchtime screenings in September and you can find all details on the website below. Admission to all lunchtime screenings is free, just collect your ticket at the ticket desk.

The Public Lecture “The Characteristics of Elephants: a Nineteenth-Century Thai Manuscript in the Chester Beatty Library and its Context” with Dr Hiram Woodward, Curator Emeritus, Asian Art, Walters Art Museum, Baltimore will take place.

“Teach Hamilton in Merrion Square —Schrödinger and the hard sums.” Professor Luke Drury, Director of the School of Cosmic Physics at DIAS (Dublin Institute of Advanced Physics) gives a whistestop tour into the world of Edwin Schrödinger, Myles na gCopaleen, Eamon DeValera, Merrion Square and that famous cat, in the surroundings of the College of Anaesthetists at No 22 Merrion Square. Admission is free, booking is required.

‘New Climate Averages for Ireland: 1981–2010’ is a lecture by Séamus Walsh, Senior Climatologist, Met Éireann for the next event of the Irish Meteorological Society.
He has compiled a new set of long-term averages for the period 1981 to 2010 covering a wide range of weather elements such as rainfall, wind, temperature and sunshine. Séamus will outline his methodology and present the results showing how these constitute a new baseline for use in day-to-day weather and climate comparisons. The new averages will also provide an updated dataset for customers across a wide range of environmental and research areas.

Non members are welcome to this event and asmission is free, but registration is required on their website. The event will start with tea and cofee at 17:30 and the talk will start at 18:15.

“The Arts in Healthcare: Why and for Whose Benefit?” is a Q&A style debate on the benefits of the arts in healthcare, with panellists:
Prof. Desmond O’Neill, Consultant in Geriatric and Stroke Medicine and Chairman of the National Centre for Arts & Health, Tallaght Hospital
Mary Grehan, Arts Director of Waterford Healing Arts Trust
Kevin Shanahan, musician with MusicAlive and Arts and Mental Health Coordinator, West Cork Mental Health Services
Jacky Jones, columnist in HEALTHplus, The Irish Times and Health Promotion consultant

Admission is free and booking is essential.

Soprano Judith Mok and pianist Dearbhla Collins pay tribute to Spanish poet Federico García Lorca with this recital, which will take place at the opening of the new exhibition “Postal geography. García Lorca and De los Ríos families’ postcards” in the Instituto Cervantes

The Italian Institute of Culture is inviting to the film Screening of “Se fossi in te” by Giulio Manfredonia (2001) on Thursday at 13:00 and again at 18:30. Q&A with Monica Insinga after the evening screenings. In Italian with English subtitles. Admission is free.

A new set of six free lectures on topics around “Start and Grow your Own Business” will take place in the Central Library in association with the Dublin City Entreprise Board. If you have recently started your own business or if you are contemplating self-employment, this lecture series is for you. The talks are free, but you have to book your place. You find all details and how to book on www.dceb.ie/starting-a-business/library-talks

The upcoming talks are
20 Sept: Ideas Generation & Market Research
27 Sept: Ethnic Entrepreneurship
04 Oct: Digital Marketing and Social Media
11 Oct: Financing Your Business
18 Oct: Business Planning Structure

Poets from Carlow, Dublin, Kildare, Kilkenny, Laois, Longford, Louth, Meath, Offaly, Westmeath, Wexford and Wicklow wishing to enter the Slam on the night need two max 3-minute poems, recited from memory or read from the page. To secure a place on the night please write to irelandpoetryslam@yahoo.ie Two winners – the Leinster Slam Champion and runner up – will secure their place in The All-Ireland Slam Final at Ó Bhéal in Cork on Friday November 30th.

Open Mic after the competition. All Welcome to read. Admission is free.

The Western, Rockabilly, Rock n’ Roll band “Moo!” will perform in Whelan’s and admission is free. www.mooband.com

A stand-up comedy club in the Exchange. Admission is free, but donations are welcome.

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

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

Unfortuantely you can’t take part in this event anymore because it is already fully booked out, but just in case you want to know what is happening in Dublin even if you can’t go:

Step back in time for a whistle-stop Ballroom Dancing extravaganza. Experience the reception rooms at Merrion Square as they were intended to be used, for the Irish society scene of Georgian Dublin. Expect mazurkas, foxtrots, fashion tips and scandal from a celebrated host who has dedicated his life and art to “experimenting in time”.David McDermott will host the evening’s entertainment via high-energy performance, conversation and musical accompaniment from Peter McGough, Neil Watkins and friends.

Dr John McCullen, who served as the Chief Park Superintendent responsible for the Phoenix Park for over 25 years, will talk about the management, conservation and evolution of the park over the last 350 years. Admission is free and the event will take place in the Education and Visitor Centre

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

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

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

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

The Bionic Rats play live Reggae and Ska every Thursday in Turk’s Head from 22:00. Admission is free.

The Ranelagh Arts Festival will run from 15-30 Sept, spanning over three weekends. Last year the Ranelagh Arts Festival got unfotunately cancelled, but it seems it is back and bigger and better than ever before. There are a good few non-free events in the programme, so you have to have a close look, but it still leaves lots of interesting free events. Instead of listing all events and because the website is very easy to navigate, I will ask you to check the events at www.ranelagharts.org/ I will include some of the key events over the next two weeks, but makes sure that you have a look for yourself.

To celebrate the 250th birthday of Merrion Square a number of events will take place this month. From 03-29 Sept a Walking Tour will take place every Monday and Friday:
Discover the Square with Ingenious Ireland, with free guided tours every Monday and Friday throughout September. Meeting at 11:00 at the Oscar Wilde Statue. Advance booking is recommended.

The Tours take place on Mon 03+10+17+24 Sept and on Fri 07+14+21+28 Sept.

The World Peace Weekend Festival in Dublin will take place around the International Day of Peace, from Fri 21 – Sun 23 Sept. “Instruments of Peace” is the charity foundation that will organise and run the events in Dublin. In 2010, they had a very successful event at The Helix, the “Four Seasons of Peace” Concert and last year they had two impactful events at The Convention Centre Dublin reaching 2,000 people.

This year they are celebrating a “World Peace Weekend Festival” which starts with the observance of the U.N. One Minute of Silence at 12:00 on Fri 21 Sept. Ireland’s observance will be televised live by the U.N. through the UN PEACE DAY LIVE.TV.

+ The Opening Ceremony (11:30-12:30) in Dublin at Trinity College will be “A Minute of Silence, A Moment of Peace” and students and everybody else is invited to participate in a World Record attempt of 1,000 people to hold hands for One Minute of Silence. (Guinness Book of Records will adjudicate this event. Currently the record holder is Hiroshima in Japan, with 600 people holding hands for one minute in silence for Peace in May 2012.)

+ On Saturday 22 Sept, a Peace Conference will take place in the Mansion House from 11:00-15:30

+ On Sunday 23 Sept, the Closing Ceremony will take place in the Westin Hotel (16:00-18:00) and is entitled “Women of Spirit, Women of Peace”.

If you are interested in some or all events, you should check the details on the website www.peacebeginswithme.eu and register for these free events here www.amiando.com/worldpeacefestivalireland.html

The Erdinger Oktoberfest is starting earlier than planned, it seems. Initially planned to start on 27 Sept, it now already kicks off on Thurs 20 Sept and will continue until 07 Oct. The beer tent and the FULL selection of food is only available on George’s Dock, but the “passenger” number permitted on the platform in George’s Dock are soo stringent, that every year a long queue formed from around 18:00 (sometimes even earlier). Luckily there is some food and beer also available in the area next to the chq Building, but you won’t have music there and some foods are not available there either.

The Oktoberfest has been extremely popular in previous years and I don’t expect that to change, so expect big crowds…and enjoy the beer and food. After 22:00 a very odd wristband system is in place. Allegedly due to Irish licensing laws you have to buy a wristband for EUR 6 and you get a EUR 5 voucher for “a substantial meal” with it. (EUR 1 goes to a charity). The odd part is that this system only seems to apply to people who are on the George’s Dock platform and also it seems that only the person buying alcoholic drinks got checked for it in previous years. Make of this what you will. ;-)

Park(ing) Day is a yearly worldwide event, that reclaims parking space for the use of the people living in the City. For that one day citizens, artists and activists collaborate to temporarily transform metered parking spaces into “PARK(ing)” spaces: temporary public places. Last year was the first year of Dublin’s participation and 15 Parking Spaces were turned into mini parks and lots of other things.

A whole range of organisations, including GoCar, See Change – the National Mental Health Stigma Reduction Partnership, the Irish Green Building Council, the Improvised Music Company, DIT Environment & Planning, the Dublin Cycling Campaign and many others will be on the streets turning car parks into public parks. It looks as if there will be 27 participants which would definitely be a strong show from Dublin.

A map will soon be at www.dublinparkingday.org/ and a preview is already on www.facebook.com/groups/201267119929061 and if you want to follow the events on Twitter, use @ParkingDayDub

Look out for the spaces and enjoy the quirkiness of the idea.

The IFI continues with its free Archive at Lunchtime screenings in September and you can find all details on the website below. Admission to all lunchtime screenings is free, just collect your ticket at the ticket desk.

Culture Night is a brilliant night of free culture for all the family all over Dublin. For one night only the city’s museums, galleries, churches, historic houses, artists studios, cultural centres and more, will open their doors late for a night of free entertainment, discovery and adventure. Hundreds of talks, tours, performances and events will be organised for you and thousands will be out in the City to enjoy it and take it all in.

There are tooo many events to list them all here, but the great thing is that there is a good website that provides exactly that. Go to the Dublin section of the website at www.culturenight.ie/explore-the-night/ to find all events sorted by the part of the City you want to. There is also an iPhone and Android app available for free that will help you to find our way around all events throughout the night.

I will include a small selection of events in the Friday section if this Dublin Event Guide, to give you some ideas and recommendations, but I strongly recommend that you spend some time checking the schedule before Friday night and then pick a few things that you want to experience. The downloadable Culture Night programme is here www.culturenight.ie/wp-content/uploads/culture-web.pdf

I won’t link to the different destinations I can recommend, but I am sure you will find them. What I either enjoyed in previous years or would like to go to this year or in the future are:

Kilmainham Gaol (very long queues), Trinity Library/Book of Kells (very long queues), Leinster House, Freemason’s Hall (expect queues), Glasnevin Cemetery, Dublinia (very long queues), St. Patrick’s Cathedral.

The places with long queues need you to be there early. There are plenty of other places that are also interesting, but since some are not open during the year OR cost money normally, they are particularly popular.

The Contemporary Music Centre will be alive with sounds as it opens its doors to the public for Culture Night and hosts “Live at Our Place”, giving visitors the chance to hear what’s innovative and what’s vibrant in new music from Ireland.

Visitors are invited to drop in and sample live performances, improvisation and audiovisual works that will give a flavour of the diversity and creativity of Irish music today, as well as the range of composers represented by the Centre and the music that makes up its archive.

The Cork-based Quiet Music Ensemble and newly-founded Kirkos Ensemble will act as ensembles-in-residence for the evening, performing music by an array of young and established Irish composers. In addition, there will be solos and live electronic sets by guest performers and composers. CMC will also present live works and video screenings of collaborative image and sound works drawn from a call for submissions for the Culture Night event.

For Culture Night the Goethe-Institut Irland presents three new versions of well-known Grimm fairy tales on film and additionally storyteller Simone Schümmelfeder will tell two other fairytales (in English and German). The Language Department will have information on German Courses and the Library will sell books in English and German. Admission is free and more details are on the website.

Celebrate Family History on Culture Night. Talk to experts – try out sources – look at exhibitions – get new ideas. Advice and suggestions will be offered throughout the evening and first-time researchers are particularly welcome.
The Genealogical Society of Ireland will have a stand for the evening with information about the Society, as well as the One Name Study, the Irish DNA Atlas Project, the Irish-Jewish Society, and Ancestors Network Limited.
Participating genealogists include John Grenham, who writes a weekly column for The Irish Times and has been featured in RTE’s Genealogy Roadshow.
Admission is free and no booking required. All welcome.

The Irish Writers’ Centre will be playing its part in this year’s Culture Night. There will be readings by the Bealtaine writers group, storytelling with Milk and Cookies, readings and performances by short story writer Graham Tugwell. And later the monthly open mic night “Spoke” will take place. Details are here www.writerscentre.ie/html/events/culturenight2012.html

“Notte italiana a Dublino fra musiche e letteratura” with Gerardo Placido and the “Compagnia del Teatro Emigrato” is a Italian Culture Night at Culture Night. There will be poem recitals, music a theatrical performance of Luigi Pirandello’s “L’Uomo dal Fiore in Bocca”- “The Man with a Flower in his Mouth”, a theatrical performance of Stefano Benni’s “Il folletto delle brutte figure”- “The Goblin of the Sorry Figures” and a reading from Agostino Picicco’s book: “Tonino Bello”. Admission is free and more details can be found on the website.

From 17:00-22:00 tours will take place in the Academy House of the Royal Irish Academy. Booking is not required, but numbers are limited to 50 per tour and a tour will start every 45 minutes.

From 18:15-20:00 free guided (abbreviated) tours will give you a chance to have a look at St. Patrick’s Cathedral. Before that from 17:30-18:15 an Evensong performance will take place (you have to be seated for it). Later at 20:30 a (non-free) Fringe Festival event will take place in the church.

Bestselling author of “How to Be a Woman” Caitlin Moran will celebrate the release of her new book “Moranthology” in Eason’s. She will be in conversation with Sinead Gleeson. Tickets are free and are available from the Eason O’Connell St. Information Desk or by calling 01 858 3800.

A free pre-concert organ recital which is linked to the (non-free) main evening concert in the National Concert Hall will take place. It will take place in the main auditorium of the National Concert Hall. Mark Duley (organ) and the RTE National Symphony Orchestra will play pieces of Mendelssohn, Sweelinck and Liszt. Admission is free, but booking is required at www.nch.ie

“The History, Art and Science of Bell Ringing” is a talk by Gary McGuire a former Ringing Master at Christ Church Cathedral.

As the installation NEW FAITH LOVE SONG: Garrett Phelan draws to its final days of exhibition (closes Sunday 23 September 2012), Professor Gary McGuire from the School of Mathematical Sciences in UCD presents an illustrated talk which explores the history, art and science of bell ringing. The talk will trace bell-ringing down through the ages, with an Irish emphasis, and will include a live demo. As part of the Culture Night on Friday the IMMA New galleries remain open until 21:00. A drinks reception will also be served. Admission is free and booking is required.

Following the success of last year’s mural painting, the Alliance Francaise are organising another live art event: a Post-it mosaic.

The guerre des post-its (office workers are fighting an art battle from their windows using multi-coloured post-it notes) became a huge phenomenon in France last year. The biggest effort extended over three floors and used more than 3,000 Post-it notes to create a design so complex it had to be worked out on a computer!

Come and take up the challenge using your imagination and your skills by creating something bigger, wackier and more adventurous….. Open to all age groups and admission is free.

Spoke is the an open mic night at the Irish Writers Centre, taking place on the third Friday of every month. Writers, spoken word artists and musicians are all welcome to perform. This month it is a part of the Culture Night programme. Doors open at 19:30. Free admission. If you’d like to perform, please be prompt, so that you can get signed up when the doors open. writerscentre.ie/spoke/ Every Spoke will feature a guest performer. This month’s guest will be Maurice Scully.

The Dublin Sidewalk Astronomers will meet at the Martello tower car park in Sandymount from to observe the first quarter Moon. If you have a telescope and you would like help with or if you just have general queries about the Irish Astronomical Society or astronomy, you are more than welcome to come along. This event is weather dependent. Please check the website at 18:00 on the day to confirm that the event is going ahead.