Dublin Event Guide 288: Christmas, Christmas Markets, Father Ted Day

Over forty market stalls in chalets make up this Christmas Market in the Dun Laoghaire Town Centre and the Metals (near the Seafront underneath the Forty Foot Bar) The market is open until 1st January. There is also a Life-size crib with live animals open at St. Michael’s Church.

There is also a 60m Ice Slide on Dun Laoghaire Harbour Plaza open until 01 Jan from 11:00-19:00 every day (with the exception of Christmas Day). You can watch the spectacle for free and you can slide down yourself for EUR 2 (for 3 slides).

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

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

The Dame District Christmas Market is taking place the second time this year. There are a few stalls in white plastic tents with a few fir tree branches attached to them. If it was called Dame District Market, I would agree. But don’t expect any Christmas atmosphere. The promise of “bigger and shinier” does not materialise, but there is one significantl advantage of this market over other markets: The entertainment in the adjacent pubs and from a (VERY small) stage does make it a good bit more interesting. The stalls are selling handmade crafts, jewelry, toys and food. So, give it a go, just don’t expect to much Christmas atmosphere.

The linteresting and impressive line up for the next few days will be:

Fri 21 Dec: 17:00 CrowBlackChicken, 18:00 Rocher, 20:00 The young Folk, 21:00 Juliet’s Rescue, 22:00 The Hot Sprockets
Sat 22 Dec: 20:00 Happy Hour, 22:00 Created by Comets
Sun 23 Dec: 17:00 Rachel McCormack, 18:00 Simon Fagan, 20:00 Third Smoke, 21:00 Dem Fools

www.damedistrict.com/entertainment/

The Docklands Christmas Festival will start on Friday 07 Dec and will continue until 23 Dec.

The market is very disappointing. Where in previous years up to 80 traders offered their goods, it seems to be less than 20 this year. There will also be food stalls and a carousel and “Victorian fairground attractions”. The market is open until 20:00. Admission is free.

The lunchtime carol singing of An Post staff at the GPO is a tradition in Dublin that many people are not aware of. Until 21 Dec, An Post staff will sing every weekday from 13:00-14:00 and everybody is invited to join in. The singing is accompanies by Noel Carroll on violin and Lillian O’Connor on piano.

And if you can’t make it to the weekday lunchtime singing you can come to the GPO on Sat 08, 15 and 22 from 13:00-14:00 to listen to the Cameron singers.

Come to this “Friday Night Game Social: Khet” and and join in for an evening of combining strategy games with lasers.

Khet is an abstract strategy board game in which two players fire lasers to strike and remove Egyptian-themed game pieces from the board. Most of the pieces are mirrored on one or more sides, allowing players to alter the trajectory of the laser beam each time it is fired by changing the position of the playing pieces. When a piece is struck by a laser on a non-mirrored side, it is eliminated from the game. The object is to hit your opponent’s pharaoh with a laser, thereby claiming victory, all the while protecting your own king.

Admission is free, but booking is required.

“Crow Black Chicken” will perform in Whelan’s in the Front Bar. Admission is free.

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

A drop in class, with newcomers welcome.

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

A Jazz Session will take place in the in the Radisson Hotel. This will be the last session for 2012. James Mullen will perform.

Astronomy Ireland’s weekly free telescope nights are beginning again, and will take place each Friday night at 20:00 if the weather permits. Check the website below for a weather forecast and to find out what you will be able to see at the telescope night. The focus will be on Jupiter and Moon.

I normally don’t include DJ events, simply because there are too many. Every pub and club has a DJ and I wouldn’t be able to differntiate between an outstanding DJ and a guy who plays MP3s from his iPOD … some would say there is no difference, but that would be a little harsh. ;-)

Anyway, the reason why I include this event is because it is meant to be the last rave on earth IF and only IF the interpretation of the Mayan calender comes true that claims the earth will come to an end next Friday. I’d say the Mayans just had no space on their calender anymore and decided to add the years after 2012 in the next “print” run!

Anyway (2!), here is what is taking place at the last rave: The Zombie Circus presents
+ 1st Floor: Lex Woo – Dj Mog-Y – Ras Tinny with Reggae/Funk/Soul/Hip-Hop/Breakbeat/Afrobeat/Jazz/Electro
+ Ground Floor: Kurt Coca ine – Claire Meow Catt with Rock & Roll / Funk / Soul / Disco/ 80’s Cheese/ 90’s Classics
and lots of home-grown stuff

Admission is free.

The Stillorgan Orchard provides regular live music. The upcoming gigs are: Fri 21 Dec Bree Harris, Sat 22 Dec: 20th Century Gold

The Bionic Rats play live Reggae and Ska every Friday in Sin É. Admission is free.

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

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.

Farmleigh House is celebrating Christmas with a whole range of events at every weekend in December.

This Sunday the Food Market will take place from 10:00-17:00 and there is a Festive Crib. In addition there is “Rudolf & the Ice Queen Puppet Show with the Custard Pie Puppet Company” (12:00+13:45+15:30) and Storytelling events (12:45+14:30+16:15) for children and Carol Singing with Il Cora Italiano (13:30-15:30) and Barbershop Melodies with The Mellowchords (14:00-16:00) for the whole family.

Admission to all events is free.

Have a wonderful Christmas and enjoy the good food, the time off and the time with your family or friends! Spread some love to others if you have plenty! And if you are alone over Christmas think of the people that do care about you even if they are not around over the next few days. And in the unlikely event that you can’t think of anyone that does care about you, let me tell you that I care about each of the 10,000+ readers of this Dublin Event Guide soo much that I have spent more than 1300 hours this year on writing and publishing this e-zine every week.

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

Established in 1956 by Fr. Louis Coffey, the Live Crib at the Mansion House has entertained generations. The Live Crib consists of a traditional nativity scene set among live animals in a specially constructed stable. The animals are brought to the crib every morning and are returned to a farm on the south of the city in the evening. Admission is free and donations are welcome. The crib will be outside Mansion House until 24 Dec.

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

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

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

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

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

A monhtly art market in the Exchange is this month taking place one week earlier to help with your last minute Christmas present purchases. Admission is free.

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

The crypt of Christ Church will be the venue for the probably smallest Christmas market in Dublin again. But nevertheless there is something special about this market. It is a cool venue and if you have a few minutes, give it a go. There will be craft produce and presents and the crypt also has the Christ Church Cafe where you can warm up between your different Christmas Market visits. Admission is free. The Christmas market will take place on the four Saturdays before Christmas.

A Christmas Gift Boutique will be popping up in the Ranelagh Arts Centre for 12 days before Christmas, selling affordable Irish design and craft gifts from 30 Irish designers. On Thursday 13 Dec from 17:00-20:00 there will be wine and mince pies and you can meet the makers.

Actor and author Karl O’Neill will read from a selection of his work for children at the Ranelagh Arts Centre.

11:00 + 14:00: The Most Beautiful Letter In The World
12:00: READY, STEADY, FLY!
15:00: Poppy’s Wish – A Christmas Story.

Admission is free, but booking is recommended on 085-7437212

Over forty market stalls in chalets make up this Christmas Market in the Dun Laoghaire Town Centre and the Metals (near the Seafront underneath the Forty Foot Bar) The market is open until 1st January. There is also a Life-size crib with live animals open at St. Michael’s Church.

There is also a 60m Ice Slide on Dun Laoghaire Harbour Plaza open until 01 Jan from 11:00-19:00 every day (with the exception of Christmas Day). You can watch the spectacle for free and you can slide down yourself for EUR 2 (for 3 slides).

The Old Fire Station in Rathmines is home for a new Christmas Market, whcih will take place on 15+16 and 22+23 Dec. The market will be host to Art, Fashion, Crafts, Jewellery, Antiques and Christmas Goodies. The Old Fire Station is directly next to Cafe Moda in the centre of Rathmines, quite near to the Clock Tower. There will be 20 stalls at the weekend. Unfortunately I couldn’t find the starting time on the website, so I use the arbitrary time of 11:00

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

The Moving Crib in St. Martin Apostolate has fascinated generations of children from Dublin and all over Ireland and 50 years after it first began, it still draws the crowds. The Moving Crib is like an expanded Nativity Play going back to Adam and Eve and finishing after the crib scene with the young Jesus teaching the Doctors in the Temple. There are over 100 figures in the Crib arranged in 14 different tableaux. They cover various episodes of the Old and New Testament. The figures are about a metre high, moulded in papier-mache and dressed in miniature clothes. Concealed motors control the movements of the arms, head and legs. All figures, motors, clothing etc. come from a firm in Germany.

Four events take place each day, running for 30 minutes. Unfortunately I wasn’t able to find out yet when these four events take place. The opening hours are Weekdays: 14:00-18:00 and Weekends: 11:30-18:00 from 26 Nov-06 Jan. Admission is free.

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

The new and developing creative space “Chocolate Factory” will host a Christmas Fair with crafts and home made produce. There will be stalls selling Food, Crafts, Photography, Art and Jewellery. There will also be live music and entertainment. Hot food will be for sale as well as traditional mulled wine and mince pies and you can even get your Christmas Tree there.

I was at the Chocolate Factory Christmas Market last Sunday and stood in front of locked doors. I interpreted the Facebook information (seemingly wrongly – but I wasn’t the only one!) that the market would take place on Sat AND Sun, but it seems only to take place on Saturday! You are warned! :-)

The Dame District Christmas Market is taking place the second time this year. There are a few stalls in white plastic tents with a few fir tree branches attached to them. If it was called Dame District Market, I would agree. But don’t expect any Christmas atmosphere. The promise of “bigger and shinier” does not materialise, but there is one significantl advantage of this market over other markets: The entertainment in the adjacent pubs and from a (VERY small) stage does make it a good bit more interesting. The stalls are selling handmade crafts, jewelry, toys and food. So, give it a go, just don’t expect to much Christmas atmosphere.

The linteresting and impressive line up for the next few days will be:

Fri 21 Dec: 17:00 CrowBlackChicken, 18:00 Rocher, 20:00 The young Folk, 21:00 Juliet’s Rescue, 22:00 The Hot Sprockets
Sat 22 Dec: 20:00 Happy Hour, 22:00 Created by Comets
Sun 23 Dec: 17:00 Rachel McCormack, 18:00 Simon Fagan, 20:00 Third Smoke, 21:00 Dem Fools

www.damedistrict.com/entertainment/

The Docklands Christmas Festival will start on Friday 07 Dec and will continue until 23 Dec.

The market is very disappointing. Where in previous years up to 80 traders offered their goods, it seems to be less than 20 this year. There will also be food stalls and a carousel and “Victorian fairground attractions”. The market is open until 20:00. Admission is free.

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

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

The IFI continues with its free Archive at Lunchtime screenings on three days every week in December.

The Double Bill on Saturdays is described here: www.ifi.ie/film/archive-at-lunchtime-dbl-bill-dec-2012/
The Monday/Wednesday programme is here www.ifi.ie/film/archive-at-lunchtime-programme-1-dec-2012/ and here www.ifi.ie/film/archive-at-lunchtime-prog-2-dec-2012/

A Winter Solstice Fireworks Display will take place on Sat at 16:00. Admission is free. The fireworks will be launched from Dun Laoghaire Harbour.

Gypsy Rebel Rabel will perform in Whelan’s Bar on Sat. Admission is free.

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

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

The Stillorgan Orchard provides regular live music. The upcoming gigs are: Fri 21 Dec Bree Harris, Sat 22 Dec: 20th Century Gold

The Bianca Fachel Quintet will be performing their mix of Jazz with Samba/Bossa and traditional Irish influences. Admission is free and you find more details on the Facebook Event Page.

Farmleigh House is celebrating Christmas with a whole range of events at every weekend in December.

This Saturday the Food Market will take place from 10:00-17:00 and there is a Festive Crib. In addition there are Rudolf & the Ice Queen Puppet Show with the Custard Pie Puppet Company (12:00+13:45+15:30) and Storytelling events (12:45+14:30+16:15) for children and Carol Singing with the Ballinteer Male Voice Choir (13:30-15:30) and Barbershop Melodies with The Mellowchords (12:00-16:00) for the whole family. Horse and Carriage Rides will take place between 13:00 and 16:00.

Admission to all events is free.

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

Established in 1956 by Fr. Louis Coffey, the Live Crib at the Mansion House has entertained generations. The Live Crib consists of a traditional nativity scene set among live animals in a specially constructed stable. The animals are brought to the crib every morning and are returned to a farm on the south of the city in the evening. Admission is free and donations are welcome. The crib will be outside Mansion House until 24 Dec.

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

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

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

A Christmas Gift Boutique will be popping up in the Ranelagh Arts Centre for 12 days before Christmas, selling affordable Irish design and craft gifts from 30 Irish designers. On Thursday 13 Dec from 17:00-20:00 there will be wine and mince pies and you can meet the makers.

Over forty market stalls in chalets make up this Christmas Market in the Dun Laoghaire Town Centre and the Metals (near the Seafront underneath the Forty Foot Bar) The market is open until 1st January. There is also a Life-size crib with live animals open at St. Michael’s Church.

There is also a 60m Ice Slide on Dun Laoghaire Harbour Plaza open until 01 Jan from 11:00-19:00 every day (with the exception of Christmas Day). You can watch the spectacle for free and you can slide down yourself for EUR 2 (for 3 slides).

The Old Fire Station in Rathmines is home for a new Christmas Market, whcih will take place on 15+16 and 22+23 Dec. The market will be host to Art, Fashion, Crafts, Jewellery, Antiques and Christmas Goodies. The Old Fire Station is directly next to Cafe Moda in the centre of Rathmines, quite near to the Clock Tower. There will be 20 stalls at the weekend. Unfortunately I couldn’t find the starting time on the website, so I use the arbitrary time of 11:00

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

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

The Moving Crib in St. Martin Apostolate has fascinated generations of children from Dublin and all over Ireland and 50 years after it first began, it still draws the crowds. The Moving Crib is like an expanded Nativity Play going back to Adam and Eve and finishing after the crib scene with the young Jesus teaching the Doctors in the Temple. There are over 100 figures in the Crib arranged in 14 different tableaux. They cover various episodes of the Old and New Testament. The figures are about a metre high, moulded in papier-mache and dressed in miniature clothes. Concealed motors control the movements of the arms, head and legs. All figures, motors, clothing etc. come from a firm in Germany.

Four events take place each day, running for 30 minutes. Unfortunately I wasn’t able to find out yet when these four events take place. The opening hours are Weekdays: 14:00-18:00 and Weekends: 11:30-18:00 from 26 Nov-06 Jan. Admission is free.

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

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

The Dame District Christmas Market is taking place the second time this year. There are a few stalls in white plastic tents with a few fir tree branches attached to them. If it was called Dame District Market, I would agree. But don’t expect any Christmas atmosphere. The promise of “bigger and shinier” does not materialise, but there is one significantl advantage of this market over other markets: The entertainment in the adjacent pubs and from a (VERY small) stage does make it a good bit more interesting. The stalls are selling handmade crafts, jewelry, toys and food. So, give it a go, just don’t expect to much Christmas atmosphere.

The linteresting and impressive line up for the next few days will be:

Fri 21 Dec: 17:00 CrowBlackChicken, 18:00 Rocher, 20:00 The young Folk, 21:00 Juliet’s Rescue, 22:00 The Hot Sprockets
Sat 22 Dec: 20:00 Happy Hour, 22:00 Created by Comets
Sun 23 Dec: 17:00 Rachel McCormack, 18:00 Simon Fagan, 20:00 Third Smoke, 21:00 Dem Fools

www.damedistrict.com/entertainment/

The Docklands Christmas Festival will start on Friday 07 Dec and will continue until 23 Dec.

The market is very disappointing. Where in previous years up to 80 traders offered their goods, it seems to be less than 20 this year. There will also be food stalls and a carousel and “Victorian fairground attractions”. The market is open until 20:00. Admission is free.

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

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!

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

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

The screening of the film “About Beauty: Dorothy Cross” will take place on Sunday. Admission is free and no booking is required. However, places are limited.

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.

37 Dawson Street is still one of the newsest pubs in Dublin and for the month of December, they are adding a weekly vocal jazz gig to their Sunday attractions.
The upcoming gigs are 23 Dec: Emilie Conway Quartet, 30 Dec: Anne Marie Williams Quartet.

Saucy Sundays is a weekly free live music afternoon and evening in the Grand Social. This week’s line up is Fox.E & The Good Hands, St. John The Gambler, The Hassle Merchants, The Eskies, You Kiss By The Book, Shes a Beauty, The Young Folk, Red Sail, Lisa McLaughlin, Simon Fagan, DJ Claire Miaow Catt. This will be the Saucy Sundays Christmas Celebration and the event runs a lot later/longer than usual.

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

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

The Christmas Concert of the Communications Workers Union is taking place on Sat. Admission is free.

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 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 at the Comdey Crunch Christmas Party is Edwin Sammon, Rory O’Hanlon, Danny O’Brien, Colm McGlinchey, Trevor Browne.

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

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

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

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 Stoney Brokes, Lauren Guillery, Toy Soldier, Heavy Soul.

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

Over Christmas and really until the 03 Jan many of the normally regular events will or might not take place, so to be sure, please check before you go to one of the regular events.

Established in 1956 by Fr. Louis Coffey, the Live Crib at the Mansion House has entertained generations. The Live Crib consists of a traditional nativity scene set among live animals in a specially constructed stable. The animals are brought to the crib every morning and are returned to a farm on the south of the city in the evening. Admission is free and donations are welcome. The crib will be outside Mansion House until 24 Dec.

Over forty market stalls in chalets make up this Christmas Market in the Dun Laoghaire Town Centre and the Metals (near the Seafront underneath the Forty Foot Bar) The market is open until 1st January. There is also a Life-size crib with live animals open at St. Michael’s Church.

There is also a 60m Ice Slide on Dun Laoghaire Harbour Plaza open until 01 Jan from 11:00-19:00 every day (with the exception of Christmas Day). You can watch the spectacle for free and you can slide down yourself for EUR 2 (for 3 slides).

The Moving Crib in St. Martin Apostolate has fascinated generations of children from Dublin and all over Ireland and 50 years after it first began, it still draws the crowds. The Moving Crib is like an expanded Nativity Play going back to Adam and Eve and finishing after the crib scene with the young Jesus teaching the Doctors in the Temple. There are over 100 figures in the Crib arranged in 14 different tableaux. They cover various episodes of the Old and New Testament. The figures are about a metre high, moulded in papier-mache and dressed in miniature clothes. Concealed motors control the movements of the arms, head and legs. All figures, motors, clothing etc. come from a firm in Germany.

Four events take place each day, running for 30 minutes. Unfortunately I wasn’t able to find out yet when these four events take place. The opening hours are Weekdays: 14:00-18:00 and Weekends: 11:30-18:00 from 26 Nov-06 Jan. Admission is free.

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

The IFI continues with its free Archive at Lunchtime screenings on three days every week in December.

The Double Bill on Saturdays is described here: www.ifi.ie/film/archive-at-lunchtime-dbl-bill-dec-2012/
The Monday/Wednesday programme is here www.ifi.ie/film/archive-at-lunchtime-programme-1-dec-2012/ and here www.ifi.ie/film/archive-at-lunchtime-prog-2-dec-2012/

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.

The 20:00 Christmas Eve Mass in Gardiner Street Church will be accompanied by the Gardiner Street Gospel Choir. Before the mass from 19:30 there will be some Christmas carols sung with the community. If you want to come to that mass, be early, the church will be packed!

Have a great Christmas!! Enjoy the presents and the good food.

If your Christmas this year is a little scaled down because you can’t afford excesses from previous years, just make sure that you enjoy it in whatever way you celebrate it. It doesn’t have to be a turkey!

If you know people that are on their own, check in with them and if they feel alone/loneley maybe you have a bit of time for them. But be aware that not everyone who celebrates Christmas on his/her own is feeling alone. So, try to find the right balance.

Over Christmas and really until the 03 Jan many of the normally regular events will or might not take place, so to be sure, please check before you go to one of the regular events.

At this yearly (self-organised) event, hundreds of brave/crazy/tough (you choose the appropriate word) dive into the shockingly cold Irish Sea at the Forty Foot in Sandycove and leave the water soon after lobster pink due to the low temperatures.

The Forty Foor was once a Gentlemen’s Bathing place were clothing was not required, but nowadays everybody is welcome and the surprisingly liberal approach from the past is not the done thing anymore.

Today is the second Christmas holiday. It is called St. Stephen’s Day and don’t call it Boxing Day (which is the UK name for that day). :-) Most office based companies are still off today, but some shops are back open and many restaurants and pubs open today also.

Over Christmas and really until the 03 Jan many of the normally regular events will or might not take place, so to be sure, please check before you go to one of the regular events.

Over forty market stalls in chalets make up this Christmas Market in the Dun Laoghaire Town Centre and the Metals (near the Seafront underneath the Forty Foot Bar) The market is open until 1st January. There is also a Life-size crib with live animals open at St. Michael’s Church.

There is also a 60m Ice Slide on Dun Laoghaire Harbour Plaza open until 01 Jan from 11:00-19:00 every day (with the exception of Christmas Day). You can watch the spectacle for free and you can slide down yourself for EUR 2 (for 3 slides).

In its 5th year now, the Fr Ted Day is taking place again in the Bernard Shaw Pub on St. Stephen’s Day. Details are still very sparse on the website and even on the facebook page (www.facebook.com/events/210533892416191/?ref=22 ), but in previous years there were Lovely Girls Competitions and people arrived dressed as priests and there was lots more Father Ted related fun at this popular event.

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

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

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

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

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

On St. Stephen’s Green the resident band “Dilligaf” will perform from 22:00 in the Baggot Inn.

The Mutts, a Dublin rock n’ roll band, are playing in the Clonsilla Inn on Wednesday and admission isfree.

If you like them you can see them again in Navan (O’Flaherty’s) on New Years Eve from 21:30.

The 27 Dec is for most a normal work day again. Your company might be closed, but as far as public holidays are concerned, today is NOT a public holiday. For many it is back to work, but the good news is that this week has only two days! ;-)

Over Christmas and really until the 03 Jan many of the normally regular events will or might not take place, so to be sure, please check before you go to one of the regular events.

Over forty market stalls in chalets make up this Christmas Market in the Dun Laoghaire Town Centre and the Metals (near the Seafront underneath the Forty Foot Bar) The market is open until 1st January. There is also a Life-size crib with live animals open at St. Michael’s Church.

There is also a 60m Ice Slide on Dun Laoghaire Harbour Plaza open until 01 Jan from 11:00-19:00 every day (with the exception of Christmas Day). You can watch the spectacle for free and you can slide down yourself for EUR 2 (for 3 slides).

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

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

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

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

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.

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.

Banda Baque Sol play every Thursday funl, soul and samba.

Every Thursday the resident band “Dilligaf” is performing from 22:00 in the Baggot Inn.

Over Christmas and really until the 03 Jan many of the normally regular events will or might not take place, so to be sure, please check before you go to one of the regular events.

“Can You Dig it?” is the title title of an event in the National Museum in Kildare Street: Become an archaeologist for the day and see what it feels like to discover some exciting artefacts.

Admission is free and bo booking is required. The event is suitable for all ages, but there might be a bit of a closer focus on younger ages.

Over forty market stalls in chalets make up this Christmas Market in the Dun Laoghaire Town Centre and the Metals (near the Seafront underneath the Forty Foot Bar) The market is open until 1st January. There is also a Life-size crib with live animals open at St. Michael’s Church.

There is also a 60m Ice Slide on Dun Laoghaire Harbour Plaza open until 01 Jan from 11:00-19:00 every day (with the exception of Christmas Day). You can watch the spectacle for free and you can slide down yourself for EUR 2 (for 3 slides).

At the Winter Inspectorium: The Science of Sleep you will learn more about hibernation and why animals choose to sleep the winter away. Then you can make your own hibernation den.

Admission is free and no booking is required. The event is suitable for all ages.

This event is listed here www.culturefox.ie/event/winter-inspectorium-the-science-of-sleep/13804.aspx but not on the Museum’s website here www.museum.ie/en/list/calendar-of-events.aspx So you better check if it is taking place or not. Ring 01-6777444.