Dublin Event Guide 300: St. Patrick’s Day Festival, Big Day Out, St. Patrick’s Day Parade, Treasure Hunt

The St. Patrick’s Festival Fun Fair will take place at Merrion Square West from Friday 15 – Mon 18 March. The fair will be open from 11:00-23:00 from Friday to Sunday and from 11:00-21:00 on Monday.
(Merrion Square West will be closed for traffic from 20:00 on Tues 12 Mar until 06:00 on Wed 20 March.)

A second Fun Fair will take place at Custom House Quay outside Custom House from Sat 16 – Mon 17 March, The fair will be open from 10:00-22:00 on Sat + Sun and from 10:00-20:00 on Monday.

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.

A family event for all ages celebrating the wonder of snakes takes place in the Natural Museum. Come see the Herpetological Society with their live snakes, listen to storyteller Jack Lynch telling slimey stories or join Martina Galvin, pattern artist, for a children’s drawing workshops.

The workshop with Martina Galvin will run from 11:00-14:00 and Storytelling with Jack Lynch will take place from 14:00-16:00.

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 Irish Craft Beer Village is six-day celebration of Irish drinking culture on the platform in George’s Dock. Traditional Irish music, local artisan food and Irish Craft Beers are the features of this event.

The music only starts at 18:00 from Wed-Fri (on the free-admission days) so you won’t get much of a chance to enjoy it. On Sat-Mon it will start at 13:00. The food is pies, Bratwurst and Crepes and if the Ely Bar and Restaurant didn’t offer Irish Stew, you would seriously have to wonder about the Irishness of the Artisan food.

Admission is free on 13+14+15 March from 12:00-19:00. After 19:00 and all day on Sat, Sun and Mon, admission is EUR 5.

Kathy D’Arcy is writer in residence with Cork literary organisation Tigh Fili (Poets’ House). This reading is part of a series of Lunchtime Readings at the Writers’ centre and is organised in association with Poetry Ireland

The Powerscourt Centre have their own little St. Patrick’s Day Festival

The programme from Fri-Sun features free and non-free events and the main free events are:
Fri 15 Mar: 14:00-16:00 Live Traditional Irish Music
Sat 16 Mar: 14:00 Harp Orchestra, 15:00+16:00 Trad. Irish Music & Dancing, 17:00 Emer Dunne & Drua (Contemp. Irish Music)
Sun 17 Mar:12:30-14:45 Trad Irish Music. 14:00-16:00 Ballons & Facepainting for kids, 15:00+16:00 Trad Irish Music & Dancing

There are also two other events most days, that are not or most likely not free: The Magic Turtles workshop for families is EUR 5 per child (free for adults) and there is an Irish Dancing show in the Powerscourt Theatre, that most likely costs some admission charge.

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Take part in this free tour of the Print Museum’s permanent exhibition and come on a journey of discovery through the history of printing. All on the tour will be given the opportunity to print their own St. Patrick’s Festival letterpress poster.

“Brewing in the Time of St. Patrick” is a talk on Fri+Sat at 16:00 at the Irish Craft Beer Village. But only on Friday admission is free to it. look back at the history of brewing, from the days of St. Patrick to the current craft beer resurgence and meet some of the brewers leading the revival.

Dublin City Centre will host open air performances featuring national and international acts and artists; including walkabout characters, 30 minute circle shows, dance performances and the sounds of drums, pipes and song.

Locations & Times:
Dame Court: 18:00-20:00 on Fri + 18:00-21:00 on Sun
South King Street: 16:00-18:00 on Fri, Sat + Sun
Coppinger Row: 16:00-18:00 on Fri, 14:00-16:00 on Sat, 15:30-17:30 on Sun
Barnardo Square: 16:00-18:00 on Fri, 14:00-16:00 on Sat
Powerscourt Centre: 14:00-17:00 on Sat

The St. Patrick’s Festival Ceílí will take place on Friday at St Stephen’s Green North, that’s the side where Top Shop, Londis and the 2Euro shop are, near Dawson Street. It is an outdoor celebration of traditional Irish dancing and everyone is invited to take part. Admission is free, just arrive and listen to the traditional Irish music or take part in the dancing.

It’s a pity that this event does not take place on the Sat, Sun or Bank Holiday Monday so that more people can enjoy it, but hopefully some of you will get a chance to get to it after work on Friday. I haven’t been at the Ceili for a good few years because it has been on a Friday, but before, when it took place on the day of the St. Patrick’s Day Parade, I enjoyed the mayhem entirely. ;-)

This event will be curated by Eat My Shorts, one of Dublin’s Short Film Festival, who are dedicated to creating a platform for new and established film-makers and bringing amazing new short films to a wider audience.

As part of the “I Love My City programme”, they have launched an open submission inviting creatives and film makers to tell their city’s story and fill in the blank in ‘I love my city’, through animation, documentary, drama or experimental film in 15 minutes or less.

An industry judging panel will select the best 10 to show at this special St. Patrick’s Festival screening.

The event will take place in th Examination Hall of TCD. Admission seems to be free, but you have to register and with a bit of luck you will win tickets at the lottery-type procedure.

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.

A free Greek and European Folk Dance class open to all. Contact Katerini Papathanasiou on papath.kat@gmail.com

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.

The Dublin Sidewalk Astronomers will meet at the Martello tower car park in Sandymount to observe the 3 day old Moon. This event is free and open to everybody. The event is weather dependent, so you should check the website after 18:00 on the day to see if it is going ahead.

“Dublin Tribal Spirit” is a weekly event that gives you the great experience of a drumming circle with african drums and authentic tribal rhythms. Tom and Sinead, who run that event are providing lots of drums for it and teach you the rhythms.

There is no formal admission charge for this event, but donations are expected. The organisers bring their own 20-30 drums to it every week, so they are looking for donations to keep the event going.

The Addison Lodge are inviting local bands, musicians, poets, comedians and performers to share their talents at the new Addison Lodge Open Mic Nights in Glasnevin (opposite the Botanic Gardens). The event will take place every week. Admission is free.

The Stillorgan Orchard provides regular live music. The upcoming gigs are Fri 15 March: The Passengers, Sat 16 March: Full Circle and Sun 17 March: Jungle Boogie

The Curtain Thieves are performing in the Midnight Hour in Whelan’s. Admission is free before 22:30 and the gig starts at midnight with doors at 23:30.

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

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.

Parkrun Ireland is organising free weekly runs in parks. It is a timed run over 5km and participation is completely free, but registration before your first parkrun is required.

The SuperNatural Food Market is taking place every Saturday from 09:30-15:30 in St. Andrews Resource Centre in Pearse Street, Dublin 2.

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

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

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

The St. Patrick’s Festival Fun Fair will take place at Merrion Square West from Friday 15 – Mon 18 March. The fair will be open from 11:00-23:00 from Friday to Sunday and from 11:00-21:00 on Monday.
(Merrion Square West will be closed for traffic from 20:00 on Tues 12 Mar until 06:00 on Wed 20 March.)

A second Fun Fair will take place at Custom House Quay outside Custom House from Sat 16 – Mon 17 March, The fair will be open from 10:00-22:00 on Sat + Sun and from 10:00-20:00 on Monday.

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

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.

Eason Story Time is back. As part of Eason’s “Get Into Reading” campaign, a specially selected children’s book will be read at 11:00 each Saturday in every Eason store in the country. On the website below are the dates and book titles from now until mid-June and for the next two months I have them included here:

09 Mar: My Mum by Anthony Browne
16 Mar: Very Hungry Caterpillar by Eric Carle
23 Mar: Brave Beast by Chris Judge
30 Mar: Smartest Giant in Town by Julia Donaldson

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.

A family event for all ages celebrating the wonder of snakes takes place in the Natural Museum. Come see the Herpetological Society with their live snakes, listen to storyteller Jack Lynch telling slimey stories or join Martina Galvin, pattern artist, for a children’s drawing workshops.

The workshop with Martina Galvin will run from 11:00-14:00 and Storytelling with Jack Lynch will take place from 14:00-16:00.

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 next Walking Tour of Art for Art’s Sake will take place on Saturday. The tours introduce you to galleries, studios, exhibitions and artists in Dublin. They are informal and a are an opportunity to meet other people interested in art and the people who make it happen.

Meeting point this week is in the City Centre and the tour will visit Talbot Gallery and Studios, The Lab, White Lady Art Gallery, Tamp and Stitch, Graphic Studio Dublin.

Participation is free, but donations are welcome. To book your place contact artforartsake.gallery@gmail.com or go to the website below to register.

The yearly Big Day Out (this year sponsored by SuperValu) is a great day for the whole family. The streets around Merrion Square will be buzzing with Street Performance Areas, Food Stalls, Bouncy Castles, Marching Band Performances, Arts & Crafts Workshops, Irish Language Events and a Science Zone for kids. There are also some activities in Merrion Square, so don’t just stay outside. ;-)

The day is brilliant entertainment for kids, but the adults get something out of it as well. All is free.

A map for the event is here www.stpatricksfestival.ie/siteDocs/BDO_Map_Final_Site.pdf and a schedule can be found here www.stpatricksfestival.ie/siteDocs/schedule-BDO-site-final.pdf

The Dundrum Town Centre has its own mini-St. Patrick’s Festival with facepainting from 12:00-17:00 and the Tallaght Youth Band at 15:00 on Saturday and a Traditional Irish Music Band from 14:00-15:30 on Sunday. — Hmmm, doesn’t sound very exciting if you ask me.

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.

This is not a free event if you want to participate, but it is entirely free to watch and cheer on the runners. The race will start and finish outside Mansion House and at Mansion House and maybe along Stephen’s Green, Merrion Row and Baggot Street are the most interesting points to watch the race. The rest of the course is not overly interesting for spectators.
The organiser’s website has a map of the course that is massive in filesize, so I quickly reduced it for you and you can find it here: www.dublineventguide.com/media/StPats5kMap2013.pdf

A meeting of the Citizens for Justice, Transparency & Accountability in Irish Institutions organisation “Integrity Ireland” will take place.

“Integrity Ireland is a citizens-driven network and support group set up to tackle corruption within this state, particularly within the legal profession and An Garda Síochána.”

The meeting is open to everyone and admission is free.

You have heard of the famous boat race in the UK where the universities of Oxford and Cambridge compete each year against each other? Dublin has its own university boat race. It is called the Gannon Cup and the universities competing are as expected University College Dublin and Trinity College Dublin.

The 2km races start at O’Connell Bridge and go towards Heuston Station with the finish at St. James’ Gate. There are actually four races and the starting times are
+ Sally Moorhead (WN8) @ 12:45
+ Dan Quinn (MN8) @ 13:15
+ Corcoran Cup (WS8) @ 13:45
+ Gannon Cup (MS8) @ 14:15

The first meeting of the new Exchange Film Works group at at the Exchange Dublin takes place.
This project is open to camera people, sound, make up, lighting, editors, vfx people, scriptwriters, actors and directors and the goal, is to make pictures. If you want to get working on films and you have something to bring to the table, then contact exchangefilmworks@hotmail.com Scriptwriters in particular are needed to contact that e-mail address before Sat.

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 February.
The Double Bill on Saturdays is described here:
02+9+16+13+30 March: www.ifi.ie/film/archive-at-lunchtime-double-bill-9/
The Monday/Wednesday programmes are here
04+13+18+27 March: www.ifi.ie/film/archive-at-lunchtime-programme-1-25/
06+11+20+25 March: www.ifi.ie/film/archive-at-lunchtime-programme-2-24/

Vegan Ireland are inviting to a screening of the documentary “Home” on Saturday. The screening will start at around 16:00 for 95min and after the screening there will be a discussion: “Is our planet really doomed – or is there hope if we humans start acting as if our HOME matters to us?”.

Admission is free and everybody is welcome.

Taispeántas Scannáin 2013 – An Irish language film screening will take place. It is a celebration of the Irish Language Year and the Irish Language Week www.snag.ie . Admission is free and all are welcome.

The programme will consist of three short films and a documentary with subtitles. Return to the Sea is an absorbing documentary about the islanders of Inisbofin Island.

Dublin City Centre will host open air performances featuring national and international acts and artists; including walkabout characters, 30 minute circle shows, dance performances and the sounds of drums, pipes and song.

Locations & Times:
Dame Court: 18:00-20:00 on Fri + 18:00-21:00 on Sun
South King Street: 16:00-18:00 on Fri, Sat + Sun
Coppinger Row: 16:00-18:00 on Fri, 14:00-16:00 on Sat, 15:30-17:30 on Sun
Barnardo Square: 16:00-18:00 on Fri, 14:00-16:00 on Sat
Powerscourt Centre: 14:00-17:00 on Sat

A free Drama Workshop is taking place in the Exchange Dublin. Everybody is 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.

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 15 March: The Passengers, Sat 16 March: Full Circle and Sun 17 March: Jungle Boogie.

The “Empty Lungs” will perform in the Midnight Hour at Whelan’s. The gig starts at 00:00 and admission is free if you arrive before 22:30.

The Goods, a very good “alternative” wedding and party band, are in the Mint Bar in the Westin Hotel for a gig.

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

The 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.

The St. Patrick’s Festival Fun Fair will take place at Merrion Square West from Friday 15 – Mon 18 March. The fair will be open from 11:00-23:00 from Friday to Sunday and from 11:00-21:00 on Monday.
(Merrion Square West will be closed for traffic from 20:00 on Tues 12 Mar until 06:00 on Wed 20 March.)

A second Fun Fair will take place at Custom House Quay outside Custom House from Sat 16 – Mon 17 March, The fair will be open from 10:00-22:00 on Sat + Sun and from 10:00-20:00 on Monday.

The next Music, CD & Record Fair will take place from Fri 15 Mar until Sun 17 March in Filmbase in Temple Bar. While most events organised by IrishRecordFairs.com are free, the one in the Filmbase has an admission charge of EUR 2 for a two day pass (Sat+Sun). But for Dublin Event Guide readers, there is a free entrance option: If you come to the Fair on Sunday and bring a print-out or picture of the voucher at www.irishrecordfairs.com/concession%20page.htm , you will get in for free. And give Brian my regards when you are let in for free. ;-)

This is the biggest music fair in Ireland, so if you are serious you have to go there. And if you are a hobbyist, then it is the best one to go to because the choice will be best.

The next Brocante Market will take place on 24 March NOT on 17 Mar due to the St. Patrick’s Day Parade this weekend:

The Brocante Market will take place on Sun 24 Mar. 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 usually held every 3rd Sunday of the month and this month is an exception.

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.

For the first time the St. Patrick’s Day Parade is preceded by a “People’s Parade”. Around 8,000 people will march along the parade route ahead of the parade. I am not sure why that is such a great addition and why you or anybody else would want to watch 8,000 people walking by you and I am not sure why these 8,000 want to walk, but, hey, if it rocks their boat, why not! ;-)

The Little Green Gallery also has entertainment planned for you on Sunday. But I am not sure if that will go tooo well. The music seems to only start at 23:00 according to the notification I got and according to the facebook event page at www.facebook.com/events/149824501850443 Going by previous St. Patrick’s Days at 23:00 the majority of people will be far beyond a state where they properly appreciate good entertainment.

I am also not sure what happens exactly when. The poster on the event page says that the music will start in the afternoon, but the description talks about 23:00? Or do they maybe mean 11:00? As in 11:00am instead of 11:00pm?

You know what, I will describe it here the way they SHOULD do it:

The Little Gallery will have St. Patrick’s Day festivities on Sunday starting at 11:00, they will serve Irish dishes and Guinness and Craft Beers. Then in the afternoon once the parade is over, traditional Irish music and other homw grown artists will entertain you, including the folk band “Lynched”, some singer/songwriter and later DJs. Admission is free and you will have great day.

That’s what they SHOULD do, Will they? Maybe! Maybe the person writing that text got just a little confused with am/pm, hours, beer sorts etc. If all goes well … for them, they will have re-written their description when you get this Dublin Event Guide and you will wonder what _I_ am on about. ;-)

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.

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 Dundrum Town Centre has its own mini-St. Patrick’s Festival with facepainting from 12:00-17:00 and the Tallaght Youth Band at 15:00 on Saturday and a Traditional Irish Music Band from 14:00-15:30 on Sunday. — Hmmm, doesn’t sound very exciting if you ask me.

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

The official highlight of the St. Patrick’s Day Festival is the St. Patrick’s Day Parade. It starts at 12:00 on Sunday at Parnell Square, makes its way down O’Connell Street, then on to College Green, Dame Street, Christ Church and finishes near St. Patrick’s Cathedral.

If you want to be able to see the parade, you have four options a) Be VERY early! IF you are not in the first 3-4 rows along the parade route, you will see hardly anything. b) Bring a ladder! You might be amused by the many people that bring a step ladder, but it is a smart solution. c) Do NOT go to the parade, but instead watch it streamed on YouTube. Check out the information regarding this in the Dublin News section. d) If you are arriving late, have no ladder and ignored the advise to watch it on YouTube, forget O’Connell Bridge or College Green and Dame Street and instead make your way directly to St. Patrick’s Cathedral. There are a lot less people at that end.

In addition to all the themed vehicles (called “floats”) and the mass of people walking along, there will be 17 Marching Bands taking part this year, so if you can see what is happening, I am sure you will enjoy it. Pity about the thousands of people that won’t be able to see a thing, though.

By the way, if you read after the parade about the number of people on the streets of Dublin watching the parade, do not beleive a single word. It is all lies. For years the organisers are trying to tell us that more than 500,000 people watch the parade life on Dublin’s Streets, but if you read my claculation from last year her www.joergsteegmueller.com/2012/03/17/st-patrick-parade-lies-and-statistics-round-2/ you will see that the numbers the organisers’ will claim are at least twice as high as the real numbers.

The Sundays at Noon Concert Series continues 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 feature Paul Roe (clarinet) and Finghin Collins (piano) performing music by Wilson, Mulvey, Berio, Gardner and Lei Liang.

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!

Santoria, great Soul Band from Dublin, will do two gigs on St. Patrick’s Day in J.W. Sweetman’s pub, the former Messrs Maguire. They will perfrom at 14:00 and at 17:00.

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

The weekly Sunday Roast is a free event in the Mercantile where live music is combined with free roast potatoes. This Sunday the Sunday Roast will start immediately after the parade early in the afternoon and the line-up is
Interskalactic
Empire Saints
The Rusty Fixtures
WOB
Campbell & The Lips
Leaving las Vegas
The Boo Box
Modern India
Red Velvetines
Heavy Soul

and many more…

At this tour for all ages, explore the story of early Christian Ireland through a tour of the artefacts in the museum connected to Saint Patrick and the early Irish church. Admission is free and no booking required, but places are limited.

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

In celebration of St. Patrick’s Day, join this walk through the Conservation section of the Irish native plant collections and discover some interesting stories about the Irish trees and plants.

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.

Whelan’s is inviting to a Post-Parade Party with lots of free live music. The gigs start at 15:00 in the main venue until 23:00 and after 23:00-02:00 the party will go upstairs. Admission is free before 22:30, but “registration” via the Facebook Page www.facebook.com/events/150293491803441 is requested.

The performing bands are
15:00-15:45 Penny Wentworth
16:00-16:45 The Scenes
17:00-17:45 Leaving Las Vegas
18:00-18:45 The Rusty Fixtures
19:00-19:45 Verona Riots
20:00-20:45 WOB
21:00-21:45 Corner Boy
22:00-22:45 Dem Fools
23:00-23:45 Empire Saints
00:00-00:45 PunchFace Champions
01:00-01:45 VANN

The St. Patrick’s Day Party at the Workman’s club will start at 15:00 and loads of bands and DJs will entertain you for the next 12 hours in The Workman’s Club, The Garage Bar and the Bison Bar. Admission is free.

Live at the Workman’s Club:
The Urges
Tandem Felix
Gangs
The #1s
September Girls
This Other Kingdom
Death in the Sickroom
Fiction Peaks
Hellfire Club

There will be DJ’s at the Garage Bar and on the 1st floor in the Workman’s Club.

As it’s a Sunday the live acts in The Workman’s Main Room will be followed by THE KARAOKE CLUB

And if it is all a bit wild for you in The Workman’s Club and the Garage Bar, go to the Bison Bar for a quieter atmosphere.

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

Celebrate St. Patrick’s Day with a tour of the iconic treasures in the National Museum, including the ‘Tara’ Brooch and the Ardagh Chalice. Suitable for all ages. Admission is free and no booking required, but places are limited.

RTÉ Cór na nÓg will give their annual St Patrick’s Day family concert in the Unitarian Church. Conducted by Mary Amond O’Brien and accompanied by Alison Thomas (piano) Devon MacGillivray (violin), and Des Lacey (percussion), they will sing a selection of traditional Irish favourites as well as music from around the world. Admission is free.

Saucy Sundays is a weekly free live music afternoon and evening in the Grand Social. Normally it takes place on Sunday but because of the Bank Holiday it is postponed to Monday. So, please check the Monday events to find out all details.

Dublin City Centre will host open air performances featuring national and international acts and artists; including walkabout characters, 30 minute circle shows, dance performances and the sounds of drums, pipes and song.

Locations & Times:
Dame Court: 18:00-20:00 on Fri + 18:00-21:00 on Sun
South King Street: 16:00-18:00 on Fri, Sat + Sun
Coppinger Row: 16:00-18:00 on Fri, 14:00-16:00 on Sat, 15:30-17:30 on Sun
Barnardo Square: 16:00-18:00 on Fri, 14:00-16:00 on Sat
Powerscourt Centre: 14:00-17:00 on Sat

The best of Irish language music and dance, from rock, rap, reggae, ska via sean-nós to traditional music will be part of this street concert celebrating 20 years of the Ciorcal Craiceáilte (Google translates to “Crazy Circle”). Admission is free.

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

Every Sunday this singer-songwriter night takes place in the Bleeding Horse in Camden St. from 8.30pm. It is an Open mic night and performers can just turn up and put their name on the list for that night.

The Comedy Crunch is a free Stand Up comedy downstairs in Stag’s Head, Dame Lane from 21:00 every week on Sun+Mon. Every week different comedians entertain and on top of that there is some free ice cream. The line-up can be found via the Comedy Crunch Facebook Page (see link below).

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

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

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

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

If you see musicians busking for charity in Grafton Street, they could be part of the event organised by the UCD Traditional Musical Society. The money will go to UCD Volunteers Overseas. Expect the students at the top of Grafton Street, near St. Stephen’s Green. More details can be found on the facebook page below.

The Nightmare Club is a series of scary stories, written by Annie Graves, about a young girl from Dublin, who lives near a cemetery and organises a scary, storytelling night in her house. Come and meet some crazy characters from the books, talk to some of the authors, enjoy interactive workshops and check out the live creepy crawlies – ew!
Suitable for 7-10 year olds.

Ther are four sessions and you need to pre-register:
10:00-11:30, 12:00-13:30pm (Booked Out), 14:00-15:30, 16:00-17:30

The St. Patrick’s Festival Fun Fair will take place at Merrion Square West from Friday 15 – Mon 18 March. The fair will be open from 11:00-23:00 from Friday to Sunday and from 11:00-21:00 on Monday.
(Merrion Square West will be closed for traffic from 20:00 on Tues 12 Mar until 06:00 on Wed 20 March.)

A second Fun Fair will take place at Custom House Quay outside Custom House from Sat 16 – Mon 17 March, The fair will be open from 10:00-22:00 on Sat + Sun and from 10:00-20:00 on Monday.

A hugely popular event is the yearly Festival Treasure Hunt. It is a free, fun-filled and novel trail through a collection of Dublin’s landmark buildings and venues. Plot your route, solve the clues and race back to base at Dublin’s City Hall to finish and record your time. The event is suitable for all ages and the teams are made up of four people. The clues are quite simple and the difficulty level for the questions would mostly be EASY. If you want to challenged, you might be disappointed, but keep in mind that it is an event for all ages. So the focus is on having a fun day, not on the competitive element.

You can register from 10:00-13:00 and need to be finished by 17:00. The time for finishing the trail is approx. 2 hours.. Pre-register on the website below so that you don’t waste too much time at the start. Start and finish is in City Hall, Dame Street, Dublin 2.

I took part in the Treasure Hunt last year and it was a lot of fun. Since there is not much else happening on the Bank Holiday Monday, give it a go and find out a few new interesting facts about Dublin. The theme this year is “Explorers”.

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 February.
The Double Bill on Saturdays is described here:
02+9+16+13+30 March: www.ifi.ie/film/archive-at-lunchtime-double-bill-9/
The Monday/Wednesday programmes are here
04+13+18+27 March: www.ifi.ie/film/archive-at-lunchtime-programme-1-25/
06+11+20+25 March: www.ifi.ie/film/archive-at-lunchtime-programme-2-24/

Saucy Sundays is a weekly free live music afternoon and evening in the Grand Social. Normally it takes place on Sunday, but because of the bank holiday it has been moved to Monday. The line-up is Changing Gears, Pyramid Hill, The Ikonics, Max Greenwwod, Kelido-Folk, French Bird, Bable, Oak Hollow.

Every Monday, starting on 25 February, the SCOOP Foundation will be hosting Jurassic Paradiso, a free Classic Cinema Night for the community. The event, which will be held at the Generator Hostel and will help raise money for The SCOOP Foundation, a locally based charity that helps support children out of poverty in Cambodia and India.

During the event, attendees can watch a classic blockbuster such as Back To The Future, Jurassic Park, Jaws, Star Wars, Indiana Jones, Terminator 2, etc. The movie of the week will be voted on before hand on the Facebook page and there will also be featured themed nights.

Free popcorn will be available and low priced food and drinks can be provided by the Generator Hostel. After the movie there will be a brief movie discussion if you are interested and 2 hours of tunes focused around the movie, it’s genre, and the decade it was made.

The SCOOP (Supporting Children Out Of Poverty) Foundation is an innovative and dedicated charity and endeavors to raise funds through their own unique events and ideas to build schools and opportunities for children caught in the poverty trap in Cambodia and India.

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 Monday Echo is a weekly songwriter and poetry live showcase held on Mondays in the basement of The International Bar. Usually, the show has 3 songwriters and 3 poets who perform for roughly 20 minutes each. Admission is free.
The weekly line-up can be found via the Facebook Page below.

The Comedy Crunch is a free Stand Up comedy event every Sunday and Monday. Every week different comedians entertain and on top of good comedy you will get free ice cream. Admission is free. The line-up can be found via the Comedy Crunch Facebook Page (see link below).

The 4-piece band Loose Trad are performing every Monday in Mother Reilly’s. www.loosetrad.com/ Admission is free.

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

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.

A Lunchtime Recital with Sebastien Petiet (violin) & Brian Connor (Piano) both from the National University of Ireland, Maynooth will take place in the Music Library at the Central Library. Admission is free.

The Public Lecture “Islam in World History” with Susan Douglass, Prince Alwaleed Bin Talal Center for Muslim-Christian Understanding, Georgetown University, Washington, DC will take place. Admission is free and booking is not required.

Eco-filmfest is inviting to a hour long screening of Irish shorts dealing with environmental concerns next Tuesday. The screenings are in preparation for the Earth Hour, which takes place on Sun 23 March.

Admission is free and everyone is welcome.

‘What Happens to a Translated Text’ is a lecture by Guilherme da Silva Braga, Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil and 2013 Visiting Translator in Residence at Trinity College Dublin. During his lecture Guilherme da Silva Braga will discuss what happens beneath the surface of a translated literary text by taking a close look at translated excerpts and their corresponding originals. What role do translators play in the final result? To what extent do they interfere with the original text?

Admission is free and all are welcome.

The Kerry Archaeological and Historical Society present a lecture by Dr Marc Caball entitled ‘Kerry in the 17th Century’.

Admission is free and all are welcome.

Do you want to improve your public speaking and leadership skills in a fun and supportive environment? Then this event could be perfect for you: The IE Temple Bar Toastmasters club meet every second Tuesday in the Temple Bar Hotel. And guests are invited to come for free for their first two club visit and you even get tea/coffee and biscuits.

Guests can take part in the Table Topics session where impromptu speaking skills are practised and you can sit back in the second half of the meeting and enjoy the speeches and evaluations. If you discover that the club is your cup of tea then you can join for a recession-busting subscription fee. When you go there, tell them that you found out about it in the Dublin Event Guide! ;-)

This is an open mic night with Special Guests. Arrive, sign in (from 19:00) and play and if you are a performer you get a free beer. Admission is free.

The Plateau Sessions is an open mic night that features some special guest acts from all over Ireland. It offers a plateau on which potential singer/songwriters of the future can have a chance to play on the same stage with some of Irelands already established talent.

This week#s guest acts are “My Fellow Sponges”, Showbiz and more.

Admission is free and all are welcome.

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.

Longshot Comedy is an New and Alternative Irish Comedy Night held once a month in the basement of Sweeney’s Bar. The night is a non-traditional club with a different ethos. It offers an audience a chance to experience comedy with different styles and content, and all for free.

Acts at the next event are:
Sean Coughlan
John Cronin
Aidan Greene
Kevin O’Sullivan
David Reilly
Derek Ryan
with MC Sean Semple

Find more information on the Facebook Page below. Admission is free and booking is not required.

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

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

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 February.
The Double Bill on Saturdays is described here:
02+9+16+13+30 March: www.ifi.ie/film/archive-at-lunchtime-double-bill-9/
The Monday/Wednesday programmes are here
04+13+18+27 March: www.ifi.ie/film/archive-at-lunchtime-programme-1-25/
06+11+20+25 March: www.ifi.ie/film/archive-at-lunchtime-programme-2-24/

“What is DNA?” is a lecture with Matthew Jebb. The talk will explain, in layman’s terms, what DNA is and how it was discovered. The story of the double helix is a classic breakthrough in science; a brilliant insight revealed its structure in the space of a single afternoon to 2 young scientists in Cambridge in 1953.

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.

The next event in the RDS Speaker Series will be Dave Campbell and Margaret Healion talking about ‘The Voice of the Great Spirit’.

This talk will detail Dave Campbell’s beautiful and unique photographic record of his time spent in one of the last surviving tracts of temperate rainforest on earth – Knight Inlet in British Colombia. Together with his partner Margaret Healion, you will be invited to step into another world, so that you too may see and hear the voice of the Great Spirit.

Admission is free and everybody is welcome, but booking is required via the website.

The public lecture in the School of Biochemistry and Immunology “Cannibalism, cancer and chemotherapy” with Dr James Murray will discuss “Improving cancer therapeutics by targeting how tumours control their diet”.

All are welcome and admission is free. For more information you can contact nicabhan@tcd.ie

The next “Refresh Dublin” will take place on Wednesday and the topic of the talk on that evening is “The Programmable City” with Prof. Rob Kitchin.

Refresh Dublin is an event that promotes design, technology, usability and standards across disciplines so that different disciplines can learn from each other.

Prof. Rob Kitchin is Director of the National Institute of Regional and Spatial Analysis at the National University of Ireland Maynoot and he will talk about theoretical and methodological tools for understanding how (1) how software reshapes the city; (2) how the city is translated into software, with respect to four key urban practices – understanding, managing, working, and living in the city.

Admission is free, but booking is required. For details and how to book check the website below.

Many people researching their Irish family trees will hit a Brick Wall around 1800. The paucity of records beyond this point make it difficult to know where to turn to next.
However, the advent of DNA testing has created the possibility of allowing us to connect with our genetic cousins and work together to break through those Brick Walls.
Dr Maurice Gleeson describes the different types of DNA tests (Y-DNA, mitochondrial DNA, and autosomal DNA) and gives practical examples of how each can be applied to help us in our own family tree research at this lecture of the Irish Genealogical Research Society.

Admission is free and all are welcome.

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.

Indie Rock Band The Grunts plus guests “Trans World Star” will perform in Whelan’s and admission is free.

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

The next Inn Jokes Comedy Event in Kilmainham will tak eplace on Wednesday. As always, organised and MC’s by Colm O’Regan, this time the line-up will be Kevin Gildea, Conor McKenna and Michael Downey. Admission is free.

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

You are invited to bring your World War One memorabilia to the NLI, where it will be digitised and added to the Europeana online archive, along with the stories that bring these objects to life. Places on the roadshow day are limited. To book your place email: europeana1914-1918@nli.ie

Europeana (Europe’s digital library, museum and archive), in conjunction with Oxford University, is building the first ever online European archive of private stories and documents from World War One in time for the 100th anniversary of the outbreak of the war in 1914, at www.europeana1914-1918.eu.

“My Journey from Macroom to Vice President at Intel – a personal story by Ann B Kelleher” is a talk on Thursday in the Science Gallery.

In 1993, Ann Kelleher became the first woman ever to receive a Ph.D. in microelectronics at University College Cork. Almost 18 years later, she would become a Vice President at Intel and co-manager of half of Intel’s factories and 14,000 employees around the world. The presentation will cover Ann’s story to Vice President at Intel, Intel’s current business status and challenges followed by Q and A’s.

Admission is free, but booking is required.

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.

Emily Gravett will be in Eason’s in Dundrum to sign her books.

‘The Balkans as a region of EU Growth, Conflict and Hope’ is an event with talks by Dr Silvija Jestrovic (Warwick) and Ana Mijic (Vienna) as part of the Euro-Visions Public Lecture Series on Europe.

The two specific talks are
Dr Silvija Jestrovic (Warwick) “Born in YU: Performing, Negotiating, and Re-imaging an Abject Identity”
Ana Mijic (Univ of Vienna): “Hurt Identities? The Postwar Bosnian narrative of Self-Victimization”

The Public Lecture “Orientalism and Irish artists” with Brendan Rooney, Curator, National Gallery of Ireland will take place. Admission is free and booking is not required.

By 2050, the UN estimates the world will need 70% more food, 55% more clean water and 60% more energy than today. These challenges will have to be through the sustainable use of natural resources. The key to solving these challenges is Plant Science. Recognising this importance we need to attract and train the plant scientists of the future. The botanical staff at the National Botanic Gardens and other plant science graduates have decided to share their experiences with you at this Career Day.

This will be the perfect opportunity for you to learn more if you are considering a university degree or career in plant sciences. The day will allow you to hear first hand from botanists engaged in sustainable development, biodiversity, ecology, conservation, genetics and environmental monitoring about the potentials and opportunities in this area.

An illustrated evening with Emily Gravett and Chris Judge will take place.

In context with the current Science Gallery exhibition, the talk on Thursday is entitled “Macro Oscillations: From Weather to Tectonics to Planetary Collisions”. From the storms to cyclones, tremors to volcanic eruptions, orbits to planetary collisions – our planet is in constant oscillation.

In this panel discussion some of Earth’s biggest cycles, movements and rhythms will be explored. Macro-Oscillations will look at the interactions between the planet’s geology, weather, and journey through space.

The panel will include geophysicist and Director of the UCD Earth Institute Chris Bean, planetary scientist and Associate Professor of Geology at TCD Ian Sanders, Meteorology and Climate lecturer at UCD Conor Sweeney and Science Gallery’s in-house volcanologist Jane Chadwick.

Admission is free, but booking is required.

Oliver Cornet, Director of the Gallery, will be in conversation with artist Adrienne Symes. to talk about her career, inspirations, techniques and outlook on art.

Admission is free and all are welcome, but booking via info@oliviercornetgallery.com is required as places are limited.

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.

“Encounters in Gaza, and beyond…” is a conversation with Dervla Murphy, a travel writer. This is a public interview chaired by Barbara O’Shea (DIT) and sponsored by Gaza Action Ireland. Admission is free.

The South Dublin Astronomical Society have invited Brother Guy Consolmagno to speak at Gonzaga College. Guy Consolmagno SJ is a globally recognized populariser of astronomy and speaks widely about the Church and Science. He is Curator of the Vatican Observatory Meteorite Collection and also sits on a number of Committees of the International Astronomical Union. He is co-author of the popular “Turn Left at Orion” book that is regularly recommended as a must-read book for amateur astronomers.

All are welcome to this talk and admission is free.

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

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

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.

Eric McGrath is performing in the Midnight Hour at Whelan’s. Admission is free if you arrive before 22:30. The gig will start at 00:00.

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

An In-Store event with the Dirty Epics will take place. However the time is not specified. Usually the In-Store events take place at 13:00 or 18:00. Check with Tower Records if you are interested. Or check the Facebook page below, closer to the date.

David’s current novel The Light of Amsterdam was shortlisted for Eason Novel of the Year at the 2012 Bord Gáis Energy Irish Book Awards and his novel The Truth Commissioner was awarded the Christopher Ewart-Biggs Prize. David Park has written one collection of short stories and seven novels.

This reading is part of a series of Lunchtime Readings at the Irish Writers’ Centre. Organised in association with Poetry Ireland, these readings offer even the busiest of book-lovers a bite-sized opportunity to experience the best in contemporary Irish writing.

The Back Loft in the La Catedral Studios building is celebrating its seven year anniversary and to celebrate this in style, there are two events taking place on Friday 22 March.

“Seven Year Itch” is a one of event rejoicing the fun and frolics of the past seven years of the Back Loft as well as looking forward the next seven years. It is a day of celebration with artists & friends who have supported, joined, played, exhibited, performed and been part of the Back Loft community over the years.
At this one day mini festival there will be a bell tent indoors, La Catedral Studio artists works on the walls, projections of the building through the years, nibbles and a café style set up.

For the “Feel free to Jam” part musicians and friends of the Back Loft are invited to come play and sing in old seisún style. Come dressed up in Vaudeville, Cabaret & Circus themes to celebrate or just come dressed as yourself.

Pipeworks continues its organ recital programme with a concert by Colm Carey. He will play pieces from Hindemith, Mozart and Mendelssohn.

Admission is free, but booking is required. To get tickets, go to www.nch.ie or call 01 417 0000

A free Greek and European Folk Dance class open to all. Contact Katerini Papathanasiou on papath.kat@gmail.com

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.

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.

“Dublin Tribal Spirit” is a weekly event that gives you the great experience of a drumming circle with african drums and authentic tribal rhythms. Tom and Sinead, who run that event are providing lots of drums for it and teach you the rhythms.

There is no formal admission charge for this event, but donations are expected. The organisers bring their own 20-30 drums to it every week, so they are looking for donations to keep the event going.

The Addison Lodge are inviting local bands, musicians, poets, comedians and performers to share their talents at the new Addison Lodge Open Mic Nights in Glasnevin (opposite the Botanic Gardens). The event takes place every week. Admission is free.

The Dublin Circus Festival is taking place from 22-24 March. The Festival is not free, but if you want to learn any circus art or just see some amazing performances you might be interested. Admission is EUR 25/20 for a weekend pass and you can find out more here www.dublincircusfestival.com/ and here www.facebook.com/events/432529486820822/

Thereason why I mention the Festival here is because there are are three free events as well that might/should interest you:

On Fri 22 March there will be juggling for charity from 12:00-14:00 at Temple Bar Square but one of the hightlights is taking place that evening.

From 21:00 there will be a free Fire Show in the Court Yard of Trinitiy College organise dby TCD and the TCD Circus Arts Society.

On Saturday at Filmbase in Temple Bar free workshops for everybody take place from 13:00-15:00.

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