Dublin Event Guide 306: Dublin Bay Prawn Festival, Dublin Flea Market, Photofest Ireland

“Crow Black Chicken” will take over Whelan’s on Friday. It seems that they will not only play one, but two gigs on the same night. At 19:00, they will perform in the “Live from the window” slot and admission is free for this gig.

On the same evening, they are also performing in the Midnight Hour and admission is free if you arrive before 22:30.

www.whelanslive.com/index.php/live-from-the-windoww-crow-black-chicken-3/
www.whelanslive.com/index.php/the-midnight-hour-w-crow-black-chicken-2/

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 will take place every week. Admission is free.

The Stillorgan Orchard provides regular live music. The upcoming gigs are detailed on the website below.
Fri 26 Apr: Bree Harris
Sat 27 Apr: Who’s Eddy

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.

For the Worldwide Vegan Bake Sale Week, a Vegan Bake Sale will take place during the Supernatural Food Market in S. Andrew’s Resource Centre.

The yearly Dublin Bay Prawn Festival in Howth is taking place again. A whole range of varied events take place and the focus is really on eating and music with main events being a Festival Food Fair & Farmer’s/Food Producers Market (12:00-17:00) near the East Pier with Cooking Demonstrations, Food Stalls and Fishing Skills Demos.

The day starts earlier with a Hill Walk (registration required) and a History of Howth Walk. In the afternoon and evening, a number of gigs take place in restaurants and bars of Howth where also Prawn Festival Food Specials will be offered. The highlight in the evening is a Fireworks over Howth Harbour from 22:00.

The Festival website below lists all events and indicates if they are free or not.

At this yearly 2-day Orchid Fair in the National Botanic Gardens, a wide variety of orchids will be on display. The event is of interest to both beginner and accomplished growers and will provide an opportunity to source orchids, sundries and books. As part of the fair there will be talks on growing orchids and a tour of the Glasnevin orchid collection. A definite must for any orchid enthusiast.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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:

27 Apr: World Champion of Staying Awake by Sean Taylor
04 May: Pirates Love Underpants by Claire Freedman & Ben Cort
11 May: Dinosaurs in the Supermarket by Timothy Knapman & Sarah Warburton

A day of talks and debate about the 1913 Lockout will take place in the Dublin City Library&Archive in Pearse Street. Admission is free, but booking is required via cityofliterature@dublincity.ie or 01-6744862. The full programme and the list of talks can be found on the website below.

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 IFI present short films in all three cinemas during the final weekend (Sat+Sun) of Spotlight: New Irish Film at the IFI. Find all details on the website below. Admission is free but ticketed, so you will have to book at the IFI Box Office either in person or via 01-679 3477.

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

The InRathmines Information Day will take place on Saturday in the Swan Centre, Rathmines. Organizations, clubs, societies and volunteering bodies active in the area will provide information about their activities and services. There will also be live entertainment.

A bit more information about the background of this event is here www.rathminescollege.ie/news.php

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 April.
The Double Bill on Saturdays is described here:
06+13+20 April: www.ifi.ie/film/archive-at-lunchtime-euro-paens-double-bill/
The Monday/Wednesday programmes are here
01+10+15+24+29 April: www.ifi.ie/film/archive-at-lunchtime-euro-paens-programme-1/
03+08+17+22 April: www.ifi.ie/film/archive-at-lunchtime-euro-paens-programme-2/

On the final weekend of Spotlight: New Irish Film at the IFI, there will be two panel discussions focusing on new Irish film. The first discussion is entitled “20:20 Visions: New Directions in Irish Cinema”. All details are on the website below. Admission is free, but ticketed. Contact the IFI Box Office in person or on 01 679 3477 to book your tickets.

The Progressive Film Club is screening two films this weekend with the theme “Labour Rights and Immigrant Workers”. Admission is free and donations are welcome.

The first film will start at 14:00: “Living as Brothers” (2012). It looks at lives of Jamaican workers working in Canada.

At 15:30, the film “After I Pick the Fruit” (2012) will be screened. The film follows the lives of 5 immigrant women working on orchards and fields in rural New York.

Misneach by John Byrne is a contemporary twenty-first century equestrian monument located on the grounds of Trinity Comprehensive School, Main Street Ballymun, Dublin 9. Misneach is an intriguing statement in this location and John Byrne will take about the making of thhis monument. Admission is free.

The Trocaire Live Mini-Music Festival is taking place on Saturday to celebrate the organisations 40th anniversary.There will be live music, DJs, drummers, market stalls, food, fashion and photography. Trocaire is an overseas development charity.

Donal Dineen’s Parish, Rarely Seen Above Ground (RSAG) and the Dublin Afro-Beat Ensemble will headline TrócaireLive an they will be joined by the Discovery Gospel Choir, Irish/Malaysian dub, soul and reggae act Madu, bluegrass folksters Gypsy Rebel Rabble, rising indie stars The Notas, Nigerian folk drumming group Talking Drums, Groovement Soul DJs, and Ugandan folk singer Justine Nantale.

Admission is free before 19:00 and EUR 10 after 19:00 (proceeds will go to Trocaire)

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 Ranelagh Singers present.”An Gaoth Aniar”, an evening of classical and contemporary music and song. Guest artists are Cor Mhaigh Eo, Badger Hill and Gonzaga College Orchestra.
Admission free. Donations are very welcome and will go to the Peter McVerry Trust.

Four-piece alternative/modern rock band “City Apples” will perform in the Workman’s Club. The City Apples are supported by Super Hanz, Common Wolf and Greg Clifford. Admission is free.

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

The Stillorgan Orchard provides regular live music. The upcoming gigs are listed on the website below.
Fri 26 Apr: Bree Harris
Sat 27 Apr: Who’s Eddy

The yearly Dublin Bay Prawn Festival in Howth is taking place again. A whole range of varied events take place and the focus is really on eating and music with main events being a Festival Food Fair & Farmer’s/Food Producers Market (12:00-17:00) near the East Pier with Cooking Demonstrations, Food Stalls and Fishing Skills Demos.

The day starts earlier with a Hill Walk (registration required). In the afternoon and evening, a number of gigs take place in restaurants and bars of Howth where also Prawn Festival Food Specials will be offered.

The Festival website below lists all events and indicates if they are free or not.

At this yearly 2-day Orchid Fair in the National Botanic Gardens, a wide variety of orchids will be on display. The event is of interest to both beginner and accomplished growers and will provide an opportunity to source orchids, sundries and books. As part of the fair there will be talks on growing orchids and a tour of the Glasnevin orchid collection. A definite must for any orchid enthusiast.

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.

Photofest Ireland will take place on 28 Apr and admission is free if you have pre-registered on www.photofestireland.eventbrite.ie/ All main suppliers of photographic products, IT prodcuts for the photographer & photography services will be at the exhibition/trade fair. Free seminars with experts and special offers for many products will complement the stalls.

The Children’s Art Cart Workshops will be held again in the Phoenix Park Visitor Centre (01-6770095) every Sunday from 24 March to 22 December 2013. Currently the workshop is still free, but there is a possibility that a fee will be introduced at some point. Children must be over 6 years of age and must be supervised by an adult.
You can’t pre-book, so early arrival is required because there are only 20 places per session.

The next Dublin Flea Market is taking place in the Food Coop, 12 Newmarket, just off Cork Street, Dublin 8 on Sun from 11:00-17:00. The flea market takes place every last Sunday of the month. For more information or if you want to sell your own stuff, check out www.dublinflea.ie “A bizarre bazaar of vintage clothing, bric-a-brac and what nots, old and new. Stalls include hand-made goods, art, jewelry, furniture, records and lots more unwanted items that may just be your treasure!”
The Coop Hall is wheelchair accessible and lots of free parking spaces are right outside the door.

At the International Dance Day Ireland, a day of free classes and specialist workshops will take place in the Dance House in Foley Street. From Ballet, via Squiggle Wiggle (for parents&toddlers), Pilates, 50s Dance, Irish Dance, Hip Hop to Gaga Dance, you can try out lots of different types of dance. Check out the timetable here All classes are free. but booking is recommended via 085-8331676

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 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 present short films in all three cinemas during the final weekend (Sat+Sun) of Spotlight: New Irish Film at the IFI. Find all details on the website below. Admission is free but ticketed, so you will have to book at the IFI Box Office either in person or via 01-679 3477.

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.

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

The next Rock & Pop Music Fair will takpe place this weekend in the Pint Bar. Admission is free and if you look for Vinyls, CDs Cassettes, DVDs, etc this is the market for you.

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 “Song cycles” by Seóirse Bodley on texts by Goethe. With Sylvia O’Brien (soprano), Owen Gilhooly (baritone), Imelda Drumm (mezzo), David Adams (piano), Choral Ensemble conducted by Ruaidhri O Dalaigh

A Dance and Walk from Bootestown Dart Station to Blackrock Dart Station (and back) takes place on Sunday. Find all details on the Facebook page. It unfortuantely doesn’t clearly state it, but it seems that admission is free.

Over the course of the final weekend of Spotlight: New Irish Film at the IFI, there will be two panel discussions focussing on new Irish film. The first one takes place on Saturday. This is the second discussion: “A National Cinema in the Global Age?” Admission is free, but the event is ticketed. Contact the IFI Box Office in person or on 01 679 3477

A Clothes swap fundraiser in aid of Choice Ireland takes place, but I don’t know how it works. It seems that it is free, but where are the funds raised then? There will also be a Bakesale, but that is only a nice add on for raising money. The clothes swap description only says: “Bring your old gear and swap it for some shiny new (to you) threads while helping a good cause.” www.choiceireland.org

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

Concorde, a classical music ensemble, are inviting to a free concert in the Royal Hibernian Academy. The programme is presented in two parts from 14:30 and from 15:45 and all details about the performance are described here Works from five composers will be performed.

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 public lecture “The Empowering Embodiment of Artworks from an Art Therapeutic Perspective” with lecturer Ed Kuczaj, Head of Art Therapy, CIT will take place. This event is free and open to the everybody, but 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.

Join author Debbie Thomas in the crazy world of her latest Book Jungle Tangle, full of Amazonian adventure, Inca treasure and some strange archaeological clues. Meet at reception. No booking required. 20 places, first come basis. It is a Family Event with focus on Ages 8-12.

The Italian Institute of Culture invites you to the free workshop “”Questions of Neoplatonic Love – William Butler Yeats and Italian Renaissance Literature” with Cesare Cata. In the workshop you will analyse and compare texts from Italian Renaissance Literature with William Butler Yeats poems. Admission is free.

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

The Gallery Tour “Dedicated Followers of Fashion” will take place on Sunday. From corsets to sunglasses – spanning three centuries, this tour of the exhibition “The Way We Wore: 250 Years of Irish Clothing and Jewellery”, explores how fashions evolve and change, with Museum educator Mary Greene.

Saucy Sundays is a weekly free live music afternoon and evening in the Grand Social. The line-up and links to all bands/performers are available via the Saucy Sundays Facebook Page (see link below). It is this week: Lisa McLaughlin, Ross Breen, Shake!, Mythological Breakbeat, Stephen James, Half State, Owen Soper, Sinead White.

The Trinity Bar, nect to the Cetntral Bank on Dame Street, has live music four nights/afternoons every week and admission is free:
Tues – 20:00: Theo Red (Alternative Rock)
Wed – 20:00: Tara Hill (Folk Rock, Celtic and Traditional)
Thurs – 20:00: Pachino Brothers (cover versions, oldies and own material)
Sun – 17:00: Traditional LIve Music

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

Rackhouse Pilfer are a six-piece bluegrass, folk, alt-country and Americana Band from Sligo. They will play in the “Live from the Window” slot in Whelan’s. Admission is free.

Banter presents “The Anti Room on Books”. A live recording for the monthly Banter Podcast will take place. Literature and feminism will be discussed with Sheila Heti (the Canadian writer whose new book How Should A Person Be? has just been published), Sinead Desmond (TV3) and Roe McDermott (Fanny.ie and RTE Arena) joining Anti Room hosts Sinead Gleeson and Anna Carey.

Admission is free, but you need to be signed up to the invite list which you will find here on the right hand side.

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.

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.

10,000 people will take to the streets of Dublin on Sunday evening. You wouldn’t easily find so many to get out to demonstrate for or against something relevant, but it is no problem to find 10,000 to run for 10km on a Sunday night. ;-)

The route of the race is a little odd and it becomes clear when you look at the map that the organisers struggled fitting 10 km into Inner City of Dublin. The race starts on College Green/Westmoreland Street. then goes up O’Connell Street for a bit and then down again. After that a bit of the Northside Docklands and – on a zig-zag course – nearly all of the Southside Docklands will be covered. The Finish is a good bit away from the startline on North Wall Quay.

The run is not free and there doesn’t seem to be any entertainment programme in connection with the run, so the only free involvement is watching and supporting the 10,000 run by.

If you are in Dublin by car on Sunday. be aware that there will be wide ranging road closures on Dame Street, College Green (18:30-22:00), on Custom House Quay and North Wall Quay (18:00-23:00) and Samuel Beckett Bridge, Cardiff Lane, Macken St, City Quay, Lombard St, Sir John Rogerson’s Quay and Hanover St East (20:45-22:45).

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 a free event in the Mercantile where live music is combined with free roast potatoes. The line-up for the upcoming Sunday Roast is available via the Sunday Roast Facebook Page (see link below). It is this week: The Journals, Aemilia, Lorcan James.

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

The Living Room describes itself as a Centre for Silence and Contemplative Arts (and has nothing to do with the pub with the same name!). The Centre is open to all with a contemplative attitude coming from any spiritual tradition or background. There are lots of free events and also other workshops (check the website). The daily free events are taking place Mondays -Fridays
+ 08:00-08:45: Common Early Morning Meditation
+ 13:00-14:00 Lunchtime Guided Meditation (Mon: John Main, Tue: Carmelite Wisdom, Wed: Centering in Love, Thurs: Tibetan Singing Bowls, Fri: Insight Meditation for Beginners)
+ 15:00-15:30: Accompanied Silence (also Mon+Wed+Thurs from 11:00-11:30)

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.

To coincide with the city celebrations for Dublin: One City, One Book and the 1913 Lock Out RADE (Recovery through Art, Drama & Education) will perform a duologue by Rashers and Hennessy from The Risen People by James Plunkett at the official launch of Social Inclusion Week. Admission is free.

A free “Out of Theatre” Performance Trail of short works will take place in a selection of venues/sites from Grafton Street to Temple Bar. The performances are paired with live acoustic accompaniments.

The website promises a map and schedule for that event, but at the time of writing this is not (yet?) available.

The IFI continues with its free “Archive at Lunchtime” screenings on three days every week in April.
The Double Bill on Saturdays is described here:
06+13+20 April: www.ifi.ie/film/archive-at-lunchtime-euro-paens-double-bill/
The Monday/Wednesday programmes are here
01+10+15+24+29 April: www.ifi.ie/film/archive-at-lunchtime-euro-paens-programme-1/
03+08+17+22 April: www.ifi.ie/film/archive-at-lunchtime-euro-paens-programme-2/

The Social Inclusion Week takes place from 29 Apr – 04 May and the Business Information Cetnre in the Central Library will host six Information & Advice Stands during that week. The stands are

Age Action Ireland (Mon 29 Apr: 14:00-16:00) www.ageaction.ie
Irish National Organisation for the Unemployed (INOU) (Tues 30 Apr: 12:00-14:00) www.inou.ie
New Communities Partnership – Citizenship Application Support (Tues 30 Apr 14:00-16:00) www.newcommunities.ie
ALONE (Wed 01 May: 14:00-16:00) www.alone.ie
Care Local (Thurs 02 May: 13:00-15:00) www.carelocal.ie or www.crosscare.ie
EPIC (Employment for People from Immigrant Communities (Fri 03 May: 14:00-16:00) www.epic.ie

Dramatic readings from Strumpet City by James Plunkett, this year’s book at Dublin: One City, One Book will take place. Be entertained as actor Fergus Cronin & historian Catriona Crowe evoke the atmosphere of the time and provide historical context through reading, recorded music and imagery.

Admission is free, but booking is required: phibsborolibrary@dublincity.ie or 01 8304341

The Critical Take is the IFI’s monthly film club and it will take palce again on Monday. The panel will be writer and filmmaker Derek O’Connor; lecturer in Photography at DIT and Programme Chair of the BA in Photography, Ann Curran; and rock vocalist with the band Jogging, Ronan Jackson. They will discuss Good Vibrations, Spring Breakers, and A Late Quartet.

Admission is free, but ticketed. To book your tickets contact the IFI Box Office on 01 679 3477.

The Italian Institute of Culture invites you to the event “Filosofia del Fantastico – Escursione tra i Monti Sibillini, L’Irlanda ew la Terra di Mezzo”, a Book launch and talk with Cesare Catà. The event will be in English and admission is free. There will be Italian refreshments.

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.

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 Living Room describes itself as a Centre for Silence and Contemplative Arts (and has nothing to do with the pub with the same name!). The Centre is open to all with a contemplative attitude coming from any spiritual tradition or background. There are lots of free events and also other workshops (check the website). The daily free events are taking place Mondays -Fridays
+ 08:00-08:45: Common Early Morning Meditation
+ 13:00-14:00 Lunchtime Guided Meditation (Mon: John Main, Tue: Carmelite Wisdom, Wed: Centering in Love, Thurs: Tibetan Singing Bowls, Fri: Insight Meditation for Beginners)
+ 15:00-15:30: Accompanied Silence (also Mon+Wed+Thurs from 11:00-11:30)

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 Social Inclusion Week takes place from 29 Apr – 04 May and the Business Information Cetnre in the Central Library will host six Information & Advice Stands during that week. The stands are

Irish National Organisation for the Unemployed (INOU) (Tues 30 Apr: 12:00-14:00) www.inou.ie
New Communities Partnership – Citizenship Application Support (Tues 30 Apr 14:00-16:00) www.newcommunities.ie
ALONE (Wed 01 May: 14:00-16:00) www.alone.ie
Care Local (Thurs 02 May: 13:00-15:00) www.carelocal.ie or www.crosscare.ie
EPIC (Employment for People from Immigrant Communities (Fri 03 May: 14:00-16:00) www.epic.ie

Janey Mary, a short story by James Plunkett read by actor Bryan Murray.
Admission is free and booking is not necessary.

“Italian Theatre through the Eyes and Pages of William Butler Yeats” is the title of a 5-part workshop by Dr. Cesare Cata in the Gaiety School of Acting. The five workshops take place on 30 Apr, 01+02+07+08 May and admission is free. Find all details via the website below and look out for thelink after you have clicked on the link to the event.

Come to the Instituto Cervantes for a lively film season by producer Tomas Cimadevilla called “10 Years Entertaining Through Laughter, Singing, Dancing and Playing Soccer”. He has achieved unprecedented box office success for films such as the hilarious musical comedy “The Other Side of the Bed” and feel-good movie “Football Days”.

The film series explores important themes in Spanish culture like struggles with love, living life to the full, and of course, a long obsession with soccer. Throughout the series there will be special guest appearances by producer Tomás Cimadevilla, directors Lola Guerrero and David Serrano, and actor Fernando Rodríguez.

The films will be screened between 30 Apr and 18 June in Spanish with English subtitles and admission is free. 30 April. 6pm. The first screening will take place on 30 April and will be Other Side of the Bed (2002) By E. Martínez Lázaro

“1 July 2013: Croatian EU membership and the perspectives for the Western Balkans” is a lecture by Prof Tvrtko Jakovina (Zagreb) as part of the Euro-Visions Public Lecture Series on Europe.

The Republic of Croatia is going to join the EU on July 1, 2013. At a time of deep crisis in many European countries and cynicism among many citizens in the South Eastern part of Europe, the EU still represents something desirable. In his lecture Prof Jakovina will try to give an overview of the Cold War history of SEE, try to describe why countries that were on the fast-track to join the West became the place of wars and still represent serious challenges for the world.

Admission is free and all are welcome.

Dramatic readings from Strumpet City by James Plunkett, this year’s book at Dublin: One City, One Book will take place. Be entertained as actor Fergus Cronin & historian Catriona Crowe evoke the atmosphere of the time and provide historical context through reading, recorded music and imagery.

Admission is free, but booking is required: pembrokelibrary@dublincity.ie or Tel: 01 6689575

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!

Tritone, a multinational and multi-cultural trio will play jazz standards, bossa nova, latin and funk.

A monthly night of Performance Art will take again on Tuesday. Admission is free. www.performanceartnetwork.ie

“Poems and the City: ‘September 1913’ and beyond” with Prof Gerry Dawe (TCD) is the final event in the month-long programme for Dublin: One City, One Book. Admission is free and booking is required via libraries@dlrcoco.ie or 01 2147970

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.

Amplify is an organisation that provides relevant information for bands/musicians/entertainersof all genres regarding music industry. And “Forward Thinking” is an event during which they share this information with all interested people. The event was originally planned for March, but had to ge cancelled. It will take place on Tuesday and speakers are

Eamonn Barrett from Royseven: Experience and tips about surviving as a band in today’s music climate.
Roisin Dwyer from Hotpress: Association between your band and the media.
Marty Miller from Radio Nova: Best way to get radio play and how to get your foot in the door.
Pete Murphy from EMI Ireland: Working with a major label or better working with independent labels?

Admission is free and more information can be found on the website below.

The weekly “Grand Folk Club” will feature Trad, Ballads, Americana, Folk, World Music & More. This Tuesday, the line-up is: Caedan (Folk), The Alpaca Jamboree (Old Songs). Admission is free.

Open Mic Night with The Last Tycoons in O’Donoghue’s on Suffolk Street every Tues from 20:00. It’s free and anyone can get up, sing a song or do whatever they like.

The Trinity Bar, nect to the Cetntral Bank on Dame Street, has live music four nights/afternoons every week and admission is free:
Tues – 20:00: Theo Red (Alternative Rock)
Wed – 20:00: Tara Hill (Folk Rock, Celtic and Traditional)
Thurs – 20:00: Pachino Brothers (cover versions, oldies and own material)
Sun – 17:00: Traditional LIve Music

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

The Living Room describes itself as a Centre for Silence and Contemplative Arts (and has nothing to do with the pub with the same name!). The Centre is open to all with a contemplative attitude coming from any spiritual tradition or background. There are lots of free events and also other workshops (check the website). The daily free events are taking place Mondays -Fridays
+ 08:00-08:45: Common Early Morning Meditation
+ 13:00-14:00 Lunchtime Guided Meditation (Mon: John Main, Tue: Carmelite Wisdom, Wed: Centering in Love, Thurs: Tibetan Singing Bowls, Fri: Insight Meditation for Beginners)
+ 15:00-15:30: Accompanied Silence (also Mon+Wed+Thurs from 11:00-11:30)

Entry charges at nearly all OPW sites are waived once a month. The Office of Public Works (OPW) launched an initiative in 2011 to encourage more people to visit the historic sites that it manages and this initiative is continuing on all First Wednesdays in 2013. Most sites can already be visited for free, but the sites that normally charge a fee will now be free every first Wednesday until the end of the year.
In the (extended) Greater Dublin Area this will affect the following sites:
+ The Casino, Marino
+ Dublin Castle, State Apartments (closed due to EU presidency)
+ Kilmainham Gaol
+ Brú na Bóinne Visitor Centre at Newgrange
+ Glendalough Visitor Centre in Wicklow

The first NERI (Nevin Economic Research Institute) Labour Market Conference will take place on Wed. The conference will feature 15 research papers on various aspects of the Irish labour market and Irish labour market policy. It will provide a forum for the presentation of research papers on labour market issues (North and South) and will occur at around this time of year from here on.

The conference is open to all who are interested and admission is free. You have to register via info@NERInstitute.net though.

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 May.
The Double Bill on Saturdays is described here:
04+11+18+25 May: www.ifi.ie/film/archive-at-lunchtime-double-bill-10/
The Monday/Wednesday programmes are here
01+06+15+20+29 May: www.ifi.ie/film/archive-at-lunchtime-programme-1-26/
08+13+22-27 May: www.ifi.ie/film/archive-at-lunchtime-programme-2-25/

The Social Inclusion Week takes place from 29 Apr – 04 May and the Business Information Cetnre in the Central Library will host six Information & Advice Stands during that week. The remaining stands are

ALONE (Wed 01 May: 14:00-16:00) www.alone.ie
Care Local (Thurs 02 May: 13:00-15:00) www.carelocal.ie or www.crosscare.ie
EPIC (Employment for People from Immigrant Communities (Fri 03 May: 14:00-16:00) www.epic.ie

The Royal Irish Academy of Music and the Bealtaine Festival have put a call out to ‘complainers’ and ‘choirs’ to join forces and be part of Ireland’s first “Complaints Choir”, which will debut on Wednesday.

The people of Ireland were invited to send their complaints to the Bealtaine Festival by February 18th., then the complaints were turned into lyrics for a choral symphony and choirs around the country are learning this new composition of complaint and gather together on 01 May, the first day of the Bealtaine Festival, to perform all that moaning as a work of art on Meeting House Square.

It’s pity the performance takes place in the middle of the week in the middle of the day, I am sure it would be interesting. Let’s hope for a YouTube clip!

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.

“Eileen Gray and Sonia Delaunay: Interior Design and the Commercialisation of Cubism” with Kathleen James Chakraborty will be a talk in the Johnston Suite, North Range of the Irish Museum of Modern Art.

In the context of the exhibition Analysing Cubism, Kathleen James Chakraborty (Professor of Art History, UCD) discusses the shared affinities of Eileen Gray and the Russian-born Sonia Delaunay who both arrived in Paris in the early years of the twentieth century to study painting. In the twenties both opened galleries where they sold furnishing that were in the forefront of converting the lessons of abstract art from two into three dimensions and from fine art into objects of real use.

The next talk in the RDS Speaker Series will by Barbara Barnett and it has the title “The Hide and Seek Children”. In 1948 approximately 100 Jewish Slovak children, who had survived the Holocaust, spent one year of respite and recovery in Clonyn Castle, Co Westmeath, Ireland. The procurement of the castle, the transport of the children and the arrangements to stay in Ireland was organised by Rabbi Dr Solomon Schonfeld. Barbara Barnett will talk about her “journey” in researching the book she has written on this subject.

Admission is free, booking is required via the website below.

“A 17th century Irishman in Mexico – Revolutionary and mystic poet: William Lamport (or “El Zorro”)” is a lecture by Mexican historian Andrea Martínez Baracs about Don Guillén de Lampart (William Lamport or Guillermo Lombardo, 1611-1659), originally from Wexford in Ireland, who was a theologian, mathematician, astrologist, rebel, pirate, soldier of the Spanish Empire and a spy for the Crown of the New Spain (Mexico today). He died on the stake and allegedly it was him who the legends of “El Zorro” are based on.

The public lecture “It’s in the blood: Sleeping sickness – the scourge of a continent” by Dr Derek Nolan will take place. Admission is free.

That sounds like an interesting, unusual and unique event:
With the lights low and the fire on, we’ll be listening to a selection of great radio from around the world. No admission charge. Bring your own drink or get a tea or coffee next door before we start. Tweet @julesoutloud or email julien.clancygmail.com to suggest a favourite radio piece to be played on the night.

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

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

The Trinity Bar, nect to the Cetntral Bank on Dame Street, has live music four nights/afternoons every week and admission is free:
Tues – 20:00: Theo Red (Alternative Rock)
Wed – 20:00: Tara Hill (Folk Rock, Celtic and Traditional)
Thurs – 20:00: Pachino Brothers (cover versions, oldies and own material)
Sun – 17:00: Traditional LIve Music

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

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

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

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

The Living Room describes itself as a Centre for Silence and Contemplative Arts (and has nothing to do with the pub with the same name!). The Centre is open to all with a contemplative attitude coming from any spiritual tradition or background. There are lots of free events and also other workshops (check the website). The daily free events are taking place Mondays -Fridays
+ 08:00-08:45: Common Early Morning Meditation
+ 13:00-14:00 Lunchtime Guided Meditation (Mon: John Main, Tue: Carmelite Wisdom, Wed: Centering in Love, Thurs: Tibetan Singing Bowls, Fri: Insight Meditation for Beginners)
+ 15:00-15:30: Accompanied Silence (also Mon+Wed+Thurs from 11:00-11:30)

National Gallery Curators appraise paintings, prints and drawings brought into the Gallery once a month. The Picture Clinic takes place on the first Thursday of every month (except August and January) and the service is free and no appointments are necessary.

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.

On the first Thursday of every month there is a free tour for recent parents/guardians and their infants/young children. These will be light fun and relaxed sensory tours led by artist Frances Coghlan.

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

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

The RDS continues its series of Rising Stars Music Recitals in the RDS Concert Hall with a recital by four DIT Harpists. All details are on the website below where you have to book your place for this free event as well.

The Social Inclusion Week takes place from 29 Apr – 04 May and the Business Information Cetnre in the Central Library will host six Information & Advice Stands during that week. The remaining stands are

Care Local (Thurs 02 May: 13:00-15:00) www.carelocal.ie or www.crosscare.ie
EPIC (Employment for People from Immigrant Communities (Fri 03 May: 14:00-16:00) www.epic.ie

“Ringsend to Irishtown – Banished outside the City Walls” is te title of this Talk & Walk event. Join Pat Liddy and learn about the colourful history of these two villages where the Irish workers, tradespeople and servants were banished to when the medieval gates of Dublin were closed to them every night lest they murder the English settlers in their beds! This walk will finish at Irishtown Nature Reserve and where Niall Hatch, Development Officer with Birdwatch Ireland will highlight the rich and varied birdlife of the area.

Participation is free. Meet outside the Grand Canal Theatre/Bord Gais Theatre

Situating the WORD in Oral, Written and Visual Cultures
Irish scholars and writers discuss the contemporary idiom of the spoken, performed and scripted word in relation to the literary and oral tradition in Ireland. Speakers include Dr Christa-Maria Lerm Hayes (Professor of Iconology, Ulster University), Dr Marc Caball (UCD Humanities Institute of Ireland) Colin Murphy (playwright and journalist) and others.

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

Nic Dunlop is an award winning photographer and writer and his new book “Brave New Burma” is a portrait of that country in words and pictures. He will present images from the book and speak about the changes he has witnessed there over the last twenty years. Admission is free and all are welcome.

Inspired by First Thursdays carried out in London, First Thursdays Dublin is the name given to cultural spaces opening their doors after hours and offering an extra chance to see art, culture and events in a number of venues from 18:00-20:00 on the first Thursday of every month. In the meantime 49 galleries and venue are taking part and it is getting bigger and bigger. It is like a Culture Night for Galleries! ;-)

Meet international bestselling author Michael Grant to celebrate the launch of “Light”, the sixth and final instalment in the “Gone” series. He will be in Eason shops for two separate events: A ticket-only launch evening in O’Connell Street and a book signing in Dundrum.

Tickets for the O’Connell Street event on 02 May are available at the Information Desk in Eason O’Connell Street or call to reserve on (01) 8583800. – No tickets are required for the Book Signing in Dundrum on 03 May. just turn up.

Yarden Leal-Yablonka will be in the Irish Aid Centre to talk about “Building tomorrow’s Peace – Israelis and Palestinians working together”. Admission is free, but booking is required via ambassador-sec@dublin.mfa.gov.il or 01-2309406

The Start Your Own Business Programme 2013, in association with Dublin City Enterprise Board, is a biannual (Spring & Autumn) series of 12 free lectures for you if you are contemplating self employment or have started recently and are in need of advice and expertise in all aspects of starting and/or developing a business in Ireland. This year the theme is Innovation for Business.

The lectures are:
02 May: Financing your Business
09 May: Digital Marketing and Social Media
16 May: Ethnic Entrepreneurship
23 May: Business Planning Structure

More details are here www.dublincity.ie/RecreationandCulture/libraries/Events/Pages/syob_2013.aspx The training programme is free, but booking is required via 01-8733996 or businesslibrary@dublincity.ie

A new regular Creative Writing Workshop is starting and will take place every 1st and 3rd Thursday of the month. It will involve adult learning and engaging through social play activity. There will be both word games and writing games to inspire the imagination for both story telling and story writing.

The workshops are free but donations are welcome and booking with Emily Gallagher, who runs the workshops, is required via egaldog@gmail.com or 085-2725095.

Processing Dublin is a social gathering for all interested in creative coding. Developers, designers, artists, hobbyists & the curious are all welcome. It is not just restricted to Processing coders, many themes and tools are presented, just bring your creative technology projects and ideas ! Processing Dublin was set up by Stephen Howell and Evangelos Kapros to spread the good word about programming and how it can be used within the arts and creative industries.

Processing Dublin organise meetings that are free and open to everyone on the 1st Thursday of every month.

The UC3M choir (Coro de la Universidad Carlos III de Madrid) is currently in Dublin, taking part in a performance workshop with the director and composer Michael McGlynn, and they will be in the Instituto Cervantes for a concert on Thursday. The concert will focus on pieces from Spanish Choral composers. Admission is free.

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.

The Trinity Bar, nect to the Cetntral Bank on Dame Street, has live music four nights/afternoons every week and admission is free:
Tues – 20:00: Theo Red (Alternative Rock)
Wed – 20:00: Tara Hill (Folk Rock, Celtic and Traditional)
Thurs – 20:00: Pachino Brothers (cover versions, oldies and own material)
Sun – 17:00: Traditional LIve Music

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.

The Living Room describes itself as a Centre for Silence and Contemplative Arts (and has nothing to do with the pub with the same name!). The Centre is open to all with a contemplative attitude coming from any spiritual tradition or background. There are lots of free events and also other workshops (check the website). The daily free events are taking place Mondays -Fridays
+ 08:00-08:45: Common Early Morning Meditation
+ 13:00-14:00 Lunchtime Guided Meditation (Mon: John Main, Tue: Carmelite Wisdom, Wed: Centering in Love, Thurs: Tibetan Singing Bowls, Fri: Insight Meditation for Beginners)
+ 15:00-15:30: Accompanied Silence (also Mon+Wed+Thurs from 11:00-11:30)

Phizzfest, the Phibsborough Arts Festival, is a community festival in that part of Dublin’s Northside, that entertains locals and everybody else for the last three years with a huge variety of events. Until last year it took place in September and was a week long festival. This year, for the first time, it will take place in May just for one weekend and then there will be other stand-alone events during the year.

The programme (in PDF) is here www.phizzfest.ie/2013/wp-content/uploads/2013/05/Phizzfest_2013_Pprogramme.pdf

There will be many free events and other events are not free, just check out the programme to find out the details. I will mention a few more events in next week’s Dublin Event Guide. For this week, here are some free Friday events:

+ Dublin Boat Rally (on Royal Canal) arrives during the day
+ Storytelling will take place in the Phibsborough Library (15:00)
+ Archaeology of Grangegorman – Lecture by Franc Myles in St. Peter’s Sacristy (18:30)
+ Phizzfest Bookclub – A popup book club on the Laura Clancy Canal Boat (19:30-21:00) with readings/discussions on Strumpet City

Some events at the festival are free but require booking, so check out the full programme even ahead of the weekend in case you need to book an event that you would like to attend.

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.

Mark Joyce (artist and Lecturer, IADT, Dun Laoghaire), presents an artists response to the exhibition Analysing Cubism which features paintings of Irish artists, Jellet, Hone and Swanzy. Joyce’s talk explores the smuggling of Flat colours into Ireland, via religious imperatives, in contrast to developments in Modernist painting elsewhere.

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

British food writer Claudia Roden, author of the book The Food of Spain (PenguinBooks), will talk about the secrets and pleasures of the Galician food, from seafood to St James’s cake. Admission is free and Galician refreshments will be served

Tara MacNeill (violin) and Alexander Bernstein (piano) perform at this Lunchtime Recital works from Grieg, Bach, Gershwin. Admission is free, donations are welcome.

The Social Inclusion Week takes place from 29 Apr – 04 May and the Business Information Cetnre in the Central Library will host six Information & Advice Stands during that week. The last stand is

EPIC (Employment for People from Immigrant Communities (Fri 03 May: 14:00-16:00) www.epic.ie

Meet international bestselling author Michael Grant to celebrate the launch of “Light”, the sixth and final instalment in the “Gone” series. He will be in Eason shops for two separate events: A ticket-only launch evening in O’Connell Street and a book signing in Dundrum.

Tickets for the O’Connell Street event on 02 May are available at the Information Desk in Eason O’Connell Street or call to reserve on (01) 8583800. – No tickets are required for the Book Signing in Dundrum on 03 May. just turn up.

The new Flea Friday, a Flea Market in the Dark Hose Inn on Fridays will start from 19 April. You will find clothes, jewellery, cake, records, art, etc at the market. Admission is free.

The next lecture in the SFI Speaker Series will be “The upside of risk” with David Spiegelhalter.

David Spiegelhalter is the Winton Professor for the Public Understanding of Risk at Cambridge. He’s also one of the curators of the next exhibition in the Science Gallery, the Risk Lab, which will explore the maths and psychology of probability, chance, and risk.

As part of the SFI Speaker Series, David will take a behind-the-scenes look at RISK LAB – the themes it explores, the questions it asks, and the science it’s based on. David will talk about his work on the public perception of risk, explaining why the mathematical likelihood of something happening doesn’t necessarily align with the decisions we make about it.

Why do some people take risks, while others play it safe? How are people triggered into betting against the odds and why does the house always win? We’ll be talking about risk-taking personalities and why some people ignore the maths when they gamble or take chances. We’ll also be looking at the upside of risk – at serendipity and coincidence, as well as the maths and psychology of happy accidents.

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

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). This is a srop in class and newcomers are 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 Stillorgan Orchard provides regular live music. The upcoming gigs are detailed on the website below.