Dublin Event Guide 445: Father Ted Day, NYF Dublin Festival: Procession of Light, Bodhran World Record Attempt

Between Christmas and New Year (and in some cases even a little into the first week in January) the regular events that take place every week, are on a break. So if you see an event that NORMALLY takes place every week, this week it might NOT take place or be at a different time.

Unfortunately event organisers are not very good at telling me and there are too many events to check them all individually, so for that reason I will leave events where I am not 100% sure in the list for the repective day, but need you to check before you put your hopes up. Where I got confirmation that the gig is definitely going ahead, I have this week added a little “*” in front of the gig title!

I hope that helps!

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.

A whole range of Parkruns take place every week (and if you know some more, please tell me):
+ Malahide Park, Dublin Road, Malahide, Co. Dublin
+ Cabinteely Park, Old Bray Road, Cabinteely, Dublin 18
+ Shanganagh Park, Shankill, Co. Dublin
+ Marlay Park, Grange Road, Rathfarnham, Dublin, Co. Dublin

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.

Three free Yoga sessions take place in MVP in Dublin 8 every Saturday and every Sunday. The times are 12:00, 13:00 and 14:00 and the duration is 1 hour. At every session only 8 places are available, so get your bookings in early (you can book weeks in advance).

The sessions can be booked following these links:

+ 11:00-12:00
+ 12:00-13:00
+ 13:00-14:00

Classes are open level, so everyone is welcome. The Yoga Union is run by Love8.

The Moving Crib of the St. Martin Apostolate is a whole basement full of handcrafted figures in front of painted backgrounds of nativity related scenes. There are 14 scenes, beginning with Adam and Eve and finishing with Christmas. Nearly all figures are moving and this historic crib, which was created in 1956, still fascinates children (and some adults!)

Admission is free, but for the upkeep of the crib, a donation of EUR 1.50 per person is suggested.

The opening times are 23 Nov-10 January: Mon-Fri 14:00-18:00 and Sat+Sun: 11:30-18:00.

“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 myfavouritesdublincitywalktour@gmail.com or 085-2725095

Before Christmas, the Dundrum Town Centre did screen a (personalisable) 5 min Christmas Short Film on their unique waterscreen (the screen on which the projection is made is “made” of flowing water). Now that Christmas is over and the screen is still there, they made the good decision to give it a new purpose and from 26 Dec until 31 Dec, a “Countdown to 2016” film will be screened.

The screenings start every day at 16:40 and will continue until closing time of the Dundrum Centre. It will take place outdoors and the screen is standing in the Mill Pond.

Admission is free.

Father Ted Day is a Bernard Shaw Pub tradition on St Stephen’s Day.

You can see a bit of the Lovely Girls competition, get lost down the tunnel of goats, or simply have a bit of a laugh.

Admission is free.

The Stillorgan Orchard has live music every Friday and Saturday. Many of the performers are established and very good bands. The upcoming gigs are detailed on the website below. Admission is always free.

The line-up for the next few gigs is:
Sat 26 Dec: Motor City
Sun 27 Dec: The Groove
Thu 31 Dec: Big Digger
Fri 01 Jan: Donal Kirk

A party with Ska, Reggae and Treasure Beach Caribbean Vibes will take place on Saturday. The bar opens at 16:00, the party starts at 22:00.

Admission is free.

Between Christmas and New Year (and in some cases even a little into the first week in January) the regular events that take place every week, are on a break. So if you see an event that NORMALLY takes place every week, this week it might NOT take place or be at a different time.

Unfortunately event organisers are not very good at telling me and there are too many events to check them all individually, so for that reason I will leave events where I am not 100% sure in the list for the repective day, but need you to check before you put your hopes up. Where I got confirmation that the gig is definitely going ahead, I have this week added a little “*” in front of the gig title!

I hope that helps!

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 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.

Three free Yoga sessions take place in MVP in Dublin 8 every Saturday and every Sunday. The times are 12:00, 13:00 and 14:00 and the duration is 1 hour. At every session only 8 places are available, so get your bookings in early (you can book weeks in advance).

The sessions can be booked following these links:

+ 11:00-12:00
+ 12:00-13:00
+ 13:00-14:00

Classes are open level, so everyone is welcome. The Yoga Union is run by Love8.

The Moving Crib of the St. Martin Apostolate is a whole basement full of handcrafted figures in front of painted backgrounds of nativity related scenes. There are 14 scenes, beginning with Adam and Eve and finishing with Christmas. Nearly all figures are moving and this historic crib, which was created in 1956, still fascinates children (and some adults!)

Admission is free, but for the upkeep of the crib, a donation of EUR 1.50 per person is suggested.

The opening times are 23 Nov-10 January: Mon-Fri 14:00-18:00 and Sat+Sun: 11:30-18:00.

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.

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.

Every Sunday, the National Botanic Gardens invite to two guided walks. The first one is at 12:00 and the second one at 14:30.

Admission is free.

The “Dublin Sketchers” is an informal group of (hobby) artists who go somewhere different in Dublin every Sunday (e.g. National Museum, Maritime Museum, Dublin Flea Market, Farmleigh, Botanic Gardens, Dublin Castle, Science Gallery, …), 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 below or on their Facebook Page where they will meet and join them if you do some sketching/drawing yourself. I know that the Dublin Sketchers often use the Dublin Event Guide to find interesting free events and I am delighted to be able to help!

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

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

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.

Brian Keary is a classically trained guitar player who also has experience of different styles / genres of music ranging from ragtime and folk to baroque and contemporary. He will perform in Sweeney’s (Ground Floor) on Sunday afternoon.

Before Christmas, the Dundrum Town Centre did screen a (personalisable) 5 min Christmas Short Film on their unique waterscreen (the screen on which the projection is made is “made” of flowing water). Now that Christmas is over and the screen is still there, they made the good decision to give it a new purpose and from 26 Dec until 31 Dec, a “Countdown to 2016” film will be screened.

The screenings start every day at 16:40 and will continue until closing time of the Dundrum Centre. It will take place outdoors and the screen is standing in the Mill Pond.

Admission is free.

Every Sunday evening from 18:00-20:00, the Wiley Fox is hosting a trad session, where Ireland’s finest traditional musicians will play for you.

Admission is free.

The Sweeney’s Dixeland Jazzmen play their weekly gig on the ground floor in Sweeney’s. Admission is free.

At the Jawbone Gig night in Arthur’s Pub, Acoustic Folk & Blues will be performed every Sunday. Admission is free.

www.facebook.com/pages/Jawbone-Dublin-Acoustic-Folk-Blues-Commune/724102984268967

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).

The Stillorgan Orchard has live music every Friday and Saturday. Many of the performers are established and very good bands. The upcoming gigs are detailed on the website below. Admission is always free.

The line-up for the next few gigs is:
Sat 26 Dec: Motor City
Sun 27 Dec: The Groove
Thu 31 Dec: Big Digger
Fri 01 Jan: Donal Kirk

“Rhythm Rocker at The Globe” is a weekly event on Sunday night in The Globe. Admission is free.

The Pavement Kings play Rockabilly from 21:00 and
DJs Popocorn Peete and Little Dakota follow from 23:00-01:30 with a white variety of styles (Rockabilly, Calypso, Soul, Rock ‘n’ Roll, etc).

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.

Between Christmas and New Year (and in some cases even a little into the first week in January) the regular events that take place every week, are on a break. So if you see an event that NORMALLY takes place every week, this week it might NOT take place or be at a different time.

Unfortunately event organisers are not very good at telling me and there are too many events to check them all individually, so for that reason I will leave events where I am not 100% sure in the list for the repective day, but need you to check before you put your hopes up. Where I got confirmation that the gig is definitely going ahead, I have this week added a little “*” in front of the gig title!

I hope that helps!

Emily Gallagher will run a weekly “just for fun” photo trail where you get instructions to hunt for specific snaps around the city centre. Afterwards the symbolic significance to the snaps will be shared. The overall theme is “Get a glimpse of directions you may wish your life to take and discover decisions you may desire to make.”

Meeting point is the Meeting House Square.

Participation in the photo trails is free but donations are welcome and booking is required via egaldog@gmail.com or 0852725095

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.

Archive at Lunchtime screenings take place Saturdays (Double Bill), Mondays and Wednesdays. The programme is changing weekly now (instead of monthly as in the past). To find out what film(s) will be screened go to www.ifi.ie/whatson/now-showing-coming-soon/ and look for “Archive at Lunchtime” on the right. Admission is free.

If you regularly or occasionally buy books online, you can help the Dublin Event Guide hugely even without having to pay cent directly. In fact you even save money this way:

Buy your books from The Book Depository and get better prices and free (!!) delivery for all orders independent from the volume and when you click on the picture here before you buy, then 5% of what normally The Book Depository would get, they give back to the Dublin Event Guide. Everybody wins!

www.bookdepository.com?a_aid=dubevg

If you prefer Amazon to buy your books (for free postage you need to order a minimum of GBP 25), then use this Amazon link to help the Dublin Event Guide. Thanks!

The Moving Crib of the St. Martin Apostolate is a whole basement full of handcrafted figures in front of painted backgrounds of nativity related scenes. There are 14 scenes, beginning with Adam and Eve and finishing with Christmas. Nearly all figures are moving and this historic crib, which was created in 1956, still fascinates children (and some adults!)

Admission is free, but for the upkeep of the crib, a donation of EUR 1.50 per person is suggested.

The opening times are 23 Nov-10 January: Mon-Fri 14:00-18:00 and Sat+Sun: 11:30-18:00.

A number of Family Art Workshops will take place this week:

+ Mon 28: “Santa’s Holidays” with artist Fala Buggy
+ Tues 29: “Designing a Winter Palace” with artist Jane Bowe
+ Wed 30: “Land of the Midnight Sun” with artist Louise McGrath

The Gallery’s Christmas Family Art Holiday is the longest running museum activity in Ireland and is now firmly part of the tradition of Christmas in Dublin.

Before Christmas, the Dundrum Town Centre did screen a (personalisable) 5 min Christmas Short Film on their unique waterscreen (the screen on which the projection is made is “made” of flowing water). Now that Christmas is over and the screen is still there, they made the good decision to give it a new purpose and from 26 Dec until 31 Dec, a “Countdown to 2016” film will be screened.

The screenings start every day at 16:40 and will continue until closing time of the Dundrum Centre. It will take place outdoors and the screen is standing in the Mill Pond.

Admission is free.

Singer Songwriter Samyel (aka Sam Vas-Y) “mixes the innovative genres of freak-folk, alternative and tropicália, with the story-telling qualities of traditional Irish music, featuring a healthy balance of the serious and the silly.”

Admission is free.

Song Cycle is a weekly Singer/Songriter showcase. The line-up is not always easily findable on the Whelan’s website, but admission is always free.

Every Monday the Woolshed Bad hosts “Al Porter’s Comedy Shed”. Admission is free.

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).

Every Monday a Jazz Jam Session will take place in the Grand Social and you are invited to listen or even to participate. Admission is free for musicians and audience.

Instruments are supplied (drums (no cymbals), double bass, guitar amp, bass amp, PA system) and ideas and themes will be proposed prior to the session to the musicians who join the event on Facebook (see Facebook Page below).

An Open Trad Music Session is taking place every Monday in Mother Reilly’s. Admission is free.

Donal Kirk and Anto Drennan are playing music from Lowell George Little Feat, Bonnie Raitt, Free, Bad Company, Crosby, Stills & Nash, Beatles, Bobby Bland, Vince Gill, Ray Charles, Etta James, Elvis, Ry Cooder, Dobie Gray, Guy Clarke, early ZZ Top, Dave Edmunds, Stevie Ray Vaughan, Willie Nelson.

Admission is free.

Between Christmas and New Year (and in some cases even a little into the first week in January) the regular events that take place every week, are on a break. So if you see an event that NORMALLY takes place every week, this week it might NOT take place or be at a different time.

Unfortunately event organisers are not very good at telling me and there are too many events to check them all individually, so for that reason I will leave events where I am not 100% sure in the list for the repective day, but need you to check before you put your hopes up. Where I got confirmation that the gig is definitely going ahead, I have this week added a little “*” in front of the gig title!

I hope that helps!

“The wider context of emigration in the nineteenth century” with Dr Fariha Shaikh, University College Dublin.

Part of a free lecture series throughout the month of December themed around the current exhibition, Pathos of Distance, and visualising the Irish diaspora.

“These Are a Few of My Favourite Things” is the title of a Walking Tour that Emily Gallagher runs on Tuesdays now as well. 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 myfavouritesdublincitywalktour@gmail.com or 085-2725095

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 Moving Crib of the St. Martin Apostolate is a whole basement full of handcrafted figures in front of painted backgrounds of nativity related scenes. There are 14 scenes, beginning with Adam and Eve and finishing with Christmas. Nearly all figures are moving and this historic crib, which was created in 1956, still fascinates children (and some adults!)

Admission is free, but for the upkeep of the crib, a donation of EUR 1.50 per person is suggested.

The opening times are 23 Nov-10 January: Mon-Fri 14:00-18:00 and Sat+Sun: 11:30-18:00.

A number of Family Art Workshops will take place this week:

+ Mon 28: “Santa’s Holidays” with artist Fala Buggy
+ Tues 29: “Designing a Winter Palace” with artist Jane Bowe
+ Wed 30: “Land of the Midnight Sun” with artist Louise McGrath

The Gallery’s Christmas Family Art Holiday is the longest running museum activity in Ireland and is now firmly part of the tradition of Christmas in Dublin.

Before Christmas, the Dundrum Town Centre did screen a (personalisable) 5 min Christmas Short Film on their unique waterscreen (the screen on which the projection is made is “made” of flowing water). Now that Christmas is over and the screen is still there, they made the good decision to give it a new purpose and from 26 Dec until 31 Dec, a “Countdown to 2016” film will be screened.

The screenings start every day at 16:40 and will continue until closing time of the Dundrum Centre. It will take place outdoors and the screen is standing in the Mill Pond.

Admission is free.

Rumours have it that the Bluegrass Collective will perform in Sin É on Tuesday and there might even be an open Bluegrass Jam! Admission is free.

Influenced by a mixture of 60s & 70s New Orleans funk, Motown with additional inspiration from African artists such as Fela Kuti, Franco Le and various West African highlife artists, The Burning Effigies are playing a gig in th Harbour Bar.

Admission is free.

Every Tuesday an informal sing along with Ukulele and Toy Musical Instruments takes place in the Stag’s Head. Just bring your instrument and come along. Beginners are welcome. Admission is free and further details (and a big book of songs) are available on the Facebook Page below. The get-together meets in the “snug” in Stag’s Head.

Live sessions with the Blue Moon Folk and Blues Collective are taking place every Tuesday at the Beerhouse. Admission is free.

The Folk Club in Whelan’s will bring you the best in Trad, Ballads, Americana & World Music every Tuesday. The line-up this week is on the Facebook Page below. Admission is free.

The Comedy Crunch is a free Stand Up comedy event every Sunday and Monday AND Tuesday. 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).

Pete Cummins, Grammy award winning songwriter will play songs from his album “Crooked Highways”. Every Monday he and his band will be in the Leeson Lounge. Admission is free, donations are welcome.

The Phoenix Big Band is a 16 piece band playing songs of the 1930s, 1940s and other big band arrangements and they are playing every Tuesday in the Tara Tower Hotel (since 2012!) for adult dancing. If you like to waltz, cha cha or foxtrot, come and enjoy their performance.

Admission is free.

The band plays in the main function room which is occasionally booked, so to confirm that they are playing, please ring the hotel on the day: Phone 01-2694666

Every week there is a free pub quiz in Sober Lane, the new-ish pub in Irishtown. There are lots of other weekly events happening there too, check them out here.

The Lounge Quintet plays this gig every Tuesday: Jazz Standards, Latin and Bebop. Often guest musicians and singers join them. Admission is free, donations are welcome.

A totally unplugged Singer/Songwriter night (no PA, no microphones) with original music is taking place upstairs in Anseo every Tuesday from 21:30.

Please check on the Facebook Page below if the event is going ahead as it seems to get cancelled every now and then and if you want to play a 15-30 min set or just want to play one song make yourself heard via the same Facebook Page.

Admission is free.

Every Tuesday and Thursday the International Bar invites to a Jazz night in the Lounge.

Groups led by Cote Calmet, Sean Maynard Smith, Dominic Mullan, Paddy Groenland, Georgia Cusack & Alex Mathias are performing regularly with occasional guest players, but there are also other bands from all over.

Admission is free, with a suggested donation of EUR 5. The website clearly says that there is no entry fee, but – and that makes a lot of sense – that your donations are very much appreciated (Musicians need to pay for rent and food too!) Be generous after the gig if you liked it, but if someone wants to charge an admission charge, please point out that the “rules” as described on their website are like I have explained.

Between Christmas and New Year (and in some cases even a little into the first week in January) the regular events that take place every week, are on a break. So if you see an event that NORMALLY takes place every week, this week it might NOT take place or be at a different time.

Unfortunately event organisers are not very good at telling me and there are too many events to check them all individually, so for that reason I will leave events where I am not 100% sure in the list for the repective day, but need you to check before you put your hopes up. Where I got confirmation that the gig is definitely going ahead, I have this week added a little “*” in front of the gig title!

I hope that helps!

Dublin’s New Year’s Festival “NYF Dublin” is made up of many components and spans three days from Wednesday 30 December until Friday 01 January. There will be a Spoken Word Festival, a Music Trail, Love Dublin (Fringe + Cultural events), 3D Light Projections, a Light Procession, a Street Fest, a Count Down Concert, Storytelling, a performance of Händel’s Messiah, a “Resolution Day” and a 5k Run.

When you read through the list, you wonder if there are too many components, but it makes a change from a few years ago, when NOTHING happened in Dublin on New Year’s Eve.

A number of components are not free and the Count Down Concert does this year NOT take place at College Green, instead it will be in the Point Depot/3 Arena. This move might be because College Green is really not suitable for a big concert, but it is also possible that it was only moved because of the Luas works at Trinity College.

In this Dublin Event Guide, you will find the free elements of the festival individually listed.

The Count Down Concert, for example is EUR 34 and the smaller NYF Street Fest at St. Stephen’s Green is EUR 7.50. All in all, the NYF Dublin seems at odds with the usual Dublin City Events strategy of providing free all-inclusive events.

Disappointingly, there will be NO Fireworks Display or any other free NYF Dublin special event on the streets of Dublin at midnight on 31 December.

Did you ever want to give drawing a go? Or maybe you are a budding artist looking for like-minded people to draw with? The Creative Den in Rua Red runs free weekly drawing sessions on Wednesdays at 11:00.

In the Discovery Zone of the Natural Museum meet some of our old furry favourites and also meet some brand new ones too.

Admission is free and no booking required. Suitable for all ages.

The NYF Music Trail takes place on Wednesday and Thursday: Fifteen venues across the city will host live music pop-up gigs from the best new artists Ireland, selected from Dublin’s Hard Working Class Heroes line up. Admission is free to all gigs.

Some of the venues are Dublin Airport Terminal 1 and Terminal 2, GPO, The Church, Gutter Bookshop, Oxfam, Honest to Goodness, Urban Picnic, Powerscourt Centre, Mansion House, Little Museum, Tourist Office Suffolk Street.

The full list of locations, together with the timings and the relevant performers can be found via the website below.

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.

Love Dublin is the title for a series of fringe and cultural events on 30+31 Dec and some more on 01 Jan.

There is a total of 11 event groups and 3 are free:

+ Free NYF Walking Tour on 30 Dec at 12:30-15:00 + 15:00-17:00 and on 31 Dec at 12:30-15:00 + 15:00-16:00. Tickets required.
+ NYF Street Performances on 30+31 Dec from 14:00-17:00 near the Spire in O’Connell Street with Circus, Buskers and Trad music.
+ Irish Design Exhibitions and Drop-in events on 30 Dec at the Coach House at Dublin Castle.

Out of five different events, two seem to be free:
+ Ashoka – Yes Inclusion in Smock Alley Theatre at 13:00-14:30 – a panel discussion with Irish social entrepreneurs (free but ticketed)
+ Lingo Brunch – Poets of the City in The Meeting House (Temple Bar) at 12:00-13:45 – poems if you buy your lunch there.

Archive at Lunchtime screenings take place Saturdays (Double Bill), Mondays and Wednesdays. The programme is changing weekly now (instead of monthly as in the past). To find out what film(s) will be screened go to www.ifi.ie/whatson/now-showing-coming-soon/ and look for “Archive at Lunchtime” on the right. Admission is free.

“Knot Again! Take a closer look at the Ardagh Chalice” is a workshop from Age 6+.

Have you ever taken a really close look at the Ardagh Chalice, or wondered how it was made? Explore the beautiful interlaced knot designs on the Ardagh Chalice and have a go at making your own design to take home.

Admission is free, no booking is required but limited places will be allocated on a first come first served basis.

The Moving Crib of the St. Martin Apostolate is a whole basement full of handcrafted figures in front of painted backgrounds of nativity related scenes. There are 14 scenes, beginning with Adam and Eve and finishing with Christmas. Nearly all figures are moving and this historic crib, which was created in 1956, still fascinates children (and some adults!)

Admission is free, but for the upkeep of the crib, a donation of EUR 1.50 per person is suggested.

The opening times are 23 Nov-10 January: Mon-Fri 14:00-18:00 and Sat+Sun: 11:30-18:00.

A number of Family Art Workshops will take place this week:

+ Mon 28: “Santa’s Holidays” with artist Fala Buggy
+ Tues 29: “Designing a Winter Palace” with artist Jane Bowe
+ Wed 30: “Land of the Midnight Sun” with artist Louise McGrath

The Gallery’s Christmas Family Art Holiday is the longest running museum activity in Ireland and is now firmly part of the tradition of Christmas in Dublin.

Take a stroll through the Museum at this public tour with educator Holly Furlong. She will take you on a fascinating tour of some of the highlights of the history galleries.

Admission is free and no booking required, places allocated on a first-come first served basis 15 minutes before tour starts. Suitable for adults.

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.

Before Christmas, the Dundrum Town Centre did screen a (personalisable) 5 min Christmas Short Film on their unique waterscreen (the screen on which the projection is made is “made” of flowing water). Now that Christmas is over and the screen is still there, they made the good decision to give it a new purpose and from 26 Dec until 31 Dec, a “Countdown to 2016” film will be screened.

The screenings start every day at 16:40 and will continue until closing time of the Dundrum Centre. It will take place outdoors and the screen is standing in the Mill Pond.

Admission is free.

Iveagh House at St. Stephen’s Green (which is the Department of Foreign Affairs) will become a canvass for a 3D projection from 17:00 on 30+31 Dec and 01 Jan.

Admission is free.

This is an open mic night every Wednesday. Arrive, sign up and play. Admission is free.

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.

Check the Facebook Page below for the line-up.

Republic of loose front man Mick Pyro is playing a Blues gig in Trio formation.

Admission is free.

The Anseo Comedy Club, run by comedian Aidan Killian, takes place every Wednesday in Anseo (upstairs).

Admission is free, donations are welcome.

“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.

Los Paradiso are playing Rockabilly, Tex Mex, Western Swing, Surf in the Leeson Lounge. Admission is free, but donations are appreciated.

The Jazz Pigs with a classic multi-brass front line play a mix of Lounge, lively sixties Jazz and driving Funk. Every Wednesday downstairs in 4 Dame Lane. Admission is free.

Every Wednesday the Tetratonic Quartet will perform Jazz in Mother Reilly’s. 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).

On New Year’s Eve there are always some pubs and venues that think this is the day to “gouge” their customers. If a venue charges an admission free during the year, you should expect the same on New Year’s Eve, but if they normally don’t charge and suddenly on New Year’s Eve there is a EUR 10 (or even higher) charge, I think you should walk way … UNLESS the entertainment provided is different/better than normally during the year.

Between Christmas and New Year (and in some cases even a little into the first week in January) the regular events that take place every week, are on a break. So if you see an event that NORMALLY takes place every week, this week it might NOT take place or be at a different time.

Unfortunately event organisers are not very good at telling me and there are too many events to check them all individually, so for that reason I will leave events where I am not 100% sure in the list for the repective day, but need you to check before you put your hopes up. Where I got confirmation that the gig is definitely going ahead, I have this week added a little “*” in front of the gig title!

I hope that helps!

Dublin’s New Year’s Festival “NYF Dublin” is made up of many components and spans three days from Wednesday 30 December until Friday 01 January. There will be a Spoken Word Festival, a Music Trail, Love Dublin (Fringe + Cultural events), 3D Light Projections, a Light Procession, a Street Fest, a Count Down Concert, Storytelling, a performance of Händel’s Messiah, a “Resolution Day” and a 5k Run.

When you read through the list, you wonder if there are too many components, but it makes a change from a few years ago, when NOTHING happened in Dublin on New Year’s Eve.

A number of components are not free and the Count Down Concert does this year NOT take place at College Green, instead it will be in the Point Depot/3 Arena. This move might be because College Green is really not suitable for a big concert, but it is also possible that it was only moved because of the Luas works at Trinity College.

In this Dublin Event Guide, you will find the free elements of the festival individually listed.

The Count Down Concert, for example is EUR 34 and the smaller NYF Street Fest at St. Stephen’s Green is EUR 7.50. All in all, the NYF Dublin seems at odds with the usual Dublin City Events strategy of providing free all-inclusive events.

Disappointingly, there will be NO Fireworks Display or any other free NYF Dublin special event on the streets of Dublin at midnight on 31 December.

The NYF Music Trail takes place on Wednesday and Thursday: Fifteen venues across the city will host live music pop-up gigs from the best new artists Ireland, selected from Dublin’s Hard Working Class Heroes line up. Admission is free to all gigs.

Some of the venues are Dublin Airport Terminal 1 and Terminal 2, GPO, The Church, Gutter Bookshop, Oxfam, Honest to Goodness, Urban Picnic, Powerscourt Centre, Mansion House, Little Museum, Tourist Office Suffolk Street.

The full list of locations, together with the timings and the relevant performers can be found via the website below.

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.

Love Dublin is the title for a series of fringe and cultural events on 30+31 Dec and some more on 01 Jan.

There is a total of 11 event groups and 3 are free:

+ Free NYF Walking Tour on 30 Dec at 12:30-15:00 + 15:00-17:00 and on 31 Dec at 12:30-15:00 + 15:00-16:00. Tickets required.
+ NYF Street Performances on 30+31 Dec from 14:00-17:00 near the Spire in O’Connell Street with Circus, Buskers and Trad music.
+ Irish Design Exhibitions and Drop-in events on 30 Dec at the Coach House at Dublin Castle.

The Green Door Market is a new indoor food/Farmer’s Market that takes place just a few doors down from the Dublin Food Co-op at Newmarket in Dublin 8. Admission is free.

Opening hours are Thu-Fri 12:00-19:00 and Sat 09:30-16:00.

If you regularly or occasionally buy books online, you can help the Dublin Event Guide hugely even without having to pay cent directly. In fact you even save money this way:

Buy your books from The Book Depository and get better prices and free (!!) delivery for all orders independent from the volume and when you click on the picture here before you buy, then 5% of what normally The Book Depository would get, they give back to the Dublin Event Guide. Everybody wins!

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If you prefer Amazon to buy your books (for free postage you need to order a minimum of GBP 25), then use this Amazon link to help the Dublin Event Guide. Thanks!

A special tour of the National Gallery’s collection willt ake place.

Admission is free and no booking necessary. Meet at the Information Desk in the Millennium Wing.

The Moving Crib of the St. Martin Apostolate is a whole basement full of handcrafted figures in front of painted backgrounds of nativity related scenes. There are 14 scenes, beginning with Adam and Eve and finishing with Christmas. Nearly all figures are moving and this historic crib, which was created in 1956, still fascinates children (and some adults!)

Admission is free, but for the upkeep of the crib, a donation of EUR 1.50 per person is suggested.

The opening times are 23 Nov-10 January: Mon-Fri 14:00-18:00 and Sat+Sun: 11:30-18:00.

Out of two Spoken Word events on 31 Dec, only one is free:

+Lingo Poetry Bingo – Open Mic Poetry event in the Workman’s Club. Admission is free, non ticketed.

Before Christmas, the Dundrum Town Centre did screen a (personalisable) 5 min Christmas Short Film on their unique waterscreen (the screen on which the projection is made is “made” of flowing water). Now that Christmas is over and the screen is still there, they made the good decision to give it a new purpose and from 26 Dec until 31 Dec, a “Countdown to 2016” film will be screened.

The screenings start every day at 16:40 and will continue until closing time of the Dundrum Centre. It will take place outdoors and the screen is standing in the Mill Pond.

Admission is free.

Iveagh House at St. Stephen’s Green (which is the Department of Foreign Affairs) will become a canvass for a 3D projection from 17:00 on 30+31 Dec and 01 Jan.

Admission is free.

A weekly Forro Night (Brazilian Dance) with a Forro Live Band takes place in the D-One Bar & Brazilian Grill every Thursday.

Admission is free.

The Procession of light will start at St. Stephen’s Green near the Stephen’s Green Shopping Centre and will then go down South King Street, Clarendon Street, South William Street, Suffolk Street, Grafton Street and it will finish on St. Stephen’s Green near Iveagh House, where the Luminosity Light Projection will take place and where a Bodhran World Record attempe will also take place. The map of the route is here.

Admission is free and no registration is required for the Procession of Light.

A Bodhrán World Record Attempt will take place near Iveagh House on St. Stephen’s Green. More than 980 Bodhran players are needed to break the record. Admission is free, but registration is required. Have a look at the website below for all details!

“These Are a Few of My Favourite Things” is the title of a Walking Tour that Emily Gallagher will run next Thursday. 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 myfavouritesdublincitywalktour@gmail.com or 085-2725095

Every Thursday, the Xchange invites to a Language Exchange (19:00-20:30). Admission is free.

A Masquerade Ball will take place in J.W. Sweetman on New Year’s Eve with Cocktail Reception, DJs, Best of 80s, 90s, & 00s Music and Prizes for Best Dressed.

Admission is free.

“Cult Called Man” is bringing their show, which is more an artistic event than a standard musical performance, to the Harbour Bar.

Admission is free.

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

The New Years Eve gigs in Sin E are with Bitch Falcon, supported by Wolff (a.k.a Johnny Stewart) .

Admission is free.

The guitar rock/pop band “The Drays”, headed by Stephen Ryan, will play a gig on New Year’s Eve.

Admission is free, donations are welcome.

The Workman’s CLub New Year’s Eve Party will feature live performances by “Karate Kid” and “Wounds” and three rooms with a variety of DJs.

Admission is free.

The Stillorgan Orchard has live music every Friday and Saturday. Many of the performers are established and very good bands. The upcoming gigs are detailed on the website below. Admission is always free.

The line-up for the next few gigs is:
Sat 26 Dec: Motor City
Sun 27 Dec: The Groove
Thu 31 Dec: Big Digger
Fri 01 Jan: Donal Kirk

Every Thursday a Singer Songwriter Night will take place in Mother Reilly’s in Rathmines. This is YOUR chance to show everyone what you can do, alternatively you can just listen to the talented Singer/Songwriters. Admission is free.

Every Tuesday and Thursday the International Bar invites to a Jazz night in the Lounge.

Groups led by Cote Calmet, Sean Maynard Smith, Dominic Mullan, Paddy Groenland, Georgia Cusack & Alex Mathias are performing regularly with occasional guest players, but there are also other bands from all over.

Admission is free, with a suggested donation of EUR 5. The website clearly says that there is no entry fee, but – and that makes a lot of sense – that your donations are very much appreciated (Musicians need to pay for rent and food too!) Be generous after the gig if you liked it, but if someone wants to charge an admission charge, please point out that the “rules” as described on their website are like I have explained.

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

A weekly Trad Music Night is taking place in McLoughlin’s in Dun Laoghaire. It is an acoustic night and all musicians are welcome. Admission is free.

Every Thursday a free Trad Session takes place in McNeills and often there are high profile Trad musicians performing.

The Woolshed Karaoke is happening every Thursday from 21:30. Anyone can participate! Admission is free.

The only bit of an outdoors gathering that usually takes place on New Year’s eve is around Christchurch when the bells ring in the new year at midnight.

It is the most remarkable and most talked about event in Sydney, Dubai, London, San Francisco and in many many other places around the world. Unfortunately though, Dublin misses out nearly every year. There were a few weak attempts to bring fireworks to Dublin in previous years, but the glimmer of hope never lasted long. Dun Laoghaire, who was always more reliable in the past, also gave up now and therefore there will be NO fireworks in Dublin this year!

A HAPPY NEW YEAR to you and your families!!

Let’s hope that 2016 will be a cracker of a year for all the right reasons and may you continue to have or find happiness, health and a smile on your face! ;-)

Have a great year and if you can continue to support the Dublin Event Guide by telling your friends about it, this will be much appreciated!

Between Christmas and New Year (and in some cases even a little into the first week in January) the regular events that take place every week, are on a break. So if you see an event that NORMALLY takes place every week, this week it might NOT take place or be at a different time.

Unfortunately event organisers are not very good at telling me and there are too many events to check them all individually, so for that reason I will leave events where I am not 100% sure in the list for the repective day, but need you to check before you put your hopes up. Where I got confirmation that the gig is definitely going ahead, I have this week added a little “*” in front of the gig title!

I hope that helps!

Dublin’s New Year’s Festival “NYF Dublin” is made up of many components and spans three days from Wednesday 30 December until Friday 01 January. There will be a Spoken Word Festival, a Music Trail, Love Dublin (Fringe + Cultural events), 3D Light Projections, a Light Procession, a Street Fest, a Count Down Concert, Storytelling, a performance of Händel’s Messiah, a “Resolution Day” and a 5k Run.

When you read through the list, you wonder if there are too many components, but it makes a change from a few years ago, when NOTHING happened in Dublin on New Year’s Eve.

A number of components are not free and the Count Down Concert does this year NOT take place at College Green, instead it will be in the Point Depot/3 Arena. This move might be because College Green is really not suitable for a big concert, but it is also possible that it was only moved because of the Luas works at Trinity College.

In this Dublin Event Guide, you will find the free elements of the festival individually listed.

The Count Down Concert, for example is EUR 34 and the smaller NYF Street Fest at St. Stephen’s Green is EUR 7.50. All in all, the NYF Dublin seems at odds with the usual Dublin City Events strategy of providing free all-inclusive events.

Disappointingly, there will be NO Fireworks Display or any other free NYF Dublin special event on the streets of Dublin at midnight on 31 December.

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 Green Door Market is a new indoor food/Farmer’s Market that takes place just a few doors down from the Dublin Food Co-op at Newmarket in Dublin 8. Admission is free.

Opening hours are Thu-Fri 12:00-19:00 and Sat 09:30-16:00.

This is an on-street performance of Händel’s Messiah outside the Hugh Lane Gallery.

Up to 120 singers from Our Lady’s Choral Society will join The Dublin Handelian Orchestra for this free performance of Handel’s Messiah and other works in Dublin’s City Centre on New Year’s Day.

Iveagh House at St. Stephen’s Green (which is the Department of Foreign Affairs) will become a canvass for a 3D projection from 17:00 on 30+31 Dec and 01 Jan.

Admission is free.

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

The Stillorgan Orchard has live music every Friday and Saturday. Many of the performers are established and very good bands. The upcoming gigs are detailed on the website below. Admission is always free.

The line-up for the next few gigs is:
Sat 26 Dec: Motor City
Sun 27 Dec: The Groove
Thu 31 Dec: Big Digger
Fri 01 Jan: Donal Kirk

“Ska ‘n’ Reggae” is the theme in the Dive Bar (downstairs in Turks Head) every Friday. The Bionic Rats play live. followed by DJs until late. Admission is free.

A Cabin Crew Christmas Special with Spats Davenport (voc, gtr), Con Butler (bs), Gerry Fitz (dob), Aisling Davenport (voc), Cathy McEvoy (fid), Christian Volkmann (hca), Richard Hawkins (bjo), Enda O’Connor (cajon) will take place. The Cabin Crew will play their usual mix of Folk, Trad, Americana, Roots, Special guests are Michael Lawlor (folk) and Lynda Lucas (Americana).

Admission is free.

“The Last Band in the World” is playing a R&B, Funk, soul gig in the Patriot Inn.

Admission is free.