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.

Every May the Bealtaine Festival takes place all over Ireland and it “Celebrates arts and creativity as we age”. This is a difficult description as everybody ages, but the organisers “Age & Opportunity” actually want to address the “older age”. Ok, that helps a little, but not much and nobody still really knows what the target age is. In previous years, a guidance of 55+ was given but that has disappeared. In addition most 55-60 years olds wouldn’t appreciate it being classified as “older age”. ;-)

Where does that leave us? We don’t know but, I guess if you feel older, this festival is for you and if you don’t, then the festival is not for you. ;-)

There will be many events throughout May and a good few of them are free. The website doesn’t have the best search facility, but you can also download the brochure via this page (look for the Download link at the bottom). To find events go to the WHAT’S ON page on the website, but then you will have to click on “SEARCH FOR EVENT” otherwise, you will get a seemingly random list of events. (Very non-intuitive and totally unsuitable for elderly computer users!)

In “Dublin City” there are approx. 60 events, but as I said, not all are free. Oddly, the events that you find are not sorted by date, but seem to be in random order.

Over the coming 4 weeks, I will include a number of free Bealtaine events in the Dublin Event Guide for Free Events, but with such a tricky search facility, I won’t be able to include all events, so please check the Bealtaine website here: www.bealtaine.ie

The International Literature Festival Dublin (ILFD) will run from 20-29 May. There will be readings, discussions, debates, workshops, performance and screenings and poetry, fiction and non-fiction will be represented.

About half of the events Some events have an admission charge and the other half a free. The programme is here www.ilfdublin.com/events or you can download the full programme here.

Most of the free events are listed here (some require registration):

Sun 21 May – 12:00: What Happens Next: The Future Of ILFDublin – Discussion
Mon 22 May – 11:00: Tom Angleberger (Groot et Rocket)
Mon 22 May – 18:30: Stories from the City: Stray Lines at Instituto Cervantes – Reading of Comics
Mon 22 May – 18:30: Stories from the City: Circle and Square – Readings from Circle and Square
Tues 23 May – 12:00: Children’s Books Ireland Book of the Year Awards – Awards Ceremony
Tues 23 May – 18:30: Stories from the City: The Hotel Room – Theatrical Book Launch
Wed 24 May – 18:00: Stories from the City: Between the Bookcases – A Celebration of Writing Groups
Wed 24 May – 19:00: Stories from the City: Home Is… – Discussion
Fri 26 May – 09:30: Talking Translation – Towards 2022: The Irish Language Derogation in the EU
Fri 26 May – 10:30: Talking Translation – Found in Translation: Becoming a Literary Translator
Fri 26 May – 11:45: Talking Translation – In Other Words: Translating Difference
Fri 26 May – 14:30: Talking Translation – Untranslatable: Constraints in Literary Translation
Fri 26 May – 17:30: Talking Translation: Oulipolisson Theatre Performance
Sat 27 May – 12:00: Korea Focus: Han Yujoo
Mon 29 May – 12:00: Stories from the City: Culture and Identity – The Unspoken African

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

The Friends of Medieval Dublin are inviting to the 19th Medieval Dublin Symposium. There will be 8 talks between 09:30 and 17:00 and the event will be in Trinty College. All details, including the titles of all talks are on the website below. To see the schedule click on the blue poster on that website.

This is a must-go event for all historians, I think. At least for historians interested in medieval Dublin. :-)

Admission is free and no booking is required. You can join for some talks and don’t have to be there for the full day.

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
+ St. Anne’s Park, Raheny, Dublin 5
+ Father Collins Park, Donaghmeade/Clongriffin, Dublin 13
+ Tymon Park, Tallaght, Dublin 24
+ Bushy Park, Terenure, Dublin 6

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

The 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.

The Belgard Weekend Market is an indoor market with stalls with handcraft (incl. designer jewellery, aran jumpers and wool, christening robes and shawls, cards and cross stitch), household items, bric and brac, furniture, flowers, make-up, clothes, shoes, showers, upholstery, toys, kitchens, cafe, army memorabilia, collectors items, sweets, handbags books, blinds, party shop, tools and more. 

It is open every Saturday and Sunday and is located in the Glen Abbey complex (opposite Jacobs) on Belgard Road.

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 County Council Market (CoCo) in Marlay Park is taking place every Saturday and Sunday. You will find a wide range of products. There will be food to eat there and food to cook at home but also crafts and arts and books and lots more.

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.

Dublin City Hall has a museum/exhibition in the basement, called “The Story of the Capital”, it is an exhibition that you should definitely check out at some stage.

To celebrate the Easter Rising Anniversary, admission to that exhibititon was free in 2016, but lucky for us, Dublin City decided to also waive the admission charge for 2017.

Opening hours are Monday-Saturday 10:00-17:15.

Kitesurfers, Standup Paddle Board (SUP) Riders, Wakeboarders, Landyacht Sailors, Volleyball Players, Extreme Sport Lovers and tons of spectators (that’s you and me!!! ;-) ) all come together this Saturday and Sunday (20+21 May) on Dollymount Strand in Clontarf for the “Battle for the Bay”. 

In addition to Kitesurfing and SUP competitions, there will be Live Music, a food market and kids entertainment and a Biodiversity Village on the strand and the full schedule is here: www.battleforthebay.com/#whats-on

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.

Summer is another 10 days away, but in the Docklands, the Summer Festival is already taking place this Saturday and Sunday (20+21 May).

It is another watersports festival but different to the “Battle for the Bay”, the Dockland’s Summer Festival is more focused on “inland” watersports like Wakeboarding, Raft Races. Wakeboarders, including Irish champion David O’Caoimh, are performing their spectacular demonstrations at 12:00, 14:00 and 16:00.

On Grand Canal Square, there will be a food market, DJs will entertain and you can play “floating golf”. Street Performers will be there on both days and a duck race will happen at the Waterways Visitor Centre.

Unfortunately the organisers keep the schedule as a secret, so I have no idea when the duck race will take place.

Admission to the Dockland’s Festival is free.

Come and join Artzone at Farmleigh House on National Drawing Day for Children’s Art Workshops. (Ages 5 – 12 years).

The junior group (5+) will sketch ducks from the Farmleigh pond while the senior kids (8+) will be drawing self portraits “Selfies in the Park”.

All workshops are free, but places are limited and are allocated on first come first served basis.

This is a workshop for ages 12-16!

Learn how to storyboard your favourite Irish Celtic Myth with illustrator Mark Wickham. Discover Ancient Irish Myths and Legends and explore the objects of the Iron Age to help you create a Celtic Storyboard.

Admission is free, but booking is required via 01-6486 332. Meet at Reception.

“Explore the weird and wonderful diversity of insects and minibeasts living in and around the pond at the National Botanic Gardens. Perfect your technique with guidance from the experts and learn how to identify the amazing creatures you have captured. Once you have discovered the hidden life of ponds you will never look at them the same way again.”

Admission to this event is free, but booking is required via 01 8040319. Suitable for Ages 8+.

The Terenure Bushy Park Market is taking place every weekk. The market has more than 30 stalls, offering a whole variety of foods and crafts.

Admission is free.

National Drawing Day began at the National Gallery of Ireland, and now takes place in Museums, Galleries, Libraries and Cultural Centres across Ireland. It is a great opportunity to try sketching, drawing and learn some hints and tips.

There will be a whole series of events in the National Gallery and they are all listed in detail if you follow the link below. In order to give you an idea of what is happening, I will list the headlines here:

+ Artists Drawing Live @ 11:30-15:30 in Room 5
+ Artists Sketching Life @ 11:30-15:30 in Millennium Wing
+ Architectural Drawing Demonstration @ 11:30-15:30 in Millennium Wing
+ Secret Garden Family Drop-in Session @ 11:30-13:30 in Atrium
+ Schools of Fish and Fish in Schools – Collaborative Art @ 14:30-15:30 in Atrium
+ Life Drawing for Teens and Adults – Drop-in session @ 11:30-14:00 in Millennium Wing Studio
+ Art Battle between Don Conroy and Fatti Burke @ 12:30-14:00 in Wintergarden Café
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+ Crawing meets Science: Makeshop Robots Demonstration @ 11:30-14:00 at Orientation Court
+ Doodlebot Workshop (Ages 5+) @ 15:00-16:00 in Millennium Wing Studio (Free but ticketed)
——–
+ Talk by Sky Portrait Artist of the Year @16:00-17:00 in Lecture Theatre
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Admission to all events is free. Bring your own sketchbook and drawing materials, some materials will be provided.

Other museums, galleries and venues in Dublin that participate in the National Drawing Day are

Casino, Marino
Castletown House
Crawford Art Gallery
Design & Crafts Council of Ireland
Dublin City Public Libraries
Farmleigh House
Little Museum of Dublin
Makeshop by Science Gallery Dublin
National Gallery of Ireland
National Museum of Ireland – Archaeology
National Museum of Ireland, Decorative Arts and History, Collins Barracks
National Print Museum
Rathfarnham Castle
RUA RED
The Chester Beatty Library
The LAB

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 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. Grand Social’s Bar and Gourmet Coffee options are available.

Second last chance to see this exhibition! It ends on Sunday!

The exhibition “Humans Need Not Apply” (10 Feb – 21 May) in the Science Gallery is looking at the influence robots will have on our society, on our lives and on jobs. How will robots replace humans? How can robots be creative? And is automation maybe going too far?

About 27 exhibits will ask and answer these questions. When you come into the exhibition space in the Science Gallery the little desk lamp robot Pinokio will greet you with all its friendliness and curiosity (that’s MY interpretation of Pinokio’s behaviour). And the three Doppelgänger robots upstairs will move, even dance with you. But more robots and automation will also have possibly some negative effects and “The Great Disengagement” looks at how we human beings might rebel against robots when they have taken our jobs and more away.

The exhibition has many many facets and it is extremely interesting. There are fascinating and intriguing exhibits and maybe more unexpected ones like the “tickle robot”. I strongly recommend the exhibition and can definitely say that it is suitable for ALL ages, even younger kids can get something out of it.

Use the help of the amazing mediators, who can explain everything you see, especially if you don’t want to read all the explanations that are next to every exhibit.

The Science Gallery has very visitor friendly opening hours of Tue-Fri 12:00-20:00 and Sat+Sun 12:00-18:00.

Admission is free.

Come to the Chester Beatty Library on National Drawing day to learn how to use the ‘chiaroscuro’ technique in your drawings to create strong tonal contrasts and a three dimensional effect.

Chiaroscuro (from the Italian words chiaro, meaning “light,” and scuro, meaning “dark”) refers to the use of light and shade in a work of art developed during the Renaissance, that uses strong tonal contrasts between light and dark to model three-dimensional forms, often to dramatic effect. Masters of this technique were the Italians Leonardo da Vinci and Caravaggio and the Dutch painter Rembrandt.

The workshop will take place from 12:30-14:00 and from 14:30-16:00, but it is not exactly clear where it will take place. It is advertised on the Chester Beatty Library website, but it then says

“This year we are joining forces with the OPW education team in Dublin Castle to explore more spaces, views and visions. Join the fun in this Alice in Castleland drawing journey. Starting point: Chapel Royal. For more information contact Jenny at DublinCastleEducation@opw.ie. Free, no booking required.”

So I suggest you check at the Chapel Royal, but if you can’t find the workshop there, then go around the corner to the atrium of the Chester Beatty Library and ask where the workshop takes place. When you get this message, it is too late to send “Jenny” a mail. ;-)

Admission is free.

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.

The Bernard Shaw Flea Market is a weekly market (every Saturday) with approx 16 stalls, music, pizzas from the Big Blue Bus and the Bernard Shaw Garden Bar. Expect vintage clothes, shoes, jewellery, art, records, bric-a-brac and more and DJs will provide the entertainment.

Admission is free.

“These Are a Few of My Favourite Things” is the title of a Walking Tour that Emily Gallagher runs every Saturday. It is 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!”

The tours are free but donations are welcome and booking is required via myfavouritesdublincitywalktour@gmail.com or 085-2725095

Every Saturday a kid’s book will be read in 27 Eason’s stores all over Ireland. In O’Connell Street the reading takes place at 14:00. In the other Eason Stores, the times vary between 11:00 and 15:00 (see website below). Suitable for age 0-6 with their parents.

Admission is free.

The National Print Museum celebrates the National Drawing Day by providing a range of self-guided drawing walks (materials will be provided) for families. There will be a number of sketching stations available, with inspirational sketches of the collection on display to get the creative juices flowing.

Admission is free.

To celebrate Drawing Day, join Museum conservator and artist Nieves Fernandez for an introductory workshop in sketching the museum. Materials will be provided and no advance experience needed. Suitable for adults and young people from 16 years of age.

Admission is free. 

The Women’s Rugby World Cup Trophy Tour will come to Clontarf on Saturday afternoon. From 14:00 a Family Fun Day with Bouncy Castle and Face Painting etc will take place and the Trophy will arrive at 15:00.

Admission is free.

This is a workshop for ages 7-11!

Join children’s illustrator and writer Mark Wickham for a workshop on designing your own Celtic Superhero from the Iron Age. Explore the Museum and its Iron Age objects and learn about ancient Irish Celtic stories to help inspire you to create your character.

Admission is free, but booking is required via 01-6486 332.

At this event during National Biodiversity Week, Museum Educator Geraldine Breen will talk about the lives of Irish sharks and how the hunter has become the hunted. Expect a short talk with a chance to touch real shark teeth, jaws and egg cases.

Admission is free, but places are limited to 20 and will be allocated on a first come first served basis. Suitable for Ages 8+

The event will have a duration of 30min and it sill start at 14:30 and at 15:30.

Early House are playing Funk, Soul, Disco Covers at this gig.

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.

Weenz will perform a gig in Whelan’s on Saturday. The gig starts at midnight, admission is free before 22:30 OR if you sign up to the guest list.

The Trobadours are playing a gig in the Bowery on Saturday.

Admisssion is free.