Dublin Event Guide 523: Karaoquay!, Stoneybatter Festival, Tallafest, Flavours of South Dublin & Fingal, People’s Art Exhibition

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 Pride Festival ran from 16-24 June with the parade happening on Saturday.

Before the parade there are plenty of Pride Breakfasts and after the parade there are Pride Parties. All details can be found here: www.dublinpride.ie/events/#24

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.

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.

A Family Day full of entertainment for all ages will take place at dlr LexIcon in Dun Laoghaire. From juggling to art workshops, archaeology digs to storytelling, yoga to circus skills and a lot more, there is something available for every child.

A downloadable 2-pager here lists all individual events. Admission is free to all events and no booking is required, but first come, first served will apply to most events. All events are family-friendly, but the focus is clearly on the kids.

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.

Stoneybatter is inviting to the first ever Stoneybatter Festival and they really worked hard. There are lots of events and most of them are free. The ones that are not free are marked on the website with a Euro sign.

The festival begins on Friday already but the main days are Saturday and Sunday. On Saturday local businesses, museums, churches, community centres and even some private homes will be open for visitors. The pubs in the area have musicians performing and a concert (not free!) in the evening will take place as well.
Two outdoor stages will have music from 15:00. There will be free Outdoor Yoga. Biodiversity Workshops for children, Sewing classes and demonstrations,
The Saturday events are listed on the website here.

Sunday is the Family Fun Day from 12:00-18:00. Stoneybatter Street and Manor Street are closed for traffic and there will be music on the festival stage and in pubs, dance, food, street performers, buskers, talks, tours and children entertainment.
The Sunday events are listed on the website here.

Looks like an interesting festival and I will add it to my list of recommended events.

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.

Would you like to know more about Spanish and Latin American culture? Then come the Spanish Cultural Institute “Instituto Cervantes” this Saturday for “El Dia E”.

There will be a play, talks, a Tortilla patatas competition, a food fair with product from Argentina, Cuba, Chile, Mexico, Peru and Spain, Poetry Recitals and free language classes.

Admission is free.

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

The Children’s Workshop “Budding Botanist – Collecting and Pressing Flowers” will take place on Saturday.

Kids can get great tips and discover how to become a plant collector. They will go with the guides on an expedition through the Botanic Gardens identifying and collecting suitable plants for pressing before constructing your very own flower press. If you like you can also create some beautiful botanical designs with pre-dried plants.

Admission is free, but booking is required via 01 8040319.

Flavours of Fingal is a farming event at Newbridge House in Donabate on Saturday and Sunday.

Between 11:00 and 18:00, there will be dog shows, vintage farming demonstrations, falconry displays, croquet coaching, sheep racing, face painting, wild air runs, Great Irish War re-enactments, horse cavalry shows, miniature traditional Irish horse shows, food villages, cattle stock competitions, live music, cooking demos and more.

The complete list of events and activities is on this downloadable poster here.

Admission is free and parking is EUR 5.

An Intercultural Tour in Mandarin Language with Community Ambassador Vicky Wang will take place.

Admission is free. Meeting point is in the atrium of the Library.

Six times this year the “People’s Art” exhibition will take place this year. It is an art exhibition on the rails/fence of St. Stephen’s Green.

(If you want to exhibit at one of the events in the future, check the website for cost and conditions.)

Visiting the People’s Art Exhibition is free and you will be able to admire (and buy) a huge amount of art works. The event starts close to 11:00 and typically finishes around 17:00, it runs from Friday until Sunday with the main activity on Saturday and Sunday.

People’s Art Dublin is a voluntary, part time, non profit making group, brought together by Dublin City Council to promote the visual arts to the public of Dublin. A huge variety of art/paintings are displayed and if the weather is nice it is a great art-filled stroll around Stephen’s Green. Definitely recommended!

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.

Every year a thanksgiving and remembrance takes place on Dublin Pride Parade day in the Church of Ireland St. Audeon’s Church (the second church beyond Christ Church in direction of the Liberties). The event is organised by “Changing Attitude Ireland” and the Dublin G ay Men’s Chorus will sing at it.

Admission is free.

Because the Pride Parade starts at St. Stephen’s Green and passes by St. Audeon’s Church you have plenty of opportunity and time to either join the parade at the start or at the St. Audeon’s point.

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.

For “Storytelling for Families: The Golden Bat”, one the best loved Japanese superheroes is brought to life at the Chester Beatty Library. Enjoy an exciting picture-story performance by Hideyuki Yamashiro as he recounts tales of the Golden Bat (?gon Bat)

Admission is free.

The Dublin Pride Parade, a colourful, loud, good-humoured and popular parade of the LBGT* community, will take place on Saturday and it is some experience, no matter if you are participating or watching! This year the parade will start with some speeches and entertainment at 12:00 and the parade itself will start at 14:00.

The parade route will be COMPLETELY different than ever before. The event starts at St. Stephen’s Green South (go towards the Conrad Hotel or the Sugar Club to get to the right end of St. Stephen’s Green) and ends at Smithfield Plaza. A map is on the website below, but simplified the parade route is from St. Stephen’s Green to St. Patrick’s Cathedral, then to Christ Church, then passing by the Brazen Head Pub and crossing the Liffey, then to up Church Street and finally ending on Smithfield Plaza.

On Smithfield Plaza, entertainment with music, drag acts and speeches and food and drink stalls will frame the post-parade party.

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.

Qigong is a traditional Chinese form of meditation coordinating slow flowing movement, deep rhythmic breathing, and a calm state of mind.

Come to this gentle Qigong practice outdoors on the Roof Top Garden of the Library (weather permitting) or indoors with a view of the roof garden. Suitable for all ages.

Admission is free and no booking required, but numbers are limited.

The exhibition “SOUND CHECK” (09 June – 24 September) in the Science Gallery is looking the influence sound has on our life. THe exhibition looks at lots of interesting ways to create sound.

It is highly interactive exhibition with lots of oppoertunities to create sound/make noise. Some of the main exhibits are a big sound pinball table, a synthesiser on a bike, musical swings, a room full of Moog Synthesiser equipment, a Uranium controlled Xylophone and there are fice “Sonic Bikes” that you cyn pre-book and loan out for a 1 hour guided tour in Dublin.

The exhibition is suitable for ALL ages, even younger children will be able to take part and nobody will be bored.

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.

Tallafest 2017 will take place this Saturday. It is a well established yearly festival in Tallaght for everybody.

There will be a Kids Zone, Arts & Heritage events, a Create Zone, a Nature Zone, a Sports Zone and in addition there will be a Craft & Food Market and Live Stage Performances. The programme is full of activities and you should definitely check it out via the link here.

Admission is free to all events.

As part of the current “Sound Check” exhibition in the Science Gallery you can rent out a bike to experience Dublin in a completely different way:

Ya slip ta bang is an interactive composition mapped over the streets of Dublin that will unfold for you as you ride ‘sonic bikes’ along specific routes of the city. Accompanied by electronic music, the composition tells the story of recovering he roin addict Lucy Dolan as she returns to the city, revisiting important places in her life.

The sonic bike is a bicycle with frame-mounted speakers that plays different sounds and music dependent on where the cyclist goes and how fast they ride, via a mounted location-sensitive system.

The bikes can be rented for free for up to 1 hour on Fridays, Saturday and Sunday between 12:30 and 16:00. The rules and conditions are on the website below and that is also where you book the bikes.

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.

Outdoor Karaoke at th Wood Quay Amphitheatre (between Christ Church and Dublin City Offices)!! What is there not to like about it!? Our good friends from ALT Events, a not-for-profit collective of event organisers and idea generators, is inviting to this unique event. There is a long songlist available via their Facebook Event Page (see below) and they will provide the Speakers and Micrphone. You just have to bring your voice OR enjoy/endure some of the Karaoke performances for fun.

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 free guided tour will take place in the Chester Betty Library. The tour starts at 14:00.

In addition there is another free tour every Wednesday at 13:00 and one on Sundays at 15:00

Stone, especially flint, was a very important material for people living in Prehistoric Ireland.

Drop in to tthe ground floor education space and meet archaeologist Dave O’Reilly to handle replica stone tools and weapons and learn more about how people living in Ireland thousands of years ago used stone to their advantage.

Admission is free.

The Dundrum Festival has been busier in previous years. But it is taking place again and that is better than nothing.

On Saturday there will be music performances on the bandstand of Dundrum Town Centre from 14:00.

And Sunday is the main festival day. Main Street in Dundrum will be closed and a stage will be in the middle of the street with all sorts of entertainment. There will also be street entertainers.

The website is not overly forthcoming with details and the Facebook page tells you even less, but it is possible that there are a lot more festival activities than these two channels suggest.

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.

A weekly tour of the National War Memorial Gardens will take every Saturday from March until the end of October.

Admission is free. “Meet inside the gates” it says here.

At this Silent Film Show with Live Narration and Live Music 1925 black and white Japanese silent movie Orochi will be shown. This screening will be complemented by a live narration called Katsudo Benshi and an improvised piano accompaniment by Mie Yanashita. The event will start with a short introduction describing Katsudo Benshi.

Admission is free.

“Sacromonte: los sabios de la tribu / Sacromonte: the Elders of the Tribe” is a documentary from 2014 (94 min) about the neighbourhood in Granada by the same name that is considered as the cradle of Flamenco. For 200 years until 1963, 4000 Romani lived there who all had a connection with Flamenco.

The film will be screened in Spanish with English subtitles. Admission is free. Light refreshments will be provided from 13:30.

The In Focus Tour “The Dragon Robe and the Twelve Symbols of Sovereignty” with Vicky Wang, Guide, Chester Beatty Library will take place.

Admission is free and meeting point is in the atrium of the Library.

Where can you find an eel that swallowed a frog, a smelly pilot whale skull and giant fossil skeletons found in Irish bogs? Join a tour at the Dead Zoo to discover more about the history of the collections and the animals on display.

Admission is free, but placed are limited. Suitable for Age 8+. There will be two tours at 14:15 and 15:30.

Hip Hop Band Loud Motive will be in Sin E for a Post-Pride Parade party.

Admission is free.

The band “Cult Called Adam” will play a gig in the Harbour Bar.

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 Clandestinos will play a Roots Reggae, Ska and Latin gig in the Bowery.

Admission is free.

The bands “Hoddo Reelin” and “Vulture Collective” are playing a gig in the midnight hour at Whelan’s.

Admission is free all night (not the usual “only before 22:30”!!!)

In addition to the Saturday Car Boot Sale in Tallaght, Irish Car Boot Sales run a weekly Sunday Car Boot Sales in Ballymun.

Admission for buyers is free.

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 Magazine Fort in Phoenix Park is unusually neglected and at the same time unusually rich in history. Many have seen it as a barred off concrete fortress in a corner of Phoenix Park and even more don’t even know or have forgotten that it exists. The old Phoenix House, the home of the British Viceroy, was on the site where the fort was built from the early 17th century and then in 1734 the Fort was built and extended in 1801.

In 1916 the Fort was raided by the rebels who expected to find a lot of explosives there, but found the Fort nearly empty. In 1939 the IRA raided the Fort and stole more than a million rounds of ammunition, but most of it was recovered over the following weeks.

Since 1988, the Irish Army doesn’t use the Fort anymore and gave it back to the Office of Public Works (OPW), but not much good has happened to the Fort in the last 28 years (!!) and there were numerous speculations about the reasons for that.

Finally since last year, guided tours were provided and were meant to run for three months until end of October 2016. But the interest was so great that the OPW decided to continue the tours with a reduced schedule over the winter. And since 02 April there will be tours again every Friday and Sunday at 10:00, 12:00, 14:00 + 15:00 and only 20 places are available on each tour.

Tickets are available at the Phoenix Park Visitor Centre on a first come, first served basis and can not be pre-booked. A shuttle bus will bring the ticket holders to the Fort.

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.

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.

Stoneybatter is inviting to the first ever Stoneybatter Festival and they really worked hard. There are lots of events and most of them are free. The ones that are not free are marked on the website with a Euro sign.

The festival begins on Friday already but the main days are Saturday and Sunday. On Saturday local businesses, museums, churches, community centres and even some private homes will be open for visitors. The pubs in the area have musicians performing and a concert (not free!) in the evening will take place as well.
Two outdoor stages will have music from 15:00. There will be free Outdoor Yoga. Biodiversity Workshops for children, Sewing classes and demonstrations,
The Saturday events are listed on the website here.

Sunday is the Family Fun Day from 12:00-18:00. Stoneybatter Street and Manor Street are closed for traffic and there will be music on the festival stage and in pubs, dance, food, street performers, buskers, talks, tours and children entertainment.
The Sunday events are listed on the website here.

Looks like an interesting festival and I will add it to my list of recommended events.

A Children’s Workshop with Farmer Ann for children aged 6-11 years will take place on Sunday. Come along and meet Farmer Ann’s animals.

Admission is free.

The next Dublin Flea Market is taking place in the Food Co-op, 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 and admission is free. 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!”

Admission is free.

A weekly market with lots of food, but also many other products (art & crafts, books, etc) takes place every Sunday in the beautiful People’s Park in Dun Laoghaire. It is a very popular market and with around 50 vendors also one of the bigger markets.

Flavours of Fingal is a farming event at Newbridge House in Donabate on Saturday and Sunday.

Between 11:00 and 18:00, there will be dog shows, vintage farming demonstrations, falconry displays, croquet coaching, sheep racing, face painting, wild air runs, Great Irish War re-enactments, horse cavalry shows, miniature traditional Irish horse shows, food villages, cattle stock competitions, live music, cooking demos and more.

The complete list of events and activities is on this downloadable poster here.

Admission is free and parking is EUR 5.

Flavours of South Dublin (sponsored by Dublin Event Guide Sponsor Energia) is a food festival that will showcase wonderful restaurants, eateries, and suppliers. Cultural elements and crafts & arts will also be on display.

The festival will take place in Rathfarnham Castle and admission is free.

The Rathfarnham Concert Band will play at 14:00 as part of the Rathfarnham and District Festival that is independent from Flavours of South Dublin, but also takes place at the moment.

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.

Six times this year the “People’s Art” exhibition will take place this year. It is an art exhibition on the rails/fence of St. Stephen’s Green.

(If you want to exhibit at one of the events in the future, check the website for cost and conditions.)

Visiting the People’s Art Exhibition is free and you will be able to admire (and buy) a huge amount of art works. The event starts close to 11:00 and typically finishes around 17:00, it runs from Friday until Sunday with the main activity on Saturday and Sunday.

People’s Art Dublin is a voluntary, part time, non profit making group, brought together by Dublin City Council to promote the visual arts to the public of Dublin. A huge variety of art/paintings are displayed and if the weather is nice it is a great art-filled stroll around Stephen’s Green. Definitely recommended!

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

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

The Dundrum Festival has been busier in previous years. But it is taking place again and that is better than nothing.

On Saturday there will be music performances on the bandstand of Dundrum Town Centre from 14:00.

And Sunday is the main festival day. Main Street in Dundrum will be closed and a stage will be in the middle of the street with all sorts of entertainment. There will also be street entertainers.

The website is not overly forthcoming with details and the Facebook page tells you even less, but it is possible that there are a lot more festival activities than these two channels suggest.

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 Rathfarnham & District Festival (also known as RAD Fest) is taking place from 24 June until 01 July) and I would love to tell you more about it, but whoever is organising is, needs some serious help! There is a Facebook Page here, but the only list of events that are part of RAD Fest is on an illegible picture that can be found on that Page. Talking about making it difficult for visitors!?!?!

The picture with the programme is here. There are 13 events on it, but it is not 100% clear if all these events are free.

The exhibition “SOUND CHECK” (09 June – 24 September) in the Science Gallery is looking the influence sound has on our life. THe exhibition looks at lots of interesting ways to create sound.

It is highly interactive exhibition with lots of oppoertunities to create sound/make noise. Some of the main exhibits are a big sound pinball table, a synthesiser on a bike, musical swings, a room full of Moog Synthesiser equipment, a Uranium controlled Xylophone and there are fice “Sonic Bikes” that you cyn pre-book and loan out for a 1 hour guided tour in Dublin.

The exhibition is suitable for ALL ages, even younger children will be able to take part and nobody will be bored.

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.

The Sundays at Noon Concert Series continues in the Sculpture Gallery at the Hugh Lane Gallery. 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 Satoko Inoue playing new music for piano. More details are on the website below.

As part of the current “Sound Check” exhibition in the Science Gallery you can rent out a bike to experience Dublin in a completely different way:

Ya slip ta bang is an interactive composition mapped over the streets of Dublin that will unfold for you as you ride ‘sonic bikes’ along specific routes of the city. Accompanied by electronic music, the composition tells the story of recovering he roin addict Lucy Dolan as she returns to the city, revisiting important places in her life.

The sonic bike is a bicycle with frame-mounted speakers that plays different sounds and music dependent on where the cyclist goes and how fast they ride, via a mounted location-sensitive system.

The bikes can be rented for free for up to 1 hour on Fridays, Saturday and Sunday between 12:30 and 16:00. The rules and conditions are on the website below and that is also where you book the bikes.

The cemetery at Arbour Hill is the last resting place of 14 of the leaders of the 1916 Rising. Among those buried there are Pádraig Pearse, James Connolly and Thomas Clarke. This tour every Sunday will focus on the context of the Rising and explore in detail the wording of the Proclamation of the Irish Republic.

No booking necessary. The meeting point is inside the cemetery gates.

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!

Every Sunday a free tour takes place in the Hugh Lane Gallery.

Admission is free and booking is not required, but places are limited, so early arrival is recommended.

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

The Children’s Workshop “Creative Seed Bombs”, kids will find out about the importance of native plants and make up some creative seed bombs, which can later be used to germinate colourful flowers. Don’t wear your good clothes, it will be mucky!

Admission is free, but booking is required via 01 804 0319

Every Sunday a free guided tour will take place in the Chester Betty Library. The tour starts at 15:00.

In addition there is another free tour every Wednesday at 13:00 and one on Saturdays at 14:00

“Francis Ledwidge: A celebration of his life, work and legacy” are talks by Dermot Bolger, editor of a new edition of Ledwidge’s Selected Poems, poet Michael O’Loughlin and artist Liam Ó Broin, for a celebration of the life of Francis Ledwidge.

Born in a labourer’s cottage in Slane, Co Meath, the poet Francis Ledwidge worked as a farm labourer, a miner and a road worker while writing the poems that brought him fame during his short life. He enlisted in the Inniskilling Fusiliers in 1914. Having endured Gallipoli, Ledwidge was killed on July 31st 1917 during the nightmare 3rd Battle of Ypres.

Booking is requried via 01-6777444

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 this tour and exploring the turbulent decade from 1913-1923 examining the ordinary Irishmen and women involved in World War I, the 1916 Rising, War of Independence and Civil War.

Admission is free. Suitable for adults and Age12+. Places will be allocated on a first-come first-served basis 15 minutes before the tour starts.

“The Summerhouse” at the lake in St. Stephen’s Green is the venue for the next Outfoor Bal Folk Dance session.

Learn and enjoy European dances at this regular session.

Admission is free.

The New Breadwinners are a 3-piece Bluegrass band and they are playing every Sunday in the Leeson Longe.

Admission is free, donations are appreciated.

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

Admission is free.

The Dixeland Jazzmen play a weekly gig in Sin E. 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

The Gardiner Street Gospel Choir sings every Sunday from September to June at their “Gig in God’s Gaff”, a Mass in St. Francis Xavier Church at the top of Gardiner Street near the junction with Dorset Street.

The Gardiner Street Gospel Choir, one of the best known gospel choirs in Ireland will give you a chance to experience a mass with a difference. It is uplifting and inspiring and everybody is welcome independent from your level of religiousness or your relationship with the Catholic Church in other contexts.

Disclaimer: I am involved with the Gardiner Street Gospel Choir, so the description above MIGHT not be totally unbiased. But just take it from me, they are brilliant! ;-)

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 Sunday, Monday and Tuesday. 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).

Max Marshall will be in Bray for a Folk Gig.

Admission is free.

“Rhythm Rocker at The Globe” is a weekly event on Sunday night in The Globe with live music (Rockabilly) and DJs. Admission is free.

The Rock ‘n’ Rock and Swing Band “The Jive Cats” will perform in the Mercantile every Sunday from 22:00.

Admission is free.

The Dublin Blues Cartel will be in Whelan’s again and will perform mostly a version of New Orleans R’n’B with a classic rock twist, sandwiched with swing, Rock’n’Roll, Soul, Funk, Blues and rap of all eras. Admission is free.

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

“Conversations on Art” is a interactive tour specially designed for people living with dementia and their loved ones (Azure Tours). Take a break from the everyday and enjoy an afternoon of conversations on art and life in general.

Admission is free. Limited to 10 Participants per tour, booking is required. Call Heidi Campbell on 01 4070766 for more information.

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.

“Jazz Time Machine: History of Jazz” is a talk with performance with Peter Moc.

Admission is free, but booking is required via 01 8734333

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 weekly Stand-up Comedy Night in Bowery is happening again today. David Hynes and Danny O’Connor lead and bring a number of guests.

Admission is free.

This is a weekly gig with authentic old-time fiddle tunes and Appalachian music.

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.

The Circle Sessions is an “Open Mic” that provides an opportunity for up and coming musicians, spoken word artists, poets and comedians to perform.

Come to this weekly show to perform or to simply watch a great mix of music, poetry, spoken word and comedy.

Admission is free.

Every Monday the Woolshed Bar hosts “The Comedy Shed”, usually with 3 headline acts.

Admission is free.

The Comedy Crunch is a free Stand Up comedy event every Sunday, 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).

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.

That’s It Recordings is an open mic every Monday at Sin E. Just turn up and play. Sign up before 22:00 to ensure you get a slot. Bring a USB stick along and you will get a recording of your music to take home.

Admission is free.

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

The lunchtime lecture “The Conscription Crisis, 1917-1918: anatomy of a psychological partition” with Dr Emmanuel Destenay (Government of Ireland Postdoctoral Fellow) will take place in the National Library.

Dr Destenay discusses why the Conscription Crisis must be regarded as the real turning point in twentieth-century Irish history.
His research argues that the 1916 Easter Rising has been overestimated in Irish collective memory for political and cultural reasons and has superseded the importance of the threat of conscription in Ireland. Indeed, the vital question is: did the 1916 Easter Rising pave the way for the overwhelming victory of the Sinn Féin party in December 1918?

Admission is free.

“These Are a Few of My Favourite Things” is the title of a Walking Tour that Emily Gallagher runs on Tuesday and 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

This Open University panel discussion will consider the implications of Brexit on the island of Ireland. A panel of expert speakers from a range of perspectives will share their thoughts on key issues such as politics, trade, markets, peace, culture and the border.

More details including a list of panel members can be found via the website below.

Admission is free but registration is required via Ireland-events@open.ac.uk

Do you have an idea but need some help figuring out where to get started or what creative technologies might help bring the idea to life? Maybe you just want to bounce your idea off someone else?

Drop in to the Dún Laoghaire LexIcon Lab where Creative Technology Curator, Dr. Jake Rowan Byrne, other “makers” and
members of the community will be there and keen to help out.

Admission is free, but booking is required via the Meetup Site here.

Historian Tim Pat Coogan will talk about the Peace Process in Northern Ireland.

Admission is free.

Whelan’s never had a regular Trad Session, but this is about to change:

From 04 April until 27 June a new Trad Session called “Call the Dancers” will take place and no other than well known musicians Ronan Ó Snodaigh, Eoin Dillon & friends will perform.

Admission is free.

EveryTuesday at 19:00, The Dublin Language Exchange takes place in the Czech Inn. It is the biggest free meeting of people from all around Dublin that are interested in learning languages and communicate with speakers of other languages.

Admission is free and the meetup is completely informal. No booking required.

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.

The Shipstern Open Session is the Open Mic night in the Bowery in Rathmines. A weekly event where everyone is invited to take part, sing, play an instrument of even tell some jokes. And anybody who will perform on stage will get a cocktail voucher. Sometimes even big names come in to try out their new material.

The night is hosted by Cian from the tband MKAI.

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 Comedy Crunch is a free Stand Up comedy event every Sunday, 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).

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.

The Trad Stage is a weekly Open Mic event in the Tivoli Backstage venue. Musicians are invited to perform live in front of an interested audience. Performances are primarily of Irish Traditional Music and Folk Singing, however it is possible to also see performances of traditional music from all over the world as well as performances of original compositions from local and international musicians.

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 Tuesday, a pub quiz is taking place in the Woolshed.

Admission is free. Max team size is 6 people.

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.

This week’s Phoenix Park Walk is entitled “Victorian Walled Gardens” and the description says “A Walking Tour of the Victorian Walled Garden featuring the history of the garden plus information on the planting scheme.”

Admission is free.

The full list of all walks for the next few months is here: phoenixpark.ie/media/phoenix-park-programme-of-events-2017.pdf

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!

At this Creative Teens Film Lab for 12-17 year olds, there will be some pizza and a screening of Sing Street, the coming-of-age comedy about a boy growing up in Dublin during the 1980s who escapes his strained family life by starting a band to impress the mysterious girl he likes. English. 2015, 12A (106 min)

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

The Temple Bar “Night” Market is more an afternoon and evening market (14:00-20:00) and it takes place every Wednesday until September.

You can buy Arts & Crafts at this market.

In previous years the missing food and drink stalls (probably to protect the pubs and restaurants in Temple Bar) was mentioned by visitors as a critique.

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.

Imirt, the Irish Game Makers Association is inviting to an evening of talks about game design and culture, an event in collaboration with the MSc in Interactive Digital Media in Trinity College Dublin.

The talks will be

+ Elizabeth LaPensée: ‘Game Mechanics as Cultural Expression’
+ Christopher Floyd: ‘Interview: Building Games Communities’
+ Sarah Maria Griffin: ‘Games as a Literary Influence’

And in addition, the Imirt 2016 Irish Game Awards will be presented.

Admission is free, but registration is required via the link below.

Expert Storytellers Candlelit Tales will be in Stag’s Head to tell you about “Brotherhood – Men in Fights”, an ancient band of warriors.

Admission is free, donations are appreciated.

The Dublin Jam Session is an open Jam with full back line. It is open to all levels of musicians and singers and all genres of music and the only rule is that you must jam with others (not all your own band).

It takes place every Wednesday and admission is free.

The Dwarf Jar House Trio (Daniel Rorke (sax), Cormac O’Brien (bass) and Matthew Jacobson(drums)) will play a weekly Jazz gig every Wednesday in Dwarf Jar Cafe and they usually have one or more guest musicians or singers supporting them.

Admission is free.

The Anseo Comedy Club takes place every Wednesday in Anseo (upstairs).

Admission is free, donations are welcome.

Come and sing in French at the “Soiress Karaoke Francophone”. A very special playlist of French variété from every decade and every style from Dalida to Maitre Gims has been selected and now you just need to come along. Non French-speakers and bad singers are welcome!
Songs will be from Goldman, Indochine, Claude François, Gainsbourg, Niagara, Christine & The Queens and Michel and his Connemara.

Admission is free.

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

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

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

The next Inn Jokes Comedy night should come up this Wednesday, but it hasn’t been advertised yet, so check the website a little closer to the day to find out more. MC and organiser is comedian Colm O’Regan.

Admission is free, but donations are appreciated.

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

The Resident Open Mic is a new weekly open mic on Wednesdays with a bit of a difference: Each week a different established artist will go back to their roots by not just playing at the open mic but by hosting it. This gives the artists a chance to try out new songs, play some of their classics and most importantly it gives a chance for new songwriters to play their music in front of some of their favorite songwriters.

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).

The Harleys are a popular coverband and they will be in the Mezz every Wednesday at midnight.

Admission is free.

Every Thursday a free tour of Grangegorman Military Cemetery on Blackhorse Avenue takes place. Meet inside the cemetery gates.

Admission is free and everybody is welcome. Ring 01-6770095 for more information.

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.

The Talk “Curating Culture: Research libraries in a digital age” with Richard Ovenden, FRSA, FSA, Bodley’s Librarian is part of a series of lunchtime talks at the National Library of Ireland that features librarians from across Ireland and Europe, talking about new perspectives and strategies for libraries as the world of information management evolves.

Admission is free.

“The Late Work of Katsushika Hokusai” is a talk by Alfred Haft, Curator, Japanese Section, British Museum.

Admission is free.

Sho is a Japanese instrument and at this lunchtime recital, Naoyuki Manabe will play the Sho.

Admission is free, donations are appreciated.

Every Thursday the Little Museum of Dublin waives their admission charges for two guided tours thanks to sponsorship from Guinness. The first tour is at 18:00 and the second tour is at 19:00. Make sure that you are there at least 10 minutes before the start of the tour to get one of the limited places.

The Little Museum of Dublin has a fascinating collection of artefacts from the last 100 years Dublin’s history.

On other days and other times, admission is EUR 7 for adults and admission is by guided tour only.

“Start Up, Start Here: Companies Registration Office (CRO) Information Evening” is an event that is part is part of the Central Library’s Business Support Programme 2017. The talk is suitable for anyone who is thinking of Starting a Business in Ireland. Bernie Byrne from the CRO will provide information and advice about: Setting up a company, Registering a business name, filing an annual return, mandatory e-filing and more.

Admission is free, but booking is recommended via 01 8733996

Let’s Make a Scene is similar to an “Open Mic” event for musicians and spoken word artists, just for actors, comedians and imrovisers.

It is a live platform to actors, comedians, improvisers, slammers, etc… for free to present, test, showcase or display their work to an audience (scene, monologue, sketch, reading, new material or in production, etc…) and create a momentum prompting exchange & collaboration in between artists of different media sharing a passion.

Admission is free, but booking is required via TakeTheStage2MakeAScene AT gmail.com

The event is a monthly open platform and on Thursday you will discover the work of Amy Coleman, Conor Hackett, Eamonn McNicholas, Eilis Jordan, Elaine Purdue, Helena Foster, Janet Little, Luke Corcoran, Lynelle Colleran, Niamh Sweeney, Nicola Whelan, Sarah Thunder and Vladutz Varlan who are presenting their work or favourite monologues, scenes, improv’, reading, in preview or in production.

Caroline Grave-Cassidy’s new book “The Importance of being me” will be launched in Dubray Books.

What exactly is sound? What role does it play in our lives? In this talk you will be introduced to sound as a measurable physical quantity and discover how our experience of sound is shaped by biology and perception. Paradoxical effects and strange mysteries of sound will be explored by demonstration and through listening sessions.

The talk is suitable for all ages. Basic physics will be assumed, but no mathematics will be presented.

Admission is free but registartion is required via the website below.

“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

This is an evening concert by the Charlottesville High School Orchestra, visiting Ireland this summer from the USA. They will be performing a programme of music for strings, including works by Dvorak, Barber and Tchaikovsky. Conducted by Laura Mulligan

Admission is free.

The Dublin’s Theatre Club Cervantes will perform the comedy play “Gooal!”. Having presented scenes with sadness and drama as a backdrop in previous shows, this period the group will concentrate on forms of discourse based in humour, irony and amusement. The club will focus its work on comical, absurd and hilarious situations with the hope of making its audience smile or laugh at loud.

Under the direction of Sandra Lee Villegas (The Latin Sphere Theatre), the Theatre Club presents Gooal!, a play written by Luis Jaraquemada Bueno, which intertwines four stories that happen during the 2010 World Cup Final in South Africa in which Spain played Holland.

Admission is free.

An expatriate or expat is a person temporarily or permanently residing in a country other than that of their citizenship.

And this is a weekly meeting for all Expats in Dublin (new and old!). If you are new to the city, this is an excellent way to meet people.

Admission is free (no booking required!), but you are asked to give the same kind of welcoming to new members as is given to you.

American poet Teri Ellen Cross Davis and Irish poet Jane Clarke read from their recent collectons at Poetry Ireland.

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

The Thursday Night Board Gaming event is running for more than 10 years already and it is a weekly event for all Board Game enthusiasts. But even if you are a Board Game newbie, you are welcome. Just come along!

Admission is free.

A Table Quiz takes place in the Grand Social. On Thursdays teams of 4 people (or at least 2 people) will compete against each other over questions from the areas of General Knowledge, Music, Film, Sports & Entertainment.

Admission is free.

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.

The Clockworks will be in Sin E for a gig.

Admission is free.

The Luna Boys are in the Mercantile for a gig every Thursday night.

Admission is free.

The Shoos will play Soulful Rock ‘n’ Roll in the Harbour Bar.

Admission is free.

A Fun Pub Quiz takes place in Brady’s in Terenure on Thurs. The quiz will be on every Thursday night in the Lounge at Brady’s. Keith McLoughlin is the Quiz Master.

There will be six rounds of the quiz with picture questions, audio questions and general knowledge questions. Admission to the quiz is free and therr will be free drink vouchers for the winning and runner up teams. (No phones to get answers allowed.)

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.

Admission is free.

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.

SOMA originated as a series of house parties in Dublin hosting bands and DJs and the SOMA Clubnights (last Thursday of every month) in Whelan’s carry on the house party tradition just in a proper music venue.

On Thursday Indie-Pop/Rock band “Young Earth” will play a gig and it will be followed by DJs.

Admission is free.

The Magazine Fort in Phoenix Park is unusually neglected and at the same time unusually rich in history. Many have seen it as a barred off concrete fortress in a corner of Phoenix Park and even more don’t even know or have forgotten that it exists. The old Phoenix House, the home of the British Viceroy, was on the site where the fort was built from the early 17th century and then in 1734 the Fort was built and extended in 1801.

In 1916 the Fort was raided by the rebels who expected to find a lot of explosives there, but found the Fort nearly empty. In 1939 the IRA raided the Fort and stole more than a million rounds of ammunition, but most of it was recovered over the following weeks.

Since 1988, the Irish Army doesn’t use the Fort anymore and gave it back to the Office of Public Works (OPW), but not much good has happened to the Fort in the last 28 years (!!) and there were numerous speculations about the reasons for that.

Finally since last year, guided tours were provided and were meant to run for three months until end of October 2016. But the interest was so great that the OPW decided to continue the tours with a reduced schedule over the winter. And since 02 April there will be tours again every Friday and Sunday at 10:00, 12:00, 14:00 + 15:00 and only 20 places are available on each tour.

Tickets are available at the Phoenix Park Visitor Centre on a first come, first served basis and can not be pre-booked. A shuttle bus will bring the ticket holders to the Fort.

Dublin City Hall has a museum/exhibition in the basement, called “The Story of the Capital”, it is an exhibition about Dublin’s History and you should definitely check it 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.

Running on the last Friday of every month, this new initiative invites members to explore and enjoy the collection at Collins Barracks through a series of specially arranged guided tours and activities in the company of museum staff followed by ‘Tea & Chat’ and an opportunity to mingle. For further information email: bookings@museum.ie

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.

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.

I am not exactly sure what the title means. As far as I know “Phare” is a band. Is “Cinema” also a band (I guess so!) or is it the moving picture-type cinema? Either way, there is some entertainment in Bray and 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 Square Pegs will play Chicago blues, 1950s R&B and New Orleans blues at this gig.

Admission is free.

The Brady’s Sessions is a monthly singer/songwriter night in Gub Dandy’s at Brady’s Pub Terenure. Admission is free and this month’s Line-Up is:

Clarksville, Jim Loghran, Ronan McCauley, Ruth Egan, Rebecca K, Callum Keaveny.

The band Headsup around guitarist Gerry Hendricks, will play a gig in the Patriot Inn. Admission is free.

Playing Motown and Soul from the 60s, the Motown Tribute Band “The Dionnes” will play a gig in the Bowery.

Admission is free.