Dublin Event Guide 524: Family Comedy Weekend, Pets in the Park, National Play Day, First Wednesday, Woodquay Summer Sessions

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 Track Cycling International 2017 will take place on Saturday and Sunday on the Sundrive Velodrome in the Eamonn Ceannt Park in Crumlin. The Velodrome is an outdoor veldorome, one of only three in Ireland.

Admission is free.

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 Farmer’s / Food & Craft Market is taking place this Saturday and Sunday at Farmleigh House. The Family Comedy Weekend for kids is also happening at the same time.

Admission is free.

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.

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 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.

The Derby Tournament will take place on Saturday and Sunday from 11:00 at the All Ireland Polo Club Grounds in the Phoenix Park,

I wasn’t able to find out if there is an admission charge or not, but would expect that there is a charge. However, you can watch some of the action even from a little distance away and even if you stay at the side of Chesterfield Road, you will be able to see what is happening on the Polo Grounds.

Punch Lions and the OPW (Office of Public Works) are inviting to a Family Comedy Weekend at Farmleigh House on Saturday and Sunday.

There will be family-friendly stand-up comedy shows with the Punch Lion Kids’ Comedy, comedy workshops, story-telling, comedy for parents and babies and silly ‘walkabout’ performers.

Some of the stand-up comedy performers are Joe Rooney (Father Ted), Paul Tylak (The Secret of Kells), Reuben (RTEjr), Sharon Mannion (Dublin Comedy Improv), Andrew Stanley (Comedy Cellar) and Paul Currie (Edinburgh Fringe). Peter O’Byrne (Craic Pack/Killinaskully) will run the comedy workshops for children (Age 5 – 7 and 8 – 12).

Admission is free and the stand-up comedy shows are suitable for children 6+ (children must attend with an adult). Comedy workshops are limited to 15 participants and are on first come first served basis.)

A Farmers’ & Food Market will also take place on Saturday and Sunday from 10:00-17:00.

The full programme for the day is on 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.

On the first Saturday every month, the “A Fabulous Market” will take place in the George Bar in South Great George’s Street.

You will find all sorts of art and crafts at this market and there will be live music.

Admission is free.

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.

On the last day of RADFest (Rathfarnham and District Festival) a family fun day takes place with music, art & entertainment for the kids.

Unfortunately details are not available, which makes it close to impossible to assess if an event has the potential to be great or not. Let’s hope that the organisation and PR of the RADFest will be better next year!

Admission is 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.

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.

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.

In the coming week, the following Pop-up talks will take place in the National Gallery. They are short talks in front ot the relevant painting. Admission is always free.

01 July – 13:15-13:45: A pop-up talk on Mainie Jellett’s ‘Decoration’, with Fala Buggy.
01 July – 15:15-15:45: A pop-up talk on Jan Steen’s painting “The Village School” with Sarah Montague.
02 July – 11:15-11:45: A pop-up talk in front of Canova’s ‘Amorino’.
02 July – 13:15-13:45: A pop-up talk in front of Léon-Augustin Lhermitte’s “Harvester at Rest” painting.
04 July – 13:15-13:45: A pop-up talk in front of Van Gogh’s painting “Rooftops in Paris”.
07 July – 13:15-13:45: A pop-up talk in front of Rembrandt’s ‘Rest on the flight into Egypt’.

Please note that there will also a number of other activities and guided tours in the National Gallery. All events are listed on the website below.

“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

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.

This is a Gagaku performance and workshop with Naoyuki Manabe featuring the Sho instrument.

Gagaku is a type of Japanese classical music, dance and song. It is the oldest music in Japan and was played at the Imperial Court and at ancient religious temples. Nowadays Gagaku is based on the music played at the Imperial Household Agency which is recognised as the world’s oldest orchestra – playing for over 1,300 years. Gagaku includes the use of wind, string and percussion instruments.
Sho is a traditional Japanese reed instrument, made up of slender bamboo pipes gathered together in a bundle. The instrument’s tone is similar to an organ and it produces sound whether the player’s breath is inhaled or exhaled, allowing extended periods of uninterrupted play.

This event is part of the commemorations of the 60th anniversary of the establishment of the diplomatic relations between Japan and Ireland.

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.

Palmerstown Festival was taking place from 27 June and will run until 02 July. It is one of the many community/neighbourhood festivals that are either intentionally or unintentionally badly promoted. We know that there are lots of free events happening in Dublin, but sometimes it is frustrating that LOTS of other people put great events together but we never find out about them.

This Family Fun Day will take place in Waterstown Park. There will be music, a dog show, bouncy castles, dance demonstrations, face painting etc.

Admission is free.

A tour in the National Gallery specifically tailored for teens will be provided. The tour will be led by one of the teens from the National Gallery’s Transition Year placement programme.

Admission is free.

The Glee Club launch thier new album HIVE in The Leeson Lounge Dublin 4 on Saturday. It will be the bands first gig since their brief comeback two years ago which was their first Irish gig since Feile 20 years ago! Support will be provided from Clarence Winters from the band The Winters who will do a solo slot.

Admission is free.

Gypsy Folk Band “Grand” and Folk/Soul band “Moon Looks On” are performing in Sin E.

Admission is free.

The popular U2 Tribute Band “Joshua Tree” will play a gig in Palmerstown House.

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.

Gorilla Gigs will bring the bands Rabble Rabble, Munky, *Rogue to the Harbour Bar.

Admission is free.

The 2 Stroke String Sessions should be featuring oldtime fiddle and banjo tunes and Appalachian mountain tunes, but last month this monthly event was canceled on the day when it was meant to happen. Same could happen again, so check the FAcebook Page before you go out on Saturday evening.

Admission is free.

Electronic Rock / Synth Rock band “Chasing Felix” from Dublin and alternative rock band “Atlas Zero” from Cork, will play gigs in Whelan’s on Saturday night.

Admission is free before 22:30 or via the guest list

The Papa Zitas is a 10-piece Soul/Motown Big Band and they will play a gig in the Bowery. Sounds like some impressive outfit!

Admission is free.

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 Dublin Track Cycling International 2017 will take place on Saturday and Sunday on the Sundrive Velodrome in the Eamonn Ceannt Park in Crumlin. The Velodrome is an outdoor veldorome, one of only three in Ireland.

Admission 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.

This event is the “Greater Dublin” boundaries pushing a bit, but I know that some of you plan to go to it and since it is summer and the weather might be good and it is one of very few strand-based events in Ireland, I am including it here:

The event is the 15th National Sandcastle and Sand Sculpturing Festival 2017 in Bettystown, which is north of Balbriggan and not too far away from Drogheda.

The event starts at 10:30 with the sculpting work and at 14:30 the work on the sandcastles starts. Judging and prizegiving is from 16:30. I understand that everybody can take part by paying a EUR 2 admission charge for the sandcastle competition and EUR 5 for the sculpting competition, but watching seems to be free.

For more details check the Facebook Event Page below and the website at www.nationalsandcastles.ie

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.

The Kilkenny Shop Cafe is inviting to a Jazz Brunch Sunday every Sunday from 11:00-14:00 and from 14:30-16:30 a Bluegrass Band is taking over. Unfortuantely they don’t specify who the bands are.

Admission is free.

The well known Palestrina Choir sing every Sunday at the mass in St Mary’s Pro-Cathedral. They sing complete masterworks by Mozart, Haydn, Dvorak, Palestrina, de Victoria, usually accompanied by Prof. Gerard Gillen on the organ, who often also plays a solo piece.

The next Pure Vintage Fair will take place this week and it is what it says on the tin. A market/flea market for vintage items, which will take place on the first Sunday of every month. There will be vintage clothes, furniture, collectibles, jewellery and many more vintage items. Sounds interesting and with 30 stalls, it is well worth a visit. There will also be food, hot drinks and a DJ.

Admission is free.

The Derby Tournament will take place on Saturday and Sunday from 11:00 at the All Ireland Polo Club Grounds in the Phoenix Park,

I wasn’t able to find out if there is an admission charge or not, but would expect that there is a charge. However, you can watch some of the action even from a little distance away and even if you stay at the side of Chesterfield Road, you will be able to see what is happening on the Polo Grounds.

The New Market Collective is a warehouse market on the first Sunday of each month. You will find there Clothes, Accessories, Vintage, Home-Decor, Craft. Irish Design, Art, Vinyl Records, Jewellery, Food & Coffee and Live Music. There is also a Craft Corner.

Admission is free. At the same weekend the Pure Vintage Market takes place in the Food Co-op on the other side of Teelings Distillery, so you get two markets in the same place.

In the coming week, the following Pop-up talks will take place in the National Gallery. They are short talks in front ot the relevant painting. Admission is always free.

01 July – 13:15-13:45: A pop-up talk on Mainie Jellett’s ‘Decoration’, with Fala Buggy.
01 July – 15:15-15:45: A pop-up talk on Jan Steen’s painting “The Village School” with Sarah Montague.
02 July – 11:15-11:45: A pop-up talk in front of Canova’s ‘Amorino’.
02 July – 13:15-13:45: A pop-up talk in front of Léon-Augustin Lhermitte’s “Harvester at Rest” painting.
04 July – 13:15-13:45: A pop-up talk in front of Van Gogh’s painting “Rooftops in Paris”.
07 July – 13:15-13:45: A pop-up talk in front of Rembrandt’s ‘Rest on the flight into Egypt’.

Please note that there will also a number of other activities and guided tours in the National Gallery. All events are listed on the website below.

Punch Lions and the OPW (Office of Public Works) are inviting to a Family Comedy Weekend at Farmleigh House on Saturday and Sunday.

There will be family-friendly stand-up comedy shows with the Punch Lion Kids’ Comedy, comedy workshops, story-telling, comedy for parents and babies and silly ‘walkabout’ performers.

Some of the stand-up comedy performers are Joe Rooney (Father Ted), Paul Tylak (The Secret of Kells), Reuben (RTEjr), Sharon Mannion (Dublin Comedy Improv), Andrew Stanley (Comedy Cellar) and Paul Currie (Edinburgh Fringe). Peter O’Byrne (Craic Pack/Killinaskully) will run the comedy workshops for children (Age 5 – 7 and 8 – 12).

Admission is free and the stand-up comedy shows are suitable for children 6+ (children must attend with an adult). Comedy workshops are limited to 15 participants and are on first come first served basis.)

A Farmers’ & Food Market will also take place on Saturday and Sunday from 10:00-17:00.

The full programme for the day is on the website below.

The National Gallery is running a series of free themed family drop-in workshops from 11:30-13:30 every Sunday.

Inspired by the collection and the exhibitions in the National Gallery, these workshops are suitable for all ages from approx. 18 months to age 8. You can choose to stay for as long or as short a time as works for you.

The space will be divided by age and ability, and each child will be encouraged by Artist and NGI Education Assistant Caomhán Mac Con Iomaire and the week’s guest artist to create their own work on the week’s theme.

Admission is free and no booking required. Numbers are limited to 40 people at any one time but you can drop in and out whenever it suits you and as long as there is still space. Children have to be supervised at all times. The event takes place in the Atrium.

This week’s theme is: The High Seas

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.

Pets in the Park in the Millennium Park in Blanchardstown is an pet owner and pet enthusiast event organised by Fingal County and it has dogs agility and obedience training, a mobile vet, microchipping, a Petting Zoo, face painting, some talks and entertainment for children and a food village.

Admission is 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.

A Picnic of “United Against Racism” will take place in Phoenix Park. There will be some food provided, but if you could contribute by bringing some dish, that will be appreciated.

There is a little problem though! The Facebook Event Page says “For the exact location please check out the map.”, but the map that is linked to that event has a marker that is not even in Phoenix Park, instead it is North of Phoenix Park on Ashtown Road near the Ashtown Train Station. If that is not confusing!?!

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.

This Sunday is National Play Day and Dublin City invites children and their guardians to Merrion Square for lots of fun and entertainment. The theme for this year’s National Play Day is ‘Fun and Active Play’, which will promote fun and active play outdoors with running, climbing, jumping, outdoor street games, action songs, skipping and cycling.

Further details of what will happen are unfortuantely not available.

Admission is free. Make sure that your child is not wearking good clothes. Things could get messy.

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.

A Rose & Sweet Pea Show and a tour of the Rose Garden take place in Ardgillan Castle, just south of Balbriggan.

Admission is free.

The event pages are here:
Rose and Sweat Pea Show: www.facebook.com/events/481532145527433
Rose Garden Tour: www.facebook.com/events/317499155322097

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

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

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.

Blues Got Soul, a four-piece blues band from Dublin is performing the music of the founding fathers of blues and blues masters in the International Bar every Sunday. Admission is free, but donations are welcome.

Travel around European traditional dancing culture without a ticket at the weekly Bal Folk Dance Sessions.

And if you don’t know how to dance, don’t worry! Workshops are provided and admission is free.

The “outdoor” version of the weekly dance continues in the Summerhouse at the lake in St. Stephen’s Green.

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

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.

AnTara is the duo of Tommy Hayes & Matthew Noone and they are exploring the space between Irish music and Indian Classical music. Tommy Hayes is a founding member of Irish Trad band Stockton’s Wing and Matthew Noones has studied Indian Classical Music for nearly 10 years.

Admission is free.

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).

“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 Night Before Larry Got Stretched” is a monthly singing session which “offers a warm and welcoming atmosphere for singers and listeners alike.” It usually takes place on on the first Sunday of the month, but this month, there is no announcement on the Facebook Page yet. Are they just (very!) late or is it not happening anymore? I am not sure! Check the Facebook Page below on Sunday! In some months there is a special guest singer in others there isn’t.

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.

Mary-Jo Gilligan, a resident artist with Monto Arts, is running these walks to find out what the Docklands mean to you and to tell you more about this area. The walks take place within the wider Docklands area and starting point is Ringend Library.

Stating times are 12:45, 14:00, 16:00, 18:00 and 19:00 and booking at the library is recommended via 01-4973539.

I realised too late that I should have included this event also on Saturday, but “Mary Jo will also be starting her walk and talk from Pearse Street Library on Saturday 31 June at 10am, 12pm, 2pm and 4pm.” was very misleading. Have a look if you find a 31st day in June!?

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!

‘Choose, Catch, Snap! Get a Glimpse, a Glance, a Flash! Of directions you may wish your life to take! And discover decisions you may desire to make!’

Emily Gallagher will run a ‘just for fun’ photo trail weekly, involving participants following instructions for hunting for various specific snaps around the city centre, after which interpretations of the symbolic significance to the snaps will be shared!

Admission is free, but donations are welcome and booking is required via chooseyourowntracks@gmail.com or 085-2725095. Meeting Point is the Meeting House Square.

This Research Workshop: Using the National Library will provide you with advice and guidance on researching the rich and varied collections of the National Library.

The workshop will use case studies of personalities from the NLI’s collections and is suitable for anyone looking to enhance their research skills in navigating the catalogue, accessing the various collections and interpreting the sources.

Admission is free, but booking is requried. via learning@nli.ie or 01 6030 259

Film Ireland’s In Conversation event with the topic “Diversity in the Film Industry” will be a recording of the next podcast with a live audience.

The discussion will focus on how our film industry, can extend working and training opportunities across the social spectrum, thus tackling the obstacles at grass roots level. The speakers are actor/writer John Connors (Love/Hate, Cardboard Gangsters), actor/writer Amanda Doherty (Poppi + Gonzo), and writer Mary Duffin (All About Eva) and the event will be moderated by actor/writer Sam Lucas Smith (Imperfect Sky).

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

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.

Design your own family crest and create a heraldic flag from craft materials at this workshop in St. Patrick’s Cathedral, using the standards of the Most Illustrious Order of the Knights of Saint Patrick for inspiration.

This is a workshop for children, but parents/guardians must remain present for the duration of the session but do not need to book a ticket for themselves.

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

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.

Design your own family crest and create a heraldic flag from craft materials at this workshop in St. Patrick’s Cathedral, using the standards of the Most Illustrious Order of the Knights of Saint Patrick for inspiration.

This is a second flag making workshop for children. Parents/guardians must remain present for the duration of the session but do not need to book a ticket for themselves.

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

“Women Should Be Both Seen & Heard – Seminar 3” by “Women in Research Ireland” is the third lunchtime seminar for women and other under-represented groups, including non-binary folks, in research and academia.

Angela Mezzetti, a Dublin born journalist, documentary producer and broadcaster with a passion to see more women represented at senior decision making levels in all kinds of organisations, will talk about “Your Best Media Self – Preparing to speak about your research in media”.

This is a brown-bag event, so all attendees are welcome to bring along their lunch, while tea and coffee will be provided.

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

In the coming week, the following Pop-up talks will take place in the National Gallery. They are short talks in front ot the relevant painting. Admission is always free.

01 July – 13:15-13:45: A pop-up talk on Mainie Jellett’s ‘Decoration’, with Fala Buggy.
01 July – 15:15-15:45: A pop-up talk on Jan Steen’s painting “The Village School” with Sarah Montague.
02 July – 11:15-11:45: A pop-up talk in front of Canova’s ‘Amorino’.
02 July – 13:15-13:45: A pop-up talk in front of Léon-Augustin Lhermitte’s “Harvester at Rest” painting.
04 July – 13:15-13:45: A pop-up talk in front of Van Gogh’s painting “Rooftops in Paris”.
07 July – 13:15-13:45: A pop-up talk in front of Rembrandt’s ‘Rest on the flight into Egypt’.

Please note that there will also a number of other activities and guided tours in the National Gallery. All events are listed on the website below.

“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

A new Family Drop-in event will happen every Tuesday in July in the National Library. On 4, 11, 18, 25 July a fun afternoon of trails with stories and drawings that brings the National Library to life for all ages will be provided for you.

Admission is free and no booking is required.

Celebrate the American Independence Day with music from the big screen, performed by the Cathedral Organists including Star Wars, Harry Potter, Back to the Future, and Indiana Jones.

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

Do you track personal information? Are you curious about people who do? The Dublin Quantified Self group (#QSelfDublin) is for anyone interested in self-tracking. Whether you record your jogging times, how often you communicate with friends or how you are feeling – they would love to hear from you!

Thw July meetup is running in conjunction with the Dublin Life Logging meetup group and is focused on Quantified Self devices.

Koushik Kumar Nundy, co-founder of Think Biosolution, will be talking about their work on using camera-powered wearables to measure biosignals. They are also in the process of developing their own hardware that transforms your sports apparel into a personal fitness trainer.

OpenI Initiative: Tien and Cathal from DCU will be talking about the OpenI project, an initiative to create an open sourced life-logging camera.

Admission the event is free, but booking is required via the Quantified Self’s Meet Up page at
www.meetup.com/Quantified-Self-Dublin/events/240232367/

The Irish Wildlife Trust (IWT) continues to bring you Dublin Green Drinks on the first Tuesday of every month in J.W. Sweetman’s. Green Drinks is a monthly event in 711 cities around the world to bring people with an interest in green issues together.

“Gardening with Wildlife in Mind” is the topic this month. Ricky Whelan (IWT Laois Offaly and Birdwatch Ireland) will discuss how to develop any space to be more friendly and inviting to wildlife and wild plants. The talk covers all aspects of improving your space for wildlife be it a small balcony or a country acre. Habitat creation, pollinator friendly planting, native species, homes for and feeding wildlife will all be discussed.

Meet up on the top floor of J.W. Sweetman’s. Doors open at 18:30 and the talk is at 19:00. Admission is free.

The International Humanitarian Innovation Academy (iHIA) will be showing the documentary Kakkoos (India, 2017) for a Fundraising Film Screening.

Kakkoos documents the lives of manual scavengers cleaning out septic tanks and latrines in Tamil Nadu, India. It drastically portraits the dehumanizing that comes with the occupation and is a searing film on manual scavenging by documentary filmmaker Divya Bharathihas. It received widespread critical acclaim for its unflinching portrayal of India’s shameful tradition of manual scavenging and has been banned by multiple local governments in India from being shown in public at several occasions.

Admission is free, but a donation is very much appreciated. Proceeds will go towards supporting the iHIA program on Innovation & Entrepreneurship with focus on Water and Sanitation in Dar Es Salaam, Tanzania.

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.

Entry charges at some OPW Heritage sites are waived once a month, on the “Free Wednesday”, the first Wednesday of the month. The Office of Public Works (OPW), who looks after the state owned heritage sites, wants to encourage people to visit the historic sites that it manages and has therefore started this great initiative in 2011.

Most OPW managed sites can already be visited for free (e.g. Farmleigh House, Phoenix Park, National Botanic Gardens, Pearse Museum, etc), but some sites that normally charge a fee will be free every first Wednesday as well. In the (extended) Greater Dublin Area this means you can visit the following sites for free:
+ Dublin Castle, State Apartments
+ The Casino, Marino
+ Rathfarnham Castle
+ Brú na Bóinne Visitor Centre at Newgrange
+ Glendalough Visitor Centre in Wicklow

In the past Kilmainham Gaol (the most popular site) was also on that list, but it was removed last year and is sorely missed.

As you can imagine, this event is very popular and therefore it is strongly recommended to arrive early at the venues. Once the day’s tickets are given out, you will not get access anymore. In previous years the Summer Free Wednesday at Dublin Castle was a free walking event for self-guided tours, so you only had to queue, but I am not sure if that concept will be back this month or if actual tickets will be handed out.

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.

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 lecture “Margaret Clarke (1884-1961): An Independent Spirit” with Niamh MacNally (Assistant Curator, Prints & Drawings, National Gallery of Ireland) will discuss the work of Margaret Clarke a once well-regarded member of the artistic establishment, whose reputation has faded from view. This talk is in conjunction with the exhibition Margaret Clarke: An Independent Spirit which examines the development of Margaret Clarke’s style, from her time at the Dublin Metropolitan School of Art through to her later period when she produced a number of striking works based on diverse themes.

Admission is free and no booking required.

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.

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.

Jesters is a weekly open mic comedy event where a lot of comedians do 5 minutes of material.

Admission is free. If you would like to perform then send a message to the Jesters Facebook Page via the link below.

The Roots Band “Brand New Switcharoo” will perform in the Harbour Bar. Admission is free.

The Anseo Comedy Club 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.

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.

Vox Peregrini is a choir that comes together for yearly pilgrimages and consists of professional singers from the USA (mainly Iowa and Texas). The choir is currently on a pilgrimage on the Wicklow Way and they will conclude their stay in Ireland with a concert in St. James’ Church.

Have a look at their Facebook Page below. There is a short vide clip from their practice and you will be impressed with their singing! The St. James’ Church mentions the event here stjamesparish.ie/concert-saturday-may-13th-at-730pm/

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 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 Wood Quay Summer Sessions are back, a series of four lunchtime gigs/concerts in the Amphitheatre at Wood Quay. This year, the four weeks will bring four different musical styles.

The start on Thursday is being made with Jazz presented by the Improvised Music Company.

The performers will be
+ Aleka
+ Cian Boylan Quartet eaturing Ben Castle

Admission is free.

A lunchtime recital with Hannah Miller (French Horn), Philip Keegan (Tenor) and Eadaoin Copeland (Piano) will take place.

Admission is free, donations are appreciated.

This is a tour of the exhibition “Yeats: The Life and Works of William Butler Yeats” on the first Thursday of each month. It introduces William Butler Yeats (1865-1939) – one of the great poets of the twentieth century – and his many interests, including literature, folklore, theatre, politics, the occult, and Irish cultural identity. After the tour, you can listen to a selection of voices speaking some of his best loved poems, including Easter 1916.

Admission is free and booking is not required.

This Family event is a bilingual “Design a Book Cover workshop” in English and Irish.

Imagine that you could design the book cover of your favourite book? Come to look at book covers through the years ……. and then design your own futuristic one.

Admission is free and booking is not required. Suitable for all ages.

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.

The IFI will present “Dark Skies: A Festival of Science Fact and Fiction Film” from 13-16 July. And Roy Cohen documentary “Machine of Human Dreams” will be screened for free.

With the financial backing of the Hong Kong government, Ben Goertzel believes he finally will realise his lifelong dream of developing human-like artificial intelligence using software that mimics the complex operation of the human mind. Assembling a ragtag team of experts to assist him, the eccentric researcher sets out to create functioning, reasoning humanoid robots. But as pressure mounts to deliver results to his investors, stories about his past enterprises expose the human consequences – and potential limits – of his ambitions.

Admission is free, but booking is required via the link 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

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.

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.

Indie Rock Band “Cronin” will be in the Harbour Bar for a gig.

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

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.

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.

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 Laya Healthcare City Spectacular is the BEST event in Dublin and it still amazes me that there are people that have lived in dublin for years, but never heard about this event. It was originally the Street Performance World Championship and was even better than it is now, but I guess we have to be grateful that it is still running (not an easy thing for an event of that size!) and accept that it has “disimpproved” a little over the last few years. But even in its current form it is still an amazing event.

Originally it was what the name suggested, a near exclusive Street Performance event with six stages in and around Merrion Square and really the best of the best Street Performers from all over the world. Many still remember the Space Cowboy or Mario the Queen of the Circus. This year the Street Performance stages have been reduced to four, but there are still about 80 performances (there are repeats!) just on Saturday and Sunday.

Friday is a kind of warm up event where only two stages are open and the performers will perform their show once or twice in preparation for Saturday and Sunday AND to give people that won’t have a chance on the weekend to see some shows. If you work in the area or if you just have time, GO! The performances have been outstanding in the last few years and I am full of hope that a similar high level will be achieved again this year.

I definitely want to see Pogo Fred and The Mighty Gareth and Kobbler Jay, but I will spend the whole day on Saturday and Sunday there, so I might even get a chance to see them all! :-)

Next week I will explain a bit more about the City Spectacular, for now, just take one piece of advise away: GO to it! :-)

Admission is free.

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.

To celebrate the Japanese Tanabata Star Festival kids can make their own colourful wish and hang it from bamboo. These mini-workshops are for pre-school children and their parents or guardians.

Admission is free and no booking required, but limited to the first 20 participants per session.

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.

In the coming week, the following Pop-up talks will take place in the National Gallery. They are short talks in front ot the relevant painting. Admission is always free.

01 July – 13:15-13:45: A pop-up talk on Mainie Jellett’s ‘Decoration’, with Fala Buggy.
01 July – 15:15-15:45: A pop-up talk on Jan Steen’s painting “The Village School” with Sarah Montague.
02 July – 11:15-11:45: A pop-up talk in front of Canova’s ‘Amorino’.
02 July – 13:15-13:45: A pop-up talk in front of Léon-Augustin Lhermitte’s “Harvester at Rest” painting.
04 July – 13:15-13:45: A pop-up talk in front of Van Gogh’s painting “Rooftops in Paris”.
07 July – 13:15-13:45: A pop-up talk in front of Rembrandt’s ‘Rest on the flight into Egypt’.

Please note that there will also a number of other activities and guided tours in the National Gallery. All events are listed on the website below.

The lecture “Moving History- An introduction to the IFI Irish Film Archive” will take place in the Royal Irish Academy on Friday. Kasandra O’Connell (IFI Archivist) will present.

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

Louis Lovett is one of Ireland’s leading theatre makers. Join him for an hour long, confidence boosting introduction to stage presence and the art of standing before an audience of people, pets or even playthings.

This is a creative, playful but focused approach to stage presence. The workshops is suitable for children (aged 8+).

Admission is free, but booking is required via 01-4558159

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 Crystal Skull Sessions is a band competition in Sin É and a Winners Night will happen on Friday.

Admission is free.

Indie band “Ian Whitty and The Exchange” will be in the Harbour Bar for a 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.

Acoustic Karma will play a acoustic rock N Roll gig in Mother Reilly’s.

Admission is free.

Leo O’Kelly & Garvan Gallagher will play a gig in the Patriot’s Inn.

Admission is free.

McGowans in Phibsborough run a monthly Singles Night. There will be music, games and ice breakers.

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

The Troubadours are playing a gig in the Bowery.

Admission is free.

The Bionic Rats are playing a ska, reggae & rocksteady gig in the Grand Social.

Admission is free.