Dublin Event Guide 532: Merrion Square Open Day, Heritage Week, Dalkey Lobster Festival, Ukulele Hooley, Dublin Fun Day

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.

It is National Heritage Week 2017 from Monday 19 August until Sunday 27 August. There will be thousands of events nationwide and in Dublin you can expect a few hundred of them. Organiser is the Heritage Council and this year’s theme is “It’s in Your Nature!” with a focus on natural heritage.

A huge proportion of the events is free and in Dublin and Dun Laoghaire there are hundreds of walks, workshops, guided tours, exhibitions, talks, performances and recitals. There are soo many that I can’t include them all, but I did my best to include a good number of them, but that good number was probably still less than 10%!! So the rest, you will have to check out in the guides below.

The downloadable PDF versions of the Event Guides for Heritage Week in Greater Dublin are here:
+ Dublin City
+ Dublin South
+ Dublin Fingal
+ Dun Laoghaire-Rathdown

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.

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.

The Drumcondra Village Market is now the “Art, Bites, Crafts Drumcondra Market”. And as you guessed it, it is an arts and crafts fair in the centre of Drumcondra. :-) There will also be some food and music.

The market is open on Saturday and Sunday from 10:30-15:30.

Admission is free.

The exhibition “The Beautiful Beasts” will feature a weird and wonderful collection of animal sculptures. Along with a brand new limestone seal, you will find a flying horse, a tortoise with a secret story and a toucan in disguise.

Created by leading Irish and international artists from materials ranging from bronze, woods, ceramics, steel and stone. You can learn about the techniques used to create the artworks and feel samples of the materials used.

Admission is free. The exhibition is open on from Wednesday to Sunday every week and is suitable for Age 4+

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 Kilmainham-Inchicore Community Festival will take place this weekend and the main days are Saturday and Sunday. The full list of events can be seen on this poster.

On Saturday there will be the following happening:

11:00-13:00 Joan Shields (Jazz, Latin, Soul) in Insomina
11:00+13:00 Drumming Workshop the earlier one for adults the later for children with MaSamba
14:30 Documentary screening about Indian Silk Weavers in Kilmainham Hilton
14:30 “Trilogy” Drama performance in Richmond Barracks (booking required)
17:00 “Open Mic Dublin – The Movie” Screening in Kilmainham Hilton
21:00 The Ritz Brothers – TheatricalMusical performance in CIE Hall in Inchicore.

Admission to all events is free.

On Merrion Square Open Day a number of buildings around Merrion Square will open their doors for visitors. Some have guided tours and then often booking is required, others let you have a look on your own.

And in Merrion Square the Institute of Archaeologists of Ireland is running Archeofest to explain what Archaeologists do.

The events are listed on the website below, but for the first year, the information is a lot more fragmented and a little more difficult to digest. It also seems that there are less participating organisations this year.

Win a chance for you and your family to get a private tour of the Dead Zoo. Drop-in and draw your favourite animal to enter the competition. No booking required. For ages 8-14.

On Sunday is Merrion Square Open Day and this event is part of it.

The Emma Byrne Foundation is inviting to a Teddy Bears’ Picnic in St. Enda’s Park. There will be a Teddy Bear hospital, children’s yoga, face painting, Inni K will play Ukulele and you can bring your picnic.

Admission is by donation for the Emmy Byrne Foundation, which is a cancer charity.

On three Saturdays in August (12+19+26) Crampton Court will be transformed into a family fun area. Kids, adults and their pets can enjoy different activities, including live music with The Pale, Call The Dancers and Jambo Jambo, ballet classes, folk dancing classes, Scooby Box Doggie dancing competition, kids art and book corner. There will also free treats and eats.

Admission is free. To reach Crampton Court go to Dame Street, find Brogan’s Bar next to the Olympia Theatre and enter Crampton Court under the words BAR of the Brogan’s Bar sign. ;-)

The event page below is for the first event and was seemingly noit updated since then, but it more or less still applies even if the date is wrong.

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 National Gallery has an extensive programme of free talks, public tours and Art Documentary screenings every day of the week. Currently there is at least one free tour every day. Check their website for details. Some special events will be listed separately.

Admission to the gallery and to most events is free.

The Dalkey Lobster Fest will take place from Thu 24 – Sun 27 August this year. There will be lots of lobster and other seafood, but also all sorts of other food choices from 20 restaurants & marquees. In addition there will be lots of music performances and a large amount of them are free.

A list of all gigs and concerts (free and non-free) is here www.facebook.com/DalkeyLobsterFest/posts/1590060127705186

And at the weekend Castle Street in Dalkey will be closed to make more room for all visitors and a Kid’s Zone will ensure that your kids won’t be bored.

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.

Eid al-Adha, a big Muslim Holiday (see more details in the description of the Eid al-Adha event on Friday) will take place on Thursday and Friday and a Pre-Eid Bazaar will happen at the Mosque in Clonskeagh on Saturday from 12:00-19:00.

At 12:00 and 15:00 a guided tour of the mosque will take place.

Admission is free.

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.

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.

Some parts of Dublin got fancy names in recent years. The Creative Quarter is one of them, it is the area from South WIlliam Street to George’s Street, but only between Lower Stephen’s Street and Exchequer Street. There is no higher concentration of “creative” businesses than in other areas, so it’s a purely marketing driven name.

In that area with focus on Drury Street, Fade Street and South William Street, a “Creative Quarter Festival” will take place this weekend from 13:00-20:00 on Saturday and from 12:00-18:00 on Sunday. There will be live music, on-street cooking demonstrations, fashion shows, comedy (not free!), pop up stalls from local businesses and an out-door movie screening.

The movie screening on Saturday (18:00-20:00 – Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory (the orignal movie)) ) is sold out, but there is often an opportunity to get a lat minute place at events like that because people don’t make use of the free tickets that got if they have something “better” coming up.

The complete schedule with timings and the names of the live music acts is on the website below.

An outdoor Karaoke event, called Karaoquay!, is taking place at the Amphitheatre between Dublin City Council offices and Christ Church Cathedral.

Admission is free.

The Under the Sea event in teh Centre Mall (Level 2) will be an educational event for kids with lots of information about sea creatures provided by the people from the Seahorse Aquarium.

There will also be face painting ad fish making.

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

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 free guided tour will take place at the National War Memorial at Islandbridge every Saturday at 14:00 from March until the end of October.

The tour will focus on World War I, in which so many Irishmen died. You will also hear about the main features of the gardens at this tour.

Meeting point is the car park at 14:00 (next to the Trinity College Boat Club). For further information and to check that it is taking place, contact 01-8155914 (Farmleigh House).

This year’s Harbour Roots Festival takes place in the Harbour Bar from Wednesday 23 – Sunday 27 August. A great line-up has been put together and all the gigs are listed below.

SATURDAY 26 Aug
——————–
+ 23:00 Gavin Glass Band – Americana, Rock
+ 21:00 Pete Cummins – Country, Folk
+ 19:00 Dublin Bluegrass Collective – Bluegrass
+ 17:00 The Whole Hog Band Country, Bluegrass, Folk, Southern Rock, Americana
—————–

SUNDAY 27 Aug
—————–
21:30 The Nickajack Men (Scotland) – Alternative Country Rock’n’Roll
20:00 David Keenan – Folk, Singer Songwriter
18:00 Gavin Povey & The Fabulous Oke She Moke She Pops – Boogie Woogie, Country
—————-

Admission is free to all events.

The Bowery presents “ShipWrecked, a Nautical night of Rock, Rum & Dancing” with live bands GRAND, A Cult Called Man, Fever Solstice.

Admission is free before 21:00 after 21:00 it is EUR 5. On the website it ALSO says that it is free before 23:00. I would go with the safer 21:00 option.

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.

TMFML presents Sister Ghost (Shannon Dolores O’Neill) with support from Chinese Newspaper and The False and the Fair.

Admission is free.

Cover band Rock Tribunal is playing a gig in the Porterhouse in Temple Bar.

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.

On Sunday the Dublin City Marathon will take place in and around Phoenix Park. It starts with a Swim in the Liffey at the Garda Boat Club on Chapelizod Road, this will be followed by the cycle in Phoenix Park and the third component is a run also in Phoenix Park. There is an Olympic Triathlon and a Sprint Triathlon option that athletes cab choose and the distances are Swim 1500m or 750m, Cycle 40km or 20km, Run 10km or 5km.

This event is free if you want to watch it and support the runners. Transition area is on Chapelizod Road and that area is a good start to watch the event. The finish is also at the Garda Boat Club, so you will be able to see most in that area.

Please note: Phoenix Park will be more or less closed for all traffic until 12:00.

It is National Heritage Week 2017 from Monday 19 August until Sunday 27 August. There will be thousands of events nationwide and in Dublin you can expect a few hundred of them. Organiser is the Heritage Council and this year’s theme is “It’s in Your Nature!” with a focus on natural heritage.

A huge proportion of the events is free and in Dublin and Dun Laoghaire there are hundreds of walks, workshops, guided tours, exhibitions, talks, performances and recitals. There are soo many that I can’t include them all, but I did my best to include a good number of them, but that good number was probably still less than 10%!! So the rest, you will have to check out in the guides below.

The downloadable PDF versions of the Event Guides for Heritage Week in Greater Dublin are here:
+ Dublin City
+ Dublin South
+ Dublin Fingal
+ Dun Laoghaire-Rathdown

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.

Tim Clabon from the Irish Wildlife Trust will bring you Otter Spotting at the river Dodder. It is a walk from the Dropping Well pub to Rathfarnham Bridge while keeping an eye out for otters and also looking for insects, birds, fish and the special flora of the river.

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 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.

The Drumcondra Village Market is now the “Art, Bites, Crafts Drumcondra Market”. And as you guessed it, it is an arts and crafts fair in the centre of Drumcondra. :-) There will also be some food and music.

The market is open on Saturday and Sunday from 10:30-15:30.

Admission is free.

The exhibition “The Beautiful Beasts” will feature a weird and wonderful collection of animal sculptures. Along with a brand new limestone seal, you will find a flying horse, a tortoise with a secret story and a toucan in disguise.

Created by leading Irish and international artists from materials ranging from bronze, woods, ceramics, steel and stone. You can learn about the techniques used to create the artworks and feel samples of the materials used.

Admission is free. The exhibition is open on from Wednesday to Sunday every week and is suitable for Age 4+

Every Sunday (with a few exceptions) an art workshop takes place for children from 6-11 years of age. Admission is free and children must be accompanied by an adult.

The themes for the workshop are:
13 August Paint a Summer Scene
20 August Medieval Life
27 August Farmer Ann
03 September Farmer Ann
17 September Medieval Life
24 September Paint an Autumn Scene

The full list can be found here phoenixpark.ie/media/phoenix-park-programme-of-events-2017.pdf

The next Dublin Flea Market is taking place in the Food Co-op, 12 Newmarket, just off Cork Street, Dublin 8 on Sunday 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.

The Kilmainham-Inchicore Community Festival will take place this weekend and the main days are Saturday and Sunday. The full list of events can be seen on this poster.

On Sunday the following will be happening:

11:30-12:30: “The Birdman” Dempsey presents “Irish Waterbirds” in the Kilmainham Hilton
12:00-13:30: Waterways Event – Learn about water, insects&fish + Angling demonstration at BERA Hall
13:00 Family Fun Day at CIE Hall, Inchicore
17:00 Kilmainham’s Big Get Together with snacks, music and slideshow in Patriots Inn, Kilmainham
20:00 Jailbreak Showcase – Gig in Patriots Inn

Admission to all events 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 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 Goose Girl

The National Gallery has an extensive programme of free talks, public tours and Art Documentary screenings every day of the week. Currently there is at least one free tour every day. Check their website for details. Some special events will be listed separately.

Admission to the gallery and to most events 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 Sundays: 12:00-17:30. Open on Saturdays and Bank Holidays: 11:00-17:30.

Some parts of Dublin got fancy names in recent years. The Creative Quarter is one of them, it is the area from South WIlliam Street to George’s Street, but only between Lower Stephen’s Street and Exchequer Street. There is no higher concentration of “creative” businesses than in other areas, so it’s a purely marketing driven name.

In that area with focus on Drury Street, Fade Street and South William Street, a “Creative Quarter Festival” will take place this weekend from 13:00-20:00 on Saturday and from 12:00-18:00 on Sunday. There will be live music, on-street cooking demonstrations, fashion shows, comedy (not free!), pop up stalls from local businesses and an out-door movie screening.

The movie screening and the non-free comedy only took place on Saturday.

The complete schedule with timings and the names of the live music acts is on the website below.

The Dalkey Lobster Fest will take place from Thu 24 – Sun 27 August this year. There will be lots of lobster and other seafood, but also all sorts of other food choices from 20 restaurants & marquees. In addition there will be lots of music performances and a large amount of them are free.

A list of all gigs and concerts (free and non-free) is here www.facebook.com/DalkeyLobsterFest/posts/1590060127705186

And at the weekend Castle Street in Dalkey will be closed to make more room for all visitors and a Kid’s Zone will ensure that your kids won’t be bored.

Dublin City runs a Family Fun Day this weekend as a last celebration of the summer holidays before school is back.

The Dublin Fun Fest will provide Kiddies’s Decathlon, Inflatable Games, Street Games, Face Painting, Dance Performances, Sports Performances and Food Stalls.

Admission is free.

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 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 Sumo Run Ireland is a 5km run in Sumo Suits (!) at Bray’s Seafront in support of Purple House Cancer Support. The event is free to watch, participation is not free. A very unique run. :-)

In it’s 8th year, the Ukulele Hooley is taking place in Dun Laoghaire again this weekend. It is Ireland’s only Ukulele festival and is a great event if you like this small near-comedic instrument. It is a festival with a great atmosphere. It won’t be too busy going by previous years and is totally family friendly. The line-up is listed here. I will definitely be there at some stage on Sunday. ;-)

At 16:00 a Ukulele Jam will take place when every Ukulele player in the audience is invited to play along. A song list was available on the website but is unreachable at the time of writing this. There is hope though that it will work again at some stage.

The People’s Park Sunday Market is happening there at the same time, so that you won’t have to worry about food.

Admission is free.

On Sunday the Harbour Bar will host a Brazil Day with music, crafts and food and the full programme is (in Portuguese) on the Facebook event page below.

Admission is free.

An Intercultural Tour in Japanese Language with Community Ambassador Hiromi Anzai will take place.

Meeting point in the atrium of the Library.

Admission is free.

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 Blanchardstown Free Family Fun Day is organised by Fingal County Council and takes place on Sunday from 14:00-18:00 in Millennium Park. There will be lots of free entertainment, bouncy castles, face painting, games, magic, art& crafts, crazy golf, superslides, obstacle course and more. It’s the last Fingal County Council event of the summer before school is back.

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.

The brass band “Arklow Shipping Silver Band” will be playing a 2 hour concert in the Bandstand in the gardens of Farmleigh House.

Admission is free.

This is an afternoon of live music featuring koto, the Japanese zither, and shakuhachi, the Japanese bamboo flute. Listen to the music of the Edo period, including arrangements inspired by Turlough O’Carolin and 20th century melodies. This performance celebrates the Heritage Week and marks the end of The Art of Friendship: Japanese Surimono Prints.

Admission sio free.

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

This is a public tour of the Eileen Gray gallery, exploring one of the most influential designers and architects of the 20th century.

Admission is free and no booking required. Places are allocated on a first-come first served basis 15 minutes before the tour starts. Suitable for Adults & Children 7+

On 16 Sept is the International Zouk Day and on that day a dance Flashmob is planned to happen in Dublin and for the next seven weeks, starting this Sunday, a Dance Practice will take place at the Pavilion/Summerhouse in St. Stephen’s Green (next to the lake).

It is a 2 hour session and you will learn to dance this Brazilian partner dance that was born in Rio de Janeiro less than 30 years ago (early 1990s). You don’t need to have and dance experience and you also don’t need to have a partner to participate.

Admission is free.

The animal charity “The Blue Cross” is running their last Bark in the Park event this year on Sunday in Phoenix Park. This event is a sponsored walk starting near the Papal Cross and it requires registration, but you can still register on the day and give donation there and then.

In addition to the walk there will be a a raffle, music, goody bags and prizes for the dog with the Best Bark, Shiniest Coat, Happiest Smileand Waggiest Tail.

Admission is not free, but based on a donation and if you just want to see lots of cute dogs and don’t want to bring your own then I guess your presence there is free.

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

According to designer Alexander McQueen ‘There is no better designer than nature’ Join Sasha Sykes and other designers at the Museum to hear how nature inspires their practice.

Admission is free. No booking required but places are allocated on a first come first served basis. Suitable for adults.

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.

The Sunday Melt Sessions in the Mezz is a whole afternoon of bands, acoustic acts, spoken word, DJs and more. The line up is available via the FB Event Page below.

Admission is free.

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 event takes place every Sunday in the Cobblestone Pub.

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.

This year’s Harbour Roots Festival takes place in the Harbour Bar from Wednesday 23 – Sunday 27 August. A great line-up has been put together and all the gigs are listed below.

SATURDAY 26 Aug
——————–
+ 23:00 Gavin Glass Band – Americana, Rock
+ 21:00 Pete Cummins – Country, Folk
+ 19:00 Dublin Bluegrass Collective – Bluegrass
+ 17:00 The Whole Hog Band Country, Bluegrass, Folk, Southern Rock, Americana
—————–

SUNDAY 27 Aug
—————–
21:30 The Nickajack Men (Scotland) – Alternative Country Rock’n’Roll
20:00 David Keenan – Folk, Singer Songwriter
18:00 Gavin Povey & The Fabulous Oke She Moke She Pops – Boogie Woogie, Country
—————-

Admission is free to all events.

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.

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 Tiny Quartet are an instrumental group that put a jazz and balkan twist on some of your favourite pop, rock and folk tunes, from the last few decades.” They will play a gig on Sunday.

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 National Gallery has an extensive programme of free talks, public tours and Art Documentary screenings every day of the week. Currently there is at least one free tour every day. Check their website for details. Some special events will be listed separately.

Admission to the gallery and to most events is free.

The Chester Beatty Library is running a series of interactive tours specially designed for people living with dementia and their loved ones.

“Take a break from the everyday and enjoy an afternoon of conversations on art and life in general. Join us for a relaxing tea or coffee in the Silk Road Café before we take you on a tour of our beautiful collections. Limited to 10 Participants per tour, attendance is free, however booking is required. Please 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.

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!

“Doing Interviews Intelligently” is a talk by Carmel Morrissey (Career and Performance Coach).

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

‘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.

The last episode of “Games ot Thrones” will be screened in the Bowery. This will be followed by a Games of Thrones Table Quiz with prizes and there will also be a fancy dress competition.

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).

Great news the great duo of Donal Kirk and Anto Drennan have found a new home. Originally they played a weekly gig in JJ Smyth’s until it closed and now they will perform in the Leeson Lounge and the same day as before.

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

Admission is free.

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 every day of the week. Currently there is at least one free tour every day. Check their website for details. Some special events will be listed separately.

Admission to the gallery and to most events is free.

A pop-up talk will happen in front of the painting The Penitent Magdalene by Bartolomé Esteban Murillo in Room 42. Orla Casey will give the talk.

“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

The 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.

Camden Comedy is a weekly comedy night on a Tuesday that I only found recently.

Every Tuesday they have a whole range of comedians and admission is free.

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

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.

“All Aboard! An open mic night on a Pirate Ship.” seems to be the new name of the Bowery’s Open Mic Tuesday.

Each week there will be an array of music, comedy, spoken word and all things in between.

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 taking place in the People’s Garden and is a walking tour with OPW gardeners. Meet at the Parkgate Street entrance to the People’s Garden.

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 every day of the week. Currently there is at least one free tour every day. Check their website for details. Some special events will be listed separately.

Admission to the gallery and to most events is free.

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

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!

St John’s College Chapel and Girls’ Choir and Orchestra from Southsea will be performing a concert in St. Ann’s Church. The programme will be a mix of classical and well known pieces with performances by: The College orchestra, The Chapel and Girls’ Choir, a Trumpet solo, a Flute Solo and a Choral Quartet.

Admission is free. Donations are appreciated after the concert.

The Temple Bar “Night” Market is more an afternoon and evening market (14:00-20:00) and it takes place every Wednesday until September. This is possibly the last market this year, but the website is not so clear on that!

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 Clontarf and Marino Allotments of 1917 – a war-time food supply initiative” is a Heritage Week talk by Noel Carolan.

“Allotments, more commonly called ‘plots’ were first laid out in inner city Dublin in the early 20th century. Their purpose was to allow ‘plot-holders’ to grow vegetables primarily for their own use. A range of state and voluntary organisations supported the allotment movement. Following the introduction of Government regulations in 1917, learn how unoccupied lands in Clontarf and Marino were compulsorily acquired for cultivation.”

Admission is free, booking is recommended

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 play “Katie Roche” by Teresa Deevy’s will start with a free preview on Wednesday. The event was oiginally planned for Saturday 26 Aug, but had to be postponed because some technical equipment was broken. The play will be on show from 26 August until 23 September.

Tickets for the free preview will be handed out at the theatre on the evening of the performance on a first come, first served basis. I am not sure when the ticket desk opens but I would try to be there by 18:00-18:30 and I expect long queues.

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.

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 every day of the week. Currently there is at least one free tour every day. Check their website for details. Some special events will be listed separately.

Admission to the gallery and to most events 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.

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 lunchtime talk series “Library Matters”, the talk “The transformative impact of the new library building at Maynooth University” will take place on Thursday in the Seminar Room. Speaker will be Cathal McCauley, University Librarian, Maynooth University.

Admission is free.

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.

“Nature as we imagine it” is a talk by Massimiano Bucchi (Università di Trento).

“Many images have achieved the status of visual convention in the areas, for example, of human evolution or the structure of the atom. Massimiano Bucchi and Elena Canadelli’s book “Nature immaginate” is a collection of images whose visual dimension has had a significant impact on the wider social and cultural conceptions and perceptions of the natural world.”

Admission is free, but booking is required via the link below. The talk will be in English

The Irish Patents office will be in the Central Library to advise on “Protect your Business Ideas”.

Find out how to protect your business ideas, how to apply for your rights, the costs involved and protection abroad. Learn about patents for inventions, registered designs for product shape/form, trademarks for logo protection and copyright law to help progress your business ideas.

Admission is free.

“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! More information can be found here: www.meetup.com/IrishGamesAssociation/

Admission is free.

The Crystal Skull Sessions is a band competition in Sin É on Thursday.

Admission is free.

Natty Wailer and The Reggae Vibes will play a Reggae gig in the Harbour Bar.

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.)

The next Cabin Sessions will happen on Thursday with the full Cabin Crew and special guests with special guests Paul Hennessy, Jackie Hennessy and Emma Butler. It is a night of roots, trad and Americana music.

Admission is free.

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

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

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

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

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.

This is a full-day conference about “Women and the Irish Revolution 1917-23: Feminism, Violence, Nationalism” organised by Prof Linda Connolly from Maynooth University.

Find all details and register via the link below. 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 every day of the week. Currently there is at least one free tour every day. Check their website for details. Some special events will be listed separately.

Admission to the gallery and to most events is free.

Eid al-Adha, the Feast of the Sacrifice, is the second of two Muslim holidays celebrated worldwide each year and it is considered the holier one of the two. The other one is Eid al-Fitr and it marks the end of Ramadam.

Eid al-Adha will take place on 01 September and the Islamic Foundation of Ireland (IFI) is inviting to their celebration in the Iveagh Grounds in Crumlin, Dublin 12 (across the AIB bank on Crumlin Road). Parking on the grounds is EUR 2 per day and busses 27, 56a, 77a and 151 will get you there.

The day will start with two Eid prayers at 08:30 and 09:30. Then at 10:30 Tea, Coffee and sweets will be served and at 11:30 kids will get a goody bag (first come first serve basis).

From 12:00-17:00 a family day will take place with food stalls and other goods on sale and games for kids (trampoline, bull and bouncy castle). At 13:45 a Zohor prayer will happen.

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.

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.

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 new Whelan’s Trad & Folk Festival will take place from Friday until Sunday (01 Sept-03 Sept). The line-up is still being put together and therefore we don’t know yet who will be on stage over the weekend. The promise though is that there will be more than 20 acts on 3 stages and some of the headliners are already booked and they are Kila, I Draw Slow, Jiggy, Kern.

Check the link below closer to Friday to find out the line-up.

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.

Gavin Povey and The Fabulous Oke She Moke She Pops” will play New Orleans style Piano Rhythm & Blues, Boogie Woogie and Rock’n’ Roll. Gavin Povey has played piano with Van Morrison, Finbar Wright, Kirsty MacColl, Steve Cropper, Shakin’ Stevens and many more.

Admission is free.