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 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.

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

The weekly Ha’penny Flea Market is an indoor market in the Grand Social Pub, which offers vintage Men and Women’s clothing, contemporary crafts, books, DVDs, vinyl records, vintage and handmade jewellery, vintage hair styles, art, photography and much more. Grand Social’s Bar and Gourmet Coffee options are available.

The exhibition “Humans Need Not Apply” (10 Feb – 14 May) in the Science Gallery is looking at the influence robots will have on our society, on our lives and on jobs. How will robots replace humans? How can robots be creative? And is automation maybe going too far?

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

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

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

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

Admission is free.

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.

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

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

Admission is free.

“These Are a Few of My Favourite Things” is the title of a Walking Tour that Emily Gallagher runs every Saturday. It is an alternative Arts and Culture Trail and she will bring you to “Dublin’s Best Cafes, Bars, Markets, Unusual Stores, Galleries, Theatres, Arts Spaces, and more! And hear some tales you’ve never heard before!”

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

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

Admission is free.

The Harbour Bar will host a whole variety of free gigs during the Bray International Jazz Festival at this weekend.

The line-up for today is:

15:00 Julian Colarossi Organ Trio (Jazz)
19:00 Ruba Shamshoum Quartet (Jazz, Pop)
22:30 Zaska (Funk, Rock, Rap)

Admission is free.

As part of the People’s Climate Movement and a global demonstration taking place on29 April, Young Friends of the Earth will host the newly released documentary film screening of “AWAKE – A Dream From Standing Rock”.

The film tells the dramatic story of the historic #NODAPL native-led peaceful resistance at the Standing Rock Sioux Reservation in North Dakota.

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

The Harbour Bar will host a whole variety of free gigs during the Bray International Jazz Festival at this weekend.

The line-up for today is:

15:00 Julian Colarossi Organ Trio (Jazz)
19:00 Ruba Shamshoum Quartet (Jazz, Pop)
22:30 Zaska (Funk, Rock, Rap)

Admission is free.

The brewery Wicklow Wolf is sponsor of the Bray Jazz Festival Jazz Trail and the line-up for Saturday, Sunday and Monday is:
++++++
SATURDAY 29 APRIL
Harbour Bar ——- Julien Colarossi Trio 15:00
The Porterhouse, Strand Rd ——   Julien Colarossi Organ Trio 19:00
Ocean Bar & Grill, Strand Road ——– Greg Felton Piano 20:00
The Martello, Strand Road ——- Caoimhe Barry Trio 21:00
The Grove Inn, Willow Grove, Delgany ——– Mia Sings Sarah Vaughan Trio 21:30
The Hibernia Inn, Strand Road ——– Dirt Road Blues Band 22:00
Jim Doyles, Strand Rd ——– Take Trio 22:00
+++++
SUNDAY 30 APRIL
The Martello, Strand Road ——– Take Trio 13:00
Harbour Bar ——– CEO Experiment & Ml Buckley 15:00
Mt Everest of Kathmandu ——– Leopoldo Osio Piano 18:30
The Hibernia Inn, Strand Road ——– Charlie Sings Chet Quintet 20:00
The Martello, Strand Road ——– Ultrasound 21:00
The Coach Inn, Dublin Road ——– Dirt Road Blues Band 22:00
+++++
MONDAY 01 MAY
The Martello, Strand Road —— Bray Concert Band 30th Anniv 13:00
Harbour Bar ——- Big Spoon 15:00
Harbour Bar ——- Square Pegs 21:00
The Martello, Strand Road —— Jamie Duff 21:00

Admission to all gigs on the Wicklow Wolf Jazz Trail is free.

The Mercantile Venue seems to be back in operation after a long long hiatus. On Saturday a gig with Mutefish will take place. Many of you might know the band, which plays Trad-Pop with Easter European influences.

Admission is free.

Indie-Rock Singer-Songwriter Johnny Rayge will perform a gig in the Bowery.

Admission is free.

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

The New Love & Terror Cult is a new music collective set up by the Irish psychedelic and experimental artists “Magic Moogle’s Vintage Psycho Arrangement” and they present the bands Vulpynes / Stitch Jones/ Iona Death Cult for this evening for the Irish psych scene.

Admission is free.

The Harbour Bar will host a whole variety of free gigs during the Bray International Jazz Festival at this weekend.

The line-up for today is:

15:00 Julian Colarossi Organ Trio (Jazz)
19:00 Ruba Shamshoum Quartet (Jazz, Pop)
22:30 Zaska (Funk, Rock, Rap)

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 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.

The next Dublin Flea Market is taking place in the Food Co-op, 12 Newmarket, just off Cork Street, Dublin 8 on Sun from 11:00-17:00. The flea market takes place every last Sunday of the month and admission is free. For more information or if you want to sell your own stuff, check out www.dublinflea.ie

“A bizarre bazaar of vintage clothing, bric-a-brac and what nots, old and new. Stalls include hand-made goods, art, jewelry, furniture, records and lots more unwanted items that may just be your treasure!”

Admission is free.

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

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 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 Gleaners” by Jules Breton

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

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

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

Admission is free.

The exhibition “Humans Need Not Apply” (10 Feb – 14 May) in the Science Gallery is looking at the influence robots will have on our society, on our lives and on jobs. How will robots replace humans? How can robots be creative? And is automation maybe going too far?

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

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

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

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

Admission is free.

Latvia Day is a celebration of Latvian Culture and it will take place in Temple Bar in Meeting House Square and Essex Street East on Sunday. There will be music, dance, food, and craft markets. On two stages 28 (!) artistic groups will perform.

Surprisingly the only place where this Latvia Day is announced is on www.dublin.ie. Neither the Latvian Embassy not any other (Latvian) cultural organisation lists this event ona  website or on Facebook as far as I could find.

The Sundays at Noon Concert Series continues in the Sculpture Gallery at the Hugh Lane Gallery. This series of free (mainly classical) concerts continues to present the best of Irish and International music and musicians. Concerts run from September to June.

The next concert will feature Patrick Rafter violin and Lance Coburn piano. They will perform works from Franck and Beethoven.

Dublin’s Aternative Market for people with alternative / metal / goth / retro / esoteric / medieval lifestyles will take place on Sunday. You can find there crafts, music, gifts, clothes, foods, art, etc.

Admission is free.

Learn drawing techniques, including line drawing, shading perspective and decoration during this informal sessions.

Suitable for ages 13+. Materials are provided but feel free to bring your own sketchbook; dry materials only.

Admission is free.

The Film “Peter Pan” will be screened in the Chester Beatty library. It is the PeterPan film from 1953 (77min)

The Darling family receive a visit from the boy who never grew up, Peter Pan and he whisks them off to Never Never Land. But all is not as perfect as it seems, especially when an ongoing war reaches its peak between Peter Pan and Captain Hook.

Admission is free.

The brewery Wicklow Wolf is sponsor of the Bray Jazz Festival Jazz Trail and the line-up for Sunday and Monday is:
++++++
SUNDAY 30 APRIL
The Martello, Strand Road ——– Take Trio 13:00
Harbour Bar ——– CEO Experiment & Ml Buckley 15:00
Mt Everest of Kathmandu ——– Leopoldo Osio Piano 18:30
The Hibernia Inn, Strand Road ——– Charlie Sings Chet Quintet 20:00
The Martello, Strand Road ——– Ultrasound 21:00
The Coach Inn, Dublin Road ——– Dirt Road Blues Band 22:00
+++++
MONDAY 01 MAY
The Martello, Strand Road —— Bray Concert Band 30th Anniv 13:00
Harbour Bar ——- Big Spoon 15:00
Harbour Bar ——- Square Pegs 21:00
The Martello, Strand Road —— Jamie Duff 21:00

Admission to all gigs on the Wicklow Wolf Jazz Trail is free.

The Dublin based theatrical company “Tales from the Shadows” are a production group who aim to marry storytelling with shadow puppetry to create shows that are both entertainment and art. The team at Tales from the Shadows will facilitate a drop-in family workshop on shadow puppetry in the Millennium Wing Studio.

Last admission is 14:10 and the limit is 40 participants max. at any one time. All materials will be provided. Children must be accompanied by an adult.

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 “Dublin Sketchers” is an informal group of (hobby) artists who go somewhere different in Dublin every Sunday (e.g. National Museum, Maritime Museum, Dublin Flea Market, Farmleigh, Botanic Gardens, Dublin Castle, Science Gallery, …), sketch for one to two hours and then meet up for coffee afterwards and discuss their sketches.

There are some hugely talented people among them and it is a great idea to meet up with others who have the same hobby. Find out on their website below or on their Facebook Page where they will meet and join them if you do some sketching/drawing yourself. I know that the Dublin Sketchers often use the Dublin Event Guide to find interesting free events and I am delighted to be able to help!

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

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

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

The Bagots Hutton Jazz Brunch takes place on Sundays from 12:00 with Jazz music from 14:00. The Noel Dumont and band will perform a mix of jazz, soul and lounge music.

Admission is free.

The Dublin G ay Theatre Festival runs from 30 APril until 13 May and all details about events can be found via www.gaytheatre.ie/ 

The festival starts with a free seminar on Sunday about the First World War and its impact on love.

World Wat I wiped out a generation of young men, and thrust naive young women and men from their sheltered, innocent lives onto the battlfields of Europe. Poets such as Seigfried Sassoon, Wilfred Owen & Rupert Brooke left us vivid accounts of the horror of war and that hope that endured. Featuring ‘Flower of Iowa’ by Lance Ringel, a panel of international speakers will reflect on the impact of this “lost generation,” and the few LGBT love stories that blossomed in the horrors of the trenches that have survived one hundred years on.

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

Every Sunday two free guided tours will take place in the Chester Betty Library. The first one is at 15:00 and the second one at 16:00.

In addition there is another free tour every Wednesday at 13:00.

The Harbour Bar will host a whole variety of free gigs during the Bray International Jazz Festival at this weekend.

The line-up for today is:

15:00 CEO Experiment (Jazz)
19:00 Felton/Evans/Del Val Trio (Jazz)
22:30 Megacone (Instrumental)

Admission is free.

This short in-focus talk will look at ‘Lady on the Terrace’ by Paul Signac and give a brief insight into the work. The talk will be given by Kate Jameson and will take place in front of the painting.

Admission is free. Meet in front of the painting in the Millennium Wing.

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.

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

Admission is free, donations are appreciated.

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

Admission is free.

The Dixeland Jazzmen play a weekly gig in Sin E. Admission is free.

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

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

The Harbour Bar will host a whole variety of free gigs during the Bray International Jazz Festival at this weekend.

The line-up for today is:

15:00 CEO Experiment (Jazz)
19:00 Felton/Evans/Del Val Trio (Jazz)
22:30 Megacone (Instrumental)

Admission is free.

Another Sunday evening, another Sunday Blues Gig in the Bowery.

Admission is free.

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

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

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

The band Hard Drive will play a gig in the Harp Bar of the Carnegie Court Hotel.

Admission is free.

At the famous Workman’s Club bank holiday party this month, there will be a mix of live music and DJs. The three bands from 20:00 are “Be Curious, Kid”, “Bodies!”and “Just Mustard”. The Workman’s Karaoke Club will follow the live gigs and 80s, 90s, and 00s tunes will be played by DJs in other rooms of the Workman’s Club.

Admission is free and more information about the bands is on the page below.

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 “Swedish Railroad Orchestra” is neither Swedish nor is it an orchestra nor are train or tracks involved in any way. Instead it is a project that makes instrumental alternative dance music. The project is led by Rob Smith.

Oh and why that name? I have no idea, but I guess it makes as much sense as “Pink Floyd” or “Aerosmith” or “Led Zeppelin”. ;-)

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 Harbour Bar will host a whole variety of free gigs during the Bray International Jazz Festival at this weekend.

The line-up for today is:

15:00 CEO Experiment (Jazz)
19:00 Felton/Evans/Del Val Trio (Jazz)
22:30 Megacone (Instrumental)

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.

It is an extremely stubborn myth in Ireland that Summer starts on 01 May. Primary teachers were and are still (!!) teaching it, despite Met Eireann’s repeated attempts to correct this misinformation.

It is true that the Celts started their “summer” on 01 May, but they lived by a completely different calendar: For the Celts the Dark half of the year started on 01 November and the light half started on 01 May. So strictly speaking it wasn’t even their start of summer, it was just the start of the light half of the year. In addition their day started at sunset!

So, if you live like the Celts, your year starts on 01 November and your day starts at sunset, then for you, 01 May is a good day to start the summer. ;-)

If, however, you have adjusted to a modern calendar – unlike your primary teacher! – then the start of summer is on 01 June as Met Eireann confirms to us. And if you use a thermometer to determine the seasons then you KNOW anyway that this weather outside just CAN’T be summer!

So have a great May Day and look forward to the start of summer in 31 days.

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

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

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

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

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

Port Walks is an online audio project connecting Dublin Port Seafarers with Dublin Port Walkers. And the offline launch on 01 May sees the artist Sheelagh Broderick at a public meet-up with walkers for a “work in progress” review.

Download the first of several project podcasts here www.portwalks.ie/podcast/part1/ and listen to it while taking a walk on the Great South Wall. The first podcast addresses the radical reconfiguration of contemporary shipping and seafaring in the last 50 years. Sheelagh will be on hand to answer questions before and afterwards.

The walk is about 4km long (40minutes) and starts at Sluice House on Great South Wall. Sluice House is a small single storey building on the walk to Poolbeg Lighthouse.

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

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 brewery Wicklow Wolf is sponsor of the Bray Jazz Festival Jazz Trail and the line-up for Monday is:

+++++
MONDAY 01 MAY
The Martello, Strand Road —— Bray Concert Band 30th Anniv 13:00
Harbour Bar ——- Big Spoon 15:00
Harbour Bar ——- Square Pegs 21:00
The Martello, Strand Road —— Jamie Duff 21:00

Admission to all gigs on the Wicklow Wolf Jazz Trail is free.

The Harbour Bar will host a whole variety of free gigs during the Bray International Jazz Festival at this weekend.

The line-up for today is:

15:00 Big Spoon (Jazz, Electronic)
21:30 Square Pegs (Good Time Blues)

Admission is free.

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

Admission is free.

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

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

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

Admission is free.

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

Admission is free.

The Comedy Crunch is a free Stand Up comedy event every Sunday, Monday and Tuesday. Every week different comedians entertain and on top of good comedy you will get free ice cream. Admission is free. The line-up can be found via the Comedy Crunch Facebook Page (see link below).

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

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

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

The Harbour Bar will host a whole variety of free gigs during the Bray International Jazz Festival at this weekend.

The line-up for today is:

15:00 Big Spoon (Jazz, Electronic)
21:30 Square Pegs (Good Time Blues)

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.

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

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

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

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

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

The 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.

“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 Centre of English Studies runs a teacher training course and has a number of free afternoon English practice classes this month (in room DC1.3 in the CES).

If you are interested, contact Niamh via teachertraining@ces-schools.com to book your place.

The next few classes are on 02+05+08+11+16 May.

Singer and performer Delia Murphy will be celebrated by her niece Carmen Cullen. Delia Murphy had in important influence on the Irish folk revival and you will hear her stories and her songs at this event.

Admission is free, but booking sis required via 01-2801147.

To celebrate the 90th anniversary of the ESB, the Irish Society of Archives and the ESB inviting to a seminar about the archival heritage of the company. There will be five short talks and the seminar will be lead by Stephen Collins, former political editor of The Irish Times.

Admission is free, but booking is required via the link below. Light refreshments will be provided.

The Cultura Fest is a 5-day festival from Tuesday until Saturday, organised by the Portuguese Language Centre.

+ Day 1 – Tuesday: Language Centre Open Day
It starts with an Open Day at the Language Centre on Day 1 (18:00-21:00) where you can find out information about the language, and the courses. there will be taster classes, readings, coffee and music. Register here.

+ Day 2 – Wednesday: Brazilian cinema talk, discussions and music
On Day 2 a film screening about Brazil, talks about Brazil’s relationships with other countries, about Brazilian cinema and about Brazilian TV and a musical performance by Brazilian singer/songwriter Calinhos Cruz will take place in Filmbase (18:00-21:00). Register here.

+ Day 3 – Thursday: Music, discussion and dance performance
On Day 3 the Cultura Fest moves to the Instituto Cervantes (18:00-20:30) and continues with a dance performance, a discussion about keeping your cultural identity in a foreign land and it finishes with  live music by Natalia Röpke from the south of Brazil. Register here.

+ Day 4 – Friday: Exhibitions, food, dance, theatre and screenings
Day 4 will take place in the Teachers’ Club (from 17:30). It is the International Day of the Portuguese Language and there will be an exhibition of illustrations, traditional food stands, a sound experience, Irish signing and Portuguese music, short film screenings and theatrical and dance performances. Find details and register here.

+ Day 5 – Saturday: Children’s book launch and play
On Saturday it is back to Filmbase (14:30-15:15) with a book launch and play for children (in Portuguese). Find details and register here.

Admission is free to all events, but booking is required via the links above.

WITS is “Women in Technology and Science” and at this event Cristina Luminea (Head of Innovation at Singlepoint) is going to bring you through the experience of being an entrepreneur from the very beginnings of overcoming the fear of quitting your job and starting up to the point of having to make the decision of closing down. It will cover the ups and downs of the entrepreneurship journey, building educational products with kids and for kids, launching a product worldwide and lessons learned along the way.

Admission is free, but registration is required here.

This is a weekly event in Buskers on the Ball. They have 5 table tennis table and are now running a social league on Tuesdays. Free play at the tables and drinks specials are available.

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

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

Admission is free.

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.

“Raised Bog Conservation in Ireland” is this month’s topic.

Dr Maurice Eakin Senior Wetland Ecologist from the NPWS will talk about the ongoing efforts to maintain and restore raised bogs in Ireland. Finding a compromise between the obligations of the Habitats Directive and the rights of domestic turf-cutters was always going to be difficult, but considerable progress has been made in recent years.

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.

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).

Astronomy Ireland invites to a Jupiter Watch event on Tuesday.

Admission is free and it is suitable for all ages.

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.

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.

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

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

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

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

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

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 some months ago 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.

Joe O’Callaghan from MABS will talk about money management and will outline the role of MABS. In particular he will focus on mortgages, bank loans and credit card debts. The aim of the service is to assist people regain financial control.

Admission is free.

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.

“First Up” are talks about creative entrepreneurs on breaking through.

Katie Holly (Managing Director, Blinder Films) will tell her story from the beginning, how she developed her ideas and what her plans are for the future.

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

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 National Library is involved in “The National Neighbourhood: Around the Table” project. This project connects communities old and new across Dublin’s historic central area with artists of different disciplines to explore the food history of the area. Groups visited the library as part of the project. Themes of mothering, belonging, words and work were shared through mapping the story, role and journey of food in the city – from the docks to the markets, and from the streets to the table.

The short film “Around the Table” (24 min) was made as part of the project, and explores Dublin’s food history through the memories of Dublin’s dock workers, workers from Cadbury’s who explain why the ‘Flake’ produced in Dublin had the best taste to current developments in food choices.

Admission is free. The film will be screened on 03+10+17+24 May.

Burrenbeo Trust is an independent landscape charity which is committed to connecting people and place and to helping us all identify ways in which we can all care for these sites. It currently has over 50 programmes in education, information provision, active conservation, research and advocacy. The organisation is a leading advocate for place-based learning and community stewardship in Ireland; it is happy to share its model where applicable. Brigid Barry has been the Manager of the Burrenbeo Trust since soon after its inception in 2009 and she will talk about their work.

Admission is free.

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.

To commemorate the 40th anniversary of Jacques Prévert’s death, the Alliance Française is inviting to a series of events on or inspired by the famous French poet and screenwriter. One of the events is a film screening of “Le Roi et l’Oiseau”.

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

The Cultura Fest is a 5-day festival from Tuesday until Saturday, organised by the Portuguese Language Centre.

+ Day 1 – Tuesday: Language Centre Open Day
It starts with an Open Day at the Language Centre on Day 1 (18:00-21:00) where you can find out information about the language, and the courses. there will be taster classes, readings, coffee and music. Register here.

+ Day 2 – Wednesday: Brazilian cinema talk, discussions and music
On Day 2 a film screening about Brazil, talks about Brazil’s relationships with other countries, about Brazilian cinema and about Brazilian TV and a musical performance by Brazilian singer/songwriter Calinhos Cruz will take place in Filmbase (18:00-21:00). Register here.

+ Day 3 – Thursday: Music, discussion and dance performance
On Day 3 the Cultura Fest moves to the Instituto Cervantes (18:00-20:30) and continues with a dance performance, a discussion about keeping your cultural identity in a foreign land and it finishes with  live music by Natalia Röpke from the south of Brazil. Register here.

+ Day 4 – Friday: Exhibitions, food, dance, theatre and screenings
Day 4 will take place in the Teachers’ Club (from 17:30). It is the International Day of the Portuguese Language and there will be an exhibition of illustrations, traditional food stands, a sound experience, Irish signing and Portuguese music, short film screenings and theatrical and dance performances. Find details and register here.

+ Day 5 – Saturday: Children’s book launch and play
On Saturday it is back to Filmbase (14:30-15:15) with a book launch and play for children (in Portuguese). Find details and register here.

Admission is free to all events, but booking is required via the links above.

The lecture “Faith & Wisdom in Science” by Prof Tom McLeish will explore if science might need some help to rediscover its human and cultural roots and therefore science might to contradict the possibility of God and vice versa?

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

It is not clear if this is a book launch or a talk, but it is about an interesting topic:

In 1961, when Franco Basaglia arrived at the Gorizia asylum, on the Italian border with Yugoslavia, it was a place of horror, a Bedlam for the mentally sick and excluded, redolent of Basaglia’s own wartime experience inside a fascist jail. Basaglia, the new director, was expected to practise all the skills of oppression in which he had been schooled, but he had other plans and used his influence to close the entire Italian asylum system.

John Foot, author of “The Man Who Closed the Asylums” (2015) gives a gripping account of one of the most influential movements in twentieth century psychiatry, which helped to transform the way we see mental illness. John Foot will be at this event.

Admission is free.

Learning Labs is a n big community of educators, learning and development professionals, entrepreneurs, developers, designers and anyone interested in changing the face of learning.

Their next talk is “Predicting the Next Step in Learning” and more details can be found on the website below.

Admission is free, but registration is required via www.learningtechlabs.co/

Discover the world of birds in Dublin this summer. Explore the incredible journeys our migrant birds make, why birds sing and what we can do to protect them.

Eric Dempsey will bring you on a photographic journey of discovery that will bring to life what we sometimes take for granted. Eric Dempsey was born in Finglas and is now living in Wicklow. He is a speaker, writer, broadcaster, wildlife photographer and guide.

Admission is free.

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.

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 Switcheroo” 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.

“Get Up, Stand Up!” is a new Comedy night hosted by Dean Scurry.

For the first night well known Eric Lalor will be the guest of the night.

Admission is free.

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

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

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

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.

Most Wednesdays a Music Movie will be screened in the Bowery. At the time of writing this, the next film was not announced yet, but if you check on the Bowery’s event below, you should be able to find the name of the new film.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

The talk “Ireland and the Old Testament: Transmission, translation and significance” with Dr Brad Anderson, Lecturer in Biblical Studies, Dublin City University will take place on Thursday.

Admission is free.

From 27 April until 25 May the DIT Conservatory of Music and Drama will run a Lunchtime at the Pepper Canister concert/recital series. Admission to all events will be free, but booking is advised via the Eventbrite link below.

The concerts and performers are all listed on the Eventbrite site below, but to give you a rough idea, I will list the”theme”:

27 April: Music by Britten, Traditional Irish, Scottish and Northumbrian Music
04 May: Music by Messiaen, Mower, Handel, Strauss and Dvorak
11 May: Music by Händel, Lalo, Strauss, Loewe and Walton
18 May: Music by Schubert, Bernstein and Poulenc
25 May: Music by Bach, Beethoven, Brahms and Saint-Saens

In addition there is another concert on 04 May, this time in the Unitarian Chrurch in St. Stephen’s Green with music by Barrios, Lauro, Villa Lobos, Grandjany & Ravel.

This is a tour of the exhibition “Yeats: The Life and Works of William Butler Yeats”. 

The tour 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.

“Now you see them, now you don’t” is a conversation on representations of older women and takes place in the context of artist Therese Nanigian’s exhibition “Trying to Behave”.

The short discussion is about our views of how older women are imagined, portrayed and received in the media and society.

Participants are Irish Times journalist Hilary Fannin, Dr. Brid Connolly (Lecturer, Adult and Community Education NUIM), artist Pauline Cummins and dance artist Rionach Ni Neill.

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

The Cultura Fest is a 5-day festival from Tuesday until Saturday, organised by the Portuguese Language Centre.

+ Day 1 – Tuesday: Language Centre Open Day
It starts with an Open Day at the Language Centre on Day 1 (18:00-21:00) where you can find out information about the language, and the courses. there will be taster classes, readings, coffee and music. Register here.

+ Day 2 – Wednesday: Brazilian cinema talk, discussions and music
On Day 2 a film screening about Brazil, talks about Brazil’s relationships with other countries, about Brazilian cinema and about Brazilian TV and a musical performance by Brazilian singer/songwriter Calinhos Cruz will take place in Filmbase (18:00-21:00). Register here.

+ Day 3 – Thursday: Music, discussion and dance performance
On Day 3 the Cultura Fest moves to the Instituto Cervantes (18:00-20:30) and continues with a dance performance, a discussion about keeping your cultural identity in a foreign land and it finishes with  live music by Natalia Röpke from the south of Brazil. Register here.

+ Day 4 – Friday: Exhibitions, food, dance, theatre and screenings
Day 4 will take place in the Teachers’ Club (from 17:30). It is the International Day of the Portuguese Language and there will be an exhibition of illustrations, traditional food stands, a sound experience, Irish signing and Portuguese music, short film screenings and theatrical and dance performances. Find details and register here.

+ Day 5 – Saturday: Children’s book launch and play
On Saturday it is back to Filmbase (14:30-15:15) with a book launch and play for children (in Portuguese). Find details and register here.

Admission is free to all events, but booking is required via the links above.

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 Irish Red Cross and UCC are hosting a film screening and discussion about the 2015 earthquake in Nepal.

The short documentary film “On Shifting Ground – Storytelling in Nepal” about the disaster relief efforts of development organisations in Nepal will be screened. This will be followed by an open discussion on the challenges and issues faced by humanitarian organisations following natural disasters.

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

Azon Recruitment are inviting to an evening of talks with guest speakers from the Irish Funds Industry who will discuss their careers to date, recent changes in the Irish Funds industry and how they see this evolving over the coming years.

Find all details about the event and about the speakers via the link below where you also will have to register.

Admission is free.

Stella O’Malley, psychotherapist and author of “Cotton Wool Kids” will talk about “Remembering to enjoy your life” in this talk about Mindfulness.

Admission is free, but booking is required via 01-2985000

“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

Contributors to 1916 Portraits and Lives will discuss the lives of three key figures involved in the Easter Rising: Augustine Birrell, Thomas Clarke and Desmond Ryan.

Admission is free, but booking is required via 01 4934208

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 talk “Tenants Organisations – People’s Power” is a Bealtaine Festival event. The Bealtaine Festival celebrates “arts and creativity as we age”.

Knocking on doors, standing with neighbours, rent strikes and people power, with leaders, activists, and community organisers. This talk will examine the fascinating history and the work of tenants’ organisations in Ireland.

Admission is free. but booking is required.

This Showcase Launch Party will give up and coming artists an opportunity to perform in front of peers, industry professionals and bookers. The best artist will get two resident gigs at The Black Door.

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

This is a weekly Board Gaming event that is now running for already 10 years and if you are interested in Board Games or want to try them out, this event is for you.

Admission is free.

Hard Rock Rising Battle of the Band competition is back and the best local acts twill win the chance to perform at a halftime show at the Hard Rock Stadium in Miami, Florida.

Admission is free.

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

Admission is free.

The Crystal Skull Sessions is a band competition in Sin É. And on Thursday the second Heat will take place.

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.

The Jazz & Blues Trio “When You’re Smiling” will play a gig in the Tivoli Backstage venue on Thursday.

They will play jazz and swing standards, early Southern and Delta blues and classic and neo-soul.

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.

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

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

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

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

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

The 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.

Six times will the “People’s Art 2017″ exhibition take place this year. It is an art exhibition on the rails/fence of St. Stephen’s Green.

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

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

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

At the seminar “A Walk in the May Dew – Customs and Folklore surrounding the Month of May in Ireland”, Michael Fortune and Folklore.ie will examine the rich folklore associated with the month of May in Ireland including its cures, superstitions, customs and rituals.

Speakers are Michael Fortune (folklore.ie), Clodagh Doyle (National Museum – Country Life), Nev Swift (The Fading Year), Jonny Dillion (Folklore Society of Ireland), Robbie Sinnott (TCD), Paul Horan (School of Nursing, TCD), Aileen Lambert (Wexford Song Project) with special guests and contributors.

Admission is free, but booking is required via 087-6470247

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.

Get a cup of tea, gather the last bit of energy and then bring this work week over the line! And for next week, get some special teas via the ad below and help the Dublin Event Guide while you are doing that. ;-)

Click on the picture below or use this link and if you order any teas that way, you help the Dublin Event Guide because Twinings will pay a small reward if you order after clicking on the picture or link above.

Orders over GBP 35 are free in the UK and if you use Parcelmotel’s Belfast to Dublin service, you can get it delivered for just EUR 3.95 of postage.

The Centre of English Studies runs a teacher training course and has a number of free afternoon English practice classes this month (in room DC1.3 in the CES).

If you are interested, contact Niamh via teachertraining@ces-schools.com to book your place.

The next few classes are on 02+05+08+11+16 May.

The Cultura Fest is a 5-day festival from Tuesday until Saturday, organised by the Portuguese Language Centre.

+ Day 1 – Tuesday: Language Centre Open Day
It starts with an Open Day at the Language Centre on Day 1 (18:00-21:00) where you can find out information about the language, and the courses. there will be taster classes, readings, coffee and music. Register here.

+ Day 2 – Wednesday: Brazilian cinema talk, discussions and music
On Day 2 a film screening about Brazil, talks about Brazil’s relationships with other countries, about Brazilian cinema and about Brazilian TV and a musical performance by Brazilian singer/songwriter Calinhos Cruz will take place in Filmbase (18:00-21:00). Register here.

+ Day 3 – Thursday: Music, discussion and dance performance
On Day 3 the Cultura Fest moves to the Instituto Cervantes (18:00-20:30) and continues with a dance performance, a discussion about keeping your cultural identity in a foreign land and it finishes with  live music by Natalia Röpke from the south of Brazil. Register here.

+ Day 4 – Friday: Exhibitions, food, dance, theatre and screenings
Day 4 will take place in the Teachers’ Club (from 17:30). It is the International Day of the Portuguese Language and there will be an exhibition of illustrations, traditional food stands, a sound experience, Irish signing and Portuguese music, short film screenings and theatrical and dance performances. Find details and register here.

+ Day 5 – Saturday: Children’s book launch and play
On Saturday it is back to Filmbase (14:30-15:15) with a book launch and play for children (in Portuguese). Find details and register here.

Admission is free to all events, but booking is required via the links above.

Tech Sales Professionals are invited to the next #TechSalesHookups Dublin Meetup on Friday. This is a networking community of Sales/Marketing Professionals and Leaders interested in using technology and data science to improve business results. (www.facebook.com/groups/1732901120359248/)

Speakers will be
+ Kevin Neary (Connectors Marketplace): “How to leverage guided selling technology to deliver measurable results?”
+ Peter Turley (SalesTalk): Sales Process Up-Skilling

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

“Os Dias Afogados / The Drowned Days” is a film about the flooding of villages in Galicia.

In 1992, the construction of the Lindoso (Portugal) dam forever flooded the villages Aceredo and Buscalque (Galicia, Spain). Its inhabitants could do nothing to save their land and their homes. Knowing that everything was about to be lost, several neighbors took their home cameras and started to film. Their footage, filmed since the mid-60s, is valuable historical and ethnographic evidence, coloured by their subjectivity and their experiences.

The film will be screened in Galician with English subtitles.

Admission is free.

The book launch of “The Diary of Kaspar Hauser” by Paolo Febbraro will take place and it will be followed by the screening of “The enigma of Kaspar Hauser” by Werner Herzog at 20:00.

The mysterious story of Kaspar Hauser is about a young man who suddenly appeared in Nuremberg in 1828, barely able to talk or walk. The boy had been held captive in a dungeon his entire life and nobody could discover who he was or where he had come from.

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

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

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

Louis Barabbas will be in Sin É for a solo performance.

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 Covers are playing a live gig in the Bowery.

Admission is free.