Dublin Event Guide

Hi all!

Since June of this year I am compiling this Dublin Event Guide on a weekly basis telling you about the best and most interesting free events in the Greater Dublin area. Many of you receive it since right from the beginning and I intend to continue writing it for quite some time. I get loads of great feedback every week (Apologies if I haven’t replied to your mail yet, I will do so as soon as possible!) and it seems that many of you make great use of this Event Guide and forward it to even more friends.

The time has come now where I need to ask YOU for a favour. :-) In order to raise the profile of this guide, so that we get more listings provided directly by organisers of free events, the number of subscriptions needs to increase further. Can you PLEASE help?

Could each of you please think of just THREE friends, family members or colleagues that might benefit from this guide and forward this weeks Event Guide to them, suggesting that they subscribe via dublineventguide@gmail.com if they want to receive it? – The Dublin Event Guide is and will always be free and will continue telling you about loads of FREE events in the Greater Dublin Area. I already have events gathered for spring and summer of 2008, so I will make sure that next year you will know about even more events! And just to remind you, I don’t make any money with it, it is just a hobby of mine.

THANKS for your help!!
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Now to the weekly programme! And, hey, Christmas is here! ;-)

This Saturday (1st), the Temple Bar Cultural Trust will launch their Christmas celebrations in the newly pedestrianised “Old City” area of Temple Bar with the switching on of the Christmas lights.
The “Old City” area will be home to the extended Cow’s Lane Fashion and Christmas Market this December with stalls trading every Saturday and Sunday (1st, 2nd, 8th, 9th, 15th, 16th, 22nd and 23rd) in December from 09:30 – 16:30.
The “Old City” area of Temple Bar is a new extension in the west end of Temple Bar between the Civic Offices and Parliament Street. I don’t think the name “Old City” is a clever choice, but you will probably have to get used to it.

The Instituto Cervantes is showing “Picasso: The Multiplicity of the Vertex” until the 18th Dec in Lincoln House, Lincoln Place at the back of Trinity College not too far from Merrion Square. This exhibition offers a look at the graphic works of Picasso and his illustrations for books such as “Le Cocu magnifique”, with texts from Camilo José Cela and “El entierro del Conde de Orgaz”. Admission is free and the opening hours are Monday to Thursday: 12:00-20:00, Friday: 12:00-17:00. Closed Saturdays and Sundays and 6th December.

Every Saturday and Sunday before Christmas the deer keepers in Phoenix park invite to a guided walk titled “Rudolph the Red Nose Reindeer”. You meet Santa on the way and the fallow deer in the majestic surroundings of Phoenix Park. Pre-booking is essential – contact the Office of Public works (OPW) on 01-8213021. The time has not been specified and I am not 100% sure if this event is free, but there are indications that it might be free.

For all parents among you, there is an interesting event in the Gresham Hotel in O’Connell Street on Saturday from 10:45 – 14:00. The topic is ‘Children’s Rights – Are they a Parent’s Nightmare?’. David Coleman, of the RTE One TV series ‘Families in Trouble’, is attending this special event for parents. Attendees will have the opportunity to quiz the presenter and clinical psychologist. The event is free and even lunch is provided, but you should register by calling (01) 6629400 or send an e-mail to mairead@childrensrights.ie

The Chubby Chef food company is organising an event on Saturday in The Corner Stone pub (1st floor) in 40 Wexford Street, D2 from 17:00 to 21:00. It is a Soups, Salads & Starters Tasting and there will be a buffet serving free samples. In addition food can be purchased to sit in or take away. Go to www.chubbychef.ie and select EVENTS, to find out more.

The Peppercanister Gallery invites to a Christmas Exhibition with these words: “Prepare for Christmas with The Peppercanister Gallery’s Annual Christmas Exhibition – a fantastic range of modern Irish paintings, drawings, sculpture, original prints and jewellery by some of Ireland’s finest artist.” www.peppercanister.com The Exhibition Runs from 29/11 until 22/12 and the Gallery is in 3 Herbert Park. Entrance is Free.

And since it is Christmas and therefore “present time”, more Galleries have special exhibitions that should help the visitors to find presents for their friends and family. For more hands-off or less affluent art lovers, you can just go and admire the art. ;-)
The Dame Street Gallery shows MagicLogic an exhibition of works from Jordie Fornies. (29/11 – 09/12 – www.damestreetgallery.com).
The Daffodil Art Gallery in Skerries has a Christmas Exhibition. More information and opening hours on www.daffodilgallery.com.
The SolomonGallery in Powerscourt Townhouse has a Christmas Exhibition  (www.solomongallery.com)
The StoneGallery (www.stonegallery.com) in Pearse Street will have a Christmas Exhibition as well from tomorrow, but hasn’t managed to update their website yet.
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This weeks Sunday at Noon Concert in the Hugh Lane Gallery (02/12 at 12:00) is featuring the ConTempo String Quartet and the premiere of three new string quartets by Irish composers, Ed Bennett, Rob Canning and David Flynn.

Do you want to take a step back in time with Glasnevin Cemetery’s Walking Tours? The originally only for October scheduled walking tours  have been resurrected for two more dates in December. This Sunday (2nd) and next Sunday (9th) between 11:00 and 14:00 a tour starts every 30 minutes and goes on for 1hr 30mins.
The tours will leave from the main entrance in Finglas Road and will offer an insight into the history Ireland’s largest cemetery – from its opening in 1832 right up to the present day. The tour will also take in the graves of some of Ireland’s most influential historical figures, including Charles Stewart Parnell, Maude Gonne, Daniel O’Connell, Eamonn DeValera, Michael Collins. (Phone: 8301133)
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Over the last weeks I reminded you of a free permanent event every week (Temple Bar Market, Government Buildings, National Gallery, Irish Museum of Modern Art) and I want to continue that this week:

For this week I have chosen another hidden secret of Dublin! Did you know that you can visit Mary McAleese’s gaff on Saturdays? Aras an Uachtarian, the President’s residence, can be visited on Saturday through a guided tour. The tours run in the winter from 10:15-15:30 and last approx. 1 hour. Free admission tickets are issued at the Phoenix Park Visitor Centre on the day. Group and/or advance bookings are not possible. So if you always wanted to see the home and offices of the (formally) highest representative of all Irish people go to
www.president.ie/index.php?section=4&lang=eng the website explains how to get there and you can even watch a Virtual Tour to prepare yourself. I did the tour about 1.5 years ago and found it very interesting.

A selection of more free regular events is this:
The Globe in South Great George’s Street invites on Sundays from 17:30-19:30 to “Sunday Jazz”.
Thomas Reads in Smithfield invites on Sundays from 18:00-21:00 to “Sunday Groove – live music” with French Afro-groover Yann Dovi who is playing soul music of Marvin Gaye, Prince and Bob Marley.
The George in South Great George’s Street invites on Sundays from 16.00 – 18.30 to the music of the live Jazz group “Zrazy.
Bruxelles in Harry Street (off Grafton Street) invites to The Mary Stoke Band every Sunday from 18:00
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Oh, and a correction about a charged-for event: Two weeks ago I said that Dublin on Ice in Smithfield will not take place this year. This was correct for a while! Dublin City was looking for a cheaper operator, wasn’t successful and canceled the ice rink in Smithfield. However they found an agreement and the ice rink will open today. So this year, Booterstown, the RDS, Smithfield and Liffey Valley will be “on ice”. All charge quite handsomely for the pleasure to skate around for a bit. However, as the only location goskate.ie in Booterstown does not charge an entrance fee for spectators and therefore I mention them here favourably.
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Here is an advance notice for a free festival for which you need to get tickets soon:
The Printing House Festival of New Music 2007 will take place in the Printing House in Trinity College on 15/16 of Dec. And this is the official promo text “PHFNM 2007 collates the diverse fruits of Morton Feldman’s influence as a composer. The festival is enclosed by two of Feldman’s own works. The first, ‘The King of Denmark’, is an early piece for percussion, so quiet, that its performer, Richard O’Donnell, chooses to remove his shoes. Japanese pianist Aki Takahashi is joined by ex-Arditti Quartet cellist Rohan de Saram and Canadian violinist Marc Sabat to perform Feldman’s ‘Trio’, a much later, longer work which encapsulates the delicate beauty of his later period. With additional performances plus three new festival-commissioned works PHFNM 07 presents dozens of Irish and world premiéres on an open and accessible platform this December 15th and 16th. Admission is free to all events, but advance booking is advised.” Tickets can be booked at www.printinghousefestival.com.

And finally a reminder of some relevant days in the calender this week: On Saturday (01/12) is the World Aids Day and on Monday (03/12) is the International Day of Disabled Persons. Unfortunately the relevant organisations don’t advertise openly for events going hand in hand with these days. A missed chance!

From now on this Event Guide will even get fuller with Christmas Events and in addition I am in discussions about getting tickets for a post-Christmas event. I will tell you more about that next week.

Now, enjoy the Christmas atmosphere, but don’t get stressed out (yet), there is still another 25 days to go! :-)
And PLEASE do remember to tell your friends and families about this Event Guide, so that we can grow the Dublin Event Guide Community!!! ;-)

Have a nice weekend!

–Joerg

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Disclaimer: This Event Guide with a difference is sent to friends, colleagues and whoever else is interested to let you know about (mostly free) events in the Greater Dublin Area! Ticketed events usually make enough money to do their own advertisement, they don’t need extra help.
I started this because some friends asked me to share my weekend plans with them as I went to all types of festivals and searched for more. ;-) If you don’t want to receive this mail, just let me know. If you have feedback, good or bad, PLEASE tell me. If you want to be added to the mailing list or know somebody who would like to receive this guide, just send a mail to dublineventguide@gmail.com.
BTW: I have no affiliation with any of the organisers and don’t get any “reward” from them for advertising their events.
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Hi all!

I am just back from a charity gig in Arnotts where we (Gardiner Street Gospel Choir) were “booked” (It was for charity so we didn’t get any money!) to do carol singing. We don’t really to carol singing, so it was Gospel songs with some Christmas songs sprinkled in. But the reason why I am telling you this is because I am shocked that on the 22nd of November the pre-Christmas period is in full swing! The lights in Grafton Street once were switched on on the 1st of December. This year they are already on for more than a week. I love Christmas, but not THIS early.

Still this week I have to report a large number of Christmas related events, but you just do what ever YOU prefer with Christmas events in November! :-)

And it starts right here: On Saturday St. Killians, the German School in Clonskeagh (Roebuck Road), will have their annual Christmas Bazaar.
It will be on from 12:00-16:00 and you can see and buy Authentic German Christmas Decorations, Crafts – Books – Toys, Traditional German food, Hand-made Advent & Christmas Wreaths. There is no charge to attend. www.kilians.com/index.html

Another Christmas Fair takes place in Ballyfermot on Sat from 11:00 – 17:00: Following on from the last two years successful Christmas fairs this year’s show will take place in the Ballyfermot Civic Centre. A variety of Christmas stands will be available to purchase gifts. Santa will also be available to visit. Free admission and Parking Available.
www.ballyfermotpartnership.ie/content/view/87/1/lang,en/

Are there any Russell Brand fans here? On Saturday from 15:00 Russell Brand is signing copies of “Russell Brand Memoir” in Eason’s in O’Connell St.

On Saturday evening (18:30 – 20:30) the Asia-Europe Forum for Young Photographers is inviting to a “Night of Photography” in Dun Laoghaire. The Dun Laoghaire Institute of Art, Design and Technology (IADT) hosts a show from 20 talented Photographers from Europe and Asia.
www.iadt.ie/en/InformationAbout/NewsEvents/Title,1244,en.html

The Sunday at Noon concert in the Hugh Lane Gallery will be “An American and Paris” by the Ensemble Avalon – Piano Trio. If you did go a number of times to the Sunday at Noon concert, please note that the Ensemble Avalon has performed the same concert in the Hugh Lane Gallery a few weeks back, so you might have heard it already before.

As well on Sunday is the Festival of Light (a.k.a. the lighting of the Christmas Tree in O’Connell Street). This is one of the badly promoted events that Dublin City is becoming known for. A pity because so much work and money is going into it. But luckily you are reading this Event Guide and therefore find out about all this “secret events”. At the Festival visitors can enjoy entertainment by the Discovery Choir, as they make their way from Wolfe Tone Park to O’Connell Street, watch the Lion Dance weave its way down Henry Street and enjoy the traditional carol singing of the St. Andrew’s choir to finish off the festivities. The Dublin Fire Brigade Pipe Band will kick off the entertainment in O’Connelll Street at 16:15 and the parade will leave Wolfe Tone Park for O’Connell Street at 16:30. Red ribbons to highlight World Aids Day taking place on 1st December will be placed on the Christmas tree.

“The George” on South Great George’s Street is trying to appeal to a wider audience and is now featuring Zrazy, a Jazz group every Sunday afternoon from 16.00 – 18.30. Admission is free. And the advertisement goes like this “Led by Maria Walsh (vocals/flute) and Carole Nelson (piano) and backed by a full Jazz Quartet, Zrazy promise jazzy groove, bossa nova and swing – all with a side order of Afternoon Tea! The perfect antidote to any Saturday night.”

And a suggestion for our Polish Readers: The pub “Pravda” in Lower Liffey Street has a new Polish club night and says this “Polish Club night promises the best of Polish cinema followed by a DJ to round off the weekend”.

The North Fingal County Festival is coming to an end this weekend, but before that, two highlights are on offer:
On Saturday (24 Nov) from 12:00-17:00 the Balbriggan Town Hall will be the venue for the “Taste of Nations” food fair. Everyone is invited to sample foods from around the world as well as admire traditional clothes in the fashion show. There will also be a talent competition and entertainment from various performers, including the newly formed Balbriggan Gospel Choir. There will be a supervised children’s corner.
Entry is free.

Later on the same day (Sat) in Rush an “Intercultural Music Session” will take place in the Sailing Club from 20:00. Anyone who likes to play an instrument, sing or even just listen to music is welcome to join in an informal and relaxed music session in Rush. The evening is hosted by Rinceoil Fingal, a group who have been working together for twelve years to teach, encourage and perform Irish music, song and dance. Entry is free.

Since this week many events are on, I could give our regular feature of the “Permanent Free Event of the Week” a miss, but since I started a few weeks ago the suggested events (Temple Bar Food Market, National Gallery, Government Buildings) were particularly positively received by many readers of this Event Guide, so I will continue that good spell:

Have you ever heard about the IMMA? The IMMA is the Irish Museum of Modern Art. (www.modernart.ie/en/index.htm) The Museum is Ireland’s leading national institution for the collection and presentation of modern and contemporary art and is based in Kilmainham in the Royal Hospital Kilmainham. At the moment five (!!) different exhibitions are shown and in addition to the interesting exhibitions the building and the grounds around it are already worth a visit. There is unlimited free car parking, but a number of buses bring you close to it as well. The IMMA is open Tuesday – Saturday: 10:00-17:30, except Wednesday: 10:30-17:30 and Sunday and Bank Holidays: 12:00-17:30. It is closed on Mondays. Admission is free to all exhibitions.

Sunday is “White Ribbon Day”. White Ribbon Day is the United Nations International Day for the Elimination of Violence Against Women. There are no activities in Ireland about that, but if you are interested, you can find out more here:
www.un.org/depts/dhl/violence/
www.whiteribbon.ca/

Packed to the brim is this Event Guide again! I hope you find something that you enjoy and I hope that the Christmas spirit is taking hold of you soon because there is no escaping anymore. And with Christmas I think resistance is futile, so let yourself engulf by candle light, Xmas lights, the smell of mulled wine, the quaint Christmas markets ……and the stomping herds of mad shoppers in Grafton Street! Eeeek! :-)

Have a nice weekend!

–Joerg

**********************************************
Disclaimer: This Event Guide with a difference is sent to friends, colleagues and whoever else is interested to let you know about (mostly free) events in the Greater Dublin Area! Ticketed events usually make enough money to do their own advertisement, they don’t need extra help.
I started this because some friends asked me to share my weekend plans with them as I went to all types of festivals and searched for more. ;-) If you don’t want to receive this mail, just let me know. If you have feedback, good or bad, PLEASE tell me. If you want to be added to the mailing list or know somebody who would like to receive this guide, just send a mail to dublineventguide@gmail.com.
BTW: I have no affiliation with any of the organisers and don’t get any “reward” from them for advertising their events.
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