Dublin Event Guide

Hi all!

I hope you had a nice weekend and a good first half of the week. This week I will have to write and send the Event Guide a little earlier again, because I will be in Germany for a few days at the end of the week.

How are your Christmas preparations going? Are you feeling festive inside? ;-) This weekend will hopefully help you to increase this warm and christmas-sy feeling if you are not in the “zone” yet. Just go to ALL the Christmas markets listed below and maybe that does it for you! :-)
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All Christmas Markets are in full swing now and I will include a comprehensive list here. The list is very long, so please keep this mail for next weekend, I will not repeat all information in next weeks Event Guide 27:

The Docklands Market “12 days of Christmas” (www.ddda.ie) has started on Tuesday and will run until the 23rd Dec. The Market is open every day (Mon–Thurs: 12:00–19:00, Fri-Sun: 10:00–20:00) and in addition to the market stalls there is music:
Blanchardstown Brass Band: 14 Dec: 18:00-20:00, 15+16 Dec: 14:00-16:00
Choir: 15 Dec: 13:00-15:00 (Unfort. it is not clear which choir!)
Carol singers: Sat+Sun during the festival
and entertainment for children:
Santa’s Post Office: 14 Dec: 12:00-19:00, 16+17 Dec: 10:00-19:00
Face Painter: 15+16 Dec: 13:00-16:00
Balloon Maker:  15+16 Dec: 13:00-16:00
You find the market next to and – on the platform – in George’s Dock.
Some of the market stalls could do with a bit more of Christmas atmosphere, but the market is improving every year and you should definitely give it a go! Have some Gluehwein for me. ;-)

Brian, a reader and user of this Guide, tells me that the Liffey Boat that has done (outrageously priced) Liffey Tours (Liffey Voyage) over the summer and until the 25th of November, is offering a low priced shuttle service from Bachelors Walk to the area near the George’s Dock. He has read that the price is EUR 2, but I am not 100% sure if that is per leg or if it is for a return ticket. The Liffey Voyage website does not give the slightest bit of information!! Incredible!
However, I did find when the boat is offering the said service:
Saturday 15th – 12:00-14:00 & 16:00-18:00
Sunday 16th – 12:00-15:00 & 17:00-18:00
Wednesday 19th – 12:00-18:00
Thursday 20th – 12:00-18:00
Friday 21st – 12:00-18:00
Saturday 22nd – 12:00-18:00
Sunday 23rd – 12:00-15:30 & 17:00-18:00

When you are at George’s Dock you should visit as well the newly opened “chq” building next to it. This building was originally built as a tobacco store with vaults beneath to store wine and has now been renovated into a cool looking shopping mall with 7 different shops and more to come.
Before Christmas it is the home of the “12 Trees of Christmas” display/exhibition: From 5th – 14th December a festive display of Christmas trees decorated by fashion designers, artists and celebrities can be visited. The trees will be on show in the Main Concourse of the newly opened CHQ Building. Admission is Free and the building is open from 10:00 – 19:00 every day including Saturday and Sunday.

The other Christmas Market that is on again this weekend is the Cow’s Lane Fashion and Christmas Market in the new extension of Temple Bar (between Turks’s Head and Dublin City Offices). It will run again this Saturday and Sunday from 09:30-16:30 and keep in mind that on Saturday you can go to the Temple Bar Meeting House Square to buy some food at the Temple Bar Food market.

Miren informs me about this event:
In addition to the markets, this week in Temple Bar, Cultivate and NCAD (National College of Art and Design) will have a Christmas Fair in the Cultivate Building (15-19 West Essex Street). This is just next to the Cow’s Lane market and can nicely be combined with a visit to the Cow’s Lane Market. The NCAD Fiar is on Saturday from 11:00-18:00.
The Christmas Fair is where NCAD Students and some graduates and others sell their work to you. You’ll be able to buy Craftwork, Pieces of Art, Jewellery, Bags, Fine Art Prints, Textile work and lots of other little goodies that will make perfect christmas presents.
There will also be a café area with seasonal treats, tea, hot chocolate and vegan cakes. And additionally a ‘busking spot’ will give talented musicians the chance to show off with some
of their music.

Let’s not forget the events at Farmleigh House this weekend and I will just list all the events here. More information can be found on www.farmleigh.ie. Farmleigh House is in Phoenix Park, closer to the Castleknock side than to the Liffey side. These are the events for this weekend:
Sat 15 Dec:
10:00am Christmas Food Market
10:00am Live Crib and Childrens Christmas room
12:00pm Frosty the Snowman
1:45am Frosty the Snowman
3:30pm Frosty the Snowman
12:45pm Storytelling for Children with Niall de Burca
2:30pm Storytelling for Children with Niall de Burca
1:30pm European Christmas from the Slovak Republic
2:00pm Outdoors at Christmas with The Mellowchords
4:15pm Storytelling for Children with Niall de Burca

Sun 16 Dec
10:00am Christmas Food Market
10:00am Live Crib and Childrens Christmas room
12:00pm Goldielocks and the Three Bears
1:45pm Goldielocks and the Three Bears
3:30pm Goldielocks and the Three Bears
12:45pm Storytelling for Children with Niall de Burca
2:30pm Storytelling for Children with Niall
4:15pm Storytelling for Children with Niall
1:00pm Horse and Carriage Rides
2:30pm European Christmas from Poland
12:00pm Outdoors at Christmas with The Mellowchords

ALL events are free of charge!!!!!!!!

The final Christmas Market that I will mention this week is the Red Stables Market at the Mount Prospect entrance to St Anne’s Park in
Clontarf. In addition to the regular Saturday markets, is hosting weekly food, arts and crafts markets on Saturdays, the Red Stables Market is hosting extra Sunday markets (All markets from 10:00-16:00).
www.redstables.ie

Phew, I promised a looong list, didn’t I? ;-)
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Every year the “Live Animal Crib” is open to the public outside Mansion House in Dawson Street. This year it will be there from the 10th and until Monday 24th. Admission is free (daily from 09:00-18:00), but donations to the Lord Mayor’s Fund are welcome.

Last week I mentioned that the “Sunday at Noon” series of concerts in the Hugh Lane gallery came to an end on the Sunday. This week I found a reference to another free “Sunday at Noon” event, however the Hugh Lane gallery’s website doesn’t mention it, so if you are interested, please ring  01-2225550 or +353872456971 before the weekend to find out if that concert is going ahead or not.
The Christmas Baroque Concert is an opportunity to hear 3 of the world’s finest baroque musicians when Maya Homburger, Malcolm Proud and Barry Guy return to the Hugh Lane Gallery for a Christmas Concert
The concert will feature:
Hymne (8th century) – Veni Creator Spiritus
H.I.F.Biber (1644-1704) – “Annunciation” from the Mystery Sonata No 1
Barry Guy – “Breathing Earth” violin and bass
J.S.Bach (1685-1750) – Sonata No 3 in E major
H.I.F. Biber (1644-1704) – “The Nativity” Sonata No 3 from the Mystery Sonatas
Barry Guy – “Inachis” solo violin and improvising
H.I.F. Biber (1644-1704) – “The Crucifixion” Sonata No 10 from the Mystery Sonatas
www.dublinevents.com/events/live-music/christmas-baroque-concert.php

A few weeks ago I informed you that to get to the Printing House Festival of New Music you need to book free tickets in advance. I hope you did that because the printing House Festival is this weekend. During the festival the music and influences of the American composer Morton Feldman will be the focus of the Festival. The festival takes place on the 15/16 of Dec in the Printing House in Trinity College. All information about the festival, venue and programme can be found on www.printinghousefestival.com. Booking for all concerts is now closed, but it is possible that tickets will become available shortly before each concert: please turn up at least 15 minutes before the advertised time to be added to the standby list.

St. Patrick’s Cathedral invites to “O Come All Ye Faithful” for Saturday evening (15/12) at 18:00. Come and Sing Christmas Carols with the Choir of Saint Patrick’s Cathedral. The event is free and tickets are not required.
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I told you all about the Phoenix park guided walk “Rudolph the Red Nose Reindeer”, which is organised by the deer keepers in Phoenix Park on Saturdays and Sundays before Christmas. I contacted the deer keepers this week and was urged to mention that ALL tours are completely booked out. They are offering an impressive 33 tours for the amazing total of approx. 1000 people!! Great to have such a brilliant FREE event. But obviously the demand is huge. So, please do not ring them anymore for this year!! (The people answering the phone can’t handle the call volume anymore.) …for next year, however, start ringing in October!! ;-)

This week our permanent free event “column” will take a break, the Event Guide is otherwise getting tooo big. The free permanent event will most likely be back next week, though. Remember that you can read previous Event Guides on my facebook page (www.facebook.com) (search in facebook for “Joerg Steegmueller”) and they contain the previously introduced “permanent free events”.

But I have a pre-announcement for an event during the week:
Dublin’s Gay & Lesbian Choir Gloria (www.gloria.ie) will present “Christmas Voices” on Tues 18th and Thurs 20st in St. Ann’s Church in Dawson Street at 20:00. Admission is free, however, be aware that St- Ann’s Church is VERY small and Gloria will have to apply a strict “first come- first in” policy and once the church is full, you won’t be able to get in.

And some bad news regarding a “permanent free event”, during last week I heard that the Natural Museum will stay closed for AT LEAST two years, probably even longer. You might remember that a stairs in the building collapsed some months ago. It was in an area that is not used by the public and I understand that the stairs got repaired again. However, there were some other modifications/renovations in the building planned and after the repair of the stairs the museum was meant to open again for a while but then close for the renovations. Now it has been decided that it will not open until all the works is completed. 2-3 years is a long time and it is a pity that the amazing Natural Museum is unavailable for such a long time!
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I will enjoy the Christmas Markets in Germany for the next few days, but I will be back in Ireland on Sunday evening. It means that you have to be my eyes and ears at the events this weekend! Let me know which one was good and which one wasn’t! :-)

Have a nice weekend!

–Joerg

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Disclaimer: This Event Guide (the “Dublin 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!

A BIG warm WELCOME to all the new readers of this Dublin Event Guide. I am celebrating a little: This is the 25th Dublin Event Guide!! Yipee!! :-) During last week I got a large number of mails from new subscribers, many included very positive feedback. Thank you for subscribing and I hope you will enjoy the Event Guide. A HUGE Thank You as well to the people that were so nice and forwarded the Event Guide to their friends and families and that helped to expand and extend the readers and users of this guide.

I would like to call it the “Dublin Event Guide Community” ;-) Ok, I write the guide, but it is YOUR guide! So let me know if you like something, but even more importantly tell me if something can be improved. And if you hear about a free event, just drop me a mail and I will do my best to include it. If we all contribute to it, this will be an even better weekly mail FULL with exciting things to do. :-)

By the way, the readers that didn’t get around last week to invite their friends and families to subscribe to this mail can still do that! I am happy to add more people to the distribution list. If oyu have considered keeping the Event Guide your little secret so that you can impress your partner/bf/gf or your friends with your knowledge about the free events in Dublin, think about it again. They will find out one day and you can get a HUGE amount of kudos and praise NOW from them by giving them a chance to subscribe themselves. So cash in the chips!! :-)))
Anybody interested only has to send a mail to dublineventguide@gmail.com. — The way I go on about getting new subscribers, you could think I get money from it, but no, I don’t! :-) Is is just a hobby.
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I am writing this weeks Event Guide a day earlier than most weeks, because there are three events that are already on Thursday evening and I would like to give you a chance to add them to your (extended) weekend activities. ;-)

The first of the Thursday events is a “Night of Wine, Music and Shopping” from 18:00-21:00 in the Powerscourt Townhouse Centre. The website is www.powerscourtcentre.com, unfortunately that website is quite useless, since it is totally out of date. The mail that I received, telling me about the event, had an attachment that said “As our invited guest you can avail of one-off reductions from all participating stores.” This mail seemed to have gone to a HUGE list of people, so if you go to Powerscourt Centre, refer to the invitation and with a bit of luck you will get some discounts.

The second Thursday-related event is a little more complicated to explain, but nevertheless interesting, so bear with me. ;-) This week (Wed to Sun) the Christmas Craft Fair is taking place in the RDS (Main Hall). This is unfortunately NOT a free event, but Phil Pankov, who is an amazing photographer and who exhibits (and sells) his black&white photographs there, is making tickets available to people that want to go to the Craft Fair. He has advertised this offer in a mail shot to interested people and through a facebook event
(www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=6153396831), so I am not sure if he has any tickets left at this stage, but if you contact him, you will find out. His mobile phone number and e-mail address are in the CONTACT section of his website www.philpankov.com and on the facebook page. He only has free tickets for Thursday or Friday and keep in mind that he is exhibiting in the RDS, so he might not get his e-mails during the day. I suggest you use the mobile in that case!

And a third Thursday event that I found by coincidence: “Songs of Praise” is a “Rock n Roll Karaoke Song Contest” and the final of the contest will take place on the 6th in the Button Factory.
www.getpraiseatxbox360.com/index.html
It sounds like a fun event and I will try to include ALL heats in the Event Guide for next year, it slipped through my fingers this year (maybe an example of typical bad publicity of new free events). The event is ticketed but free and it seems that you can still get tickets on the website above by clicking on Free Tickets.
You might wonder where the “Button Factory” is? “Button Factory” is the new name for the Temple Bar Music Centre, in the middle of Temple Bar (Curved Street). The venue is renovated and has been upgraded and you will hear a lot more about it!

At some stage over the weekend you could go to the “12 Trees of Christmas” display/exhibition near the IFSC: From 5th – 14th December, The Dublin Docklands hosts a VERY festive display of Christmas trees decorated by fashion designers, artists and celebrities. The trees will be on show in the Main Concourse of the newly opened CHQ Building next to George’s Dock in the IFSC. Admission is Free and the building is open from 10:00 – 19:00 every day including Saturday and Sunday.

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On Saturday, Sarah Loughman, who is part of our Dublin Event Guide Community ;-), is organising a Carol Singing at the GPO for the Fr. Peter McVerry Trust. From 10:00 until 13:00 they will sing and collect money for young homeless people and helpers/singers are more than welcome. If you are in town and have a bit of time, sing with them for a while, I am sure it will be good fun!

Saturday is “Global Day of Action against Climate Change” and there will be a march in Dublin from the Civic Offices to Customs House. The march will start at 13:00 and is expected to finish at 16:00. www.stopclimatechaos.ie

As reported last week, and I will repeat it in the coming two weeks again: 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. I still don’t know the time and if the event is totally free, but I will try to find out for next week.

“Christmas Open Day at the Museum” is on this Saturday in the National Museum in Collins Barracks (near Heuston Station). The description says “For many visitors to the Museum, Christmas starts with the Christmas Open Day at Collins Barracks! If you haven’t been before, we hope you’ll drop in this year, to enjoy a day of Carols with the Lassos Scholars with Piccolo Lasso, family workshops, demonstrations and the Christmas Trail. Everyone is welcome and admission is free.” The museum is open from 11:00-17:00

The Cows’s Lane Fashion and Christmas Market in the new extension of Temple Bar (between Turks’s Head and Dublin City Offices) will run again this Saturday and Sunday from 09:30-16:30 and after strolling over the market there, go to the Temple Bar Meeting House Square and get some YUMMY food at the Temple Bar Food market. :-)
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This week the last “Sunday at Noon” in the Hugh Lane Gallery (Parnell Square) will take place. Sunday at Noon is a free concert that started in October and is every Sunday at 12:00. The last one this week will feature the Ensemble Avalon (Piano Trio) for a third time with “An American and Paris III”. The concert will go on for approx. 1 hour.

It is not too far from there to Glasnevin, so you could make the next event for the 13:30 tour:

I mentioned the Glasnevin Cemetery Walking Tour last week already. Brian and Orla took part last week and said it is definitely worth it and since this Sunday is the last opportunity to take part, you should consider it: The tour runs between 11:00 and 14:00 and a tour starts every 30 minutes and goes on for 1hr 30mins. Allow me to repeat the description: 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)

The Family Program of the National Museum in Kildare Street features “Wonderful World of Feathers” on Sunday (09/12) from 15:00 – 16:00.
Ornithologist Eric Dempsey will present an exciting workshop giving a birds eye view of the world! Investigate feathers and wings, and learn how birds are such a unique group of animals. Age 5+ – So bring nephews and nieces if you don’t have any own children or look reasonably grown up! ;-)

To celebrate the launch of www.greatfood2buy.com, the website has teamed up with the Italian School of Cooking in Dublin to run a Christmas Artisan Food Fair on Sunday 9 December from 12:00-18:00 and everyone is invited! You can buy a wide variety of the Irish and Italian artisan foods found on the new website, including the Greatfood.ie range of chutneys, preserves and jams, hand-made traditional pasta, Italian dolci, truffle pastes, chocolate sauces and amazing fine Italian mostarda sets, all perfect for Christmas gifts.
The School is in Rathmines Park at the rear of 175A Rathgar Road, Dublin 6. See the Greatfood2buy.com or Italianschoolofcooking.ie websites for more details.

And more food and crafts:
The Red Stables at the Mount Prospect entrance to St Anne’s Park in Clontarf is hosting weekly food, arts and crafts markets on Saturdays from 10:00- 16:00. In the run up to Christmas on the 9th, 16th and 23rd of December, the Red Stables Market is hosting extra Sunday markets. They compliment the regular Saturday market and also run from 10:00-16:00. Festive Christmas fare, arts, crafts and gifts as well as fresh produce such as cheese, organic fruit & vegetables, meats, crepes, pies, ice cream, freshly baked breads and cakes will be on sale. www.redstables.ie

And if that is not enough events yet, then you can choose from a number of events at Farmleigh House www.farmleigh.ie in Phoenix Park:
Sat 08/12:
- Christmas Food Market from 10:00
- Live Crib and Children’s Christmas Room from 10:00
- Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer – Puppet Show @ 12:00, 13:45, 15:30
- Storytelling for Children @ 12:45, 14:30, 16:15
- Carol Singing with the Ballymun Gospel Choir @ 13:30
- Outdoors Christmas with The Mellowchords (Barbershop Songs) @ 14:00
Sun 09/12
- Christmas Food Market from 10:00
- Live Crib and Childrens Christmas room from 10:00
- Goldilocks and the Three Bears @12:00, 13:45, 15:30
- Storytelling for Children @ 12:45, 14:30, 16:15
- Horse and Carriage Rides @ 13:00
- European Christmas from Romania (Music) @ 14:30
- Outdoors Christmas with The Mellowchords @ 12:00
Phew, is that a long, impressive list of events in one place? And all events are free of charge! Did you know about it? If not, then that’s why you read this Event Guide! :-)))
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For the last few weeks I introduced a “permanent free event” every week. This is a free museum or event that you could visit throughout the whole year, but maybe the winter months are better suited for that. Previously featured permanent free events were Temple Bar Market, Government Buildings, National Gallery, Irish Museum of Modern Art, Aras an Uachtarian.

This week I will use the “Christmas Open Day at the museum” to remind you of the National Museum (of Decorative Arts and History) in Collins Barracks (near Heuston Station). The National Museum is subdivided into four different branches and the “branch” in Collins Barracks is housing weaponry, furniture, silver, ceramics and glassware, as well as examples of folklife and costume.
In addition to the regular exhibitions there are currently two special sections telling you all about “Soldiers and Chiefs: The Irish at War at Home and Abroad, 1550-2001″ and about “The Easter Rising: Understanding 1916″. www.museum.ie/decorative/ tells you more. Access to the museum is free and with Guided Tours, Public Lectures, Sunday Programmes AND the normal exhibitions, the National Museums really do a great job to make history as accessible as possible! Give it a chance, you will love it! And maybe tell us about it. I will happily include your report about a visit!
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Finally a number of advance notices and not weekend related events:

New Dublin Voices Sing Contemporary and Traditional Carols
on Thurs 13 Dec at 18:30 in the Contemporary Music Centre (Fishamble Street, Temple Bar). Admission free, but please contact Aoife Fitzpatrick afitzpatrick@cmc.ie or (01) 6731922 for free tickets.

The 3rd annual “12 Days of Christmas”, the Christmas Market at George’s Dock near the IFSC is starting on Monday 12 Dec. I will write more about that in next weeks Event Guide, but maybe you want to visit it before.

I mentioned a number of shows in galleries last week and will add some more in the coming weeks:
Paul Kane, who is a regular reader of this Event Guide, has a Gallery (www.thepaulkanegallery.com) at 6 Merrion Square (on the side where the American College is) and is showing “The Winter Gallery Show” from Tuesday 4th December until Saturday 22nd December. It is a group show of works by selected gallery artists including, Veronica Bolay RHA, Mary Donnelly, Chris Doris, Megan Eustace, Fiona Flinn,  Matthew O’Kane, Marc Reilly, Michelle Rogers, Wesley Triggs and others.
Paul explicitly welcomes all visitors no matter if you are currently in the market to buy some art or not! Opening hours are Tue-Fri 11:00-18:00 and Sat 12:00-17:00.

And for your information and consideration … a day in this weeks calender: On Monday (10 Dec) is Human Rights Day.

Wow, what a busy weekend! :-) I hope you will find something in this long list of events. My head is spinning after nearly four hours of searching and researching events and writing on this mail. Enjoy the Dublin Event Guide!

Have a nice weekend!

–Joerg

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Disclaimer: This Event Guide (the “Dublin 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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