Dublin Event Guide 457: St. Patrick’s Festival Treasure Hunt, Dublin Bay Prawn Festival, Earth Hour, Big Day Out

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

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.

All dogs have to be microchipped by 01 April and Dogs Trust Ireland is doing it for free for you at this Dog Microchipping Clinic. Come to the Dog Rehoming Centre with your dog and bring photo ID and proof of address.

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 St. Patrick’s Festival Treasure Hunt is an enjoyable family-friendly event that gives you chance to explore the city following an easy trail. On the way you will visit historical locations and find answers to questions that help you to discover new aspects of Dublin.

Registration is between 10:00 and 13:00 in City Hall and – if you hurry – the trail can be completed in approx. 2 hours. But it is not a race against the clock, so if you want to take it easy on your Saturday in Dublin City, then you have until later in the afternoon (approx. 16:00) to complete the trail. There is also a shorter trail available for families with younger children.

Admission is free. You can register via the website below or register in City Hall on the day.

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.

Four free Yoga sessions take place in MVP in Dublin 8 every Saturday and every Sunday. The times are 10:00, 11:00, 12:00 and 13:00 and the duration is 1 hour. At every session only 8 places are available, so get your bookings in early (you can book weeks in advance).

The sessions can be booked following these links:

+ 10:00-11:00 Beginner
+ 11:00-12:00 Intermediate
+ 12:00-13:00 Beginner
+ 13:00-14:00 Advanced

Classes are open level, so everyone is welcome.

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.

There will be two Funfairs in Dublin for the St. Patrick’s Festival. Both won’t be too impressive, but will nevertheless provide a good bit of entertainment. Entering the Funfairs is free, but rides are understandably not.

The locations are at Merrion Square, Dublin 2 & Custom House Quay, Dublin 1 and the opening hours are

11:00-21:00 on Thurs 17 & Sat 19 March
11:00-20:00 on Sun 20 March

The Terenure Village Market has moved to Bushy Park and is from now on a weekly market.

The market has now grown to 40 stalls offering a whole variety of foods and crafts.

Admission is free.

The BQ Trio is performing as part of the Music In The City programme in the National Gallery.

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 Dublin Bay Prawn Festival is back from Friday 18 March until Sunday 20 March and you might be surprised to read about it already.

It indeed is more than a month earlier than in previous years AND it overlaps with the St. Patrick’s Day Festival. So this is either an inspired move or a really bad decision. Maybe the St. Patrick’s Day Festival doesn’t interfere too much, but for me the the Dublin Bay Prawn Festival is definitely a good weather festival. With March being still a good bit colder, I am not sure if bringing it forward is scuh a great idea. But at least Sunday is meant to be sunny, so maybe the organisers were really lucky.

The festival starts every day at 12:00 and there will be cooking demonstrations and live music among many other (free and non-free) events. The full programme is here:

Saturday: dublinbayprawnfestival.ie/saturday-26th-april/
Sunday: dublinbayprawnfestival.ie/sunday-27th-april/

The RNLI Lifeboat Station is also open from 12:00-18:00 every day (on the Middle Pier) and the Howth Coastguard Station is open from 12:00-18:00 on the West Pier.

Come to the Family Drawing every weekend (Sat+Sun) in the RHA Gallery. All children are welcome to use the RHA Art Cart, in the RHA Atrium. Find out all details via the link below.

Admission is free.

The exhibition “Field Test – Radical Adventures in Future Farming” (11 Mar – 05 Jun 2016) in the Science Gallery is exploring how farming will look like in the future and what new developments will change farming so that we can deal with the global food challenges.

From Farm Cyborgs (for example a Virtual Reality environment for chicken so that they can think they are free range), via odd, unique and forward looking foods (e.g. insects for improving your protein intake); growth houses for your home; very different seeds (e.g. beans that taste like beef) to the “LOCI Food Lab” (outside near the entrance to the Science Gallery) where you can get a customised snack, the exhibition has a lot of interesting exhibits that revealing, intriguing or surprising.

Like all Science Gallery exhibitions, FIELD TEST is suitable for all ages with a particular focus on the age group of 15-25, but I would say that chilren from 10 years of age can understand the whole exhibition if they get some additional explanations and there are even some exhibits that would work for younger children.

When you go to see the exhibition, get help from the Science Gallery mediators! They are helpers (usually students or graduates) that know the whole exhibition inside out and are very happy to help with a lot more information than the little labels at the exhibits can provide. Use their excellent service!

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

The 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.

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.

On Thursday, Friday and Saturday Street Theatre will be performed in various locations in Dublin.

+ Sat 19 March:
Colaiste Tayto will be on Barnardo’s Square (12:00-15:40)
The 4 Handed Guitarist will be in South King Street (12:30-17:30)
The Dinner Table will be at the top of Grafton Street (12:45. 14:15, 15:45)
Lords of Strut will also be at the top of Grafton Street (12:00, 13:30, 15:00)
Chapeau Magique will be at St. Stephen’s Green North (12:00-17:00)

Admission is free. More details about the performances are on the website below.

The Workers’ Republic Conference is the launch event of an Irish edition of the Jacobin Magazine. It will be a day of talks and discussions in Liberty Hall.

The magazine will explore Ireland’s revolutionary period from a socialist perspective, looking at the role played by workers and women who challenged the social order.

Topics during the day are (further details on the Facebook Page below):

+ Why #Jacobin1916
+ Ireland’s Revolution
+ Art of Rebellion
+ The Republic in the 21st Century

Admission is free and no tickets required.

The line-up for Saturday’s Music In The City in Temple Bar programme is: The Bionic Rats, The Mad Hatters

+ The Mad Hatters will play Samba grooves at 12:30 + 14:00
+ The Bionic Rats will play Ska & Reggae at 13:15 + 14:45

Admission is free.

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

The Bernard Shaw Flea Market is now a weekly market! Every Saturday there will be 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.

A series of lunchtime lectures during the St. Patrick’s Festival will explore topics connected with the 1916 Easter Rising.

The lectures are
17 March – 13:00 The Unmanageable Revolutionary
18 March – 13:00 Guinness and 1916
19 March – 13:00 Making 1916

Admission is free, but booking is required via the website here: www.stpatricksfestival.ie/events/love-my-city-events

This is an opportunity to see and handle the material culture of the Easter Rising 1916. Replica uniforms and paraphernalia of the Irish Volunteers, Cumann na mBan and the Irish Citizen Army will be presented alongside artefacts relating to the British Army and the Royal Irish Constabulary (RIC). Weaponry from the period will be demonstrated and there will also be a focus on daily life items.

Admission is free and no booking required. Suitable for all ages.

“These Are a Few of My Favourite Things” is the title of a Walking Tour that Emily Gallagher will run every Saturday. 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

Folk & Electronica 2-piece Carriages will play a gig in Thirty Four.

Admission is free.

Every Saturday a kid’s book will be ead 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.

Organised by “Not For Your Entertainment”, a youth organisation that fights the exploitation of animals under the false pretence of entertainment, this is a protest against the use and abuse of animals in circuses.

Find out more on their Facebook Event Page below.

It is called “March” against Racism, but it seems to be a rather static march: An event will take place on the Central Bank Plaza as the Irish contribution to the International Day of Action Against Racism on Saturday.

Admission is free.

An “Anti War Cultural Night” will take place in the evening in the Workman’s Club from 19:30 and it says “Donations accepted”, but since this seems like a donation on the way in, it might be more “Donations expected” than “Donation suggested”, so it doesn’t fit the criteria for full listing in the Dublin Event Guide (for Free Events).

“Older than Ireland is a landmark documentary that tells the story of a hundred years of a life as seen through the eyes of thirty Irish centenarians. Older than Ireland features thirty men and women aged 100 years and over. Often funny and at times poignant, the film explores each centenarian’s journey, from their birth at the dawn of Irish independence to their life as a centenarian in modern day Ireland. These centenarians truly are older than Ireland, they are our living history and these are their extraordinary stories.”

Come to this special screening and interview with some of the stars of the documentary.

Admission is free, but booking is required via www.stpatricksfestival.ie/events/love-my-city-events

Museum educator Trisha Ryan will bring you on a specialised tour exploring the relics of the Patron Saints of Ireland. See the St. Patrick’s Bell Shrine, St. Brigid’s Shoe Shrine and the Crozier of St. Columba, among many other treasures and learn about the Cult of the Relics in Ireland.

Admission is free and the tour is suitable from Age 12. No booking required, but places are limited and will be allocated on a first come first served basis. Meet at the Reception.

“Sowing the Seeds for Summer” with Frances Coghlan is the Family Workshop in the National Gallery this Saturday.

The free Saturday Family Workshops encourage families to enjoy creating and learning together as they explore the Gallery collection and exhibitions through drawing, crafts and storytelling.

All materials are provided. The workshops are most suitable for families with children aged 4-10.

12 Angry Men is probably one of the best films I have ever seen. The movie version is from 1957 and Henry Fonda and Jack Lemmon.

12 Angry Jurors by the Clontarf Players is based on the same play the film was based on and if they perform it only half as good as the cast in the movie, you have to see it!

The Clontarf Players have three performances planned on 18, 19 and 20 March in different churches in the area. The second one is on Saturday in the Main Chapel of the All Hallows College in Gracepark Road. And the third performance is on Sunday in St. Anthony’s Church in Clontarf.

Admission is free and donations are appreciated.

The Dublin Sidewalk Astronomers meet in Clontarf on the seafront car park, on Clontarf Road, opposite the Clontarf Bus Garage for a public star-gazing. Members bring along their telescopes and share the wonders of the night-sky with you. Admission is free.

The event is weather dependent, so check www.irishastrosoc.org/events/events.htm after 18:00 on the night in the case of poor weather, to check if it is going ahead.

Live Jazz, Blues and Soul will be provided in Barker’s Bistro every Saturday.

On Sat 19+26 March Olesya Zdorovetska (vocals) and Leopoldo Osio (piano) will perform.

Admission is free.

This is a weekly Saturday night live music event event downstairs in the Wine Cave of KC Peaches Cafe. Food will be served until 21:30 and wine, minerals & music will be available until later. Admission is free and a donation into a hat at the end of the evening is appreciated.

The Jazz Cafe has live Jazz, Blues and Soul music performances every Friday and Saturday from 20:00-22:30 and every Sunday from 13:00-16:00.

The line-up for the next gigs is:
+ Sat 19 March: Stella Bass (vocals) + band
+ Sun 20 March: Edel Meade (vocals) + Scott Flanagan (piano)

Admission is free.

Cult Called Man will play a gig in the Harbour Bar.

Admission is free.

Earth Hour is a worldwide movement that is organised by the World Wildlife Fund (WWF). To remind ourselves and each other that we must care more about our planet, you are asked to switch your lights off for one hour. Many public buildings and tourist sites are taking part and also switch their illumination off. Even Times Square in New York and the Las Vegas strip will be dark for one hour.

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

Acoustic Blues Band “One Horse Pony” is performing in Whelan’s.

Admission is free.

Soul & Party Band Santoria will play in Stepaside.

Admission is free.

The band Tetris will play a gig in the Mezz. Unfortunately I have no idea what style of music and I couldn’t find a website either.

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 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.

Meet in Marlay Park’s walled garden (beside the cafe) and come to a walk and talk on the different types of veg that grow well in the Marley veg plot. Hints and tips offered and all your grow-it-yourself questions answered. Receive a free biodegradable pot with choice of vegetable seed of all participants to take home.

This event is particularly suitable for young adults.

Admission is free. It is not requested that you book, but if you need to find out any details contact event leader Aoife Munn on 087 985 2858

Three free Yoga sessions take place in MVP in Dublin 8 every Saturday and every Sunday. The times are 10:00, 11:00, 12:00 and 13:00 and the duration is 1 hour. At every session only 8 places are available, so get your bookings in early (you can book weeks in advance).

The sessions can be booked following these links:

+ 10:00-11:00 Beginner
+ 11:00-12:00 Intermediate
+ 12:00-13:00 Beginner
+ 13:00-14:00 Advanced

Classes are open level, so everyone is welcome.

The first BIG music, CD & Record Fair is taking place this weekend in Filmbase (Sat; 10:30-19:00 / Sun 10:30-18:00). There will be 45 tables with dealers from the UK and all over Ireland. You will find CDs, DVDs, Vinyl, memorabilia and more.

Admission is normally EUR 2, but exclusively for all Dublin Event Guide Readers there is a free Sunday pass. Just go to www.irishrecordfairs.com/concession%20page.htm and either print the page or take a picture or show it (on your phone) at the door and you will get in for free!

Every Sunday a free Children’s Art Cart Workshop will take place in the Phoenix Park Visitor Centre. They are for kids aged 6-11 and the children must be accompanied by an adult.

There will be two Funfairs in Dublin for the St. Patrick’s Festival. Both won’t be too impressive, but will nevertheless provide a good bit of entertainment. Entering the Funfairs is free, but rides are understandably not.

The locations are at Merrion Square, Dublin 2 & Custom House Quay, Dublin 1 and the opening hours are

11:00-21:00 on Thurs 17 & Sat 19 March
11:00-20:00 on Sun 20 March

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.

An Easter/Spring Family Market will take place in the Food Co-op with more than 40 stalls selling ahdn crafted goods. And there will be lots of activities planned for children: art and music workshops, free face painting, free kids corner, free story reading. There will also be a workshop for the parents on communication with children and potty training.

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 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 Big Day Out is a great family day in and around Merrion Square. There will be shows and performances with acrobatics and juggling and magic, workshops, a Science Zone for Children, a petting zoo, a Children’s Garden experience, an archaeology dig, an Irish language circus and more. In addition there will be food stalls and the FunFair is also nearby.

Admission is free.

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

The Dublin Bay Prawn Festival is back from Friday 18 March until Sunday 20 March and you might be surprised to read about it already.

It indeed is more than a month earlier than in previous years AND it overlaps with the St. Patrick’s Day Festival. So this is either an inspired move or a really bad decision. Maybe the St. Patrick’s Day Festival doesn’t interfere too much, but for me the the Dublin Bay Prawn Festival is definitely a good weather festival. With March being still a good bit colder, I am not sure if bringing it forward is scuh a great idea. But at least Sunday is meant to be sunny, so maybe the organisers were really lucky.

The festival starts every day at 12:00 and there will be cooking demonstrations and live music among many other (free and non-free) events. The full programme is here:

Saturday: dublinbayprawnfestival.ie/saturday-26th-april/
Sunday: dublinbayprawnfestival.ie/sunday-27th-april/

The RNLI Lifeboat Station is also open from 12:00-18:00 every day (on the Middle Pier) and the Howth Coastguard Station is open from 12:00-18:00 on the West Pier.

Come to the Family Drawing every weekend (Sat+Sun) in the RHA. All children are welcome to use the RHA Art Cart, in the RHA Atrium. Find out all details via the link below.

Admission is free.

The exhibition “Field Test – Radical Adventures in Future Farming” (11 Mar – 05 Jun 2016) in the Science Gallery is exploring how farming will look like in the future and what new developments will change farming so that we can deal with the global food challenges.

From Farm Cyborgs (for example a Virtual Reality environment for chicken so that they can think they are free range), via odd, unique and forward looking foods (e.g. insects for improving your protein intake); growth houses for your home; very different seeds (e.g. beans that taste like beef) to the “LOCI Food Lab” (outside near the entrance to the Science Gallery) where you can get a customised snack, the exhibition has a lot of interesting exhibits that revealing, intriguing or surprising.

Like all Science Gallery exhibitions, FIELD TEST is suitable for all ages with a particular focus on the age group of 15-25, but I would say that chilren from 10 years of age can understand the whole exhibition if they get some additional explanations and there are even some exhibits that would work for younger children.

When you go to see the exhibition, get help from the Science Gallery mediators! They are helpers (usually students or graduates) that know the whole exhibition inside out and are very happy to help with a lot more information than the little labels at the exhibits can provide. Use their excellent service!

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.

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 5k St. Patrick’s Festival Race is not a free event, BUT you can watch it and cheer the participants and that will cost you not a single cent.

Start and Finish is at St. Stephen’s Green and the route will go from St. Stephen’s Green to Merrion Row, Baggot Street, Fitzwilliam Square, Herbert Street, Herbert Place, Leeson Street Bridge, Adelaide Road, Earlsfort Terrace and back to Stephen’s Green.

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 French Chamber Music with Duo Chagall and François Zeitouni, piano

The Jazz Cafe has live Jazz, Blues and Soul music performances every Friday and Saturday from 20:00-22:30 and every Sunday from 13:00-16:00.

The line-up for the next gigs is:
+ Sat 19 March: Stella Bass (vocals) + band
+ Sun 20 March: Edel Meade (vocals) + Scott Flanagan (piano)

Admission is free.

Celebrate Nowruz, the Persian New Year, by taking a journey back in time with storyteller Róisín Murphy, as she recounts tales from thousands of years of Persian culture. Suitable for all ages.

Admission is free and no booking required, but numbers are limited.

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.

This is an opportunity to see and handle the material culture of the Easter Rising 1916. Replica uniforms and paraphernalia of the Irish Volunteers, Cumann na mBan and the Irish Citizen Army will be presented alongside artefacts relating to the British Army and the Royal Irish Constabulary (RIC). Weaponry from the period will be demonstrated and there will also be a focus on daily life items.

Admission is free and no booking required. Suitable for all ages.

Come to the Family Drawing every Sunday in the RHA Gallery. All children are welcome to use the RHA Art Cart, in the RHA Atrium. Find out all details via the link below.

Admission is free.

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

Archaeologist Siobhán Rheinisch will explain the strange shapes to you that appear on ancient Stone Age passage tombs such as Loughcrew, Co. Meath. Hear what stories the experts think the carvings might reveal and be inspired to create your own megalithic art to take home.

This workshop is suitable for Ages 7+ and admission is free. Booking is required via 01 6486332. It will take place in the Learning Resource Room on the first floor.

To celebrate Saint Patrick’s Festival, storyteller Róisín Murphy will tell popular Irish stories that have been passed down through the generations, ó lámh go lámh, ó glúin go ghlúin. This event will be in English and Irish. Suitable for all ages.

Admission is free and no booking required, but numbers are limited.

“1916 – its impact on drama and literature” with Professor Margaret Kelleher (University College Dublin) is a free lecture and is part of a series of lectures that is looking at the theme of war and revolution in art.

Dermot Bolger commences his term as Writer in Residence at the National Museum with a conversation with John Sheahan, Irish violinist, tin whistle player and folk musician and the last surviving member of the original line-up of The Dubliners. He is also a composer of classics like The Marino Waltz and in recent years he has acquired a reputation as a poet, enhanced by the recent appearance of his debut collection of poems “Fiddle Dreams”.

John Sheahan will perform his latest musical composition “Lament for Michael Mallen” written in memory of one of executed leaders of the Easter Rising. He will remember friends like Luke Kelly, read from his poetry, reminisce about the many famous musicians with whom he embarked on a life-long journey through music and play some of his most beloved tunes.

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

Unlike the three branches of the National Museum, the National Print Museum is normally not free, but every Sunday there is a free public tour for the next few weeks. Every visit begins with a short audio-visual presentation where the audience can observe active retired printers providing practical demonstrations of machines from the Museum’s collection.

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

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

The event takes place every Sunday in the Cobblestone Pub. The time alternates a little: On 1st+2nd Sunday of the month it is from 16:00-19:00 and on 3rd and 4th Sunday from 18:00-22:00. And on every 4th Sunday there is also a Breton session from 15:00.

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 Sweeney’s Dixeland Jazzmen play their weekly gig on the ground floor in Sweeney’s. 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

“A-Musing” is a new Comedy Club in the Mercantile. It will feature some of Ireland’s best up and coming comedians every Sunday night.

Admission is free.

Four documentaries based on the Easter Rising will be screened on Meeting House Square. Film maker Marcus Howard has included stories about Padraig Pearse, James Connolly, Stephen Pollard and Captain Frank Henderson.

Admission is free. More details via the link below.

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! ;-)

12 Angry Men is probably one of the best films I have ever seen. The movie version is from 1957 and Henry Fonda and Jack Lemmon.

12 Angry Jurors by the Clontarf Players is based on the same play the film was based on and if they perform it only half as good as the cast in the movie, you have to see it!

The Clontarf Players have three performances planned on 18, 19 and 20 March in different churches in the area. The second one is on Saturday in the Main Chapel of the All Hallows College in Gracepark Road. And the third performance is on Sunday in St. Anthony’s Church in Clontarf.

Admission is free and donations are appreciated.

The East Coast Jazz Band will play a mix of Dixieland, Ragtime, Swing, Bossa Nova and Blues.

Admission is free.

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.

Argh Sin É doesn’t help much! There is something happening on Sunday and it is free and it is labelled “Chandelier / Boppers”, but there are no further details. No Event Page, no link, no description. I don’t even know if it is a gig, but I assume so. And they don’t tell us either when it starts, but I guess, it will happen from around 21:00.

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. Admission is free.

The Pavement Kings play Rockabilly from 21:00 and
DJs Popocorn Peete and Little Dakota follow from 23:00-01:30 with a white variety of styles (Rockabilly, Calypso, Soul, Rock ‘n’ Roll, etc).

Billy Treacy & The Ha’Penny Heads are playing Ballads, Folk, Trad and Classic Country every Sunday. Featuring Guitar, Mandolin, Fiddle and Banjo.

Every Sunday (except at Bank Holiday weekends), the Ragtime, Roots and Country Blues Band “Cool Hand Dukes” play in the Porterhouse near Grafton Street.

Pete Pamf and band will play a gig in the Mezz on Sunday night.

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.

A Carnival will take place at the Phoenix Park Visitor Centre to celebrate Worls Down Syndrome Day.

Admission is free and everybody is welcome.

Monday 21 March is Anti-Racism Day and ENAR Ireland (European Network Against Racism) has organised a lunchtime rally at the GPO to mark this day.

Admission is obviously free.

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

If you regularly or occasionally buy books online, you can help the Dublin Event Guide hugely even without having to pay cent directly. In fact you even save money this way:

Buy your books from The Book Depository and get better prices and free (!!) delivery for all orders independent from the volume and when you click on the picture here before you buy, then 5% of what normally The Book Depository would get, they give back to the Dublin Event Guide. Everybody wins!

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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!

Emily Gallagher will run a weekly “just for fun” photo trail where you get instructions to hunt for specific snaps around the city centre. Afterwards the symbolic significance to the snaps will be shared. The overall theme is “Get a glimpse of directions you may wish your life to take and discover decisions you may desire to make.”

Meeting point is the Meeting House Square.

Participation in the photo trails is free but donations are welcome and booking is required via egaldog@gmail.com or 0852725095

At the next lecture in the Centre for Early Modern History Seminar Series 2015-16, Mary O’Dowd (Queen’s University Belfast) will talk about “Marriage in Ireland, c. 1660-1800”.

Admission is free.

This is a weekly workshop in the LexIcon Library that will give a basic introduction to 3D printing and will get you started with your first 3D printed object.

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

Enda Bates (MMT composer) talks about “Introducing TRINITY 360”.

The Trinity 360 Project consists of a newly commissioned work of spatial music for Trinity Orchestra, the Cue Quartet and an eight-channel loudspeaker array, to be performed on campus on 08 April 2016. In this talk, composer Enda Bates discussed the inspiration behind this multi-movement work, the 360 audio and video recording techniques which will be used to record the performance, and how the commencements bell in the Trinity campanile (which will also be used in the concert) influenced the harmonic language of the piece.

Admission is free.

“Making ‘race’: the work of the slave-owners” is a public lecture organised by the Irish Association of Professional Historians (IAPH). Guest speaker is Professor Catherine Hall (UCL) and Professor Joe Cleary (Maynooth University) will provide a response.

Admission is free.

“An Emerging Cosmic Perspective” by Kevin Nolan (Planetary Society) will look at how the likes of Hubble Space Telescope and the ESO Very Large Telescope are affecting our perspective in the Cosmos. It will be a visually stunning talk including the latest HST and ESO multi-gigapixel images.

Admission is free.

Astronomy Ireland is inviting to a Moon & Jupiter watch, where powerful telescopes will be available for you to watch Moon, Jupiter and lots of other night sky objects.

If cloudy, a telescope exhibition and workshop will be held demonstrating how to use telescopes.

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.

The Lazy Band will play americana, folk, roots, trad, country and even a bit of soul from time to time. They will be in Arthur’s Pub for a gig on Monday and admission is free.

The Prairie Dawgs, a 1 7-piece folk/roots band will be their guests on Monday.

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.

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

Admission is free.

“WW I – The Arras Belfry (1916), 1917” with Andrew Moore, National Gallery of Ireland is – I assume – about a painting with the same name. It is part of a free lecture series throughout the month of March looking at the theme of war and revolution in art.

Admission is free.

“These Are a Few of My Favourite Things” is the title of a Walking Tour that Emily Gallagher runs on Tuesdays now as well. 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

Easter is around the corner and the Natural History Museum will show you the largest egg in the world and tell you stories about different extinct birds.

Admission is free and suitable for all ages. No booking required.

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

Merrion Press invites you to a reception to celebrate the publication of “One Bold Deed of Open Treason – The Berlin Diary of Roger Casement 1914 – 1916”, edited by Angus Mitchell.

Guest speaker Tommy Graham editor of History Ireland will talk at 17:30 and the book launch will follow at 18:15.

Admission is free.

Do you have an idea but need some help figuring out where to get started or what creative technologies might help bring the idea to life? Maybe you just want to bounce your idea off someone else?

Drop in to the Dún Laoghaire LexIcon Lab where Creative Technology Curator, Dr. Jake Rowan Byrne, other “makers” and
members of the community will be there and keen to help out.

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

Journalist Nicola Twilley is a co-host of theGastropod podcast, author of the blog Edible Geography and a contributing writer at The New Yorker. She has made a career of telling all sorts of curious food and farming stories – from the history of the calorie to the science behind how the sound of food affects its flavour – online, in audio format and in print.

In this informal talk, Nicola will take you behind the scenes on three of her favourite stories, sharing the scoop on how she comes up with ideas, tracks down sources, gets inside meat lockers and seed vaults and then, typically after much procrastination, turns all of that reporting into a compelling narrative.

Admission is free, but booking is required on the Eventbrite site here.

A new weekly Board Games night is taking place in the Black Sheep Pub. Lots of games are available and you can also bring your own.

Admission is free.

The Irish Texts Society Breandán Ó Buachalla Memorial Lecture this year is “Constructing the canon of Irish Literature from 1700 onwards” with Professor Alan Titley, UCC.

Admission is free.

Sean O’Gorman will talk about “Lives of the 1916 Leaders”.

Admission is free.

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

Every Tuesday an informal sing along with Ukulele and Toy Musical Instruments takes place in the Stag’s Head. Just bring your instrument and come along. Beginners are welcome. Admission is free and further details (and a big book of songs) are available on the Facebook Page below. The get-together meets in the “snug” in Stag’s Head.

Live sessions with the Blue Moon Folk and Blues Collective are taking place every Tuesday at the Beerhouse. Admission is free.

The Folk Club in Whelan’s will bring you the best in Trad, Ballads, Americana & World Music every Tuesday. The line-up this week is on the Facebook Page below. 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).

The Phoenix Big Band is a 16 piece band playing songs of the 1930s, 1940s and other big band arrangements and they are playing every Tuesday in the Tara Tower Hotel (since 2012!) for adult dancing. If you like to waltz, cha cha or foxtrot, come and enjoy their performance.

Admission is free.

The band plays in the main function room which is occasionally booked, so to confirm that they are playing, please ring the hotel on the day: Phone 01-2694666

Every week there is a free pub quiz in Sober Lane, the new-ish pub in Irishtown. There are lots of other weekly events happening there too, check them out here.

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.

A totally unplugged Singer/Songwriter night (no PA, no microphones) with original music is taking place upstairs in Anseo every Tuesday from 21:30.

Please check on the Facebook Page below if the event is going ahead as it seems to get cancelled every now and then and if you want to play a 15-30 min set or just want to play one song make yourself heard via the same Facebook Page.

Admission is free.

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

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

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

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

Admission is free.

The open workshop “Energy Storage in Electricity Grids” will take place in the Royal Irish Academy.

Admission is free, but places are limited and booking is required via the Eventbrite site here, where you also will find more details about the topic.

Join author and Botanic Gardens Head Guide Glynn Anderson for a guided bird walk, uncovering the rich bird life of the Gardens. Bring binoculars, if you have them, to take a closer look.

Admission is free, but booking is required via (01) 8040319/ 8570909 or via botanicgardens@opw.ie

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.

Destroyed as an object of superstition during the Reformation, St Patrick’s staff was one of the most revered objects in medieval Ireland. Recent research on early Irish crosiers has led to new discoveries, which have vastly improved our understanding of these mysterious objects.

Dr Griffin Murray from UCC will give a lecture about this topic.

Admission is free, but booking is required via 01 6486334 or email educationarch@museum.ie. The event will take place in the Ceramics Room on the first floor.

Neal Doherty (Author and Historical City Guide) will talk about “Statues and Sculptures in Dublin” at this event.

Admission is free, but booking is required via 01-6689575

The next lecture in the Centre for Contemporary Irish History Seminar Series 2015-16 is entitled “Problems in Irish women’s magazines in the 1950s and 60s” with Dr. Caitriona Clear (NUI Galway).

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.

A Francophonie Night will take place in the Lighthouse Cinema. The event will start with the screening of Benda Bilili! a 2010 musical documentary by Renaud Barret and Florent de La Tullaye that follows the Kinshasa street musician band Staff Benda Bilili, whose core members of the group are disabled due to polio. Charting the group’s progress across several years, Benda Bilili! tells a real-life story spanning humble beginnings in Kinshasa and a triumphant European tour. (with English subtitles)

A Francophone Buffet, organised by the members of the Francophonie in Ireland will wrap up the evening.

Admission is free, but places are limited and have to booked via the Eventbrite site here.

UPDATE: This event is now booked out.

In the next lecture of the RDS Speaker Series, Wolfgang Steinicke will talk about “Lord Rosse and the Deep-Sky Astronomy at Birr Castle – An Imortant Step in the History of Science”.

From 1845 to 1878, Birr Castle was among the most important centres for visual observations of nebulae and star clusters. Its main instrument was the 72-inch reflector, built by William Parsons (Lord Rosse). This talk will show how the construction of the telescope opened a new window to the universe.

After the lecture, the launch of the book “William Parsons, 3rd Earl of Rosse – Astronomy and the castle in nineteenth–century Ireland” will take place. The book is edited by Charles Mollan and provides the first comprehensive biographical account of the 3rd Earl of Rosse.

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

This is an open mic night every Wednesday. Arrive, sign up and play. Admission is free.

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

You are invited to this belated celebration of International Women’s Day through poetry and spoken word. You will hear some of Ireland’s best poetic and spoken word voices, both male and female, celebrating women in literature and life in most original and progressive ways.

There will be complimentary drinks and Be Bop Jazz Music. The event is hosted by Dharma Rain Jazz (Jasmina Susic).

Admission is free.

Join soprano Elizabeth Hilliard and composer Gráinne Mulvey in the first performance of part of the freshly-created opera Judith. The recital will be followed by a discussion, where you will find out how the show was conceived and brought to life.

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

The Anseo Comedy Club, run by comedian Aidan Killian, takes place every Wednesday in Anseo (upstairs).

Admission is free, donations are welcome.

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

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

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

Los Paradiso are playing Rockabilly, Tex Mex, Western Swing, Surf in the Leeson Lounge. Admission is free, but donations are appreciated.

The next Comedy Club will take place on Wednesday with the line-up Al Porter, Colum McDonnell, Peter Flanagan and Emma Doran. MC and organiser is comedian Colm O’Regan.

Admission is free, donations are appreciated.

Badge will play a gig in JJ Smyth’s. Badge play an eclectic mix of 70s rock and blues, including Cream, Free, Fleetwood Mac, Jeff Beck, etc.

Admission is free.

The Jazz Pigs with a classic multi-brass front line play a mix of Lounge, lively sixties Jazz and driving Funk. Every Wednesday downstairs in 4 Dame Lane. 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).

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 and to check if the tour is going ahead.

The Natterjack Toad is Ireland’s rarest amphibian and at this Drop-in activity in the Discovery Zone of the Natural History Museum, you will find out more and create your very own toad with arts and crafts.

Admission is free and no booking required. Suitable for all ages.

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.

TASC, the Think Tank for Action on Social Change, is inviting to the lunchtime seminar “These Little PIIGS Went to Market: Austerity and Divergent Recovery in the Eurozone” with Dr. Aidan Regan (Lecturer at the School of Politics and International Relations, UCD).

The idea of the lunchtime seminars is that you are invited to bring your own ‘brown bag’ lunch to eat during the seminar. Tea and coffee will be available.

Admission is free, but registration via Sylvia Byrne on 01 6169050 or sbyrne@tasc.ie is required.

In the “Political & Social Life In Dublin In 1916 Lunchtime Talks Series” the fourth and final talk will be “Dublin Protestants and the 1916 Rising” with Martin Maguire.

This talk will consider the reaction of Dublin Protestants to the Easter Rising. While for most of them the Rising only served to confirm them in their strong unionism and loyalty to the Crown, a small number of young Protestant men and women (e.g. Harry Nicholls and Kathleen Lynn), who saw themselves as bearers of a radical dissenting tradition, participated as republican rebels.

Dr Martin Maguire is a historian and senior lecturer in the Department of Humanities, Dundalk Institute of Technology. He has published many articles and book essays on the history of Irish Protestantism, with a particular focus on the workings of social class identities within Irish Protestant culture.

Admission is free.

Duet “Bradogue” are giving a lunchtime concert to commemorate the Easter Rising 1916 through some popular songs and poetry of the era and also some written at a later date in remembrance of the Rising. Bradogue are Gerard Bradshaw (guitar, harmonica, voice) and Kenneth Cronin (banjo, tin whistle, voice).

Admission is free, but booking is required. Contact the Music Library on 01-8734333 or musiclibrary@dublincity.ie

Kurt Kullman (Guide in the Chester Beatty Library) will bring you on this tour and will explain all about Chester Beatty’s Biblical Papyri.

Admission is free and no booking required.

Get behind the scenes at the National Museum and take a tour of the conservation studios. This is a great opportunity to see the work behind the scenes at the Museum and meet Museum conservators and look at some of their current conservation projects.

Admission is free, but booking is required via 01-6777444.

A weekly Forro Night (Brazilian Dance) with a Forro Live Band takes place in the D-One Bar & Brazilian Grill every Thursday.

Admission is free.

In May 2014, Raif Badawi was sentenced to 10 years behind bars, 1,000 lashes, a 10-year travel ban and a lifetime ban from appearing in the media. Raif Badawi is a prisoner of conscience; his only ‘crime’ was to set up a website for public discussion.

Amnesty International Ireland is supporting Raif Badawi for over a year and they will continue to protest outside the embassy of Saudi Arabia. Support the protest!

On Thursdays from 18:00-20:00, the Little Museum of Dublin waives all admission charges thanks to sponsor Guinness.

Visit the museum and find out lots more about Dublin.

It is a little-known fact that in Dublin during the Easter Rising thousands of the British Army soldiers that the rebels found themselves fighting against were Irish. Although they enlisted to fight in France, Flanders and beyond, by a twist of fate, these soldiers found themselves fighting against fellow Irishmen and women on the streets of Dublin.

Historian Neil Richardson will tell the story of these soldiers who ultimately became a forgotten part of their country’s history.

Admission is free and no booking required.

Historian Dr Brian Hanley will profile some of the participants in the Irish Revolution from Cabra and Phibsborough. The talk looks at those involved as Volunteers, families from the area with connections and details of incidents and activities that occurred in the area during Easter Week 1916.

Admission is free, but booking is required via 01-8691414 E: cabralibrary@dublincity.ie

The Association of Irish Composers presents “In Conversation: the Evolving Contemporary Culture”, which is part of their dedication to creating new media for discussion and presentation of new music.

This first In Conversation event will be a panel discussion on the Evolving Contemporary Culture, covering questions about how we present new music. Does the environment and culture of a concert hall best reflect the current interests of composers, performers and audiences today? Is the practise of programming classical music alongside other genres outside the concert hall merely a fad, or a gimmick?

Panel members are Sebastian Adams (RTÉ lyric fm Composer in Residence, founder/director Kirkos Ensemble) and composer Raymond Deane and the AIC’s Peter Moran. Audience members are welcome to join the debate.

Admission is free. The event will take place in the Roasted Brown Cafe in Filmbase.

Twice every year, the Central Library together with the Local Enterprise Office in Dublin City are running a series of six free Business Lectures for everybody who wants to start or grow a business. The lectures will cover subjects such as the characteristics needed to run and fund your business. Digital marketing strategies and writing business plans will also be included.

They will take place on Thursdays from 18:30-20:00 between 24 March and 28 April.

Admission is free, but booking is required here. All topics and speakers are listed on that same website, but to make it easier for you, they are also here:

24 March: Becoming a Successful Entrepreneur – How You Can Create and Produce Ideas
31 March: Creating the best Business Plan for your Business
07 April: Market Research Skills – What You Need To Do To Be Successful
14 April: Business Online – Having A Digital Plan To Help You Increase Sales
21 April: Essential Supports and Services for Entrepreneurs – Who’s Out There To Help You
28 April: Financial Support and Grants for Entrepreneurs

“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

Historian Donal Fallon will talk about Major John MacBride, soldier in the Boer War, who left his home in Glasthule on Easter Monday 1916 morning to meet his brother at the train station in Dublin. However, when he saw that a Rising was about to start he joined the Volunteers and although he did not play a key role in the Rising he was executed in Kilmainham Jail.

Every Thursday, the Xchange invites to a Language Exchange (19:00-20:30). Admission is free.

The Bionic Rats will play their mix of Ska, Reggea and Rocksteady at this gig in Bray.

Admission is free.

Dimestore Recordings run a weekly event in Sweeney Mongrel’s with a variety of bands and performers. It starts at 20:00, follow the link for the line up.

The King Kong Club has left the Mercantile and will from now on take place in Whelan’s. It is a weekly music game-show where each week 6-7 bands/solo artists play three songs each. At the end of all the performances a clap-off with the King Kong Club Clap-o-Meter takes place and the winner goes through to a semi-final and it all culminates after six months of competition with The Grand Final, held in front of a panel of celebrity judges.

Check the Facebook Page below for the line-up.

Normally the King Kong Club is on Wednesdays, but either this is also changing or it is only this week that it will take place on Thursday according to the Facebook page here: www.facebook.com/events/1708352872721614

Admission is free.

“The Stans – Plant exploring in Afghanistan, Uzbekistan, Tajikistan and Kyrgyzstan” is a talk by John Mitchell, of the Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh. He will introduce you to the rare and beautiful plants of these parts of the world. John has spent a great deal of time in these areas training students in the Hindu Kush, exploring the Wakhan Corridor and the valleys near Dushanbe while seeking out rare plants.

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.

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.

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.

Good Friday is a very important day in Ireland. It is SO important that it even has its own laws. It is also a confusing day.

It is confusing because it is a bank holiday, but NOT a public holiday, so most companies work normally, but banks don’t. Why it wasn’t declared a public holiday is surprising, considering that the day was made so “special” through other laws. “Catholic Ireland” still reigns, as long as these old laws (from 1927) that were totally influenced by the catholic church are still in effect.

The laws forbid the sale of alcohol on Good Friday and therefore all pubs and many restaurants close on that day. The restaurants could stay open, because there are exceptions to the law and these exceptions are as stupid as the law itself.

If you are travelling, you are allowed to buy alcohol, so the restaurants in Irish Trains, in airports, railway stations, on ferries and in hotels (only with food) can sell beer and wine etc. So, you can get alcohol in Connolly Station if you are travelling, but not if you stay put! So to be allowed to drink you need a ticket that is for a minimum distance of 40km. How stupid!

If you are on a ship in Ireland (even on the canals), you are also allowed to buy alcohol. Why? Nobody knows!

More silly loopholes? Sure! Go to a play in a theatre and you are allowed to drink your pint. But go to a reading/gig/concert and you are not allowed! Nonsensical! And the last one: If you gamble you are allowed to drink, but seemingly only at the dog races.

Don’t get me wrong, I am NOT of the opinion that alcohol is a basic food item and a day (or more) without alcohol is definitely a good thing for everybody, but I am also totally against stupid laws. And I am against the influence of any religious organisation on a state. If someone wants to follow rules of a religious organisation in their own life, they should have the freedom to do so, but nobody else should be forced to follow these same rules.

Mind you the reaction by the people to the laws is as nonsensical as the laws themselves: There will be long queues in Off license shops on Thursday night because panic sets in if the pubs are closed for one day. A societal addiction to alcohol

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.

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!

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.

An international football match is on, but all pubs are closed because of Good Friday. Well, not all of them are closed: I found that the Woolshed Baa and Grill (Parnell Street) is open from 12:00-22:00 with live music from 15:00 and they will show the Ireland vs Switzerland match from 19:45.

Imagine all the football fans that are coming over from Switzerland and want to enjoy Dublin a bit before and after the match and they find pubs and restaurants closed. Odd! And the other odd thing: In the Lansdowne Road Stadium (Aviva) the crowd will be able to buy alcohol, but nowhere else near the stadium.