The European Space Expo will visit Trinity College Dublin next week and will take place in the “Space Dome” on the Front Square in TCD. This is a spectacular travelling exhibit that shows how space and its applications provide benefits to Europe. There will be lots of activities surrounding the Space Expo visit, including space-related workshops for kids, an Irish space industry event, public talks, and lots more.

The Space Expo highlights the critical role of space and space-based technologies to Europe. In Ireland, there is an active space science and astronomy research community who have worked with the European Space Agency for many decades. What’s more, there are now over 40 Irish companies working with ESA on everything from telecommunications, to materials, to remote sensing of our oceans.

Every day there are a number of Soap Box Talks about interesting Space related topics given by talented scientists and every day at 13:00 you have a chance to remotely control a world-famous telescope on the Canary Islands and take pictures of the Sun.

The exhibition and talks seem to be targeting not just space enthusiasts or even experts, but are suitable for everyone and a schools and kids programme will target the younger audience.

I will definitely go to the Space Expo, it sounds really exciting and I’d say after ISS Commander Chris Hadfield made everything “spacey” a lot more interesting and accessible for “normal” people, this exhibition will be hugely popular. Give it a go! Admission is free!

The Trinity College Dublin Shakespeare Festival 2013 will be the biggest Shakespeare Festival ever to take place in Ireland (from 03-08 June) and it will also be the last TCD Shakespeare Festival! So if you always wanted to experience this festival or have a soft sport for Shakespeare, come to this year’s events. Do NOT postpone it to next year, there will be no next year!

Up to 500 performers, both professional and amateur will take part in over 50 outdoor performances of Shakespeare’s work in the streets and parks of Dublin to bring the greatest playwright of all time out of classrooms and libraries and into some of Dublin’s most beautiful locations.

Every day of the Festival, areas including St. Stephen’s Green, Merrion Square, Christ Church Crypt and St. Patrick’s Cathedral will host enactments of some of the most loved scenes in Shakespeare’s works.

With so many performances and so many locations I can’t list all details here. but if you go to www.dublinshakespeare.com/timetable/ you will find the schedule for all 6 days there.

The John Ford Ireland Film Symposium is taking place from 06-09 June. It will come with film screenings, panel discussions, public interviews and will cover everything that has to do with John Ford. There are some free events among the majority of non-free events and if you are interested, you should check the schedule/programme at www.johnfordireland.org/index.php/symposium-june-2013

The free events for Saturday are

11:00 Academic Panel: Ford and Ireland at the Shelbourne Hotel ( www.johnfordireland.org/index.php/john-ford-and-ireland2 )
22:15 Outdoor Screening “The Quiet Man” on Meeting House Square ( www.johnfordireland.org/index.php/free-outdoor-screening-the-quiet-man )

Admission is free, but tickets have to be booked via the link given.

Ruaille Buaille is a children’s music festival incorporating workshops, performances and outdoor events in Lucan. Some of the festival events are free and they are listed below. Nevertheless, have a look at the rest as well. The full programme is here.

Some free events at Ruaille Buaille:

Fri 07 June:
+ 11:00: Performance by White Noise Human Beatbox at Lucan Library. Interactive Beatbox performance which will combine workshop with live demonstration, a show with audience participation.
+ 15:00: World Music Workshop at Lucan Library. Itchy Feet percussionist Peter Crann will lead an African and Latin American World Music Session for all ages.

Sat 08 June:
+ 12:00: Elton’s Songwriting Workshop at Lucan Library. A lively journey of songs and rhythms, using movement, instruments, stories and puppet friends. A family event.
+ 13:30: Design a Prom’s Mask at Lucan Library. Have artist Joanne help you design a mask to wear at the mini Proms on Lucan Village Green.
+ 15:00: Mini Proms Day on Lucan Village Green. with Vladimir Jablokov (violin) and Sean Costello (tenor), Rudolf Bado (viola) and Andrew Csibi (double bass).

Sun 09 June:
+ 14:00: Percussion in the Park at Griffeen Park. Irish, African and Latin American rhythms. Learn to play the world rhythms of the music being performed by Tig Linn on the bandstand later in the afternoon. Instruments provided!
+ 15:00: 7-piece band Tig Linn Performance their Irish/Nigerian fusion on Bandstand in Griffeen Park

As part of the European Space Expo at TCD, a public lecture will take place entitled “Exploring the Radio Universe with LOFAR” with special guest speaker Dr Anna Scaife.

Dr. Scaife is a member of the Irish LOFAR radio telescope team and is an expert in radio astronomy.

Admission is free and no booking required.

This is a live stream from the FameLab International Final.

“21 young scientists from around the globe are heading to the Times Cheltenham Science Festival for the sixth FameLab International Finals. The competition – organised by the British Council and Cheltenham Festivals – aims to discover charismatic, up-and-coming scientists who inspire people to see the world from a new perspective – in just three minutes. Finalists from across Europe, Asia and Africa will compete to be named as the most exciting, accessible and charismatic science communicator.”

Admission is free and booking is via the website below.

A Butoh Dance Workshop with performance by Ambra G. Bergamasco will take place on Friday. The workshop will last approx. 1.5 hours and will be followed by the performance. Everybody is welcome. Admission is free and no previous experience is required.

“Butoh dance is a non-representational dance of which movements stem out from visualization and internal movements.
The night will offer a Butoh dance workshop of 1.5 hrs followed by a performance. The workshop will explore the themes of the performance and provides the necessary codes to understand the process that a Butoh piece is involved with, this in order to facilitate and develop the understanding of the dance form. The themes related to this event are those of mud, fire water and springing of newness.”

A free Greek and European Folk Dance class open to all. Contact Katerini Papathanasiou on papath.kat@gmail.com

Need to wind down after a tiring week? Free Sahaja Yoga Meditation (not physical yoga, but “yoga meditation”!) classes every Friday at 19:30 at 4/5 Eustace Street, Temple Bar (next to IFI, ring bell no. 3)

A drop in class, with newcomers welcome.

On Fri and Sat a BioBlitz event takes place in St. Anne’s Park. BioBlitz is an annual National Event that intends to raise biodiversity awareness for beginners and experts and invites people to get out to explore nature and discover a wide range of species of flora and fauna in their locality.

On 07 and 08 June, over a 24 hour period, Dubliners will be challenged to identify and record as many species of flora and fauna in St Anne’s Park and at North Bull Island.

On Friday evening a “Species of the Night” event takes place. There will be a Photographic Exhibition “Moths on Canvas” by Philip Strickland in the Red Stables in St. Anne’s Park. A moth trap demonstration will be set up and an evening lecture “Let’s Listen for Bats” and bat walk with Tina Aughney from Bat Conversation Ireland will take place from 20:30. Booking is essential via biodiversity@dublincity.ie

For more information about these events and a list of what will happen on Saturday, check out the event programme.

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.

“Dublin Tribal Spirit” is a weekly event that gives you the great experience of a drumming circle with african drums and authentic tribal rhythms. Tom and Sinead, who run that event are providing lots of drums for it and teach you the rhythms.

There is no formal admission charge for this event, but donations are expected. The organisers bring their own 20-30 drums to it every week, so they are looking for donations to keep the event going.

The Addison Lodge are inviting local bands, musicians, poets, comedians and performers to share their talents at the new Addison Lodge Open Mic Nights in Glasnevin (opposite the Botanic Gardens). The event will take place every week. Admission is free.

The Stillorgan Orchard provides regular live music. The upcoming gigs are detailed on the website below.

On Fri and Sat a BioBlitz event takes place in St. Anne’s Park. BioBlitz is an annual National Event that intends to raise biodiversity awareness for beginners and experts and invites people to get out to explore nature and discover a wide range of species of flora and fauna in their locality.

On 07 and 08 June, over a 24 hour period, Dubliners will be challenged to identify and record as many species of flora and fauna in St Anne’s Park and at North Bull Island.

At St. Anne’s Park there will be a Birdsong Identification Workshop at 08:00 (Booking required). At 09:30 Dublin’s Mayor Naoise O’Muiri will launch Bioblitz, Then there will be Tree Walks, Pond Dipping, walks and talks about butterflies, bees, wildflowers, creepy crawlies and much more. Lots of fun and activities for kids and for adults (Compost workshop).

All events are free, but might require pre-booking. For more information about the events and to find out were to book if required, event programme.

At North Bull Island events take place in the Interpretative Centre from 10:30-17:30. There will be talks (and walks or demonstrations) about birds, dunes, seashore creatures, seals, seashells, butterflies, wildflowers and plants. And there will be a Sand Sculpture Workshop and Parachute Games. Lots of fun for kids and the programme linked to above contains all the details.

The Dublin Food Co-op is open every Saturday at Newmarket for organic wholefoods and sustainable household products, plus over a dozen producer stalls offering organic fruit and veg., baked goods, dairy produce, wines, hot and cold food, etc. The Co-op is also open on Thursdays 12:00-20:00.

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.

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 European Space Expo will visit Trinity College Dublin next week and will take place in the “Space Dome” on the Front Square in TCD. This is a spectacular travelling exhibit that shows how space and its applications provide benefits to Europe. There will be lots of activities surrounding the Space Expo visit, including space-related workshops for kids, an Irish space industry event, public talks, and lots more.

The Space Expo highlights the critical role of space and space-based technologies to Europe. In Ireland, there is an active space science and astronomy research community who have worked with the European Space Agency for many decades. What’s more, there are now over 40 Irish companies working with ESA on everything from telecommunications, to materials, to remote sensing of our oceans.

Every day there are a number of Soap Box Talks about interesting Space related topics given by talented scientists and every day at 13:00 you have a chance to remotely control a world-famous telescope on the Canary Islands and take pictures of the Sun.

The exhibition and talks seem to be targeting not just space enthusiasts or even experts, but are suitable for everyone and a schools and kids programme will target the younger audience.

I will definitely go to the Space Expo, it sounds really exciting and I’d say after ISS Commander Chris Hadfield made everything “spacey” a lot more interesting and accessible for “normal” people, this exhibition will be hugely popular. Give it a go! Admission is free!

A free Fitness Class will take place in the Exchange and all are welcome. Admission is free.

Jamestown Flea Market + Car Boot Sale takes place every Sat+Sun from 10:00-17:00. You can reach it from Tyrconnell Road and from Kylemore Road and it is within 3 min from Black Horse stop on the red Luas line. There is free parking.

The Merchants Market on East Wall Road is a relatively new weekly market on Saturdays and Sundays with more than 80 stalls. There is everything from furniture and antiques to paintings and mirrors, electronics and hot food to bicycles and buns. Sounds interesting and I will check it out over the coming weeks. It is just a few minutes walk away from the Point Theatre/O2 (walk in the direction of the Port Tunnel). www.facebook.com/merchantsindoormarket

An indoor market in Coolock with over 40 traders with a wide range of goods and a café on site as well.

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.

The Trinity College Dublin Shakespeare Festival 2013 will be the biggest Shakespeare Festival ever to take place in Ireland (from 03-08 June) and it will also be the last TCD Shakespeare Festival! So if you always wanted to experience this festival or have a soft sport for Shakespeare, come to this year’s events. Do NOT postpone it to next year, there will be no next year!

Up to 500 performers, both professional and amateur will take part in over 50 outdoor performances of Shakespeare’s work in the streets and parks of Dublin to bring the greatest playwright of all time out of classrooms and libraries and into some of Dublin’s most beautiful locations.

Every day of the Festival, areas including St. Stephen’s Green, Merrion Square, Christ Church Crypt and St. Patrick’s Cathedral will host enactments of some of the most loved scenes in Shakespeare’s works.

With so many performances and so many locations I can’t list all details here. but if you go to www.dublinshakespeare.com/timetable/ you will find the schedule for all 6 days there.

On Fri and Sat a BioBlitz event takes place in St. Anne’s Park. BioBlitz is an annual National Event that intends to raise biodiversity awareness for beginners and experts and invites people to get out to explore nature and discover a wide range of species of flora and fauna in their locality.

On 07 and 08 June, over a 24 hour period, Dubliners will be challenged to identify and record as many species of flora and fauna in St Anne’s Park and at North Bull Island.

All events are free, but might require pre-booking. For more information about the events and to find out were to book if required, event programme.

At North Bull Island events take place in the Interpretative Centre from 10:30-17:30. There will be talks (and walks or demonstrations) about birds, dunes, seashore creatures, seals, seashells, butterflies, wildflowers and plants. And there will be a Sand Sculpture Workshop and Parachute Games. Lots of fun for kids and the programme linked to above contains all the details.

“1689 – 2012, The Irish & France: Three Centuries of Military Relations” is the title of an event in he National Museum.

A diverse panel of speakers including Dr Nathalie Genet-Rouffiac, Dr David Murphy and Professor Tom Bartlett, come together to debate and discuss Ireland’s military relationship with France, from the time of the ‘Wild Geese’ in the 17th century to the two World Wars of the early 20th century to the present day. For a full programme check Events at www.museum.ie. Booking required.

Discover the beautiful restored Victorian Walled Kitchen Garden and learn about growing your own fruit and vegetables, herbs and lots more. Meet OPW professional gardeners Brian and Meeda at the Victorian Walled Kitchen Garden. They have lots of advice to plan your perfect garden for the Spring months ahead. Please bring suitable footwear. Admission is free and car parking is available.

The Victorian Walled Kitchen Garden is located next to the Phoenix Park Visitor Centre, and the Phoenix Café. The OPW professional gardeners are on site on the second Saturday of the month, (February to November).

“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 egaldog@gmail.com or 085-2725095

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.

Eason Story Time is back. As part of Eason’s “Get Into Reading” campaign, a specially selected children’s book will be read at 11:00 each Saturday in every Eason store in the country. On the website below are the dates and book titles from now until mid-June and for the next two months I have them included here:

08 Jun: This Moose Belongs to Me by Oliver Jeffers
15 Jun: Come On, Daisy by Jane Simmons

Dublin City North Volunteer Centre, in collaboration with a committee of volunteers, has launched a monthly clean-up of the Royal Canal. Everybody is encouraged to come and help make a difference. The clean-up will have a major environmental impact on the area, making the canal surroundings cleaner and safer. Join a group of enthusiastic volunteers who want to improve their local environment.

Gloves, pickers and bags provided – just bring yourself, some team spirit and a sense of fun. We are meeting every second Saturday of the month, from 11:00-13:00. Next dates: 08 June, 13 July, 10 August. For more information on the Royal Canal Clean-Up, contact DublinCity North Volunteer Centre on 01 872 26 22 or at royalcanalteam@gmail.com. You can also join the online group www.facebook.com/groups/royalcanal.

The Ferocious Mingle Marcade (Market and Arcade) place every Thursday, Friday, Saturday and Sunday. On Sunday it is a fancy dress market. It’s a flea-market type permanent market with stalls and “chalets” for traders. The Oscar Verne Café on site and (at least at the weekends) live music adds even more character.

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 Hugh Lane Gallery on Parnell Square is situated in Charlemont House and this building is 250 years old. On Sat an Architectural Tour around the house with guide Michelle Doyle will take place.

Admission is free, but places are limited.

The next Walking Tour of Art for Art’s Sake will take place on Saturday. The tours introduce you to galleries, studios, exhibitions and artists in Dublin. They are informal and a freat opportunity to meet other people interested in art and the people who make it happen.

Meeting point this week is the Douglas Hyde Gallery. Then the tour goes to the Gallery of Photography, National Photographic Archive, White Lady Art Gallery and finish at the Icon Factory.

Participation is free, but donations are welcome. To book your place contact artforartsake.gallery@gmail.com or go to the website below to register.

A craft market takes place in the Exchange. 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. Dux & Co will offer food and the Grand Social’s Bar and Gourmet Coffee options are available.

“Hinterland Of The Poddle” is the title of this Let’s Walk & Talk event. Meet at the entrance to Eamonn Ceannt Park to take a gentle stroll in the vicinity of Eamonn Ceannt Park and rediscover some of the area’s past heritage and the influence of the forgotten River Poddle. The Let’s Walk and Talk tour is lead by historian Pat Liddy. Admission is free.

The next Popo-Up Record Fair will take place in Swweny Mongrel’s on Saturday. You will find all sorts of music from private sellers and dealers. Admission is free and when you go say Hi to Brian! :-)

Ruaille Buaille is a children’s music festival incorporating workshops, performances and outdoor events in Lucan. Some of the festival events are free and they are listed below. Nevertheless, have a look at the rest as well. The full programme is here.

Some free events at Ruaille Buaille:

Sat 08 June:
+ 12:00: Elton’s Songwriting Workshop at Lucan Library. A lively journey of songs and rhythms, using movement, instruments, stories and puppet friends. A family event.
+ 13:30: Design a Prom’s Mask at Lucan Library. Have artist Joanne help you design a mask to wear at the mini Proms on Lucan Village Green.
+ 15:00: Mini Proms Day on Lucan Village Green. with Vladimir Jablokov (violin) and Sean Costello (tenor), Rudolf Bado (viola) and Andrew Csibi (double bass).

Sun 09 June:
+ 14:00: Percussion in the Park at Griffeen Park. Irish, African and Latin American rhythms. Learn to play the world rhythms of the music being performed by Tig Linn on the bandstand later in the afternoon. Instruments provided!
+ 15:00: 7-piece band Tig Linn Performance their Irish/Nigerian fusion on Bandstand in Griffeen Park

Red Sail will be in Tower Records for an In-Store live music session. Admission is free.

Astronomy Ireland are continuing their weekly Sun Shows at the Astronomy Ireland Shop in Swords. Each Saturday, the staff of the Astronomy Ireland Shop will be showing you amazing views of our nearest star. Using special filters and some of the largest telescopes in Ireland you will get to see sunspots bigger than Earth and huge solar flare bursting from our nearest star. If it’s cloudy, there will be a telescope demonstration and you will find out how you can safely observe the Sun and undertake some daytime astronomy using your own telescope.

The IFI continues with its free “Archive at Lunchtime” screenings on three days every week in June. The theme for the whole month will be the 50th anniversary of John F Kennedy’s visit to Ireland.
The Double Bill on Saturdays is described here:
01+22 June: www.ifi.ie/film/archive-at-lunchtime-progs-1-2-june-2013/
The Monday/Wednesday and non-double-bill Saturday programmes are here
03+19 June: www.ifi.ie/film/archive-at-lunchtime-prog-1-june-2013/
05+17 June: www.ifi.ie/film/archive-at-lunchtime-prog-2-june-2013/
08+12+24+29 June: www.ifi.ie/film/archive-at-lunchtime-prog-3-june-2013/
10+26 June: www.ifi.ie/film/archive-at-lunchtime-prog-4-june-2013/
Dr. Harvey O’Brien (Film Studies Lecturer, UCD) will give an illustrated talk looking at the representations on film of the JFK visit to Ireland in 1963 in the free IFI Afternoon Talk on 27 June at 16.30, You need to book for this free event. Check the details.

The Slovak Cultural Week takes place this week in the CFCP and there are plenty of free events:

Sat 08 Jun – 14:00: Meet Slovak Artists in Ireland nd see folklore group Ostroha
Sun 09 Jun – 14:00: Family Afternoon. Open to families, friends, co-workers and neighbours.
Mon 10 Jun – 19:00: Slovak Movie Night – A documentary about Nove 1989
Tues 11 Jun – 12:00-18:00: Paintings and Photographs by Roman Burgan and Irsko.fotoklub
Thurs 13 Jun – 19:00 Integration Workshop and networking focused on activities of the Slovak community
Fri 14 Jun: 19:00 Closing event.

“The Prodigal Brother” by John Lattimore is the next Play-Reading of “New Writing” in the New Theatre. Admission is free, but a suggested donation of EUR 2 would be welcomed.

Join this Family Tour that looks at the fish in the museum. Admission is free and no booking is required.

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.

This is a weekly Saturday night jazz event in the basement Wine Cave of KC Peaches wholefood restaurant/café. Food will be served until 22:00 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 Cuba Dublin Festival takes place from 08-15 June. A variety of events take place but detailed information is a little sparse. Especially when it comes to details about admission charges, the website at www.cubadublinfestival.com could be a little more helpful.

The events that COULD be free are:

Sat 08 June: 21:00 Festival Launch Night with Live Music by “Sabor Cubano” in the Dame District (Where excatly??)
Sun 09 June: 11;00-16:00 Cuban Family Day at Wanderers RFC, 65a Merrion Road, Dublin 4 (details see below)
Sun 09 June: 18:00 Live Music by “Chakao” in Lincoln’s Inn, 18 Lincoln Place, Dublin 2 (near National Gallery)
Tue 11 June: 17:30 Cubay Rum launch in Searsons of Baggot Street. Live music from 21:00 with “Sabor Cubano”
Wed 12 June: 17:30 Santiago de Cuba Rum launch in The Bank, College Green, Dublin 2 (from 21:00 live music by “Sabor Cubano”
Wed 12 June: 21:00 Palma Cristal Launch Night in Porterhouse Temple Bar with Music by ‘Chakao’.
Thu 13 June: 17:00 Cuban Fiesta with Cuban music, drinks and food, DTwo, Harcourt Hotel, Harcourt Street, Dublin 2
Thu 13 June: 21:00 (??) Cubanero launch in Bad Bobs, Essex Street, Dublin 2 with live music by ‘Chakao’

The Cuban Family Day on 09 June will feature “Baseball matches for adults and children, Kites, Cuban food and drinks, Music, lots of Fun and surprises”.

There are a few more events taking place, but they are either not free or it is even more uncertain than for the above events. Check them out on the website below.

Two film screenings will take place in the New Theatre, 43 Essex Street, Dublin 2, but again I am not sure if they are free or not:
Wed 12 June: 15:00 Screening of Cuban Film ‘From Son to Salsa’
Thu 13 June: 15:00 Screening of Cuban Film ‘Vampires in Havana’

The Stillorgan Orchard provides regular live music. The upcoming gigs are listed on the website below.

The Who are in town! And the aftershow party will be in the Grand Social. I doubt they know it or care, but if you like The Who or other 60s classics this could be the party for you. Indietronic DJs are in charge of the mix.

The European Space Expo will visit Trinity College Dublin next week and will take place in the “Space Dome” on the Front Square in TCD. This is a spectacular travelling exhibit that shows how space and its applications provide benefits to Europe. There will be lots of activities surrounding the Space Expo visit, including space-related workshops for kids, an Irish space industry event, public talks, and lots more.

The Space Expo highlights the critical role of space and space-based technologies to Europe. In Ireland, there is an active space science and astronomy research community who have worked with the European Space Agency for many decades. What’s more, there are now over 40 Irish companies working with ESA on everything from telecommunications, to materials, to remote sensing of our oceans.

Every day there are a number of Soap Box Talks about interesting Space related topics given by talented scientists and every day at 13:00 you have a chance to remotely control a world-famous telescope on the Canary Islands and take pictures of the Sun.

The exhibition and talks seem to be targeting not just space enthusiasts or even experts, but are suitable for everyone and a schools and kids programme will target the younger audience.

I will definitely go to the Space Expo, it sounds really exciting and I’d say after ISS Commander Chris Hadfield made everything “spacey” a lot more interesting and accessible for “normal” people, this exhibition will be hugely popular. Give it a go! Admission is free!

Jamestown Flea Market + Car Boot Sale takes place every Sat+Sun from 10:00-17:00. You can reach it from Tyrconnell Road and from Kylemore Road and it is within 3 min from Black Horse stop on the red Luas line. There is free parking.

The Long Mile Road Market behind Wigoders on Long MIle Road (across the road from Aldi) hosts more than 50 stalls and there is also a Cafe on site.

The Merchants Market on East Wall Road is a relatively new weekly market on Saturdays and Sundays with more than 80 stalls. There is everything from furniture and antiques to paintings and mirrors, electronics and hot food to bicycles and buns. Sounds interesting and I will check it out over the coming weeks. It is just a few minutes walk away from the Point Theatre/O2 (walk in the direction of the Port Tunnel). www.facebook.com/merchantsindoormarket

Every Sunday, the Merrion Square Open Air Art Gallery takes place. Up to 200 artists exhibit their paintings on the railings on three sides (West, North and East) of Merrion Square and you can just enjoy the exhibition or even buy.

The Children’s Art Cart Workshops will be held again in the Phoenix Park Visitor Centre (01-6770095) every Sunday from 24 March to 22 December 2013. Currently the workshop is still free, but there is a possibility that a fee will be introduced at some point. Children must be over 6 years of age and must be supervised by an adult.
You can’t pre-book, so early arrival is required because there are only 20 places per session.

The themes are:

09 June: Animals in the Phoenix Park
16 June: Summer in the Walled Garden
23 June: Cycling in the Park.

The Cuba Dublin Festival takes place from 08-15 June. A variety of events take place but detailed information is a little sparse. Especially when it comes to details about admission charges, the website at www.cubadublinfestival.com could be a little more helpful.

The events that COULD be free are:

Sun 09 June: 11;00-16:00 Cuban Family Day at Wanderers RFC, 65a Merrion Road, Dublin 4 (details see below)
Sun 09 June: 18:00 Live Music by “Chakao” in Lincoln’s Inn, 18 Lincoln Place, Dublin 2 (near National Gallery)
Tue 11 June: 17:30 Cubay Rum launch in Searsons of Baggot Street. Live music from 21:00 with “Sabor Cubano”
Wed 12 June: 17:30 Santiago de Cuba Rum launch in The Bank, College Green, Dublin 2 (from 21:00 live music by “Sabor Cubano”
Wed 12 June: 21:00 Palma Cristal Launch Night in Porterhouse Temple Bar with Music by ‘Chakao’.
Thu 13 June: 17:00 Cuban Fiesta with Cuban music, drinks and food, DTwo, Harcourt Hotel, Harcourt Street, Dublin 2
Thu 13 June: 21:00 (??) Cubanero launch in Bad Bobs, Essex Street, Dublin 2 with live music by ‘Chakao’

The Cuban Family Day on 09 June will feature “Baseball matches for adults and children, Kites, Cuban food and drinks, Music, lots of Fun and surprises”.

There are a few more events taking place, but they are either not free or it is even more uncertain than for the above events. Check them out on the website below.

Two film screenings will take place in the New Theatre, 43 Essex Street, Dublin 2, but again I am not sure if they are free or not:
Wed 12 June: 15:00 Screening of Cuban Film ‘From Son to Salsa’
Thu 13 June: 15:00 Screening of Cuban Film ‘Vampires in Havana’

The next Fusion Sundays Market will take place this Sunday in the Dublin Food Co-op. It is a world culture market, an ethnic Bazaar, that focuses on the diverse ethnic culture present in Ireland today. The Market features a huge array of International stalls, ethnic food, live music and entertainment for kids. You can buy handmade goods, arts and crafts, recycled products, jewellery, clothes and food. The market is held every second Sunday of the month. Admission is free.

The Irish Wolfhound Championship will take place at Farmleigh House and there will be a wolfhound dog show, a native breed display by the Irish Kennel Club, the popular Farmleigh House Food Market and music at the Bandstand. 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.

Save Our Forests Ireland is inviting to Woodland Walks & Picnics around Ireland to spread the word about their “Our Forests are not for Sale” campaign.

The two events in Dublin are:

1) A Woods Walk takes place on Massy’s Estate, Killakee, Co. Dublin from 11:00-14:00
There will be chats, a walk, poetry, stories, songs tree identification, and a shared social picnic.
www.facebook.com/events/519693301399239/

2) Ticknock Forest Wall. Meeting Point is the Forest Car Park at Ticknock, Co. Dublin. Start time is 13:00
Bring a picnic and feel free to bring poems, songs, stores.
www.facebook.com/events/145584082293539/

The Ferocious Mingle Marcade (Market and Arcade) place every Thursday, Friday, Saturday and Sunday. On Sunday it is a fancy dress market. It’s a flea-market type permanent market with stalls and “chalets” for traders. The Oscar Verne Café on site and (at least at the weekends) live music adds even more character.

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

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

An indoor market in Coolock with over 40 traders with a wide range of goods and a café on site as well.

The Museum will be a hive of activity with printing demonstrations, face painting, mini children’s workshops and self-guided arts and crafts activities at the Education Area. Admission is free.

The Sundays at Noon Concert Series continues in the Sculpture Gallery at the Hugh Lane Gallery. Now in its 36th year, 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 “Triocca” (Ríona Ó Duinnín, flute; Nancy Johnson, viola; Geraldine O’Doherty, harp).

The “Dublin Sketchers” is an informal group of typically hobby artists who go somewhere different in Dublin every Sunday (e.g. National Museum, Maritime Museum, Dublin Flea Market, Farmleigh, Botanic Gardens, Dublin Castle), 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 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!

Ruaille Buaille is a children’s music festival incorporating workshops, performances and outdoor events in Lucan. Some of the festival events are free and they are listed below. Nevertheless, have a look at the rest as well. The full programme is here.

Some free events at Ruaille Buaille:

Sun 09 June:
+ 14:00: Percussion in the Park at Griffeen Park. Irish, African and Latin American rhythms. Learn to play the world rhythms of the music being performed by Tig Linn on the bandstand later in the afternoon. Instruments provided!
+ 15:00: 7-piece band Tig Linn Performance their Irish/Nigerian fusion on Bandstand in Griffeen Park

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

Come to the Family Drawing Sundays in the RHA. All children are welcome to use the RHA Art Cart, in the RHA Atrium. Admission is free. For further information, contact Ruth Carroll on 01 6612558 or via ruth@rhagallery.ie

The My Museum event “Become a Junior Scribe!” takes place and is for children aged 7-12:
Join artist and illustrator Aoife Patterson to explore the decoration of ancient Irish manuscripts, practice writing like an Early Christian monk and make your own illuminated art to take home.
Admission is free and no booking is required, but there are only 15 places and they are filled on a first come first served basis.

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

The Film Screening “Sean Scully-Art comes from Need” will take place in the Hugh Lane Gallery. Admission is free but places are limited.

The next Sunday Sketching for 7+ Year olds has the title “Islands in the Sun”. No booking necessary. Admission is free and early arrival is recommended.

Saucy Sundays is a weekly free live music afternoon and evening in the Grand Social. The line-up and links to all bands/performers are available via the Saucy Sundays Facebook Page (see link below).

The Trinity Bar, nect to the Cetntral Bank on Dame Street, has live music four nights/afternoons every week and admission is free:
Tues – 20:00: Theo Red (Alternative Rock)
Wed – 20:00: Tara Hill (Folk Rock, Celtic and Traditional)
Thurs – 20:00: Pachino Brothers (cover versions, oldies and own material)
Sun – 17:00: Traditional LIve Music

The wedding and party band The Long John Jump Band play every Sunday evening in Café en Seine. Admission is free.

The Gardiner Street Gospel Choir Mass invites to a Mass in St. Francis Xavier Church at the top of Gardiner Street near the junction with Dorset Street every Sunday at 19:30. The Gardiner Street Gospel Choir, one of the best known choirs in Ireland will sing during the mass and everybody is welcome independent from your level of religiousness.

Every Sunday a band will play from 21:00-22:30, a Latin Beat Club, Brazilian DJs and Salsa Classes (from 18:00) are additional features. 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.

The Comedy Crunch is a free Stand Up comedy downstairs in Stag’s Head, Dame Lane from 21:00 every week on Sun+Mon. 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).

Rogério from the Brazilian dance project “Forró de Lampião” in Dublin tells me: Forró de Lampião is Brazilian music that has the same roots as Samba and there is a whole culture that has developed around “forro”. Every Sunday, free dance classes take place in the Grand Social (new loation!) and if you are interested, just turn up one Sunday.

“Rhythm Rocker at The Globe” is a weekly event on Sunday night in The Globe in Sth Great Georges Street, Dublin 2. It is a Rockabilly, R’n’R, Roots night with alternating (week by week) live bands Pavement Kings, Donna & The Sazzy Catz, The Mosquitoes and The Pacifics from 21:00 and with DJs from 23:00-01:30. Admission is free.

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

The weekly Sunday Roast is a free event in the Mercantile where live music is combined with free roast potatoes. The line-up for the upcoming Sunday Roast is available via the Sunday Roast Facebook Page (see link below).

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

The Living Room describes itself as a Centre for Silence and Contemplative Arts (and has nothing to do with the pub with the same name!). The Centre is open to all with a contemplative attitude coming from any spiritual tradition or background. There are lots of free events and also other workshops (check the website). The daily free events are taking place Mondays -Fridays
+ 08:00-08:45: Common Early Morning Meditation
+ 13:00-14:00 Lunchtime Guided Meditation (Mon: John Main, Tue: Carmelite Wisdom, Wed: Centering in Love, Thurs: Tibetan Singing Bowls, Fri: Insight Meditation for Beginners)
+ 15:00-15:30: Accompanied Silence (also Mon+Wed+Thurs from 11:00-11:30)

In this one day event hosted by Intel, in association with the Science Gallery, global experts will discuss the future of water and how it impacts on people, trends, technologies, ecosystems and business opportunities. Our planet’s available water supplies are running out, poor water quality is one of the world’s biggest killers, water prices will rise, water is not replaceable, and the nexus with food and energy needs to be considered.

Admission is free, but pre-booking is required via the website below where you will also find the full schedule.

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.

As part of the Dublin Libraries’ events for Dublin Pride, Tonie Walsh of the IQA gives a talk about the history and appreciation of the LGBT civil rights movement since the early beginnings of “g ay liberation” in Ireland c.1971, state sponsored homophobia, censorship, decriminalisation and anti-violence campaigns.

Admission is free, but booking is required.

The same event will take place in Cabra Library on Tues 11 June at 18:30.

The IFI continues with its free “Archive at Lunchtime” screenings on three days every week in June. The theme for the whole month will be the 50th anniversary of John F Kennedy’s visit to Ireland.
The Double Bill on Saturdays is described here:
01+22 June: www.ifi.ie/film/archive-at-lunchtime-progs-1-2-june-2013/
The Monday/Wednesday and non-double-bill Saturday programmes are here
03+19 June: www.ifi.ie/film/archive-at-lunchtime-prog-1-june-2013/
05+17 June: www.ifi.ie/film/archive-at-lunchtime-prog-2-june-2013/
08+12+24+29 June: www.ifi.ie/film/archive-at-lunchtime-prog-3-june-2013/
10+26 June: www.ifi.ie/film/archive-at-lunchtime-prog-4-june-2013/
Dr. Harvey O’Brien (Film Studies Lecturer, UCD) will give an illustrated talk looking at the representations on film of the JFK visit to Ireland in 1963 in the free IFI Afternoon Talk on 27 June at 16.30, You need to book for this free event. Check the details.

The Slovak Cultural Week takes place this week in the CFCP and there are plenty of free events:

Sat 08 Jun – 14:00: Meet Slovak Artists in Ireland nd see folklore group Ostroha
Sun 09 Jun – 14:00: Family Afternoon. Open to families, friends, co-workers and neighbours.
Mon 10 Jun – 19:00: Slovak Movie Night – A documentary about Nove 1989
Tues 11 Jun – 12:00-18:00: Paintings and Photographs by Roman Burgan and Irsko.fotoklub
Thurs 13 Jun – 19:00 Integration Workshop and networking focused on activities of the Slovak community
Fri 14 Jun: 19:00 Closing event.

Covadonga O’Shea, one of the most powerful figures in the Spanish fashion industry and author of the best-seller “The Man from Zara: The Story of the Genius Behind the Inditex Group”, will be interviewed by the Irish Times fashion editor Deirdre McQuillen. They will enveil the secrets behind the Inditex (Zara, Pull & Bear, Massimo Duti) fashion empire and the business genius Amancio Ortega.

Admission is free.

The Choir of the Alliance Française & Eurocampus parents,now in its 4th year, will give its last concert under the direction of Laura Zimmermann. They will perform French songs, from the Renaissance to Edith Piaf and Serge Gainsbourg, without forgetting Francis Poulenc, but also a German lullaby by Kabalevski, an English madrigal by Bateson and a Hebrew song.

In addition there will some mdieval duet and trio music.

Admission is free.

At the next Dublin Cycling Campaign Public Talk, Heather Boyle and Rachel Ormrod from Cycling Ireland will talk about “Cycling Ireland – promoting cycling as an inclusive activity”.

Cycling Ireland is the National Governing Body for the Sport of Cycling in Ireland. With the aim of encouraging more people to enjoy their bike, Cycling Ireland has created a number of Programmes to make cycling accessible to everyone, regardless of age or ability. Through these programmes that have a focus on education, fun, social groups and safety, Cycling Ireland hope to develop competent cyclists with an enhanced passion for their bike.

The Monday Echo is a weekly songwriter and poetry live showcase held on Mondays in the basement of The International Bar. Usually, the show has 3 songwriters and 3 poets who perform for roughly 20 minutes each. Admission is free.
The weekly line-up can be found via the Facebook Page below.

The Comedy Crunch is a free Stand Up comedy event every Sunday and Monday. 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 4-piece band Loose Trad are performing every Monday in Mother Reilly’s. www.loosetrad.com/ Admission is free.

Every Monday, a mix of musicians from bands like The Seven Deadly Skins / Animal Cracker / Upbeat Generation / Crete Boom & more come together to play a free night of Rock & Reggae.

The Living Room describes itself as a Centre for Silence and Contemplative Arts (and has nothing to do with the pub with the same name!). The Centre is open to all with a contemplative attitude coming from any spiritual tradition or background. There are lots of free events and also other workshops (check the website). The daily free events are taking place Mondays -Fridays
+ 08:00-08:45: Common Early Morning Meditation
+ 13:00-14:00 Lunchtime Guided Meditation (Mon: John Main, Tue: Carmelite Wisdom, Wed: Centering in Love, Thurs: Tibetan Singing Bowls, Fri: Insight Meditation for Beginners)
+ 15:00-15:30: Accompanied Silence (also Mon+Wed+Thurs from 11:00-11:30)

This is the 4th Dockland’s Book Sale and never has it been publicised worse. So I need your help here. It is a brilliant event. Thousands of books will be sold for just EUR 1 each and all proceeds from the sale will be distributed to partnering agencies who provide critical services for older people living in the Docklands area.

You can help by donating unwanted books, by helping out or by buying books. I found some great books there in previous years, but unfortunately the market has now moved from a weekend event to a mid-week event. I am not sure if that will help!

I will definitely be there again this year.

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 Cuba Dublin Festival takes place from 08-15 June. A variety of events take place but detailed information is a little sparse. Especially when it comes to details about admission charges, the website at www.cubadublinfestival.com could be a little more helpful.

The events that COULD be free are:

Tue 11 June: 17:30 Cubay Rum launch in Searsons of Baggot Street. Live music from 21:00 with “Sabor Cubano”
Wed 12 June: 17:30 Santiago de Cuba Rum launch in The Bank, College Green, Dublin 2 (from 21:00 live music by “Sabor Cubano”
Wed 12 June: 21:00 Palma Cristal Launch Night in Porterhouse Temple Bar with Music by ‘Chakao’.
Thu 13 June: 17:00 Cuban Fiesta with Cuban music, drinks and food, DTwo, Harcourt Hotel, Harcourt Street, Dublin 2
Thu 13 June: 21:00 (??) Cubanero launch in Bad Bobs, Essex Street, Dublin 2 with live music by ‘Chakao’

There are a few more events taking place, but they are either not free or it is even more uncertain than for the above events. Check them out on the website below.

Two film screenings will take place in the New Theatre, 43 Essex Street, Dublin 2, but again I am not sure if they are free or not:
Wed 12 June: 15:00 Screening of Cuban Film ‘From Son to Salsa’
Thu 13 June: 15:00 Screening of Cuban Film ‘Vampires in Havana’

The film “Una hora más en Canarias / With or without love” (2010) by Director David Serrano will be presented by producer Tomás Cimadevilla. The film is in Spanish with English subtitles. Admission is free.

Brendan Lynch’s book “City of Writers – The Lives and Homes of Dublin Authors” is a guide to the homes and haunts of forty of Dublin’s best known authors. Admission is free, but you need to request tickets by sending a mail to rsvp@alliance-francaise.ie with the subject “RSVP City of Writers”.

Milk and Cookie Stories is a story telling event for for anyone who has a story to tell, or wants to hear a tale told well, in a relaxed, friendly environment – a place with tea, cushions, cookies and friends. Admission is free, everyone is welcome and stories of all kinds are welcome. If you would like to tell a story, just come along and sign up on the night, or “if you feel inspired to share your own home-baked goods with Dublin’s friendliest audience, we’ll also be having our awesome Bake-Off.”

At the March event, the theme will be “Around the World in 80 Ways”, and featured guest this month is Mark Goldman (www.storytellermark.com) – a travelling storyteller from Phoenix, Arizona.

This is a deadly event I am told and I will definitely make it to it at some stage soon. I took part in the Scavengers Assemble Treasure Hunt recently, which was organised by the people behind Milk & Cookie Stories and it was a super day out. Well organised by sooo nice and friendly people!

www.facebook.com/events/203786863107429/

Alan Jude Moore has selected 12 poets to read in this year’s Poetry Ireland Introductions, The readings will take place over 3 nights and this is the last of the 3 nights. It will feature Liam Duffy, Caoimhín Eoin Mac Unfraidh, Kerrie O’Brien, Katie Sheehan

Admission is free.

Do you want to improve your public speaking and leadership skills in a fun and supportive environment? Then this event could be perfect for you: The IE Temple Bar Toastmasters club meet every second Tuesday in the Temple Bar Hotel. And guests are invited to come for free for their first two club visit and you even get tea/coffee and biscuits.

Guests can take part in the Table Topics session where impromptu speaking skills are practised and you can sit back in the second half of the meeting and enjoy the speeches and evaluations. If you discover that the club is your cup of tea then you can join for a recession-busting subscription fee. When you go there, tell them that you found out about it in the Dublin Event Guide!

“Cabra – Encompassing A Great History & Heritage” is the title of this Le’t Walk & Talk event. Far from being just an urban housing development, Cabra absorbs or adjoins many historic sites, some of which will be explored on this walk. Admission is free.

This is an open mic night with Special Guests. Arrive, sign in (from 19:00) and play and if you are a performer you get a free beer. Admission is free.

Open Mic Night with The Last Tycoons in O’Donoghue’s on Suffolk Street every Tues from 20:00. It’s free and anyone can get up, sing a song or do whatever they like.

The Trinity Bar, nect to the Cetntral Bank on Dame Street, has live music four nights/afternoons every week and admission is free:
Tues – 20:00: Theo Red (Alternative Rock)
Wed – 20:00: Tara Hill (Folk Rock, Celtic and Traditional)
Thurs – 20:00: Pachino Brothers (cover versions, oldies and own material)
Sun – 17:00: Traditional LIve Music

The weekly “Grand Folk Club” will feature Trad, Ballads, Americana, Folk, World Music & More. This Tuesday, the line-up is: Old Hannah (Old Time /Contemporary) and Banjo Diesel (Celtic/Folk Rock). Admission is free.

White Chocolate is playing Rock Covers from 23:30 in The Mezz in Temple Bar.

The Living Room describes itself as a Centre for Silence and Contemplative Arts (and has nothing to do with the pub with the same name!). The Centre is open to all with a contemplative attitude coming from any spiritual tradition or background. There are lots of free events and also other workshops (check the website). The daily free events are taking place Mondays -Fridays
+ 08:00-08:45: Common Early Morning Meditation
+ 13:00-14:00 Lunchtime Guided Meditation (Mon: John Main, Tue: Carmelite Wisdom, Wed: Centering in Love, Thurs: Tibetan Singing Bowls, Fri: Insight Meditation for Beginners)
+ 15:00-15:30: Accompanied Silence (also Mon+Wed+Thurs from 11:00-11:30)

This is the 4th Dockland’s Book Sale and never has it been publicised worse. So I need your help here. It is a brilliant event. Thousands of books will be sold for just EUR 1 each and all proceeds from the sale will be distributed to partnering agencies who provide critical services for older people living in the Docklands area.

You can help by donating unwanted books, by helping out or by buying books. I found some great books there in previous years, but unfortunately the market has now moved from a weekend event to a mid-week event. I am not sure if that will help!

I will definitely be there again this year.

A Graduate Job Fair and information about further studies, with CV advice and free seminars. Admission is free if you register before the event at www.gradireland.com/summerfair . Otherwise it is EUR 5.

A guided walk “Fawn Tagging” with Margaret Mc Guirk will take place in Phoenix Park. Participation is free.

“Dressing for Ireland: The Gaelic League and Celtic Revival Costumes” is a tlak for adults in the National Museum.

“Find out how, in the first decades of the 20th century, some Irishmen and women expressed their desire for an independent Ireland through their clothes. Join curator of costume, Alex Ward for an illustrated talk on Irish dress and nationalism at a critical time in Irish history.”

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 Library Lunchtime Lecture by Dr Richard Sharpe, Professor of Diplomatic at Oxford and author of Roderick O’Flaherty’s Letters 1696-1709 (RIA, 2013) is entitled “Ruaidhri Ó Flaithbheartaigh through his letters: a learned Gaelic chief and his Oxford friend in 1700”. Admission is free. All are welcome.

The IFI continues with its free “Archive at Lunchtime” screenings on three days every week in June. The theme for the whole month will be the 50th anniversary of John F Kennedy’s visit to Ireland.
The Double Bill on Saturdays is described here:
01+22 June: www.ifi.ie/film/archive-at-lunchtime-progs-1-2-june-2013/
The Monday/Wednesday and non-double-bill Saturday programmes are here
03+19 June: www.ifi.ie/film/archive-at-lunchtime-prog-1-june-2013/
05+17 June: www.ifi.ie/film/archive-at-lunchtime-prog-2-june-2013/
08+12+24+29 June: www.ifi.ie/film/archive-at-lunchtime-prog-3-june-2013/
10+26 June: www.ifi.ie/film/archive-at-lunchtime-prog-4-june-2013/
Dr. Harvey O’Brien (Film Studies Lecturer, UCD) will give an illustrated talk looking at the representations on film of the JFK visit to Ireland in 1963 in the free IFI Afternoon Talk on 27 June at 16.30, You need to book for this free event. Check the details.

The Guided Walk “Wrong Plant, Wrong Place: a guided walk identifying plants that can become invasive in your garden” will take place.
When gardening today we have to be careful of the types of plants we grow. Many cultivated plants escape from our gardens, become too vigorous in the wild, invade plant habitats and threaten native plant species.

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.

Rick Yancey will be in Eason’s for a talk, Q&A and the signing of his new book “The 5th Wave”.
Admission is free, but you need tickets and you can get them at the O’Connell St Information Desk or by calling (01) 8583800.

The Cuba Dublin Festival takes place from 08-15 June. A variety of events take place but detailed information is a little sparse. Especially when it comes to details about admission charges, the website at www.cubadublinfestival.com could be a little more helpful.

The events that COULD be free are:

Wed 12 June: 17:30 Santiago de Cuba Rum launch in The Bank, College Green, Dublin 2 (from 21:00 live music by “Sabor Cubano”
Wed 12 June: 21:00 Palma Cristal Launch Night in Porterhouse Temple Bar with Music by ‘Chakao’.
Thu 13 June: 17:00 Cuban Fiesta with Cuban music, drinks and food, DTwo, Harcourt Hotel, Harcourt Street, Dublin 2
Thu 13 June: 21:00 (??) Cubanero launch in Bad Bobs, Essex Street, Dublin 2 with live music by ‘Chakao’

There are a few more events taking place, but they are either not free or it is even more uncertain than for the above events. Check them out on the website below.

Two film screenings will take place in the New Theatre, 43 Essex Street, Dublin 2, but again I am not sure if they are free or not:
Wed 12 June: 15:00 Screening of Cuban Film ‘From Son to Salsa’
Thu 13 June: 15:00 Screening of Cuban Film ‘Vampires in Havana’

Refresh Dublin is an event that promotes design, technology, usability and standards. It is part of and inspired by the Refreshing Cities movement and the intent of Refresh Dublin is to provide a cross-discipline insight into all things design, interactive, creative and technical, so that different disciplines can learn from each other.

This month’s talk is “Introducing HTML5 Audio” with Peter Munro.

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

The Italian Institute of Culture invites to a screening of opera “Rigoletto in Mantua” by Giuseppe Verdi. The film by Marco Bellocchio was made in 2010 and features Placido Domingoin the role of Rigoletto.

Admission is free everybody is welcome and there will also be some Italian Wine.

“The Eurovision Song Contest and the Performance of Europe” is a lecture by Prof Brian Singleton (TCD).
It is part of the Euro-Visions Public Lecture Series on Europe jointly organised by the IIIS and the Trinity Long Room Hub. Admission is free.

The King Kong Club is a weekly music game-show in the Mercantile. 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.

The list of performers is not yet announced on their Facebook Page and I am not sure if it will be put up there, but check it anyway.

The Trinity Bar, nect to the Cetntral Bank on Dame Street, has live music four nights/afternoons every week and admission is free:
Tues – 20:00: Theo Red (Alternative Rock)
Wed – 20:00: Tara Hill (Folk Rock, Celtic and Traditional)
Thurs – 20:00: Pachino Brothers (cover versions, oldies and own material)
Sun – 17:00: Traditional LIve Music

“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.

Traditional Irish Music Session in Hedigan’s (The Brian Boru) in Phibsborough from 21:30 every Wednesday. If you play an instrument you are especially welcome (all levels are welcome).

The Living Room describes itself as a Centre for Silence and Contemplative Arts (and has nothing to do with the pub with the same name!). The Centre is open to all with a contemplative attitude coming from any spiritual tradition or background. There are lots of free events and also other workshops (check the website). The daily free events are taking place Mondays -Fridays
+ 08:00-08:45: Common Early Morning Meditation
+ 13:00-14:00 Lunchtime Guided Meditation (Mon: John Main, Tue: Carmelite Wisdom, Wed: Centering in Love, Thurs: Tibetan Singing Bowls, Fri: Insight Meditation for Beginners)
+ 15:00-15:30: Accompanied Silence (also Mon+Wed+Thurs from 11:00-11:30)

This is the 4th Dockland’s Book Sale and never has it been publicised worse. So I need your help here. It is a brilliant event. Thousands of books will be sold for just EUR 1 each and all proceeds from the sale will be distributed to partnering agencies who provide critical services for older people living in the Docklands area.

You can help by donating unwanted books, by helping out or by buying books. I found some great books there in previous years, but unfortunately the market has now moved from a weekend event to a mid-week event. I am not sure if that will help!

I will definitely be there again this year.

The Ferocious Mingle Marcade (Market and Arcade) place every Thursday, Friday, Saturday and Sunday. On Sunday it is a fancy dress market. It’s a flea-market type permanent market with stalls and “chalets” for traders. The Oscar Verne Café on site and (at least at the weekends) live music adds even more character.

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 Waiting Room, a one day arts and health event that invites you to interact with and interrogate the rhythms, materials, and activities in waiting rooms. Forms, files, background music, and tea provided.

Book in advance or send inquiries to aplacetowait@gmail.com or just drop in on the day. Participation on various levels with the elements of Waiting Room is invited. The event is collaboratively produced by Katie Gillum and Siobhán Clancy

The Dublin Food Co-op is open every Thursday at Newmarket for organic wholefoods and sustainable household products, plus over a dozen producer stalls offering organic fruit and veg., baked goods, dairy produce, wines, hot and cold food, etc.
The Co-op is also opened on Saturdays 09:30 – 16:30. 12:00-20:00.

Ailbhe Smyth has been an “out” le sbian for many years. A born and bred “dub”, she will be talking about her life in the city, her involvement in LGBT and feminist politics and about how much has changed over the past few decades. The event is part of the Dublin Library events for Dublin Pride.

Altered Hours will be in Tower Records for a live music In-store event. Admission is free.

The In Focus Tour “Some Illuminated Manuscripts from the Western and Islamic Collections” with Mary O’Riordan will take place in the Chester Beatty Library. Admission is free, but there are only 15 places available on first come first served basis.

John O’Shea (guitar) will perform a lunchtime recital. Admission is free, donations are appreciated.

Patrick Walsh presents “An Evening with Oscar Wilde”, a light-hearted and informative presentation on the life and works of Oscar Wilde. The talk is part of the Dublin Pride events in Dublin Libraries’.

Admission is free, but booking is required.

The screening of “La Traviata a Paris” by Giuseppe Verdi takes place in the Tialian Institute of Culture. The film was produced in 2000 and is in Italian with English Subtitles.

Admission is free and everybody is welcome. There will be some Italian Wine too.

The Temple Bar Company, an organisation that represents the traders in Temple Bar, is introducing a really good idea: In June, July and August, there will be a Temple Bar Night Market (13 June, 11 July, 08 Aug), bringing artists and craft makers onto the streets of Temple Bar. A Live Painting Area will feature artists (Kathrina Rupit, Poncho, Loki, JTB, Faigy Art, Kevin Bohan and Sinead Bailey) and articles on sale at the market will include handmade soaps, candles, beadwork, fashion, upcycled arts and crafts and jewellery. There will also be live music from Super Happy Fun Times.

Great idea to use the longer and (hopefully) warm-ish nights for a new market. Check it out and tell me about it! I won’t be able to make it next Thursday, but plan to be there in July. ;-)

“The future of maths education” is a discussion with RISK LAB Curator Aoibhinn Ní Shúilleabháin, whose PhD explores new directions in maths education. She will be joined by a panel of mathematicians who have run some of the most innovative maths outreach projects of recent years.

Admission is free but pre-booking is essential via the website below.

The 2-day Symposium “Writing Home: Irish Culture and Wartime Europe, 1938-48” organised by the School of English, Trinity College Dublin will take place on Thurs and Fri.

It will start with a Poetry Reading on Thursday evening at 18:00, followed by a reception at 19:00. On Friday the talks start at 09:00 and continue until 18:00. The full programme is here.

Admission is free, but registration is required via writinghome2013@gmail.com

The decade between 1938 and 1948 was a time of immense revolutionary upheaval across Europe, but tends to have been characterised as a time of stagnation and isolation for Ireland. During these years, many Irish writers and artists travelled extensively across the continent, whilst several of their European counterparts arrived in Ireland. Taking these migrations as a starting point, the symposium will examine the history of this decade and its impact on Irish cultural memory.

The Seven Towers Agency presents poetry and prose readings on the theme of ‘Walking, Talking and Telephones’ featuring Anne Marie Crowe Serrano, Alma Brayden, Helen Dempsey and Steve Conway. Admission is free and all are welcome.

Irish Times journalist Peter Murtagh and his then 18-year-old daughter Natasha walked the Camino de Santiago de Compostela from the Pyrenees to Finesterre and wrote the book “Buen Camino!” together. It tells the story of the people they met along the way and their feelings for each other. This event is an illustrated talk of 45 minutes with live Galician music by singer Susana Garrido.

Admission is free.

The talk “WB Yeats and Florence Farr: The Reluctant Muse” with Professor Anthony Roche, UCD School of English, Drama and Film will take place and admision is free. Thee event takes place on the evening of WB Yeats birthday. And Professor Roche will discuss the relationship between Yeats and Farr, the speaking of his poetry to the playing of the psaltery, and their collaboration in the theatre.

The Dublin Writers’ Forum welcomes writers of all genres, of all ages and all levels of experience. DWF is an open group of writers who share a common passion for all things literary. It is a safe ‘working space’ where on a weekly basis writers can bring their work to be critiqued by other writers.

The Mouth on Fire Theatre Company presents a selection of Samuel Beckett’s poems in French, English and Irish (translations into Irish by Gabriel Rosenstock), interspersed with live music by harpist Anne-Marie O’Farrell and visuals by artist Margaret Lonergan. Poems will be read in French by French actress Julia Gleize, in English by actor and director Cathal Quinn and in Irish by poet Gabriel Rosenstock.

Admission is free, but booking is required by sending an e-mail to rsvp@alliance-francaise.ie with subject “RSVP Mouth on Fire”

Croupier + guests will perform in the Workman’s Club. Admission is free, but you need to book tickets via this link.

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

The Trinity Bar, nect to the Cetntral Bank on Dame Street, has live music four nights/afternoons every week and admission is free:
Tues – 20:00: Theo Red (Alternative Rock)
Wed – 20:00: Tara Hill (Folk Rock, Celtic and Traditional)
Thurs – 20:00: Pachino Brothers (cover versions, oldies and own material)
Sun – 17:00: Traditional LIve Music

Verse Chorus Verse will perform in Whelan’s supported by guests. Admission is free.

Bad Boy Jake are every Thursday until the end of February in the newly re-opened Rathmines Inn, playing their rock, blues and Americana.

The Cuba Dublin Festival takes place from 08-15 June. A variety of events take place but detailed information is a little sparse. Especially when it comes to details about admission charges, the website at www.cubadublinfestival.com could be a little more helpful.

The events that COULD be free are:

Thu 13 June: 17:00 Cuban Fiesta with Cuban music, drinks and food, DTwo, Harcourt Hotel, Harcourt Street, Dublin 2
Thu 13 June: 21:00 (??) Cubanero launch in Bad Bobs, Essex Street, Dublin 2 with live music by ‘Chakao’

There are a few more events taking place, but they are either not free or it is even more uncertain than for the above events. Check them out on the website below.

Two film screenings will take place in the New Theatre, 43 Essex Street, Dublin 2, but again I am not sure if they are free or not:
Wed 12 June: 15:00 Screening of Cuban Film ‘From Son to Salsa’
Thu 13 June: 15:00 Screening of Cuban Film ‘Vampires in Havana’

Jaime Nanci & The Blue Boys are playing a weekly gig in the Mercantile Hotel on Thursdays. Their music is swing, blues, bebop and doo wop. Admission is free.

The Max Zaska group and the Patrick Groenland group will perform on alternating Thursdays from 21:00 in the International Bar on 23 Wicklow Street.

“Thirsty Thursday” Open Mic Night from 21:00 in the Bridge Inn in Chapelizod Village.

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

The Steeple Sessions 2013 Festival is a festival of traditional and folk music, spanning over 11 weeks of the Summer, There are a few free events among the non-free events and one is taking place on Thurs.

Tricia Hutton and James Riley perform in J. McNeills, a small pub that once was a music shop.

The Living Room describes itself as a Centre for Silence and Contemplative Arts (and has nothing to do with the pub with the same name!). The Centre is open to all with a contemplative attitude coming from any spiritual tradition or background. There are lots of free events and also other workshops (check the website). The daily free events are taking place Mondays -Fridays
+ 08:00-08:45: Common Early Morning Meditation
+ 13:00-14:00 Lunchtime Guided Meditation (Mon: John Main, Tue: Carmelite Wisdom, Wed: Centering in Love, Thurs: Tibetan Singing Bowls, Fri: Insight Meditation for Beginners)
+ 15:00-15:30: Accompanied Silence (also Mon+Wed+Thurs from 11:00-11:30)

The European Science TV and New Media Festival and Awards bring together the best productions from across Europe featuring science and technology. They range from TV documentaries and drama, through innovative magazine shows to the growing range of Web and other new media output.

The Science Gallery will screen the nominated productions in Friday and admission is free. Pre-Registration is required, even if you only plan to come to one or two sessions. The full schedule is on the website below and you can register there as well.

This event continues on Saturday and Sunday.

The Ferocious Mingle Marcade (Market and Arcade) place every Thursday, Friday, Saturday and Sunday. On Sunday it is a fancy dress market. It’s a flea-market type permanent market with stalls and “chalets” for traders. The Oscar Verne Café on site and (at least at the weekends) live music adds even more character.

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.

Dublin City Council is inviting to a new series of Opera in the Park events in Merrion Square during June. The first two and the last Friday concert will be at 13:00 and on 21 June the performance will be at 20:00.

The remaining performances are Verdi’s Rigoletto, Mozarts Le Nozze di Figaro and Bizet’s Carmen and the dates are 14 June: Rigoletto, 21 June: Figaro and 28 June: Carmen.

The Slovak Cultural Week takes place this week in the CFCP and there are plenty of free events:

Sat 08 Jun – 14:00: Meet Slovak Artists in Ireland nd see folklore group Ostroha
Sun 09 Jun – 14:00: Family Afternoon. Open to families, friends, co-workers and neighbours.
Mon 10 Jun – 19:00: Slovak Movie Night – A documentary about Nove 1989
Tues 11 Jun – 12:00-18:00: Paintings and Photographs by Roman Burgan and Irsko.fotoklub
Thurs 13 Jun – 19:00 Integration Workshop and networking focused on activities of the Slovak community
Fri 14 Jun: 19:00 Closing event.

“Jonathan Swift – A Giant In A Then Literary Lilliput” is the title of this Let’s Walk & Talk event and meeting point is the Bell Tower in TCD.

“Celebrate the tercentenary of Jonathan Swift becoming Dean of St. Patrick’s Cathedral with a tour taking in many places associated with this great man. En route, you’ll hear about his work, life and times in a Dublin that was divided by the excesses of wealth and poverty. The tour will conclude at St. Patrick’s Cathedral in time for ‘Swift in his own Words’, the story of Swift’s time at the cathedral told through music, recitals and readings which takes place as part of the ‘Swift 300’ programme of events. “

Admission is free,

The new Flea Friday, a Flea Market in the Dark Hose Inn on Fridays will start from 19 April. You will find clothes, jewellery, cake, records, art, etc at the market. Admission is free.

An evening of music, recitals and readings celebrating Jonathan Swift’s time as Dean of St. Patrick’s Cathedral featuring Lyric FM’s Éamonn Lawlor; entertainer June Rogers; Reverend Adrian Empey, and the DIT Irish traditional music ensemble. Admision is free. The event is part of the programme of events “Swift 300”, the tercentenary of Jonathan Swift becoming Dean of St. Patrick’s Cathedral.

Sir Paul Nurse, President of The Royal Society, will give a discourse on “Making Science Work”. Admission is free, but booking is required and these type of events often “sell” out.

The 2-day Symposium “Writing Home: Irish Culture and Wartime Europe, 1938-48” organised by the School of English, Trinity College Dublin will take place on Thurs and Fri.

It will start with a Poetry Reading on Thursday evening at 18:00, followed by a reception at 19:00. On Friday the talks start at 09:00 and continue until 18:00. The full programme is here.

Admission is free, but registration is required via writinghome2013@gmail.com

The decade between 1938 and 1948 was a time of immense revolutionary upheaval across Europe, but tends to have been characterised as a time of stagnation and isolation for Ireland. During these years, many Irish writers and artists travelled extensively across the continent, whilst several of their European counterparts arrived in Ireland. Taking these migrations as a starting point, the symposium will examine the history of this decade and its impact on Irish cultural memory.

A free Greek and European Folk Dance class open to all. Contact Katerini Papathanasiou on papath.kat@gmail.com

Need to wind down after a tiring week? Free Sahaja Yoga Meditation (not physical yoga, but “yoga meditation”!) classes every Friday at 19:30 at 4/5 Eustace Street, Temple Bar (next to IFI, ring bell no. 3). This is a srop in class and newcomers are welcome.

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.

“Dublin Tribal Spirit” is a weekly event that gives you the great experience of a drumming circle with african drums and authentic tribal rhythms. Tom and Sinead, who run that event are providing lots of drums for it and teach you the rhythms.

There is no formal admission charge for this event, but donations are expected. The organisers bring their own 20-30 drums to it every week, so they are looking for donations to keep the event going.

The Addison Lodge are inviting local bands, musicians, poets, comedians and performers to share their talents at the new Addison Lodge Open Mic Nights in Glasnevin (opposite the Botanic Gardens). The event takes place every week. Admission is free.

The Stillorgan Orchard provides regular live music. The upcoming gigs are detailed on the website below.