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.

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 American College Football Classic celebrations between Boston College and Georgia Tech begin on Saturday with a “Pre-Game Tailgating” at Trinity College.

There will be college bands and cheer performances, live entertainment and food and drinks from 09:00-11:00. From 10:00 a free shuttle bus will bring ticket holders from the Lincoln Gate entrance of Trinity College to the Aviva Stadium. The game will kick off at 12:30 and there are still tickets available here if you are interested (EUR 30-100).

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.

Dublin City Hall has a museum/exhibition in the basement, called “The Story of the Capital”, it is an exhibition that you should definitely check out at some stage.

To celebrate the Easter Rising Anniversary, admission to that exhibititon is free for the whole year!!

Opening hours are Monday-Saturday 10:00-17:15.

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

The Magazine Fort in Phoenix Park is unusually neglected and at the same time unusually rich in history. Many have seen it as a barred off concrete fortress in a corner of Phoenix Park and even more don’t even know or have forgotten that it exists. The old Phoenix House, the home of the British Viceroy, was on the site where the fort was built from the early 17th century and then in 1734 the Fort was built and extended in 1801.

In 1916 the Fort was raided by the rebels who expected to find a lot of explosives there, but found the Fort nearly empty. In 1939 the IRA raided the Fort and stole more than a million rounds of ammunition, but most of it was recovered over the following weeks.

Since 1988, the Irish Army doesn’t use the Fort anymore and gave it back to the Office of Public Works (OPW), but not much good has happened to the Fort in the last 28 years (!!) and there were numerous speculations about the reasons for that.

Finally, this year, there will be guided tours at the Fort for three months from 31 July until the end of October. The tours take place on Sundays and Fridays at 10:00, 12:00 and 14:30 and only 20 places are available on each tour.

Tickets are available at the Phoenix Park Visitor Centre on a first come, first served basis and can not be pre-booked. A shuttle bus will bring the ticket holders to the Fort.

I definitely want to visit the Magazine Fort, so you will find me in the queue at some stage.

The County Council Market (CoCo) in Marlay Park is taking place every Saturday and Sunday. You will find a wide range of products. There will be food to eat there and food to cook at home but also crafts and arts and books and lots more.

The Temple Bar Markets (Food Market on Meeting House Square, Book Market on Temple Bar Square and the Designer Mart near Cow’s Lane) are taking place every Saturday from 10:00-16:30.

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

The Terenure 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 UCD Woodland Walkies event is a day full of guided dog walks, talks from animal experts, agility course and fun for the whole family. You can make the walk a sponsored walk and then your funds will go to the UCD Veterinary Hospital or you can just join for free.

Admission to the event is free, but registration is required. The website with all information and for the registration is alumni.ucd.ie/woodlandwalkies2016/

A German language and cultural exchange will take place on the first Saturday of every month in the cafe area of the Food Co-op. The first event will be this Saturday.

Admission seems to be 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 Community Growers invite to their Harvest Festival this Saturday.

There will be Live Music (by Barry Jay Hughes, Luke Cerkin, Aoife Leigh, Tracy Gallagher), Bee Keeping, Tango Dancing, Food Stalls, Balcony garden, Herbal Workshop, Seed Bombs, Men’s Shed, Face Painting, 1916 World Cafe and more.

Admission is free.

The exhibition “SEEING – What are you looking at?” (24 June – 25 Sept 2016) in the Science Gallery is exploring the sensory experience of vision, understanding and perception. It looks at how us human beings see by using eye tracking technology, eye tests and colour perception, but it also shows how machines see and what their limitations are.

It is a great exhibition full of intriguing exhibits, some are very clear, others need some more explanation or you should at least read the explanatory labels that every exhibit has.

Like all Science Gallery exhibitions, SEEING is suitable for all ages with a particular focus on the age group of 15-25, but I would say that children 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 and it will help you soo much more to have a better experience

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.

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

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

Admission is free.

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

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

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

Admission is free.

A free guided tour will take place at the National War Memorial at Islandbridge every Saturday at 14:00 until the end of October.

The tour will focus on World War I, in which so many Irishmen died. You will also hear about the main features of the gardens at this tour.

Meeting point is the car park at 14:00. For further information contact 01-8155914.

Paul Howard aka Ross O’Carroll Kelly will be in Eason’s in Dundrum for a book signing.

Admission will be free.

The Family Workshop in the National Gallery is for children aged 4-10 and their guardians. The theme this week is “A Riverside Picnic” and Jane Bowe will lead the activities.

Admission is free on first come first served basis.

The Childhood Cancer Foundation is invitig to the 4th “Light It Up Gold” campaign with a Candle Lit Walk in the City Centre on Saturday.

The event will start with some family fun from 16:00 and then the candle lit walk will start at 18:30, followed by a short service featuring the St John’s Gospel Choir in St Patrick’s Cathedral. St Patrick’s Cathedral will light up gold for the event and throughout September for Childhood Cancer Awareness Month.

Freddie Mercury, the Queen frontman, would have turned 70 this year and to celebrate this and also to raise funds for the Mercury Phoenix Trust, the Hard Rock Cafe is inviting to this party. There will be DJs from 17:00 playing all the favourite Freddie classics with lots of fun & games and giveaways. Put your moustache and your favourite yellow t-shirt (colour of the Mercury Phoenix Trust) on and come to Temple Bar.

It seems (but I am not 100% sure) that admission is free. Donations are welcome.

After the American Football Game in the Aviva Stadium, the post match celebrations will be back again in the “Trinity Welcome Village” in Trinity College.

The village will open from 17:00 until 22:00 (or maybe 20:00 or 21:00 depending on which page of the totally inconsistent web page your are checking). There will be live entertainment on a stage and a selection of food and drinks will be on offer.

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 Dead Leeves will play Heavy Soul at this gig in the Harbour Bar.

Admission is free.

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

Seskin Lane is a Tipperary Band and they will play a gig in Whelan’s.

Admission is free.

A group of four experienced musiciains, who have played with well known bands are coming together for this gig.

Admission is free until 22:30.

The 2 Stroke String Sessions are playing oldtime fiddle and banjo tunes and Appalachian mountain tunes.

Admission is free.

Dublin Band “Divan” will play a gig in Whelan’s from midnight.

Admission is free if you are there before 22:30.

The Surfin’ Surfers are playing Surf & Drag Music at this gig.

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 Smithfield Horse Fair was a long standing institution where for many years on the first Sunday in every month, horse traders (mainly from the travelling community) came together to sell and buy horses. If I remember right, the fair is a right that is firmly written down. However, bad treatment of animals, anti-social behaviour and other problems (even a shooting) turned this horse market into a nightmare for Dublin City.

It seems they couldn’t stop it or make it illegal, but they were able to limit the market to twice per year and so the new highly regulated Smithfield Horse Fair takes place on the first Sunday in March and in September.

Initially an attempt was made to add music, storytelling and other entertainment to the event so that the horse trading would be pushed in the background, but that didn’t work. So now it is back to horse trading as the main purpose.

Trader need to register with Dublin City and get a trading license for the day and with all these restrictions the market is definitely not what it was before … and that is a good thing and a bad thing.

Did it solve the problem? Well, it is highly unlikely that the horse traders limit themselves now to only selling and buying horses twice a year. So if they buy and sell more frequently, then that means the trading happens elsewhere where the authorities maybe can’t keep an eye on it. Consequently the problem might have gone away for Dublin, but if we don’t see it, it doesn’t mean it is not happening!

——————–

Now the big questions that people ask:
1) What is there to do?
2) I love animals. In the interest of the horses, should I go to the Horse Fair or stay away?

1) There is not much to do at the event, but you will see a good few horses and a horse fair is a bit of a spectacle.
2) Many have the concern that going to the Horse Fair would support bad treatment of animals because sellers and buyers at the fair have been found in the past to mistreat the horses and ponies. However, your attendance (or not) will not have any impact on the horse fair and will also not influence the sellers or buyers to treat the animals in any other way than they normally do. Because the authorities are expected to be there in big numbers the horse handlers are probably on their best behaviour anyway. So it is unlikely that your attendance or non-attendance will have any impact on the welfare of the animals.
I would even go one step further and suggest that you do go! You should go to show that there is interest in how the market is conducted.

Admission is free

The Ballyfermot Civic Market is a car boot sale and it is back this weekend. From now on it will run on the first and third Sunday of every month.

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.

The Farmleigh House Food & Craft Market will take place on Sunday. There will be food stalls from small food producers and also some arts stalls on the “Farmyard”.

In parallel, the Nepal Ireland Day will happen at Farmleigh House (12:00-17:00), so even more a reason to go there.

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 County Council Market (CoCo) in Marlay Park is taking place every Saturday and Sunday. You will find a wide range of products. There will be food to eat there and food to cook at home but also crafts and arts and books and lots more.

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

The Drumcondra Village Market is an arts and crafts fair in the centre of Drumcondra. There will be Food Stalls, Flea Market, Vintage Clothing, Arts&Crafts and a Pop-Up Record Store.

Admission is free.

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

The Kilkenny Shop Cafe is inviting to a Jazz Brunch Sunday every Sunday. They don’t specify who is playing at the brunch, I will see if I can find out more.

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 next Pure Vintage Fair will take place this week and it is what it says on the tin. A market/flea market for vintage items, which will take place on the first Sunday of every month. There will be vintage clothes, furniture, collectibles, jewellery and many more vintage items. Sounds interesting and with 30 stalls. There will also be food, hot drinks and a DJ.

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.

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

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

Admission is free.

The Embassy of Nepal in London, Nepal Tourism Board and Nepal Ireland Society are inviting to the Nepal Ireland Day 2016 to celebrate the 17th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between Nepal and Ireland.

There will be a a cultural programme with performances from Nepalese and Irish artists, a photo exhibition of photographs taken by Irish tourists who travelled to Nepal after the Earthquake in April 2015 and you will also find Nepalese Food Stalls, Nepalese Handcraft Stalls and various other activities and performances.

Admission is free.

The exhibition “SEEING – What are you looking at?” (24 June – 25 Sept 2016) in the Science Gallery is exploring the sensory experience of vision, understanding and perception. It looks at how us human beings see by using eye tracking technology, eye tests and colour perception, but it also shows how machines see and what their limitations are.

It is a great exhibition full of intriguing exhibits, some are very clear, others need some more explanation or you should at least read the explanatory labels that every exhibit has.

Like all Science Gallery exhibitions, SEEING is suitable for all ages with a particular focus on the age group of 15-25, but I would say that children 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 and it will help you soo much more to have a better experience

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 popular weekly classical concerts are back from this Sunday:

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 “Solo Piano Series 4” with Bojan Z (Zulfikarpasic).

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!

As part of the 1916-2016 Centenary Commemorations, a free tour will take at Arbour Hill Cemetery every Sunday at 14:00. (from March until end of October).

No booking necessary. The meeting point is at the 1916 Memorial Wall towards the back of the cemetery.

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

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

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

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

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

“All that was ever writ in brass” is the title of this talk by Brian Lalor (printmaker and writer). It is part of a free lecture series in September themed around the current exhibition “Eclectic Images: Recent Acquisitions 2011-2016”

Admission is free.

This is an interesting idea! The 11 Odeon Cinemas in Ireland will show the GAA Hurling Final between Tipperary and Kilkenny on Sunday on the big cinema screen and admission is free. The pre-match coverage starts at 15:00 and the kick off is at 15:30.

To get tickets you need to go to the website below and click on “Get your free tickets now”. Then you need to go through the normal process as if you bought a cinema tickets including using your credit card, but your credit card will NOT be charged. Alternatively you can get free tickets at the door if there are still some available.

There are 11 Odeon cinemas in Ireland and the cinemas in Dublin are Blanchardstown, Stillorgan, Point Village, Charlestown.

——————

And here is a heads-up for one that you might find even more interesting: The Odeon Cinemas do the same thing for the All Ireland Football Final on 18 Sept and you can already book the tickets the same way via the same website! Secure your tickets now if you are interested,

“In Between Silence: Where We Really Exist” is a theatrical production that captures the shared experience of creating music and stories. It is about listening and allowing our imagination to bring us on our own journey while engaging with the voice of the story teller.

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

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.

A music session for players and listeners will take place in the Hot Spot Music Club. New musicians are welcome to join in. The music styles are folk, trad, blues etc.

Admission is free.

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

Admission is free, donations are appreciated.

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

Admission is free.

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

The Firehouse Film Contest is a monthly competition and film screening for new short films (3-5 minutes) which are not older than one month. Screenings take place on the first Sunday of the month.

Admission is free.

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

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

The Gardiner Street Gospel Choir is back from this Sunday with the weekly gig/mass:

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! ;-)

Parchman Farm are a five piece classic Chicago/Texas style blues band. They will play a gig in Bray.

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 Sunday, Monday and Tuesday. Every week different comedians entertain and on top of that there is some free ice cream. The line-up can be found via the Comedy Crunch Facebook Page (see link below).

“Rhythm Rocker at The Globe” is a weekly event on Sunday night in The Globe with live music (Rockabilly) and DJs. Admission is free.

The Night Before Larry Got Stretched is a monthly traditional singing session run by a collective of young singers with an emphasis on encouraging singers of all ages to come together to share songs.

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.

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 Rock ‘n’ Rockk and Swing Band “The Jive Cats” will perform in the Mercantile every Sunday from 22:00.

Admission is free.

The Dublin Blues Cartel will be in Whelan’s again and will perform mostly a version of New Orleans R’n’B with a classic rock twist, sandwiched with swing, Rock’n’Roll, Soul, Funk, Blues and rap of all eras. Admission is free.

The wedding band “Surefire Trio” from Rush, will play a gig in the Mezz.

Admission is free.

Dublin City Hall has a museum/exhibition in the basement, called “The Story of the Capital”, it is an exhibition that you should definitely check out at some stage.

To celebrate the Easter Rising Anniversary, admission to that exhibititon is free for the whole year!!

Opening hours are Monday-Saturday 10:00-17:15.

The Dublin Fashion Festival is back from 05-11 Sept (Monday-Sunday).

Throughout the week there will be a Fashion Exhibition in Powercourt Townhouse Centre and daily free Mini Makeovers in Body Shop. From Thursday until Saturday Fashion Shows will take plays in Henry Street and Grafton Street between 12:00 and 17:00. And on Friday a Fashion Show in Powerscourt Townhouse Centre will be open for everybody from 20:00.

In-store Fashion shows will happen on Saturday and Sunday in Jervis Street Shopping Centre, Stephen’s Green Shopping Centre and Ilac Shopping Centre.

More details are on www.dff.ie/festival/schedule however, the exact times for the on-street Fashion Shows are not yet given there. Hopefully further updates will be provided or maybe the Facebook Page at www.facebook.com/DublinFashionFestival/ will be updated at some stage.
(By the way: The website claims that the Dublin Fashion Festival is this year “going to be bigger and better than ever”, but the events that are currently listed don’t seem to fulfill that promise. It looks exactly like last year’s festival.)

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.

The Alliance Francaise invites to the talk “Brexit: What impact for French residents in Ireland?” with Olivier Cadic (Senator for French living abroad) and Patricia Connell (UDI Consular Delegate in London).

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

I have to admit that I am a little confused. Since Ireland is NOT in the UK and Ireland is not leaving the EU, I can’t really see how French residents in Ireland should be affected at all. And since the UK has not even applied for exiting the EU, nobody knows anyway what will be negotiated in the end. An odd event, maybe?

This is a 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 below.

The Trinity Centre for Asian Studies is inviting to the launch of the Penguin English translation Tales of Ise, one of the seminal works of Japanese literature, by Peter MacMillan.

Along with the Tale of Genji and One Hundred Poets, One Poem Each, The Tales of Ise is considered one of the three most important works of Japanese literature. A poem-tale collection from the early Heian period, it contains many stories of amorous adventures, faithful friendship and travels in exile, framing the exquisite poems at the work’s heart.

Admission is free, but registration via tcas@tcd.ie is required.

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 Bleeding Pig Short Film Festival will take place in Keeling’s Pub in Donabate (North County Dublin) from Monday 05 Sept until Wednesday 07 Sept and admission is free.

Over the three nights the schedule will include comedy, mystery, thriller, drama and animation from award winning films from Fingal Film Festival, Chicago Irish Film Festival, Galway Film Fleadh and many more. Curated by Emma Fagan (Film publicist and volunteer with Fingal Film Festival), this event presents short films from some of the most talented emerging filmmakers in Ireland.

The full schedule can be found on the Facebook Page below.

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.

The wedding and party band The Retronauts will play a gig every Monday in the Mezz. Their music is Funk, Rock, Disco, Blues, Reggae.

Admission is free.

The Dublin Fashion Festival is back from 05-11 Sept (Monday-Sunday).

Throughout the week there will be a Fashion Exhibition in Powercourt Townhouse Centre and daily free Mini Makeovers in Body Shop. From Thursday until Saturday Fashion Shows will take plays in Henry Street and Grafton Street between 12:00 and 17:00. And on Friday a Fashion Show in Powerscourt Townhouse Centre will be open for everybody from 20:00.

In-store Fashion shows will happen on Saturday and Sunday in Jervis Street Shopping Centre, Stephen’s Green Shopping Centre and Ilac Shopping Centre.

More details are on www.dff.ie/festival/schedule however, the exact times for the on-street Fashion Shows are not yet given there. Hopefully further updates will be provided or maybe the Facebook Page at www.facebook.com/DublinFashionFestival/ will be updated at some stage.
(By the way: The website claims that the Dublin Fashion Festival is this year “going to be bigger and better than ever”, but the events that are currently listed don’t seem to fulfill that promise. It looks exactly like last year’s festival.)

“Eclectic Images: Recent Prints and Drawings Acquisitions” is the title of a talk on Tuesday in the National Gallery. Speaker will be Anne Hdoge (Curator at the NGI).

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.

“Good grief! Death, existenz and the virtues of a post-digital era” is the title of this talk by Professor Charles Ess (Department of Media and Communication, University of Oslo, Norway) and that title isn’t very helpful, for that reason I am copying the longer description:

“Recent research shows that while some people grieve and memorialize death online, some young people abandon social media in favour of ‘real life’ for the sake of shared grieving. Professor Charles Ess will review recent research, beginning with new forms of digitally-mediated healing and comfort and demonstrate how these findings signal and index broader developments.”

More information is on the website below.

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

In this lunchtime talk, Joe Buggy will introduce you to “Ten free websites for US genealogical research”. The talk is part of the NLI’s series Genealogy at Lunchtime in association with Eneclann and Ancestor Network.

Admission is free.

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

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

“Are you looking for a job or a job that’s right for you? Are you doing the right thing?” is a Business Library talk with Tom Mitchell, Senior Management Consultant, JobNet Programme, JobCare.

Admission is free, but registration is recommended via 01 8733996

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 Wildlife Trust (IWT) continues to bring you Dublin Green Drinks on the first Tuesday of every month in J.W. Sweetman’s. Green Drinks is a monthly event in 711 cities around the world to bring people with an interest in green issues together.

“The Dublin Biosphere” is the topic for the event this month.

In 2015, Dublin Bay was designated as a UNESCO Biosphere. Dr Jenni Roche, Biosphere Coordinator, will speak about the biodiversity of Dublin Bay, the UNESCO Biosphere designation and the work being undertaken by the Dublin Bay Biosphere Partnership.

Meet up on the top floor of J.W. Sweetman’s. Doors open at 18:30 and the talk is at 19:00. Admission is free.

The Public Lecture “Roger Casement, Ireland and Great Britain” with Dr Margaret O’Callaghan (Senior Lecturer, School of Politics, International Studies and Philosophy, Queen’s University, Belfast) will look at Casement’s views on Irish history and the Irish past in the context of his view of Ireland’s relationship with Great Britain.

Admission is free.

EveryTuesday at 19:00, The Dublin Language Exchange takes place in the Czech Inn. It is the biggest free meeting of people from all around Dublin that are interested in learning languages and communicate with speakers of other languages.

Admission is free and the meetup is completely informal. No booking required.

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

The King Kong Club is a weekly music game-show in Whelan’s.

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. Admission is free.

This is a weelly acoustic roots and blues session every Tuesday in Arthur’s Pub.

With Anthony Mannion(Guitar/vocals) and Luke Mercer(Guitar/vocals). Admision 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.

The Bleeding Pig Short Film Festival will take place in Keeling’s Pub in Donabate (North County Dublin) from Monday 05 Sept until Wednesday 07 Sept and admission is free.

Over the three nights the schedule will include comedy, mystery, thriller, drama and animation from award winning films from Fingal Film Festival, Chicago Irish Film Festival, Galway Film Fleadh and many more. Curated by Emma Fagan (Film publicist and volunteer with Fingal Film Festival), this event presents short films from some of the most talented emerging filmmakers in Ireland.

The full schedule can be found on the Facebook Page below.

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

The Lounge Quintet plays this gig every Tuesday: Jazz Standards, Latin and Bebop. Often guest musicians and singers join them. Admission is free, donations are welcome.

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

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

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

Every Tuesday, a pub quiz is taking place in the Woolshed.

Admission is free. Max team size is 6 people.

Entry charges at some OPW Heritage sites are waived once a month, on the “Free Wednesday”, the first Wednesday of the month. The Office of Public Works (OPW), who looks after the state owned heritage sites, wants to encourage people to visit the historic sites that it manages and has therefore started this great initiative in 2011.

Most OPW managed sites can already be visited for free (e.g. Farmleigh House, Phoenix Park, National Botanic Gardens, Pearse Museum, etc), but some sites that normally charge a fee will be free every first Wednesday as well. In the (extended) Greater Dublin Area this means you can visit the following sites for free:
+ Dublin Castle, State Apartments
+ The Casino, Marino
+ Rathfarnham Castle
+ Brú na Bóinne Visitor Centre at Newgrange
+ Glendalough Visitor Centre in Wicklow

In the past Kilmainham Gaol (the most popular site) was also on that list, but it was removed some months ago and is sorely missed. There is a high risk that the Free Wednesday will be restricted further in coming months. Use it as long as it lasts.

As you can imagine, this event is very popular and therefore it is strongly recommended to arrive early at the venues. Once the day’s tickets are given out, you will not get access anymore.

The Dublin Fashion Festival is back from 05-11 Sept (Monday-Sunday).

Throughout the week there will be a Fashion Exhibition in Powercourt Townhouse Centre and daily free Mini Makeovers in Body Shop. From Thursday until Saturday Fashion Shows will take plays in Henry Street and Grafton Street between 12:00 and 17:00. And on Friday a Fashion Show in Powerscourt Townhouse Centre will be open for everybody from 20:00.

In-store Fashion shows will happen on Saturday and Sunday in Jervis Street Shopping Centre, Stephen’s Green Shopping Centre and Ilac Shopping Centre.

More details are on www.dff.ie/festival/schedule however, the exact times for the on-street Fashion Shows are not yet given there. Hopefully further updates will be provided or maybe the Facebook Page at www.facebook.com/DublinFashionFestival/ will be updated at some stage.
(By the way: The website claims that the Dublin Fashion Festival is this year “going to be bigger and better than ever”, but the events that are currently listed don’t seem to fulfill that promise. It looks exactly like last year’s festival.)

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.

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

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

www.bookdepository.com?a_aid=dubevg

If you prefer Amazon to buy your books (for free postage you need to order a minimum of GBP 25), then use this Amazon link to help the Dublin Event Guide. Thanks!

The Temple Bar “Night” Market is more an afternoon and evening market (15:00-20:00) and it takes place every Wednesday until 28 September.

You can buy all sorts of Arts & Crafts at this market.

In previous years the missing food and drink stalls (probably to protect the pubs and restaurants in Temple Bar) was mentioned by visitors as a critique.

The Digital Repository of Ireland, the Digital Arts and Humanities (DAH) PhD programme and Marsh’s Library are co-organising this interactive seminar on the history of reading.

The seminar will introduce participants to ‘The Archaeology of Reading’, an Andrew W. Mellon Foundation-funded project to digitize, transcribe and make searchable the marginalia preserved in some of the most amazing books of the sixteenth century. It will be presented by Professor Earle Havens, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, USA and Dr Matthew Symonds, University College London.

Admission is free, but booking is required via maria.oshea@marshlibrary.ie

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.

At this Artist’s Talk with Sven Augustijnen, the artist will discuss his practice and his first museum exhibition in Ireland “The Metronome Bursts of Automatic Fire Seep Through the Dawn Mist Like Muffled Drums and We Know It for What It Is” which opens this evening.

The Money, Advice and Budgeting Service (MABS) will talk about “Dealing with Debt & Insolvency”, explaining their services with a focus on understanding insolvency and personal debt in Ireland. A Q & A session will follow.

Admission is free, but booking is required via 01-8704401

The Salon Series is a monthly talk series that showcases the creative community of The Liquor Rooms and the next topic is “Burlesque” with Bella AGoGo from the Dark Pearl Burlesque Show.

Admission is free and I am not sure if you need to book tickets, but to be on the safe side you can book via the Eventbrite site here.

Dublin PubhD or “PhD in the Pub” is an event where once every month three postgraduate or postdoctoral students will share the content of their PhD in under ten minutes and without the help of Powerpoint or other visual helps.

The event is open to all and welcomes presenters at any stage of their research degree, even those who have submitted their thesis and can offer insight into life after the PhD. Talks last ten minutes with an additional twenty minutes allocated for questions and answers.

The next Dublin PubhD event is on Wednesday in the Black Sheep Pub and the topics are Grandfathering, Spirituality and Youth suicide.

Admission is free, but unfortunately the organisers don’t mention that little, but relevant fact. (I was told in the past that it is free and I assume therefore this is still the case.)

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

07 Sept is Independence Day in Brazil and the Woolshed Baa is inviting to an Indpendence Party with Quarta Samba, Coisa d’preto and free drinks.

Admission is free.

The Anseo Comedy Club takes place every Wednesday in Anseo (upstairs).

Admission is free, donations are welcome.

The Bleeding Pig Short Film Festival will take place in Keeling’s Pub in Donabate (North County Dublin) from Monday 05 Sept until Wednesday 07 Sept and admission is free.

Over the three nights the schedule will include comedy, mystery, thriller, drama and animation from award winning films from Fingal Film Festival, Chicago Irish Film Festival, Galway Film Fleadh and many more. Curated by Emma Fagan (Film publicist and volunteer with Fingal Film Festival), this event presents short films from some of the most talented emerging filmmakers in Ireland.

The full schedule can be found on the Facebook Page below.

“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.

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

The Harleys are a popular coverband and they will be in the Mezz every Wednesday at midnight.

Admission is free.

The Dublin Fashion Festival is back from 05-11 Sept (Monday-Sunday).

Throughout the week there will be a Fashion Exhibition in Powercourt Townhouse Centre and daily free Mini Makeovers in Body Shop. From Thursday until Saturday Fashion Shows will take plays in Henry Street and Grafton Street between 12:00 and 17:00. And on Friday a Fashion Show in Powerscourt Townhouse Centre will be open for everybody from 20:00.

In-store Fashion shows will happen on Saturday and Sunday in Jervis Street Shopping Centre, Stephen’s Green Shopping Centre and Ilac Shopping Centre.

More details are on www.dff.ie/festival/schedule however, the exact times for the on-street Fashion Shows are not yet given there. Hopefully further updates will be provided or maybe the Facebook Page at www.facebook.com/DublinFashionFestival/ will be updated at some stage.
(By the way: The website claims that the Dublin Fashion Festival is this year “going to be bigger and better than ever”, but the events that are currently listed don’t seem to fulfill that promise. It looks exactly like last year’s festival.)

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 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.

Prof. Dan Bradley will talk about “Adventures in DNA: Who were the first Irish?” in this lunchtime lecture as part of the NLI’s series Genealogy at Lunchtim.

Admission is free.

A series of three illustrated talks by Michael Grant will discuss Opera Librettists and Libretti. Admission is free, but booking is required via 01-8734333 Ext 5.

Thurs 08 Sept: ‘Lorenzo da Ponte and Mozart’
Thurs 15 Sept: ’19th Century Grand Opera’
Thurs 22 Sept: ‘The librettists of Verdi and Puccini’

In these three talks, illustrated by musical examples, Michael will look at the lives and work of the literary artists who provided the plots and the libretti for many of the great opera composers.

[And if you are not sure what “libretti” really means, here is the definition that I had to look up myself because I wasn’t sure:
A libretto is the text used in, or intended for, an extended musical work such as an opera or operetta. Libretti is the plural of libretto and the librettist is the person that creates/writes the libretto.]

The Divine Comedy will celebrate the release of their new album “Foreverland” with a InStore gig and an album signing in Tower Records.

Admission is free.

The In Focus Tour “Chester Beatty’s Biblical Papyri” with Kurt Kullmann will take place.

Admission is free.

Come to this public tour of the exhibition “WWI Ireland: Exploring the Irish Experience” on the second Thursday of each month during 2016. The tour will show case material from the library’s collections and will focus on the Irish experience of this total war.

The exhibition is located at No 2/3 Kildare Street.

Admission is free.

The Spanish Film “La sonrisa verdadera” will be screened in Spanish with English subtitles. It is a documentary about a 1,300km bicycle journey undertaken by a blind, autistic boy with his brother.

Admission is free.

The next Science Gallery show will be HUMANS NEED NOT APPLY and this event is a unique opportunity to meet the people behind the exhibition and feed back on the themes and topics that will shape the show.

The good, the bad and the ugly of artificial intelligence will be discussed. Questions will be asked like can robots create art and if a computer makes it, can it be culture? And it will be discussed how humans will adapt to a world that needs our labour less and less.

Find more information on the website below. Admission is free, but booking is required via the same website.

The book launch of “Time after Time” by Jud Curtin will happen in Eason’s in O’Connell Street. There will also be “80s music and bites”.

Admission is free.

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.

“Music and Mathematics in J.S. Bach” is a talk by Prof Benedetto Scimemi (Physicist and Mathematician and piano and flute player).

Scimemi will show how music and especially J.S. Bach’s music is influenced by mathematics by creating melodies using geometrical transformations.

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

“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

An expatriate or expat is a person temporarily or permanently residing in a country other than that of their citizenship.

And this is a weekly meeting for all Expats in Dublin (new and old!). If you are new to the city, this is an excellent way to meet people.

Admission is free (no booking required!), but you are asked to give the same kind of welcoming to new members as is given to you.

Palestinian author, academic and activist Ghada Karmi will be in Dublin to launch her latest book “Return: A Palestinian Memoir”.

The event is organised by the Ireland-Palestine Solidarity Campaign and Academics for Palestine and it will take place in the Ballroom in Wynn’s Hotel. Admission is free.

Ghada Karmi will be in conversation with academic and journalist Harry Browne, and there will be time for Q&A.

A brief synopsis of the book: “Having grown up in Britain following her family’s exile from Palestine, doctor, author and academic Ghada Karmi leaves her adoptive home in a quest to return to her homeland. She starts work with the Palestinian Authority and gets a firsthand understanding of its bizarre bureaucracy under Israel’s occupation.”

Find more details via the link below.

And this is the third (!) Board Gaming night in Dublin! They are taking over! ;-)

It is a weekly event and on Thursday the focus is on Introductory Board Games, so if you haven’t for a while (or ever) played Board Games, this is for you.

Admission is free.

The Dublin Jam Session is an open Jam with full back line. It is open to all levels of musicians and singers and all genres of music and the only rule is that you must jam with others (not all your own band).

It takes place every Thursday and admission is free.

Hold Up will play their Funk, Soul and Pop at this gig in the Harbour Bar.

Admission is free.

Acoustic Brewtality with Jack Brouwer will be back in the Hard Rock Cafe.

Admission seems to be 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.

A live music open mic session, called “Keep on Trucking” takes place every Thursday in Peadar Brown’s Pub, it is presnted by Joey Magic.

Admission is free.

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

Admission is free.

A weekly Trad Music Night is taking place in McLoughlin’s in Dun Laoghaire. It is an acoustic night and all musicians are welcome. Admission is free.

Every Thursday a free Trad Session takes place in McNeills and often there are high profile Trad musicians performing.

The Woolshed Karaoke is happening every Thursday from 21:30. Anyone can participate! Admission is free.

Dublin City Hall has a museum/exhibition in the basement, called “The Story of the Capital”, it is an exhibition that you should definitely check out at some stage.

To celebrate the Easter Rising Anniversary, admission to that exhibititon is free for the whole year!!

Opening hours are Monday-Saturday 10:00-17:15.

The Dublin Fashion Festival is back from 05-11 Sept (Monday-Sunday).

Throughout the week there will be a Fashion Exhibition in Powercourt Townhouse Centre and daily free Mini Makeovers in Body Shop. From Thursday until Saturday Fashion Shows will take plays in Henry Street and Grafton Street between 12:00 and 17:00. And on Friday a Fashion Show in Powerscourt Townhouse Centre will be open for everybody from 20:00.

In-store Fashion shows will happen on Saturday and Sunday in Jervis Street Shopping Centre, Stephen’s Green Shopping Centre and Ilac Shopping Centre.

More details are on www.dff.ie/festival/schedule however, the exact times for the on-street Fashion Shows are not yet given there. Hopefully further updates will be provided or maybe the Facebook Page at www.facebook.com/DublinFashionFestival/ will be updated at some stage.
(By the way: The website claims that the Dublin Fashion Festival is this year “going to be bigger and better than ever”, but the events that are currently listed don’t seem to fulfill that promise. It looks exactly like last year’s festival.)

The Magazine Fort in Phoenix Park is unusually neglected and at the same time unusually rich in history. Many have seen it as a barred off concrete fortress in a corner of Phoenix Park and even more don’t even know or have forgotten that it exists. The old Phoenix House, the home of the British Viceroy, was on the site where the fort was built from the early 17th century and then in 1734 the Fort was built and extended in 1801.

In 1916 the Fort was raided by the rebels who expected to find a lot of explosives there, but found the Fort nearly empty. In 1939 the IRA raided the Fort and stole more than a million rounds of ammunition, but most of it was recovered over the following weeks.

Since 1988, the Irish Army doesn’t use the Fort anymore and gave it back to the Office of Public Works (OPW), but not much good has happened to the Fort in the last 28 years (!!) and there were numerous speculations about the reasons for that.

Finally, this year, there will be guided tours at the Fort for three months from 31 July until the end of October. The tours take place on Sundays and Fridays at 10:00, 12:00 and 14:30 and only 20 places are available on each tour.

Tickets are available at the Phoenix Park Visitor Centre on a first come, first served basis and can not be pre-booked. A shuttle bus will bring the ticket holders to the Fort.

I definitely want to visit the Magazine Fort, so you will find me in the queue at some stage.

This study morning will reflect on exhibitions of contemporary art in Ireland in the 1960s: Art USA Now, Francis Bacon, the Irish Exhibition of Living Art and ROSC.

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

The event is programmed in conjunction with the exhibition ‘The Best of Decades: Painting and Sculpture of the 1960s from the Collection’, which continues until 11 September.

The Franchise Show 2016 is taking place in the Main Hall at the RDS on Friday and Saturday (09+10 Sept). Over 80 franchise brands will be at this show to offer their franchising model to you.

There will also be impartial advise on Franchising, on financing and the Franchise Show is not just useful if you are looking at buying a franchise, but also if you are interested in starting a business in general. There will be general business inspirational, educational and motivational seminars, covering the essentials of successful practice.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

The Brian Meakin Band will play their unique blues rock in the Harbour Bar.

Admission is free.

The Dublin Sidewalk Astronomers meet at the Martello Tower car park in Sandymount for a public star-gazing. Members bring along their telescopes and share the wonders of the night-sky with you. Admission is free.

This event happens regularly on a Friday and is followed by a similar evening in Clontarf on Saturday.

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

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.

“Ska ‘n’ Reggae” is the theme in the Dive Bar (downstairs in Turks Head) every Friday. The Bionic Rats play live. followed by DJs until late. Admission is free.

The Dublin Blues Cartel will be in the Patriot Inn with their version of New Orleans R’n’B with a classic rock twist, sandwiched with swing, Rock’n’Roll, Soul, Funk, Blues and rap of all eras. Admission is free.