As part of Culture Night 2013, BlueFire is hosting an Intercultural Festival from 12:00-22:00 on Wolfe Tone Square. It brings together the fantastic array of arts from all the different communities residing in Ireland and following on from the day events at Wolfe Tone Square will be a range of gigs and events in Sweeney’s Bar until late.

The outdoor event will have

Markets, Children’s Activities, Circus Workshops, Yoga Workshops, Food, Dance, Music, Djembe Drumming Workshop and a Buskers Corner (Line up on the Facebook Page below).

All information and more details about the night event in Sweeney’s Bar are on the Faceboo Page below.

It is THAT time of the year again! :-O Yes, Oktober is coming closer and closer and traditionally the Oktoberfest in Dublin takes place in September. This year from 19 Sept – 06 Oct. It is a German Beer Festival with Erdinger Weissbräu Beer, lots of German Bavarian Food (I love the Schweinshaxen!) and awful ;-) (but typical and authentic) Bavarian music.

Opening hours are Sun-Wed 12:00-23:00 and Thurs-Sat: 12:00-00:30.

The Festival Tent is on the platform in George’s Dock and there are severe admission restrictions (quantity of people). With already huge but still growing popularity of the Oktoberfest, this means there will be long queues already from around 17:30. You can get beer and some food next to the CHQ building as well, so you don’t have to queue to get into the tent, but if that is what you want, you might need to pre-book.

Admission is free, but after 22:00 an somewhat strange wristband system kicks in whereby you have to buy a wristband for EUR 6 that gives you a EUR 5 food voucher. Allegedly licensing rules force them to do that.

The Culture Night is one of the best events of the year and I really hope you will find the time to take part. I know people who “build” their work assignments avoiding to be away on Culture Night and a friend of mine even travels more than 1300km to be in Dublin for Culture Night.

On Friday Night from 17:00-23:00 museums, galleries and other venues are open late and there will be entertainment all over the city. The central virtual hub of Culture Night has traditionally been in and around Temple Bar (The Temple Bar Cultural Trust is the main organiser), but it is by far not limited to that area. And the best? All tours, concerts and performances are free (even in venues that normally charge for admission). Some require booking, though and for others the queues will be VERY long.

Nearly 200 venues take part and there are concerts, art demonstrations, museum and gallery tours, theatre performances, a Family Culture Trail, dance taster classes and lots more.

I will include a few events here, but they are just a teaser! :-) The full programme includes all events and it wouldn’t make sense if I copied all that.

The full downloadable programme is here www.culturenight.ie/wp-content/uploads/culture-night-2013-programme.pdf and there is also an iPhone app and there will be an Android app available in the next few days. Check on the website below for further details. The Culture Night Brochure is available from the Tourist Office in Suffolk Street and from any of the Dublin City Bid kiosks in town.

On Culture Night in Dublin, there will be free transport between the different quarters, organised and run by Dublin Bus. Culture Night visitors will also be able to enjoy a diverse programme on each bus, including spoken word, music and theatre performance.

Take your kids on an imaginative journey of discovery and join the special Family Culture Trail, an initiative comprised of 12 separate organisations, which will present fascinating objects of discovery from The Stokes Tapestry to The Great Auk. Each intriguing object will be surrounded by a range activities and specially staged events on Culture Night.

“Gutenberg and the Printing Press”. Love books and wonder where they came from? Find the inventor of the printed word, Johann Gutenberg, at a special printing press in the Museum and discover the traditional craft of letterpress. Together you can roll up your sleeves and print your very own poster.

These interactive activities are suitable for all the family including printing demonstrations, music, arts and crafts at the Education Area and mini workshops for adults and children.

The RTÉ Concert Orchestra will perform in Meeting House Square. The special flagship concert will feature popular classics as well as a performance of a specially commissioned piece which has been composed in celebration of Culture Night by contemporary Irish composer Stephen Gardener. The fanfare and entire concert will be broadcast live from the outdoor venue on RTÉ 1’s Arena.

The Dublin School of Flamenco at the Liffey Trust Studios invites you to a taste of flamenco and find that it’s not just about dance steps, you will learn about rhythm and clapping too. Everyone is welcome to join and admission is free.
From 17:45-18:30 a Taster class for Children & Families will take place and later from 20:45-21:30 a Taster class for Adults will tempt you. www.culturenight.ie/venue/dublin-school-of-flamenco/

Flamenco on the LUAS: Between 18:45 and 20:00, the LUAS Red Line will become the Flamenco Express. Students from the Dublin School of Flamenco take you through a rhythmical journey. Hop on and clap – hop off and catch them dancing at The Point and Smithfield stops. All details and the full schedule is here: www.culturenight.ie/venue/flamenco-on-the-move/

The Ranelagh Arts Festival takes place from 16-29 September and there are plenty of free events taking place. have a look at the website below to see the full programme.

The book launch of “Memories of Life in Dublin’s notorious Tenements” by Terry Fagan and the North Inner City Folklore Project will take place. Admission is free.

The Alliance Francaise will be hosting the creation of a giant “blind” mural fresco under the watchful eye of Rony Sidon. No matter what your age, you will have the chance to draw or paint, leave your mark and make whatever you wish. There will be music to entertain you and after completion, the giant drawing will be rolled up, before being fully revealed at 20:45. The finished artwork will be on display for the next 10 days. Paint and markers will be provided and admission is free.

D-Riculous All Stars are performing in the “Live from the Window” slot at 19:00 and admission is free.

YAY Voice (You Are Your Voice) is a class focused on learning about how your body supports and delivers your voice. The class is taught by an Alexander technique teacher and a voice coach with Roy Hart training. You will explore how you produce your voice, be it for talking, presenting, teaching, singing or performing. And you will uncover your own ability to make sounds you never thought possible. The course helps building confidence in communication and is suitable for everyone, no experience is necessary. Talkers, presenters, teachers, actors, performers, singers for fun, everyone will benefit.

These classes are normally not free, but because it is Culture Night, the class is this week free for everyone.

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.

The ladies behind Bare Hands Poetry and The Ash Sessions come together to host ‘Baring Our Ashes After Hours’ – a completely acoustic night of poetry & music in the Ranelagh Village Market space as part of the Ranelagh Arts Festival. Admission is free.

Performers are Liza Flume, Rubaiyat, Deco Greene, Jane Willow, Philip Lynch, Alvy Carragher & Eamon McGuinness.

They even have a promo video: www.youtube.com/watch?v=KjRMR1_-NzQ Check it out.

The Blades Club & The Young Fold are perfoming in the Midnight Club. Admission is free if you arrive before 22:30.

“Sculpture in Context” is a brilliant idea and concept: It is Ireland’s largest outdoor sculpture exhibition were beautiful sculptures from talented artists are perfectly integrated in the amazing Botanic Garden.

“The gardens are not only a botanical haven, and a quiet oasis on the outskirts of a modern European City; they also provide a challenging venue that gives the artist the rare opportunity of realising large-scale work. The sculptures will be displayed throughout the gardens, ponds, Great Palm House, and Curvilinear Range, with the smaller works exhibited in the gallery above the Visitor Centre. On Saturdays throughout the exhibition, you will have a rare opportunity to join the artists for a guided tour throughout the exhibition. “

Admission is free. Thursday is the first day of this year’s exhibition, which will run until 18 October. I will mention the exhibition a few times, but not every day until October.

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 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.

Like nearly all other runs, this is not an event you can take part in for free, but you can cheer on the runners and support them and that part is free. ;-)

On a vacant site where a few years ago still social housing was standing, the voluntary arts collective, Upstart, has created a big urban Pop-up Park, called Granby Park. The park opened on Thursday and will be there until 22 Sept. During this time a whole range of events will take place in the park and nearly all of them will be free.

“Urban Park” usually means that you have to go a bit easy on your expectations regarding plants and greenery, but if you consider that work only started in July, you can imagine that the term “park” has to be interpreted a good bit wider. One thing is certain, though: It will be nicer than Wolf Tone Square, which Dublin City at times likes to call “Wolfe Tone Park”.

Granby Park will be open Mon-Fri from 08:00-19:00 and Sat&Sun from 10:00-19:00 and you are invited to visit it. Food & Drink will be sold on site, but alcohol is not permitted.

I strongly recommend that you check it out and I will also tell you about the upcoming events in the next few weeks.

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.

Dublin’s first cable wakeboarding competition is taking place at the Wakedock Wake Park in the Grand Canal Dock. The competition is the Irish leg of the Grassroots Tour, a series of wakeboard competitions run across the UK and Ireland.

Wakeboarders from Ireland and the UK are competing in several divisions from rookie to pro. During the day there will be pro-demos, the Monster Energy crew will be there with some surprises and Irish Champion David O’Caoimh will be guest commentator on the day.

Practice is kicking off at 10:00, with the competition starting at 15:00. Admission is free for all spectators and the best place for viewing will be on Hanover Quay in front of the Mabos warehouse. Check out www.vimeo.com/69794310 to get an idea of what cable wakeboarding is all about.

“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.

As part of Eason’s Get Into Reading campaign, there will be a reading of a specially selected children’s book at 11:00 each Saturday in every Eason store in the country. The schedule of Story Time books, covering mid-June through mid-September, is on the website below.

And children attending the in-store kids’ book readings throughout the summer will receive their own Story Time Reward Card and they will get a special Story Time sticker on their card for each reading they attend. Children who collect three stickers will receive a free copy of Tyrannosaurus Drip by Julia Donaldson. For more information check the website below too.

Five times this year the “People’s Art 2013″ exhibition will take place. It is an art exhibition on the rails/fence of St. Stephen’s Green. If you want to exhibit at one of the events in the future, check the website for cost and conditions. Visiting the People’s Art Exhibition is free. Specific start and end times are not defined, but exhibition space has to be occupied by 11:00, so 11:00 is the latest start time. The event runs from Friday until Sunday, but Sat+Sun will most likely be the main days.

People’s Art Dublin is a voluntary, part time, non profit making group, brought together by Dublin City Council to promote the visual arts to the public of Dublin. A huge variety of art/paintings are displayed and if the weather is nice it is a great art-filled stroll around Stephen’s Green. Definitely recommended!

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.

Only two more Yoga in the Park before the winter break! And I head that the collection target for the Simon Community Collection has not yet been reached but is oh so near! So, enjoy the Yoga class!

This is the fourth year for “Yoga in the Park” and I think it is a brilliant initiative for a very worthy cause. From May until September, Fiona from www.twopalmsyoga.com and her team of teachers invite to an hour of Yoga in Phoenix Park every Saturday. No booking is required and you decide how much you give, the class is donation based.

All proceeds go to the Dublin Simon Community, a charity that does invaluable work for the homeless people in Dublin. Just bring a mat or a towel, some water and (hopefully) even some sun protection to the class. Should the weather be bad, the bandstand will be shelter or even training location. The training is suitable for all levels, so even total beginners are very welcome.

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 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.

Second last weekend of this exhibition!

The current Science Gallery exhibition “ILLUSION: Nothing is as it seems” will run from 12 July-29 Sept and is really interesting. Admission is free.

The exhibition is all about Illusions and it is a “perception-shattering insight into the human mind, playfully combining the techniques used by magicians and explored by psychologists.”

More than 20 installations will deceive your eyes (and ears) and will show you that what we perceive is often radically different from the reality. You will find impressive and amazing things, but nothing will be boring! The exhibition is suitable for all ages, so bring your children or – if you don’t have any – just bring yourself.

I have seen nearly every Science Gallery exhibition and I would say this is definitely one of the best.

ILLUSION was curated by psychologist, author and magician Richard Wiseman, and was researched by deception artist Paul Gleeson and a large group of mediators are available in the gallery to explain all the things that you see (or hear) to you.

(During the week (Tues-Fri) the exhibition is open until 20:00 and from 12:00 and on Sat+Sun; 12:00-18:00).

The next Ink Slingers Creative Writing Hour will take place on Sat. It seems that admission is free, but it doesn’t explicitly say that on the website, so you might want to check.

The hour includes writing exercises and prompts to get ideas flowing. It is open to everyone and is suitable for all levels of experience

It is THAT time of the year again! :-O Yes, Oktober is coming closer and closer and traditionally the Oktoberfest in Dublin takes place in September. This year from 19 Sept – 06 Oct. It is a German Beer Festival with Erdinger Weissbräu Beer, lots of German Bavarian Food (I love the Schweinshaxen!) and awful ;-) (but typical and authentic) Bavarian music.

Opening hours are Sun-Wed 12:00-23:00 and Thurs-Sat: 12:00-00:30.

The Festival Tent is on the platform in George’s Dock and there are severe admission restrictions (quantity of people). With already huge but still growing popularity of the Oktoberfest, this means there will be long queues already from around 17:30. You can get beer and some food next to the CHQ building as well, so you don’t have to queue to get into the tent, but if that is what you want, you might need to pre-book.

Admission is free, but after 22:00 an somewhat strange wristband system kicks in whereby you have to buy a wristband for EUR 6 that gives you a EUR 5 food voucher. Allegedly licensing rules force them to do that.

The next ToeJam Carboot Sales is taking place on Saturday, but oddly it has been very very badly advertised/announced. Hopefully a good few more people will find out through this posting. It is a Carboot Sales where the car is optional. Lat time I was there, the Carboot Sale took place indoors, which was quite a novel experience. Oh, and there were cars indoors!

Well, the ToeJam Carboot Sale has alwaxs been quirky and a little different, so try it out. You might like it as I do! ;-)

After daily Archive at Lunchtime events in July and August, the schedule goes back to events on Saturdays, Mondays and Wednesdays. In addition the programme will change more frequently, and if the IFI keep changing the website address, the links below might not always be correct. In that case, just go to www.ifi.ie and search for “Archive at Lunchtime”

Saturdays: www.ifi.ie/film/archive-at-lunchtime-double-bill-free-event/
Monday: www.ifi.ie/film/archive-at-lunchtime-programme-1-free-event/
Wednesday: www.ifi.ie/film/archive-at-lunchtime-programme-2-free-event/

Nialler9, popular music blogger and DJ, has put together a line-up of top live acts and DJs for a free daytime/afternoon gig in Granby Park. Admission is free. The Lineup includes:

+ tieranniesaur
+ Lethal Dialect
+ diot Songs: Justin Grounds and Pearse McLoughlin
+ Charmers
+ Liza Flume

On Saturdays throughout the Sculpture in Context exhibition, you will have the opportunity to join the artists for a guided tour through the exhibition. Admission is free, Meet at the Visitor Centre.

The Ranelagh Arts Festival takes place from 16-29 September and there are plenty of free events taking place. have a look at the website below to see the full programme.

The play “Puppet of the Gods” will be shown. Admission is free.

The Marivaux from Manchester are performing in the “Live From The Window” slot. Admission is free.

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.

To celebrate the International Day of Peace on 21 Sept, lots of events will take place all over the world and there is also a 2.5 hour celebration taking place in Dublin to mark the occasion.

The Dublin Peace Day event is a selection of live performances and video links to the global “Peace One Day” events.The event is free and everyone is welcome.

Live performers are the Omagh Community Youth Choir with Daryl Simpson, The Aqualights, The Zen Flowers, Brazilian singer/songwriter Bianca Fachel and Smaointe.

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

Brasserie 7 is a bright and spacious bar/restaurant on Capel Street, which now functions as a Jazz club every Saturday night. There will be piano jazz from 18:00 on their Grand piano, followed by a vocal jazz trio from 21:30. On Sat the Elva MacGowan Duo will perform. Admission is free.

Garret Moore & Common Wolf will perform in the Midnight Club. Admission is free if you arrive before 22:30.

On Sunday the St Agnes’ School Violin & Orchestra Project’s Music Marathon starts at 08:00 and continues till 20:00.

And on the same day a Car Boot Sale will take place from 10:00-15:00. Admission is free.

“Sculpture in Context” is a brilliant idea and concept: It is Ireland’s largest outdoor sculpture exhibition were beautiful sculptures from talented artists are perfectly integrated in the amazing Botanic Garden.

“The gardens are not only a botanical haven, and a quiet oasis on the outskirts of a modern European City; they also provide a challenging venue that gives the artist the rare opportunity of realising large-scale work. The sculptures will be displayed throughout the gardens, ponds, Great Palm House, and Curvilinear Range, with the smaller works exhibited in the gallery above the Visitor Centre. On Saturdays throughout the exhibition, you will have a rare opportunity to join the artists for a guided tour throughout the exhibition. “

Admission is free. Thursday is the first day of this year’s exhibition, which will run until 18 October. I will mention the exhibition a few times, but not every day until October.

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 Market willt ake place from 10:00 and on the bandstand “Atomic” will perform from 14:00-16:00.

On a vacant site where a few years ago still social housing was standing, the voluntary arts collective, Upstart, has created a big urban Pop-up Park, called Granby Park. The park opened on Thursday and will be there until 22 Sept. During this time a whole range of events will take place in the park and nearly all of them will be free.

“Urban Park” usually means that you have to go a bit easy on your expectations regarding plants and greenery, but if you consider that work only started in July, you can imagine that the term “park” has to be interpreted a good bit wider. One thing is certain, though: It will be nicer than Wolf Tone Square, which Dublin City at times likes to call “Wolfe Tone Park”.

Granby Park will be open Mon-Fri from 08:00-19:00 and Sat&Sun from 10:00-19:00 and you are invited to visit it. Food & Drink will be sold on site, but alcohol is not permitted.

I strongly recommend that you check it out and I will also tell you about the upcoming events in the next few weeks.

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

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:
22 Sept: Autumn in the Walled Garden
29 Sept: Cycling in the Park
06 Oct: Deer in Phoenix Park

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.

There seem to be TWO weekly markets on Long Mile Road and both are very close to each other. One is behind Wigoders on Long Mile Road (across the road from Aldi). It hosts more than 50 stalls and there is also a Cafe on site. www.facebook.com/WigodersLongmileMarket And the other one is just on the other side of the road, next to Aldi. www.facebook.com/TheLongMileRdMarket

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.

Five times this year the “People’s Art 2013″ exhibition will take place. It is an art exhibition on the rails/fence of St. Stephen’s Green. If you want to exhibit at one of the events in the future, check the website for cost and conditions. Visiting the People’s Art Exhibition is free. Specific start and end times are not defined, but exhibition space has to be occupied by 11:00, so 11:00 is the latest start time. The event runs from Friday until Sunday, but Sat+Sun will most likely be the main days.

People’s Art Dublin is a voluntary, part time, non profit making group, brought together by Dublin City Council to promote the visual arts to the public of Dublin. A huge variety of art/paintings are displayed and if the weather is nice it is a great art-filled stroll around Stephen’s Green. Definitely recommended!

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.

Second last weekend of this exhibition!

The current Science Gallery exhibition “ILLUSION: Nothing is as it seems” will run from 12 July-29 Sept and is really interesting. Admission is free.

The exhibition is all about Illusions and it is a “perception-shattering insight into the human mind, playfully combining the techniques used by magicians and explored by psychologists.”

More than 20 installations will deceive your eyes (and ears) and will show you that what we perceive is often radically different from the reality. You will find impressive and amazing things, but nothing will be boring! The exhibition is suitable for all ages, so bring your children or – if you don’t have any – just bring yourself.

I have seen nearly every Science Gallery exhibition and I would say this is definitely one of the best.

ILLUSION was curated by psychologist, author and magician Richard Wiseman, and was researched by deception artist Paul Gleeson and a large group of mediators are available in the gallery to explain all the things that you see (or hear) to you.

(During the week (Tues-Fri) the exhibition is open until 20:00 and from 12:00 and on Sat+Sun; 12:00-18:00).

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

It is THAT time of the year again! :-O Yes, Oktober is coming closer and closer and traditionally the Oktoberfest in Dublin takes place in September. This year from 19 Sept – 06 Oct. It is a German Beer Festival with Erdinger Weissbräu Beer, lots of German Bavarian Food (I love the Schweinshaxen!) and awful ;-) (but typical and authentic) Bavarian music.

Opening hours are Sun-Wed 12:00-23:00 and Thurs-Sat: 12:00-00:30.

The Festival Tent is on the platform in George’s Dock and there are severe admission restrictions (quantity of people). With already huge but still growing popularity of the Oktoberfest, this means there will be long queues already from around 17:30. You can get beer and some food next to the CHQ building as well, so you don’t have to queue to get into the tent, but if that is what you want, you might need to pre-book.

Admission is free, but after 22:00 an somewhat strange wristband system kicks in whereby you have to buy a wristband for EUR 6 that gives you a EUR 5 food voucher. Allegedly licensing rules force them to do that.

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 “Noctuary – 12 night-pieces for piano solo”. Composed by Raymond Deane and performed by Hugh Tinney, piano

The All-Ireland GAA Football Final will take place on Sunday and is long sold out. If you want to watch the game at a family-friendly (and alcohol-free!) outdoor screening, come to Smithfield Plaza, where Dublin City Council is setting up a big screen for the masses. Admission is free.

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!

Granby Park was a big success and it is a pity that it can not continue. But the site will be developed for social housing and I’d say such a hands-on operation as Granby Park is difficult to keep going. Nevertheless, it enriched Dublin culturally and hopefully will be considered again at another time and another place.

On Sunday the Closing Concert will take place. At some stage I read that tickets are required for it, but I can’t find that reference anymore. so it couldbe that tickets are required and all are gone, but maybe the plans got changed.

The line-up is:
+ Total Winners
+ Crayonsmith
+ Bats
+ Bouts
+ Temperamental Misselayneous

A two-hour workshop with Gabriel Caetano for music artists who play any instrument will take place. The first part of the workshop is a music lesson with an emphasis on the guitar, for beginning and intermediate levels. Practice and theory will be covered.
The second part of the workshop is an open jam and a time dedicated to developing group dynamics and performance skills.
Admission is free, but a donation of EUR 3 is suggested.

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

A Public Tour with Guide Ciaran Woods will take place in the Hugh Lane Gallery. Admission is free. Early arrival is recommended as places are limited.

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 Sunday Talk “An Illustrated History of the Phoenix Park” with Margaret Gormley, Chief Park Superintendent, OPW will take place. Admission is free.

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

Three different guitar acts, including bluegrass and “The Aqualights” will perform all evening in the Beerhouse in Capel Street. Admission is free.

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 Ranelagh Arts Festival takes place from 16-29 September and there are plenty of free events taking place. have a look at the website below to see the full programme.

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 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.

Rackhouse Pilfer are performing bluegrass, folk, alt-country and Americana. Admission is free.

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). In brief: Willow Sea, Real Horror Show, Elisha O’Neil, Trampoline Scene, Shane Faughnam.

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 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.

It is THAT time of the year again! :-O Yes, Oktober is coming closer and closer and traditionally the Oktoberfest in Dublin takes place in September. This year from 19 Sept – 06 Oct. It is a German Beer Festival with Erdinger Weissbräu Beer, lots of German Bavarian Food (I love the Schweinshaxen!) and awful ;-) (but typical and authentic) Bavarian music.

Opening hours are Sun-Wed 12:00-23:00 and Thurs-Sat: 12:00-00:30.

The Festival Tent is on the platform in George’s Dock and there are severe admission restrictions (quantity of people). With already huge but still growing popularity of the Oktoberfest, this means there will be long queues already from around 17:30. You can get beer and some food next to the CHQ building as well, so you don’t have to queue to get into the tent, but if that is what you want, you might need to pre-book.

Admission is free, but after 22:00 an somewhat strange wristband system kicks in whereby you have to buy a wristband for EUR 6 that gives you a EUR 5 food voucher. Allegedly licensing rules force them to do that.

After daily Archive at Lunchtime events in July and August, the schedule goes back to events on Saturdays, Mondays and Wednesdays. In addition the programme will change more frequently, and if the IFI keep changing the website address, the links below might not always be correct. In that case, just go to www.ifi.ie and search for “Archive at Lunchtime”

Saturdays: www.ifi.ie/film/archive-at-lunchtime-double-bill-free-event/
Monday: www.ifi.ie/film/archive-at-lunchtime-programme-1-free-event/
Wednesday: www.ifi.ie/film/archive-at-lunchtime-programme-2-free-event/

Shiva Productions presents “Angels in the Park”, a series of six ten-minute plays which will be performed promenade-style around Ranelagh Gardens every day from 23-28 Sept as part of the Ranelagh Arts Festival.

Admission is free and meeting point is at Ranelagh Triangle (outside Spar) at 13:05 every day . Performances will take place rain or shine.

In May 2013 Shiva Productions put out a call for submissions of new 10 minute plays which could be performed in a park and got 220 entries. The best 6 were selected and are now played every day for six days. (Actors, Play titles and writers of the plays are listed on the website below.)

The Ranelagh Arts Festival takes place from 16-29 September and there are plenty of free events taking place. have a look at the website below to see the full programme.

A Capoeira Workshop with Robson Jamaica takes place. Admission is free.

Mexican singer, song-writers Sheila Ríos and Paco Padilla will perform a fusion of traditional and contemporary Latin music at the Instituto Cervantes.

“Born to an Irish mother and Mexican father, Sheila has always been drawn to music because of her artistic Irish heritage and the romanticism of Mexican songs. She has toured with famous Mexican rock group Maná.
Paco´s career spans an impressive 32 years. His style of popular music, based on ordinary events, transcends borders and appeals to everyone.”

Admission is free.

Song Cycle is a weekly Singer/Songriter showcase. The line-up is not always easily findable on the Whelan’s website, but admission is always free.

The 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.

A free open mic event for Actors, Stage and Screen Writers and Short Film Makers to display their talents before an audience of like-minded people.

A new Monday night event is taking place in Whelan’s “The Monday Midnight Club” will present a Breakthrough Band at 23:00, The Midnight Act at 12:00 and Funk/Rock/Soul DJs at 01:00. Admission is free and the line-up for the next few weeks is:

09 Sept: The Viking Project / Pet Fox / DJ Meow Cat + Guests
16 Sept: White Trash and The Spear Headed Sparrow Hawks / Half Past Dead (Folk Show) / DJ Meow Cat + Guests
23 Sept: Color//Sound / Marcus Karcus and The Street Wise / DJ Meow Cat
30 Sept: Cold Comfort / Those Creeps / DJ Meow Cat+ Guests

Colour//Sound & Marcus Karcus&Friends are performing in the Monday Midnight Club. Admission is free.

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

Meeting point is at the Spire. The tours are free but donations are welcome and booking is required via egaldog@gmail.com or 085-2725095

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.

It is THAT time of the year again! :-O Yes, Oktober is coming closer and closer and traditionally the Oktoberfest in Dublin takes place in September. This year from 19 Sept – 06 Oct. It is a German Beer Festival with Erdinger Weissbräu Beer, lots of German Bavarian Food (I love the Schweinshaxen!) and awful ;-) (but typical and authentic) Bavarian music.

Opening hours are Sun-Wed 12:00-23:00 and Thurs-Sat: 12:00-00:30.

The Festival Tent is on the platform in George’s Dock and there are severe admission restrictions (quantity of people). With already huge but still growing popularity of the Oktoberfest, this means there will be long queues already from around 17:30. You can get beer and some food next to the CHQ building as well, so you don’t have to queue to get into the tent, but if that is what you want, you might need to pre-book.

Admission is free, but after 22:00 an somewhat strange wristband system kicks in whereby you have to buy a wristband for EUR 6 that gives you a EUR 5 food voucher. Allegedly licensing rules force them to do that.

Shiva Productions presents “Angels in the Park”, a series of six ten-minute plays which will be performed promenade-style around Ranelagh Gardens every day from 23-28 Sept as part of the Ranelagh Arts Festival.

Admission is free and meeting point is at Ranelagh Triangle (outside Spar) at 13:05 every day . Performances will take place rain or shine.

In May 2013 Shiva Productions put out a call for submissions of new 10 minute plays which could be performed in a park and got 220 entries. The best 6 were selected and are now played every day for six days. (Actors, Play titles and writers of the plays are listed on the website below.)

The Ranelagh Arts Festival takes place from 16-29 September and there are plenty of free events taking place. have a look at the website below to see the full programme.

“Amplify – The business of Music” is back with a great line up of guests. The goal of Amplify is to provide a good source of information from experienced people who work in the Music Industry. Amplify is suitable for all levels of musicians, performers who might already be deep into their careers or just starting off. You are enhcouraged We encouraged to mix with each other and exchange information in the hope that something productive and long term may evolve from the meetings.

This month the guests are Mundy, Dave Allen and Neville Wright. More information about the guests can be found on the website.

The Book Launch for ‘Stay Where You Are and Then Leave’ by John Boyne will take place. It is a children book and plays during the First World War. Admission is free and everyone is welcome.

Tim Pat Coogan will be talking about and signing copies of his new book “The Famine Plot”. Admission is free.

A variety of Recitals will take place this week and I will summarise them all here:

Tues 24 Sept: (19:00) Classical music recital for Clarinet and Piano with Joseph Lim and Dearbhla Brosnan
Wed 25 Sept: (19:00) Classical music recital with cellist Jacob Shaw
Thur 26 Sept: (16:00-18:00) Classical music masterclass between cellist Jacob Shaw and students of the RIAM
Fri 27 Sept: (19:00) Classical music concert featuring the music students of Dulwich College Beijing and the RIAM

Admission to all events is free.

Sqaure Pegs will perform Chicago Blues, 50s R&B and New Orleans Big Band. Admission is free.

Pádraig Yeates, author of “Lockout: Dublin 1913” will give a lecture on this historic event.

Admission is free and no booking required. Seats will be allocated on a first-come first served basis and doors open at 18:30

Ben Prevo & friends play saucy Blues & soul every Tuesday

A meeting group for women (age 18 and over) to learn to celebrate femininity, discuss themes ideas and philosophies, share, heal, drink tea, support each other, have some fun and make new friends. Discover and celebrate your inner Goddesses together.

Admission is free, but donations of up to EUR 5 to cover tea and for the use of the space are appreciated.

The Plateau Sessions with Valentine Black, Carly Cuna, Stevie Cliff and Cartoon Moon will take place. The Plateau Sessions is an open mic night that features some special guest acts from all over Ireland. 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

Exchange Words, a new scriptwriting (film and theatre) group is starting up again. It is a safe space where writers, artists and actors can come together to collaborate, create and have fun. The workshop is free and open to all.

More detail is here

The weekly “Grand Folk Club” will feature Trad, Ballads, Americana, Folk, World Music & More. This Tuesday, the line-up is: Jem Mitchesll (Alt Country / Folk) and Aoife Dermot, Christian Brady & Friends (Trad / Folk / Metal). Admission is free.

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

“History of the Park Lodges” with Louise Mc Carthy will be this week’s guided walk in Phoenix Park.

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.

It is THAT time of the year again! :-O Yes, Oktober is coming closer and closer and traditionally the Oktoberfest in Dublin takes place in September. This year from 19 Sept – 06 Oct. It is a German Beer Festival with Erdinger Weissbräu Beer, lots of German Bavarian Food (I love the Schweinshaxen!) and awful ;-) (but typical and authentic) Bavarian music.

Opening hours are Sun-Wed 12:00-23:00 and Thurs-Sat: 12:00-00:30.

The Festival Tent is on the platform in George’s Dock and there are severe admission restrictions (quantity of people). With already huge but still growing popularity of the Oktoberfest, this means there will be long queues already from around 17:30. You can get beer and some food next to the CHQ building as well, so you don’t have to queue to get into the tent, but if that is what you want, you might need to pre-book.

Admission is free, but after 22:00 an somewhat strange wristband system kicks in whereby you have to buy a wristband for EUR 6 that gives you a EUR 5 food voucher. Allegedly licensing rules force them to do that.

After daily Archive at Lunchtime events in July and August, the schedule goes back to events on Saturdays, Mondays and Wednesdays. In addition the programme will change more frequently, and if the IFI keep changing the website address, the links below might not always be correct. In that case, just go to www.ifi.ie and search for “Archive at Lunchtime”

Saturdays: www.ifi.ie/film/archive-at-lunchtime-double-bill-free-event/
Monday: www.ifi.ie/film/archive-at-lunchtime-programme-1-free-event/
Wednesday: www.ifi.ie/film/archive-at-lunchtime-programme-2-free-event/

Artist Jeanette Lowe talks about her exhibition “Pearse House: Village in the City” currently running at the NPA until 06 Oct. This exhibition dually located between the National Photographic Archive and a wonderfully recreated 1930s flat in Pearse House flats is a celebration of the one of Dublin’s oldest communities.

Admission is free, no booking required.

Shiva Productions presents “Angels in the Park”, a series of six ten-minute plays which will be performed promenade-style around Ranelagh Gardens every day from 23-28 Sept as part of the Ranelagh Arts Festival.

Admission is free and meeting point is at Ranelagh Triangle (outside Spar) at 13:05 every day . Performances will take place rain or shine.

In May 2013 Shiva Productions put out a call for submissions of new 10 minute plays which could be performed in a park and got 220 entries. The best 6 were selected and are now played every day for six days. (Actors, Play titles and writers of the plays are listed on the website below.)

An opportunity to see how Museum artefacts are conserved for the future. Includes a look at furniture, textile and archaeological conservation. This is a free adult event and booking is essential via 01-6486453

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.

The Dublin City Volunteer Recruitment Fair takes place on Wednesday. If you are interested in volunteering you have a chance to meet with up to 40 organisations from different sectors of the charity world and learn more about what they do and the volunteer opportunities they have available for you.

This is not a launch of a book BY Colm Toibin, but it is the launch of Eibhear Walshe’s “A Different Story: The Writings of Colm Tóibín”. Irish Academic Press invite you to an evening to celebrate the launch. Guest speaker will be Éilís Ní Dhuibhne. Refreshments will be served and to be able to estimate the numbers you have to register for this event via colin.eustace@iap.ie

The Ranelagh Arts Festival takes place from 16-29 September and there are plenty of free events taking place. have a look at the website below to see the full programme.

The Double Book Launch of “The Creeps” by John Connolly & “Conquest” by John Connolly and Jennifer Ridyard will take place.
Admission is free.

School of Language, Literatures and Cultural Studies are inviting to the Research Seminar with James Mark (Exeter), which is entitled “Socialism Goes Global: The Shaping of a New Transnational Culture in Hungary 1956-75”

From the late 1950s, socialist Hungary ‘opened up’ first to the decolonising world, and then to the West. Although these policies began for economic reasons, new images and ideas drawn from revolutions in Latin America, Africa and Asia, and from a new ‘progressive generation’ across the Iron Curtain in the West, were quickly utilised to reshape socialism as home. This talk will address this internationalisation of socialist culture between the 1950s and 1970s.

Admission is free.

This lecture on the future of Ireland’s climate by Ray McGrath, Head of Research at Met Eireann is organised by the Irish Met Society. Admission is free, but booking is required at www.irishmetsociety.org/programme/ireland-s-climate-the-road-ahead

Dublin Live Art Festival 2013 will take place in The Backloft in La Catedral Studios, from the Wed 25 to Sun 29 September. It is 5 days of live performance art, workshops, seminars and more.

DLAF13 will bring together Irish & International groups that regularly produce performance art and co-ordinate their events in a varied programme, pooling collective expertise and strengthening the live performance art community by creating links nationally and internationally.

DLAF13 will expand knowledge around live performance art through our workshops and cross-disciplinary talks and discussions. It will be a focal point for anyone interested in performance art.

The full programme is available on www.dublinliveartfestival.blogspot.ie/2013/07/help-support-dlaf13-by-donating-to-our.html

The launch takes place on Wed 25 Sept (19:30-22:30) and until the Closing party on Sunday evening (20:30-22:30) a range of workshops, seminars and performances will take place.

This is a community event and with the support of Dublin City Council all exhibitions at Dublin Live Art Festival 2013 are free. Workshops and seminars are ticketed events and there are limited tickets available.

The Banter (thisisbanter.com) Discussion “Living for the City – On Your Bike” with Damien O’Tuama (Cyclist.ie), Anne Bedos (Rotha) and Rebecca Moynihan (Dublin City Councillor) will take place on Wednesday. Admission is free if you sign-up on the website below.

“On Your Bike” will look at cycling in our city. The topics bike theft, over-zealous policing, the bike lanes to nowhere and the reputation of cyclists in the daily traffic-interactions will be discussed.

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.

Could somebody please let me know if this event is still taking place or if it has finished?

“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.

Colm O’Regan, well-known Comedian himself, is inviting to the next Inn Jokes event. The line-up will be a well-known Mystery Guest and Jim Elliott and Gerry McBride. Admission is free, donations are welcome.

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

Every Thursday, free tours of Grangegorman Military Cemetery on Blackhorse Avenue take place. Meet inside the Cemetery Gates. Admission is free and everybody is welcome.

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.

“Babies on Board: Inside The Thatched Cottage” is a tour in Collins Barracks for Adults with babies under 12 months, What was everyday life like in a rural thatched cottage in Ireland in the past? This talk will look at hand-crafted furniture, equipment and other objects used in the house. Admission is free, but booking is required via 01-6486453

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.

It is THAT time of the year again! :-O Yes, Oktober is coming closer and closer and traditionally the Oktoberfest in Dublin takes place in September. This year from 19 Sept – 06 Oct. It is a German Beer Festival with Erdinger Weissbräu Beer, lots of German Bavarian Food (I love the Schweinshaxen!) and awful ;-) (but typical and authentic) Bavarian music.

Opening hours are Sun-Wed 12:00-23:00 and Thurs-Sat: 12:00-00:30.

The Festival Tent is on the platform in George’s Dock and there are severe admission restrictions (quantity of people). With already huge but still growing popularity of the Oktoberfest, this means there will be long queues already from around 17:30. You can get beer and some food next to the CHQ building as well, so you don’t have to queue to get into the tent, but if that is what you want, you might need to pre-book.

Admission is free, but after 22:00 an somewhat strange wristband system kicks in whereby you have to buy a wristband for EUR 6 that gives you a EUR 5 food voucher. Allegedly licensing rules force them to do that.

The In Focus Tour “Travels Back in Time” with Joan Barnwell will take place. Admission is free, but there are only 15 places.

Shiva Productions presents “Angels in the Park”, a series of six ten-minute plays which will be performed promenade-style around Ranelagh Gardens every day from 23-28 Sept as part of the Ranelagh Arts Festival.

Admission is free and meeting point is at Ranelagh Triangle (outside Spar) at 13:05 every day . Performances will take place rain or shine.

In May 2013 Shiva Productions put out a call for submissions of new 10 minute plays which could be performed in a park and got 220 entries. The best 6 were selected and are now played every day for six days. (Actors, Play titles and writers of the plays are listed on the website below.)

The UCD School of Archaeology & Archaeological Society invite to the lecture “Keeping up appearances: Dress and Identity in early medieval Ireland” with Dr Maureen Doyle (UCD School of Archaeology). Admission is free and all are welcome. The location is Room A109 in the Newman Building.

Arthur’s Day, or more correctly Diageo Day (because it has absolutely nothing to do with Arthur Guinness), is upon us again. It is clever Guinness marketing, nothing else, BUT that marketing gimmick allows lots of live bands to perform free gigs and meet a big audience on that day. And more than 500 events with more than 1000 live music performers is a good thing. So check with your local pub or on the website below to find out what band will be playing there, admission is – in nearly all cases – free.

There is a flip side to the event as well, though, and Irish singer/song writer Christy Moore recently wrote a song about that day heavily criticising Diageo and the day. Excessive drinking from very early (18:00) with all the horrible side effects and consequences (ask ambulances and A&E staff) is just one aspect.

So, it is a divisive day and I will leave it to you to decide, which side of the argument is the right one for you.

The Dublin Festival of Histtory takes place from 26 Sept – 09 Oct. There will be lectures, walks, film and panel debates on historical topics and the programme has been devised by Dublin City Public Libraries. All lectures are free but need pre-booking. The full programme is here www.dublinfestivalofhistory.ie/wp-content/uploads/2013/08/Dublin-Festival-of-History-2013-Programme-web.pdf

I strongly recommend taht you check the full programme to see if you want to book any events. For the first few days, the events are:

Thur 26 Sept:
18:00 The Magdalene Laundries with Margaret MacCurtain and Diarmaid Ferriter
20:00 Britain & Ireland: A Shared Heritage with Roy Hattersley and Dr John Bowman

Fri 27 Sept:
18:00 The Great Famine: The Visitation if God? – History Ireland Hedge School
20:00 Birth of a Nation with Ronan Fanning & Charles Townshend and John Borgonovo

All events above will take place in Dublin Castle. They are free, but booking is required.

The TCD Music Composition Centre’s Agora Series presents silent film pianist Stephen Horne speaking about his experiences and sharing his thoughts on the craft. His talk will be accompanied live by the Stephen Horne himself on piano. He will also show some film clips.

Admission to this talk is free and everybody is welcome. Seats can be reserved via compcent@tcd.ie

The Ranelagh Arts Festival takes place from 16-29 September and there are plenty of free events taking place. have a look at the website below to see the full programme.

James Mark (Exeter) will talk about “Remembering 1989 in Eastern Europe” in this public lecture.

The eastern European revolutions of 1989 were a watershed in global history. Despite this, in the two decades since, their meaning has become a source of debate. While they have been promoted as a founding myth for a newly unified Europe, eastern Europeans have repeatedly represented them as a moment of betrayal, martyrdom, liberation, victory, disappointment, loss, colonisation, or nostalgia. In his lecture, James Mark suggests that understanding the way in which the region views 1989 is crucial to understanding its post-Communist politics.

The Academy Discourse “Small Sensors. Big Data. From Clarity to Insight in the World of the Sensor Web” will take place.

Prof. Barry Smyth holds the Digital Chair of Computer Science in University College Dublin. He is the CEO of the INSIGHT Centre for Data Analytics an new SFI-funded research centre focusing on the world of big data analytics. Barry’s research covers a broad range of topics including artificial intelligence, machine learning, recommender systems, personalisation, and information retrieval.

Admission is free, but booking is required on the website.

The legendary Frankie Lane and his trusty sidekick Paul Kelly play some of their favourite ballads, bluegrass, waltzes and jigs, featuring some virtuoso Dobro slide guitar and fine fiddle playing.

Supported by The Cotton Club, Playing gypsy jazz and swing.

Admission is free.

A series of six free lectures for aspiring small business owners and managers will take place from 26 Sept until 31 Oct. The lecture series is organised by Dublin City Public Libraries and the Dublin City Enterprise Board. All lectures are free, but booking is essential via 01-8733996 or businesslibrary@dublincity.ie.

The lectures all take place on Thursdays from 18:30-20:00:

26 Sept: An Introduction to Self Employment with Brendan Moran
03 Oct: Ideas Generation & Market Research with Brendan Moran
10 Oct: Ethnic Entrepreneurship with Peter Smith
17 Oct: Digital Marketing and Social Media with TBA
24 Oct: Financing your Business with Paul Neary
31 Oct: Business Planning Structure with Brendan Moran

The lecture “What the friars read: the Irish Franciscan Library of St. Isidore’s College Rome.” with Joe MacMahon OFM & John McCafferty (UCD) will open a window into this library, its founders, donors and readers.

During the 17th century the Waterford Franciscan Luke Wadding established a college and library in Rome. While the members of the community practiced poverty their library was testimony to the variety and wealth of their intellectual pursuits. Over 4,000 early printed books covering subjects from astronomy to zoology offer a unique insight into the minds of Irish students and lecturers training and living in Baroque Rome. Admission is free.

“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 egaldog@gmail.com or 085-2725095

Book Brass are performing in Whelan’s and admission is free.

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

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 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.

The “Cabin Sessions – Acoustic Music at its finest!” are taking place again with the Cabin Sessions House Band with Spats Davenport (guitar), Con Butler (bass), Gerry Fitzpatrick (Dobro), Christian Volkmann ( harmonica). Special Guests Elga Fox (Folk), The Dublin Bluegrass Collective (Bluegrass), Emma Butler (Contemporary). Admission is free.

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

Every Thursday a free Trad Session takes place in McNeills and often there are high profile Trad musicians performing. Until the end of August, that Thursday Session is part of the Steeple Sessions programme (www.steeplesessions.com )

“Funding Clinic for Ethnically Diverse Artists” is a free event in the Centre for Creative Practices. The CFCP are putting together (in co-operation with the Arts Council) an information day on Funding that is available for Ethnically Diverse Artists. There will be a number of sessions that people can attend. Target group are the ethnically diverse artists (migrants) but the focus will not be exclusively on migrant artists but will be open to all artists.

A wide range or funding organisations will be available with advise and help and all details are on the website below.

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.

It is THAT time of the year again! :-O Yes, Oktober is coming closer and closer and traditionally the Oktoberfest in Dublin takes place in September. This year from 19 Sept – 06 Oct. It is a German Beer Festival with Erdinger Weissbräu Beer, lots of German Bavarian Food (I love the Schweinshaxen!) and awful ;-) (but typical and authentic) Bavarian music.

Opening hours are Sun-Wed 12:00-23:00 and Thurs-Sat: 12:00-00:30.

The Festival Tent is on the platform in George’s Dock and there are severe admission restrictions (quantity of people). With already huge but still growing popularity of the Oktoberfest, this means there will be long queues already from around 17:30. You can get beer and some food next to the CHQ building as well, so you don’t have to queue to get into the tent, but if that is what you want, you might need to pre-book.

Admission is free, but after 22:00 an somewhat strange wristband system kicks in whereby you have to buy a wristband for EUR 6 that gives you a EUR 5 food voucher. Allegedly licensing rules force them to do that.

Bill Thompson has been a journalist for thirty years and worked with The Guardian, the BBC and a range of arts and cultural institutions. He has always been a strong advocate of open standards, open data and an open Internet, and in this talk he will look at what ‘open’ really means in this context, at how an open society can only be built on open infrastructure, and why there are so many obstacles to opening up data sources, networks and knowledge.

Admission is free.

Shiva Productions presents “Angels in the Park”, a series of six ten-minute plays which will be performed promenade-style around Ranelagh Gardens every day from 23-28 Sept as part of the Ranelagh Arts Festival.

Admission is free and meeting point is at Ranelagh Triangle (outside Spar) at 13:05 every day . Performances will take place rain or shine.

In May 2013 Shiva Productions put out a call for submissions of new 10 minute plays which could be performed in a park and got 220 entries. The best 6 were selected and are now played every day for six days. (Actors, Play titles and writers of the plays are listed on the website below.)

What’s this? Another Friday night of events? It looks like a Culture Night for researchers!?

Trinity College Dublin & the Royal Irish Academy are hosting Ireland’s 2013 contribution to European Researchers’ Night, an annual event to raise public awareness of researchers and research careers across Europe. The goal is to give everybody, in particular young people, the opportunity to meet researchers within the context of interactive activities and hands-on demonstrations to highlight how interesting a career in research is.

Events and activities will take place across the campus of Trinity College, as well as inside and outside the RIA on Dawson Street, along with outdoor projections on buildings around the centre of Dublin. There will be: Hands-on experiments conducted by researchers, Scientific demonstrations with public participation – crowd-sourcing events, Guided visits of labs, research institutions, museums ?usually closed to the public; Family-friendly activities and Competitive activities (pub quizzes + Lego challenges).

All events are free and a detailed list is here: www.discoverresearchdublin.com/events/

The Dublin Festival of Histtory takes place from 26 Sept – 09 Oct. There will be lectures, walks, film and panel debates on historical topics and the programme has been devised by Dublin City Public Libraries. All lectures are free but need pre-booking. The full programme is here www.dublinfestivalofhistory.ie/wp-content/uploads/2013/08/Dublin-Festival-of-History-2013-Programme-web.pdf

I strongly recommend taht you check the full programme to see if you want to book any events. For the first few days, the events are:

Thur 26 Sept:
18:00 The Magdalene Laundries with Margaret MacCurtain and Diarmaid Ferriter
20:00 Britain & Ireland: A Shared Heritage with Roy Hattersley and Dr John Bowman

Fri 27 Sept:
18:00 The Great Famine: The Visitation if God? – History Ireland Hedge School
20:00 Birth of a Nation with Ronan Fanning & Charles Townshend and John Borgonovo

All events above will take place in Dublin Castle. They are free, but booking is required.

The Ranelagh Arts Festival takes place from 16-29 September and there are plenty of free events taking place. have a look at the website below to see the full programme.

Earthship are perfoming in “Live from the Window”!. Admission is free.

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

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.

FitSteps was created as a result of the long dance training sessions that are part of Britain’s entertainment show “Strictly Come Dancing”. Natalie Lowe, Mark Foster and Ian Waite had the idea to mix the graceful steps of Ballroom Dancing and the up tempo steps of the Latin dances together to create a fun, energetic and effective way to stay fit and keep trim that would appeal to everyone, even if they couldn’t dance.

On Friday a free class takes place in Dublin to introduce you to this new fitness/workout routine. Tickets need to be booked on www.fitstepsdublin.eventbrite.co.uk/

FitSteps^® came to life in 2013 as the result of a collaboration between two of the UK’s most famous ballroom dancers and Britain’s most successful swimmer!

During the long, arduous dance training sessions that are an integral part of Britain’s most successful entertainment show, ‘Strictly Come Dancing’, Natalie Lowe, Mark Foster and Ian Waite had a great idea.

They decided to mix the graceful steps of Ballroom and the up tempo steps of the Latin dances together to create a really fun, energetic and effective way to stay fit and keep trim that would appeal to everyone, even if they couldn’t dance. A dance fitness programme that is ‘so much fun you don’t even realise you’re getting fit!’

And FitSteps^® is unique. It is the first time that classic Latin and Ballroom dances have been brought together with proven fitness techniques and principles to create not only a programme that can have extraordinarily wide appeal, but one that also has the potential to make a real and lasting impact on the health of the nation

“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.

Rudytrixx are performing in the “Midnight Hour”. Admission is free if you are there before 22:30.