The Dublin Community Blog

For those of you now suffering from post-summer hang over, taking part in sporting events is probably the last thing on your minds. If, on the other hand, some of you out there have an interest in observing the extremities of different high octane sports through the lenses of numerous award winning photographers, then this exhibit should be right up your alley!

The Red Bull Illume Image Quest 2010, an open air exhibition featuring the best 50 photos from nearly 23,000 action and adventure sports images, last night officially opened at Trinity College, Dublin, to widespread critical acclaim. The highly anticipated identities, and images, of the fifty finalists and category winners, were finally revealed yesterday in what was a hugely successful opening ceremony at the college, hosted by our very own Sile Seoige. The collection, which includes images from the worlds of surfing, motocross and kayaking, to name but a few, were selected largely according to their composition, creativity and artistic flair, and were voted on by fifty-three judges from around the world. After much deliberation, the judging panel narrowed their selections down to ten category winners, and one overall winner, of what is essentially the biggest prize in freesports photography, that accolade going to Mr. Chris Burkard (USA) who wowed the international jury with his amazing landscape-style surf photo.

The exhibition is free to the public and runs until the 11th of September with all the images on display, for your viewing pleasure, on Trinity’s front square from 8 – 11pm every night.  For a taste of what’s in store, visit the website, www.redbullillume.com for thumbnails of all 50 photographs, complete with photographer biographies and photos descriptions.

I am a big fan of typography, and also a big fan of street art. In addition, I also like Damien Dempsey a lot. Therefore I was delighted to find out that Damo and Dublin’s very own Maser have joined forces to do something good. Their project is called They are Us:

“They are Us” is the name of a series of outdoor public art works inspired by Dublin City. It is a tribute to the city: northside and southside, the visible and the secret, the good and the bad. The aim of the project is to raise money for the homeless of Dublin.
The images were painted by graffiti artist Maser and feature words by musician Damien Dempsey. A number of limited edition screen prints of works from “They are Us” will be available in our online shop in the near future. All proceeds from the project will be donated to the Simon Community.

And the results look nothing except brilliant. I had seen the blue and yellow-one outside the Project Arts Center before, but you’ll find more of the artworks throughout the city if you keep your eyes open, or on the project’s website if you are lazy.

We in Dublin had our fair share of festivals this year already – the Dublin Writer’s Festival, the Dublin Soul Festival and the Latin America Festival to just name a few – but we’re not done yet. Which is a fact I very much appreciate. So, without further ado, here are my favourite festival picks for the upcoming months:

Image by Absolut Fringe

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The picturesque Howth peninsula has long been a popular destination for both foreign tourists and Dublin locals alike.  Jutting out into the Irish sea, the lush headland emanates both pastoral and maritime charm.  Located just 30 minutes from Dublin city centre, Howth provides the perfect escape for those seeking to reconnect with nature and enjoy some fresh sea air.  Add in a host of historic and scenic attractions, a lively restaurant and pub culture and easy access via the DART line, and you have yourself a great day out.

Over the last few weeks there has been even more on offer in Howth.  Correction-off Howth  The waters encapsulating the peninsula have been busy of late, serving as the main stage for summer visitors.

The first wave of excitement was caused by a foreign visitor to Howth.  Unlike many others he did not arrive on the DART.  In fact, he probably wouldn’t ft on a DART carriage!  The sighting of a humpback whale between the harbour and Ireland’s Eye in July was something of a sensation.  According to the Irish Whale and Dolphin Group it was the first sighting of a humpback in the eastern Irish Sea for 20 years and one of only a handful of validated recordings in Irish waters in the past century.  Locals and visitors flocked to the water’s edge to see could they spot and welcome this visitor for themselves.

Last weekend I joined the crowds at the water’s edge to witness a sea search and rescue demonstration presented by the Howth Coast Guard.  As a local of the peninsula I am well aware of the work that these brave men and women undertake to help people in distress and prevent disaster.  Each year brings with it another tale of tragedy averted by the efforts of the Coast Guard.  However I had never seen them in action.  Sunday’s presentation involved Coast Guard Rescue Helicopters, Irish Coast Guard Patrol Boats, RNLI Rescue Boats and the local Civil Defence Boats..  The operation was truly impressive.   Both educating and inspiring,  the demonstration left spectators in awe of the skill and courage of the rescue service.

An ongoing spectacle in the waters around Howth this week is the prestigious Etchells World Championships. Hosted by Howth Yacht Club, the Regatta is drawing lots of visitors to the peninsula and keeping all eyes firmly fixed on the water!  It may not be the best time to spot a whale, but there is a certainly a fantastic atmosphere and festival feel to this small town.

If you haven’t been to Howth in a while, or have never been at all, now would be a good time to test the water!

For a review of the Howth peninsual click here.

For more information on visiting Howth click here.

The annual Peoples Photography exhibition on the railings around St Stephens Green will be on this weekend Saturday 28 and Sunday 29th from 9am to 6pm each day. A free event, now entering its 24th year, it will showcase the work of around 200 photographers from amature to professional.

If you are around the Green over the weekend take a stroll around the railings and have a look.

The Irish sandsculpture group Duthain Dealbh have created four incredible sandsculptures in the courtyard of Dublin Castle to compliment the Dublin Viking Festival which is happening in Wood Quay this weekend.  The sculptures, based around Norse mythology, are being exhibited until the end of August.  Despite the rain we’ve seen since the beginning of the month the figures have managed to avoid turning into a sandy puddle and are still attracting lots of visitors.  There is no entrance fee involved so call over for a look if you’re in that part of the city before they are torn down at the end of the week.

Duthain Dealbh consist of three DIT graduates who design sand, snow and ice sculptures across the world.  See their Facebook page for more details and photos of other works they’ve created.

Far outshining his creepy crawly cousins in the beauty stakes, the delicate butterfly is perhaps the most welcome insect in our gardens.  But what do we really know about our fluttering friends and how can we encourage them to decorate our gardens?

To find out more about the butterfly population in Dublin then why not pop along to the Garden Butterfly Workshop tomorrow from 12-2 PM.  The event takes place at the Robert Emmet CDP Garden at Bridgefoot Street and is aimed at both children and adults.  The workshop will provide a  practical hands on experience and overview of the butterflies that coexist with us amongst the urban landscape of Dublin. A talk and demonstration will outline butterfly life cycle and habits, while gardening tips for encouraging and supporting their presence will also be  revealed.  Accompanying all things butterfly will be light refreshments, face-panting and a relaxed atmosphere.

Further Information:

Contact Robert Moss.

Tel: 086 3579663

Email: robcontrolaltdelete@yahoo.com

In case you are still looking for something to do this weekend, and feel the need to spice up the Irish version of the season otherwise know as “Summer” with some tango-rythms, salsa-sounds and spicy food, maybe the first festival launched by the Latin American Native Community in Ireland (or LANCI for short) is worth a visit:

2010 is the bi-centenary of the independence of Latin America. LANCI is launching a new festival to commemorate and celebrate this year . This will incorporate the 8th International Tango Festival.

The LANCI Festival aims to give international recognition to the varied cultures of Latin American Countries. This Latin American Festival offers a variety of artistic and traditional presentations including music, and dance in the form of salsa, samba and tango, traditional foods and film, photographs and paintings from Latin American artists.

This is the first time that a festival of this kind is being held in Dublin. A cosmopolitan city like Dublin guarantees that this type of event will be a success.

You will find the full programme on the festival-website, and I’m especially lookign forward to the Latin American fair or “feria” in Temple Bar on Sunday.

Avatar Days is a pretty neat short movie about online gamers living in Dublin – only that they swapped places with their online-avatars here.

Originally created for the Darklight Festival’s ’4 Day Movie’ project, Avatar Days is a portrait of four online gamers in Dublin whose daily lives contrast with their virtual identities. Advanced 3D technologies and Motion Capture animation were used to insert the players’ in-game characters in place of their real selves against the backdrop of the banal urban landscape which they inhabit.

Avatar Days from Piranha Bar on Vimeo.

Last month Dublin became the fourth city in the world to be named a UNESCO City of Literature, following in the footsteps of Edinburgh, Melbourne and Iowa City.  With a town so steeped in literature (in both the past and present) it’s not surprising that the Dublin City library service decided to lead an application for the award last year.  Their success was announced in July by Dublin’s Lord Mayor Gerry Breen and UNESCO Director General Irina Bokova.

It is a wonderful recognition of the rich literary culture that has been cultivated, not just in our capital city, but in all parts of the country throughout our history.  With our ogham stones, illuminated manuscripts, silver tongued poets & playwrights and even chick lit luminaries we have gained a world wide reputation as a country of artful wordsmiths and it is a pleasure to see that acknowledged with Dublin now included as one of the world’s only Cities of Literature.

See the Dublin UNESCO City of Literature website for more details and information on upcoming literary events in the city.