The Dublin Community Blog

For all you chocolate fans out there in Dublin, this weekend you’ll want to find your way into Temple Bar. The second annual Temple Bar Chocolate Festival will begin this Friday morning with a ‘Truffle Making Workshop’ in The Gallery of Photography and will conclude Sundae (clever on the spelling, I know, but not my idea) 1 Novemmmber with a Chocolate Fair in Meeting House Square.

I must admit, I’m not sold on the idea of chocolate stout and especially chocolate wheat beer, but it certainly has me fascinated and I just might have to give it a try Friday evening in The Turks Head.

For those ready to take their chocolate VERY seriously, Willie Harcourt of Channel 4 fame, will be in The Button Factory on Saturday afternoon.

Be sure to download the full programme (PDF HERE) to get all the details. For many of the events of the festival you will need to book ahead. Also, be forewarned: my wife and I attended last year’s festival and we’ve been putting cacoa nibs in our food ever since, thanks to Natasha Czopor’s seminar.

As Roseanne stated in her comment last week, the weekend definitively has not enough days. And I would even go so far as to say that this year the October has not enough days. After last weeks HWCH-Festival, and the 10th Darklight-Festival before it, tomorrow marks the beginning of another staple of the Dublin event calendar: this years Dublin Electronic Arts Festival.

DEAF returns with our most extensive programme to date, including films, gallery installations, workshops, live gigs and club events. We ask you to glance through the programme at the more than 150 events on offer, confident that you’ll find something in there for you

Again I am astonished by the broad palette of events: not purely electronica-based standards such as DJ-Sets and club performances (though there are aplenty), but also exhibitions, installations and screenings.

Dublinblog was able to talk to Festival Director Eamonn Doyle about the highs and lows in running such a festival. Having started in 2002 as a spinoff of Eamonn’s D1-label and meant to be a platform for Irish electronic acts, the festival has developed into a showcase of Irish and international artists, and is most definitively going beyond the limits of the word “electronic” in its title. Though lacking a big commercial sponsor, the line-up this year is one of the biggest and most diverse ever; and handing over certain parts of the planning and booking to local promoters has helped to increase the choices of shows and events.

Some of Emaonn’s favourite picks this year include:

- The opening night of the festival featuring the young Austrian artist Soap & Skin.
- David Rodigan at the Sugar Club, described by Eamonn as the “elderly, school teacher-type godfather of (UK) Reggae and Dancehall”.
- The only D1-feature at the festival, the Naphta album launch.
- “New Spaces for Music” – a series of live performances staged in unusual spaces around Dublin, including shops, empty offices, a van, an apartment and a train station.

By all means go and you’ll be able to find something extraordinary for yourself to see, and please support the artists and the festival itself.

My personal picks this year include California’s finest Isis; Relay, a sound project initiated and curated by John Lambert (aka Chequerboard); Goldie’s History of Metalheadz set and last but not least the Egyptian/Middle Eastern documentary short films at the Odessa Club.

Isis – Not In Rivers But In Drops from Kostas Tsikrikes on Vimeo.

And if you are still looking for something to do at the weekend we recommend the 2009 edition of the Hard Working Class Heroes Festival. But to be honest, you must have been deaf & blind if you did not hear anything about it yet – mega mega mega.

(image via)

Hard Working Class Heroes is 7 years old this year. 7 years building what is now a staple in the Irish music calendar. A festival of newness, 100 bands, 6 venues, 3 nights.

In one weekend, in six venues you can see the 100 best new acts in Ireland. We know they’re the best because we have 35 experts from Ireland and around the globe helping us to pick them. Not only are they good but they are very different from each other and come from all over the country. Diamonds who have played previous HWCH include Heathers, The Lost Brothers, Jape, Adrian Crowley, Duke Special, Fight Like Apes, The Coronas and a lot lot more.

I am not even trying to give an overview of what’s happening where and when, please see for yourselves. The acts I am going to see however include Dublinblog darlings The Spook of the 13th Lock, C!ties – which have recently opened for the incredible And So I Watch You From Afar, Fionn Regan and of course the lovely Ham Sandwich . And there’s also a street performance initiative called “HWCH and the city”, featuring acts who are performing at the festival playing on the streets, record stores and bookshops all over Dublin city centre, so don’t forget to mark your calendars.

The gigs will all take place during the day, so if you’re lucky you’ll be able to see some of the bands playing plugged at night doing an accoustic-stunt in daylight hours. To know who’s playing where you’ll need to follow the festival on Twitter.

See you around.

The Norsemen are upon us again! As last year, the Dublin Viking Festival is taking place next weekend.

The Dublin Viking Festival takes place on Dublin’s Wood Quay and Temple Bar from Friday the 16th October until Sunday 18th October 2009.The Vikings were the first settlers at Dublin and old reminants of their settlement have been found at Wood Quay in Dublin City Centre on the site of Dublin City Council’s civic offices.

Dublin City Council invites you to come down and explore our Viking Heritage from 12 noon – 6pm October 16th, 17th & 18th for a family fun packed weekend.

I’ve been there last year, and have to confess that it is a bit dull for a veteran roleplayer like me; plus the post-modern surroundings of the civic offices are not really helping in recreating the image of the Viking world. On the other hand it was great fun for the kids, and it seems the festival is generally more aiming at family entertainment than drinking mead from the skulls of slain enemies. And if there’s the same re-enactment group as last year, you’ll get at least an overview of how to form a propper Viking shield wall:

Our friends at The Dubliner magazine are at it again (you know, that sassy, satirical, ‘progressive’ publication that occasionally gets into some controversy with golfers’ wives) with Old City, New Dreams. This year finds an expanded list of events and venues to play host to the lively debates involving various Dublin luminaries.

Only problem is, if you haven’t ordered your free tickets by now, you’ve only got a few choices left. Most of the events next week are all booked, leaving only two left, as of this afternoon. I’m hoping to get to the ‘Fluffy Capitalism’ event myself. But only after I convince a friend who works in finance to come with me so he can feed me questions to throw out that make me sound like I know what I’m talking about.

And while you’re looking through The Dubliner blog, be sure to check out the ‘Dublin’s 10 New Commandments’ posts. After walking through the city centre in the rain today, I can really appreciate this one: Thou shalt not carry a golf umbrella through the city.

We first wrote about this back in 2006, but it would appear that the story is doing the rounds again, with Liberty Hall owners SIPTU releasing a statement outlining their plans to demolish and rebuild what many consider to be the ugliest building in Dublin (I personally think the Department of Health gives it a good run for it’s money!).

The statement outlines the plans as below:

The new Liberty Hall will consist of a welcoming public entrance area over which there will be 16 storeys of offices and meeting rooms. It will include public and cultural facilities such as a theatre and conference centre as well as a three-storey area above the offices comprising of a major Heritage Centre, focusing on the history of the country’s labour movement, and a Sky Deck which will provide an unprecedented panoramic view of the city.

I personally think that this is a very good thing, and I look forward to returning to Dublin once this has completed. As someone who now lives in a country that wholly embraces high rise development, it’s a shame to see that Dublin still has not had the foresight to grow up, instead of out. This would have been a brilliant opportunity to lead the charge with a forward thinking, real highrise development. I would be interested to hear other peoples thoughts on this.

Finally, the release also contained some artists impressions of what the new development will look like, which I have included below.

After the namesake closed it’s Munich’ gates last weekend, it’s time for Dublin to have its share of German delicacies. Especially German beer. And this is possible at the Paulaner Oktoberfest at the IFSC, which is back from tomorrow on.

Last year the Paulaner Oktoberfest took Dublin by surprise! Over 70,000 people visited this unique free Bavarian event. Make sure you don’t miss it this year. It starts on Thursday the 8th and runs until the 18th of October in George’s Dock in the IFSC.
Experience traditional German fun, food and entertainment with over 30 German barmaids dressed in traditional Dirndl’s!

And this is not all of German-themed entertainment in town this weekend. Our friends over at the Porterhouse are launching their own version of the Oktoberfest tomorrow as well. And for this occasion they have the delicious Früh Kölsch from my hometown Cologne on tap – not very Bavarian, but nevertheless very tasty.

Disclaimer: Dublinblog is not responsible for any adverse health effects you may experience after having a couple of steins. Please enjoy your German beer responsibly.

The Darklight Festival is “Ireland’s premier festival for filmmakers, animators and artists whose work explores the convergence of art, film and technology” and this year celebrates its 10th year of pushing the boundaries.

Personally I cannot believe it is 10 years on the go. I remember entering an item for its first year just after I finished my M.Sc. in Multimedia Systems and the less said about it all the better. To my shame I cannot claim to be an avid fan of the Darklight festival and have certainly only made it along to the odd (in more ways than one) event over the last ten years. That said I always sit down with their programme and pick a few items that I try to go to.  Please bear in mind that this is a wholly personal choice and you should really check out the schedule because there might be much more of interest to you. The other great thing about this fest is that many of the events are FREE so you’ve no excuse! The programme includes screenings, performances, discussions and workshops. I’m also really glad to see that the events all take place in and around the Smithfield area, especially in the beautiful Lighthouse Cinema. Don’t forget you can cycle there on Dublin Bikes or get the Luas Red Line.

Here are my choices in roughly chronological order:

1. Three Potential Endings by Willie Doherty. I like the idea of this film all about urban spaces. So many issues, not least with spaces like Smithfield which seems practically doomed if you are there on a regular Tuesday evening. “The work presents a male figure besieged with the possibility of failure and uncertainty, and was conceived as a response to the shifting architectural landscape of contemporary Dublin. Three Potential Endings extends the Willie Doherty’s concerns with exploring the dynamics of specific urban spaces through the medium of video.” Thursday 8 October – Saturday 10 October, 8pm, Smithfield Plaza, FREE. More
2. DATA Presents: A New Media Nostalgia. This discussion appealed to me because I love the idea of marrying art & technology. Having worked with new technology in art (neither today nor yesterday!) suspicion is the least of one’s worries: will it be alright on the night was always foremost in my mind. “A Dublin Art and Technology Association panel discusion @ Darklight ‘09: The use of the newest technology in art is still sometimes viewed with suspicion - only when a technology becomes both ubiquitous and mainstream is it fully accepted.” Friday, October 9th 2009, 7pm, The Cobblestone Pub, Smithfield, FREE. More
3. R.E.M. This is Not a Show, A Film By Vincent Moon And Jeremiah I would imagine that it would be a good idea to book this one. Hopefully it’s not too late to get tickets! “When legendary rock band R.E.M. decided to document their intimate run of ‘working rehearsals’ at Dublin’s Olympia Theatre, they turned to Parisienne director Vincent Moon, the guerrilla filmmaker behind musical on-line sensation The Take-Away Shows; the result is one of the most electrifying and inspired concert movies in an age.”Friday, October 9th 2009 9pm, Light House Cinema, Smithfield, Admission: €10 More
   Drive – Live at the Olympia in Dublin – a wee taster:
4. 2019AC: After Copyright. This is a symposium focusing on the questions of copyright in the digital era. Anna Troberg, the Vice Chair of the Swedish Pirate Party participates. No doubt it will be lively! Saturday, October 10th 2009, 1:00pm, Maldron Hotel, Smithfield, Admission: €10 More
5. The Geek Lounge Apparently I’ll be able to get my “geek on” at this event. I don’t need much encouragement so I’ll be there with other glasses & black polo sweater wearing nerds talking about what’s next after Web 2.0 or whatever they’re calling it this week. Geek-in-charge will be Fionn Kidney who sounds like a total wuss because apparently he’s a recovering internet addict. Pah! If you can’t stand the heat… Saturday, October 10th 2009, 3:00pm, Court Yard Restaurant, Smithfield, FREE More
6. Animatazz Animation Workshop, While I’m geeking it up Himself and the Nippers will be over the way at an animation workshop. Booking essential. “Animatazz maestro Michael Connolly presents an exciting animation workshop, catered to the needs and abilities of kids aged 8-15 who would love to learn to make an animated character come to life in one fun 90 minute session.” Saturday, October 10th 2009, 3:00pm, Maldron Hotel, Smithfield, FREE More
7. Buddha Bag VHS Amnesty & Movie Lounge I like the sound of this DIY event. You can choose from a selection of shorts on VHS (heh?! Whazzat?) or indeed bring your own and lay back on the ultra-comfy Buddha bags and chill out. If you had hit the festival club the evening before this might be the best option for you. During Culture night myself and the clan laid back on one of these and watched a few shorts as Gaeilge in Filmbase right after a big feed. Perfecto! I might meet them there after the animation and geek fest! Friday, October 9th 2009 – Saturday, October 10th 2009, 7:30pm, Light House Cinema, FREE More
8. Mark Romanek In Conversation Next on my schedule will be a spot of bi-location as I debate whether to go to this or item no. 9 below. Both sound like they could be very interesting. The curse of all festival goers, eh?  “Darklight 2009 Guest In Honour Mark Romanek talks life and career and movies and music with Darklight Programme Director Derek O’Connor: the interview will be proceeded by a selection of iconic Romanek music videos, from Are You Gonna Go My Way by Lenny Kravitz and Closer by Nine Inch Nails to Hurt by Johnny Cash and 99 Problems by Jay-Z.”  He also presents a masterclass on the Saturday morning but I’m not enough of a buff to even dream about going along to that. Saturday, October 10th 2009, 5:00pm, Light House Cinema, €8 More
   
9. Has Pop Eaten Itself? This is another symposium but I do like a bit of banter myself. This one includes a great panel of pop eaters “Chaired by journalist and club promoter Una Mullally, the panel for this discussion will include artist and filmmaker Will St. Ledger, Irish Times journalist Sinead Gleeson, promoter and filmmaker Dylan Haskins, blogger Rapture Ponies, DJ Alison Curtis and musician James O’Neill.”, Saturday, October 10th 2009, 5:00pm, Maldron Hotel, Smithfield, Admission: €10 More
   
10. Niall Sweeney’s Revolver Now I’ll admit a smidgen of bias on this one as Niall is one of my big brother’s oldest friends but I have heard that his live performances are brilliant. “Embarking from a Dublin of a near-distant memory — with its burgeoning cultures of clubbing, digital media, and DIY — graphic artist and visionary Niall Sweeney takes you loop-the-loop round a world viewed through glasses tinted with his particular bent. Condensing two decades into a two hour performance, Sweeney presents an evening of story cycles and graphic travelogues in words, pictures and music.”  Saturday, October 10th 2009, 7:00pm, Light House Cinema, €12 More
    

The annual Open House Dublin is on again this year, in fact it’s on next weekend October 8th to 11th. It’s a wonderful opportunity to visit some of the iconic buildings in Dublin. For photographers there is the opportunity to go up onto the viewing deck of Liberty Hall to take photos of the city skyline. For political fans there is the chance to visit Leinster House and Government Buildings. It’s well worth having a look at the schedule, some buildings require an advance booking others are on a first come first served basis.