The Dublin Community Blog

Last weekend Dublin Zoo were kind to invite bloggers from around Ireland to a or a behind the scenes look at the zoo before the crowds arrive and while the animals are active at breakfast. Several DublinBloggers attended and took photographs. We’ll post a selection of our photographe after the break in this post and you can find more on out flickr feeds.

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Yeah really, Happy Arthurs Day. The Arthurs Day 2009 celebrations for the 250th anniversary of the Guinness brewing company are now an annual event with music and events all over the city. Sure it’s made up but at least it’s our made up celebration and couldn’t we use one after the last couple of years.

Today is Car Free Day in Dublin as part of European Mobility Week the goal of which is “an awareness raising campaign aiming at sensibilising citizens to the use of PUBLIC TRANSPORT, CYCLING, WALKING and at encouraging European cities to promote these modes of transport and to invest in the new necessary infrastructures.”

Unfortunately they happened to pick a pretty awful wet day in Dublin so traffic was actually heavier this morning. To add to the traffic problems this morning South William St, Drury St and Fade St are closed until 11pm to accommodate Living Streets as part of Car Free Day. The rain is easing off now and there are blue skies on the horizon so if you haven’t already taken your car into the city center perhaps you could consider taking public transport instead?

Dublin’s rich cultural heritage will certainly not go a miss this Friday the 24th, as the city looks to recapture it’s fine, historical lineage for one night only. Starting at 5pm and running until midnight, Dublin Culture Night will see the city’s most famous museums, churches, galleries, historical and cultural centres, open their doors late for an extraordinary night of entertainment, discovery and adventure that comes at absolutely no expense! The theme for Culture Night this time around is ‘What Will You See?’ and is a highly recommended outing for the whole family. This year’s event is forecast to be the biggest one to date, with expected nationwide crowds amounting to over half a million with 20 cities, towns, counties and islands all taking part as people around the country rediscover Ireland’s magnificent cultural heritage.
The programme of events, in their entirety, were previously presented at Dublin Castle by the Temple Bar Cultural Trust (TBCT), with the help of the recently retired broadcasting legend Mícheál Ó Muircheartaigh, and include a wide range of tours, performances, historical talks, and cultural events for the whole city to enjoy. Dublin bus have also agreed to lend a helping hand, providing free buses along three culture trails from 6pm to 11pm with buses leaving every 20 minutes from stops at Bachelor’s Walk, Aston Quay and Trinity College, that will transport visitors to the outermost venues. On top of this, the TBCT have also set up a series of outdoor information points, which will be located in each cultural quarter on the night where a helpful team of Culture Night Guides will be on hand to provide further assistance.
A full list of the programme of events for Dublin Culture Night is now freely available on the website, www.culturenight.ie, which will give any intended visitors a useful insight into the numerous activities taking place on what should be, an unforgettable evening.

I just read on Twitter that bookings for Open House Dublin 2010 start today. Open House is an annual event (held this year on October 7th-10th) where tours are held of many buildings normally closed to the public. Why would you be interested in this you may ask? Have you ever wondered what the view from the top of Liberty Hall is like, or what the inside of the Leinster House is really like? This is your opportunity to visit these buildings and be taken on a guided tour admire the architecture and see a different view of the Dublin skyline.

While most of the buildings are opened on a first come first served basis some, such as Leinster House, require pre-bookings. Bookings start at 10am this morning so if you want to see what goes on behind the scenes at some of the most iconic buildings in Dublin you should make sure to check out their website this morning and put your name down.

Nicely shot video by a group of expat friends living here in Dublin. To show their appreciation for their favourite city, hobby musicians Tamas (Hungarian), Kasia (Polish) and Christof (Germany), have recorded their own version of Glenn Hansard and Marketa Irglova’s modern classic, ‘Falling Slowly’. The film features close-ups of some of the most memorable locations of the city centre, shot to that easily recognisable tune from the famous film. Recommended for any new visitors who want a short insight into some of Dublin’s many treats, or for any of us who just need a small reminder of what our fair city has to offer. Enjoy.

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.