The Dublin Community Blog

In my opinion, one of the most interesting events that is currently happening in Dublin city is this monthly themed night of music, spoken word and performance: The Brown Bread Mixtape. Happening upstairs at the Stag’s Head is an evening full of great entertainment, prose, poems, song, laughter, fun and the odd Swedish pop song. MC’s, chief organisators and jacks-of-all-trades Kalle and Enda present a hand-picked array of artists, and are spicing it up with their own performances in between.

Dublinblog sent some questions their way, and here’s what the two main men had to say:

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There is a fan page on Facebook called Secret Dublin. Secret Dublin aims to provide a forum for Dubliners to share their insights on places and talent in Dublin to discover “hidden gems”. The idea is romantic, but sadly a short peruse of the page shows few suggestions. With this in mind, I am going to share my little bit of Secret Dublin I happened to stumble across two months ago.

Weeks and weeks ago, my French friend, Maryline, told me of an evening called Milk & Cookie Stories.

“It is a group of people that come together to tell stories and have cookies,” she explained. She described the event as if it were common place.

“What has cookies got to do with stories?” I asked in puzzlement.

“I don’t know, replied my friend. “It’s just what they do.”

“How much is it?”

“It is free.”

I was suspicious. I gave the first two events a wide berth by politely declining an invite. Then came a funny phase of mine; I realised I needed to be more open to new things and new people. When Maryline reminded me yet another Milk & Cookie Stories evening approached, I agreed to attend. I remained sceptical, but reminded myself of the new things and new people I craved.

On a wet Tuesday evening Maryline and I made our way to the Dublin Exchange, Temple Bar. We arrived to be greeted by friendly faces, most of whom –  I guessed – were students. We were early. Rows of seats and large cushions on the floor remained vacant. Across the open plan room were tables bearing baskets of biscuits. We were offered tea and helped ourselves to the fare on offer.

When I asked one of the organisers about the evening, I was told that it was an open mic evening where attendants were invited to share a story. The story could be anything from a lament to a personal experience. An emphasis was placed on first timers. Anyone interested in spinning a yarn was invited to put their name on the list. They would be called up when their moment came.

My friend and I warmed ourselves next to a solitary radiator in a remote corner of the gallery. We watched as the number of attendants slowly and steadily increased. We were both taken aback by the friendly atmosphere. I was introduced to a considerable number of people. I noted how simple it was to strike up conversation with relative strangers. My thoughts were suddenly interrupted.

“We will be starting in around five minutes,” a girl named Sarah announced to the eighty or so people gathered. This prompted a hush to descend on the room.

The first story teller was called up. He received a supportive applause from the congregation. He told his story. Following another round of applause, the next story teller was called. The most memorable performances from the evening were a recital of Arabian Nights, an Hungarian folktale and a Celtic myth. The featured performer of the evening – whose name has unfortunately slipped my mind – told a personal story that was both moving and humorous.

I went again last Tuesday and had an equally enjoyable experience. The featured performer, Clare Murphy, told two Irish stories and a Nigerian tale. Her performance was uniquely engaging and animated. Clare drew loud laughs and planted ideas in our minds. I would gladly have listened to her for hours had I the chance. Clare embodies the skill and art of storytelling that Milk & Cookie Stories strives to promote.

Milk & Cookies Stories meets on the first/second Tuesday of every month at Dublin Exchange, Temple Bar. The atmosphere is friendly, the stories are entertaining and the cookies are tasty. The event is free, but the organisers do encourage attendants to make a small donation when the “cookie jar” is passed around.  Should you find yourself available from six o’clock Tuesday, 9^th February, you should come along.

What’s the worst that can happen? You enjoy a unique experience and open your mind to some new ideas? Come along, it’s a great evening.

Today marks the return of the annual German Film Festival, presented by the IFI in collaboration with the Goethe-Institut Irland and German Films Services + Marketing.

Continuing a trend that has been much commented on, modern German cinema seems fascinated with exploring the country’s troubled past. Kaspar Heidelbach’s Berlin ’36 tells the extraordinary true story of Gretel Bergmann, who was destined for an Olympic gold medal before she was forced out of the German team for being a Jew. Max Färberböck’s A Woman in Berlin is based on the diary of the only woman to write about the taboo topic of the rape of German women by Red Army soldiers at the end of World War II.

So, if you are up for better German cinema experience than…let’s say last year’s “Baader-Meinhof Komplex”, I strongly recommend to pay a visit to the IFI over the next 10 days. My personal pick is Oskar Roehler’s (Atomised) David Lynch/Baz Luhrmann-hommage “Lulu & Jimi”. Apologies for this German trailer, I could not find a sub-titled one – but I hope the images are sufficient .

I recently came across a notice in the Irish Times seeking out attendees for a public forum on developing the Café Culture in Dublin. The topic for discussion was less about coffee quality and more to do with the Café becoming a “third place” away from work or home and thus an alternative to the good old Irish Pub. The role of the traditional pub in Ireland is deep rooted but the forum focused on an ideal that the café could in future become a hub for socialising, business and the arts.
 
Among the speakers were Professor Kieran M. Bonner of St. Jerome’s University Canada, actor Glynis Casson, divisional librarian with Dublin City Council Maire Kennedy and Dick Gleeson. The latter, a Dublin city Planner, gave a fascinating presentation (worth a post by itself) on the future of Dublin from a planning perspective, with cafes playing a key role in linking the inner city regions.
 
People from all backgrounds and industries spoke at the meeting and the consensus was that Dublin needs an alternative to the pub when it comes to a “third place” but there is a conflict between what the perceived ideal café is and what the business owners are willing to provide.
 
I have thought a lot since the talk about whether Dubliners would ever change their socialising habits and pick a café over a pint. Michael McDowell was lampooned for this suggestion in the not so distant past and although there is anecdotal evidence to suggest that a change is called for by Dubliners, the question still remains whether or not they would turn up once a week rather than once a month.
 
I often hear people complain about the lack of cafes in the city that have real atmosphere and character. Cafes in Dublin tend to be more like convenience stores that happen to sell coffee. Sandwiches, pastries, fizzy drinks and smoothies are all laid out in an effort to maximise the earning potential per square foot. Café owners need to make a certain number of transactions a day just to make ends meet and all the trouble starts to arise when customers start requesting jazz lunches, free wi-fi and a single comfy couch in a space that fits 12 seats.
 
The other side of this argument is that café owners in Dublin pay very large rents most of the time. An average enough (small) café in a reasonably busy street in the city will often set you back rents of somewhere between 35-45k and that’s before rates, insurance and all those other wonderful add-ons.
 
There are two models for a café and I suppose you could use a fishing analogy to describe them. The first works like a large scale fishing boat that drops a net and sieves the ocean waves. Large chains open cafes on busy streets with the knowledge that they will net a certain percentage of passers by. It’s a formula that works and continues to work for many businesses. The turnover is huge but so are the costs unfortunately. As a rule the quality also tends to suffer as a result but as long as it’s of a “reasonably” high standard they are ensured of a certain amount of sales based on convenience and curiosity alone.
 
The second approach is less scale-focused and more quality focused, like line fishing in a way. The overheads are nowhere near as large but the quality can be maintained more rigidly. This is a business built on the basis that they will use knowledge, experience and craftsmanship to ensure quality and thus repeat business from customers. (Unfortunately there is also a third type of café that tries to combine low quality with low volumes but we’ll try to ignore that for the time being)
 
Admittedly the second example is less frequent in this country. Despite having a World Barista Champion in 2008 (he now works in Chicago after a spell in London), a number of really innovative machine and equipment manufacturers and a growing online coffee community there is a distinct lack of high quality, small cafes in the city. Is this down to a lack of creativity on the part of the proprietors or the failure of patrons to support small cafe business? I’m not so sure.
 
This question is all the more poignant for me in that I myself am on the verge of opening my first cafe. I’ve had countless people wish me well but all have done so with a reminder that I will have to make some sort of compromise in order to be commercially viable. I’ve always wanted to provide a space where Dubliners can enjoy a decent cup in a comfortable environment but as I approach d-day those doubts begin to whisper in the back of my mind.

Some days, you just need to unwind in a place where all the stress and hectic of this oh-so-modern life does not really matter. And what better place to do that then in the cinema. And I’m not talking 20-screen-multiplex here. More the old, dusty ones, where the smell of 30 years selling popcorn will never be completely gone. And this is why I’m singing the praise of the Screen. After its latest refurbishment and re-installment of the famous neon-lights the Screen cinema has now initiated a new season of classical movies, “Ministry of Musicals”. These films will be screened weekly on Tuesday evenings from 17th November starting with Singing in the Rain.

Programme Manager, Anna Taylor commented, “We are delighted with the changeover to digital, it has given us the chance  to be even more creative with our film programming. We are embracing the future, honoring the past and we hope to keep our audiences happy for years to come”. While talking about  the Screen’s future intentions, Anna revealed that they intend to show classic films regularly in the cinema. She went on to say that the entire basis of film appreciation is looking back at the roots of modern cinema and that she hopes that showing classic movies will complement the Screen’s repertoire of new films.

My personal favourite of the classics is the -ahem- classic Wizard of Oz from 1939:

So, if you are looking for some escapism in these dire times, and especially as the weather will probably not improve for the next 5 months, why not pay a visit to a time-honoured Dublin cinema institution.

And to keep updated on future plans and more classic screenings, you can follow the Screen on Twitter or become a fan on their Facebook-profile. Hell, they even have their won Wikipedia-entry.

It seems the cold weather came quite suddenly earlier in the week. So why not embrace the chill in the air and celebrate winter with a little ice skating? You wouldn’t know it from the online promotional buzz (or complete lack thereof), but an ice rink is now open in Sandyford’s Beacon South Quarter (PDF). Last year’s Dublin on Ice site has yet to be updated (as of this post anyway) and I can’t confirm that the rink is opened in Smithfield. (If YOU can, please let us know in the comments.)

The lack of information on the rink(s) is a bit odd, begging the question, why spend money and other resources on something like an ice rink without getting the word out? Where are the models in Santa outfits? (Maybe we’ll see the advertising ramp up a bit the closer we get to Christmas.)

For now, here’s last year’s promo video from City Channel.

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.