The Dublin Community Blog

The free Mind the Gap Operetta will be running again next Friday night, as will a few other public art exhibitions in conjunction with Fringe Fest. And yes, there will also be plenty of buskers and stag do/hen party folks around next weekend. Can’t guarantee that we’ll see another group of Austin Powers look-a-likes running around (anybody else see Elvis suddenly appear in that video?), but in Temple Bar, you just never know.

As the line-up of this year’s Electric Picnic was announced last week, Oxegen tickets are already getting sparse and Castlepalooza is trying to be nominated for “Best European Festival” again this year, I thought this to be a good opportunity to draw your attention to the one festival that marks the start of the Irish festival season: Sibin, kicking it of next Saturday, 2nd of May.

The word Sibín, or Sheebeen, is of Irish origin and has been used in Ireland, Scotland, Southern Africa and the Carribbean for centuries to describe various kinds of illicit and after hours establishments. Places where alcohol was consumed, music played and merriment had. In the sixties and seventies the word was commonly used among the West Indian community in the UK to describe the kind of after hours sessions often held in private houses where reggae sound system played, chalice blazed, and man and woman danced till the early hours.

2009 it may be, and yes we are fully licensed, but we intend to recapture the magic and spirit of the late night sessions of yore with our Sibín. Musically we want to promote both new and old sounds, electronic and acoustic alike. It will also be a celebration of artistic creativity and expression of all kinds, with the venue being transformed into a visual and auditory wonderland for the day.

Located only 30 minutes North of Dublin (and easily reachable via public transport), this year’s line-up features loads of up-and coming bands from genres that you won’t find in bigger festivals – techno, salsa, reggae, hip-hop or drum and bass amongst other. All this is cramped into a one-day festival with six stages and 50 acts altogether, and with a capacity of 2000 festival visitors this promises to be one nice & cosy Saturday afternoon (and night). Personally, I am really looking forward to the performance of Dublin instrumental outfit Friend?.

PS: Connected magazine still has some discounted tickets available. But you better hurry.

The official announcement goes like this:

This weekend (4,5 October) the Festival of World Food is taking place in Marlay Park in Rathfarnham. There will be food stalls from Palestine, Lebanon, Algeria, Germany, Italy, France, Brazil, Mexico, USA, Japan, China, Thailand, Greece, Spain, Sri Lanka and India. The festival will also focus on the wonderful innovations taking place in this country at the farming and artisan levels, with priority being given to applicants from farming, growing and producing backgrounds.
From Ireland there will be bakeries, farm house cheeses, condiments, butchers, gluten free products, organic fruit and vegetables, beverages, hot-food and a selection of our best home produced products.

The admission is free.

UPDATE: Other photos, here.

It’s that time of the year again. Over the next 3 days the festival will take place in and around Temple Bar.

Building on its strengths on an annual basis, Hard Working Class Heroes returns to the streets of Dublin over the weekend of Friday 12 th /Saturday 13 th / Sunday 14 th September for its 6 th consecutive year.

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This year, in addition, Ireland’s photographers are being called on to submit their finest shots for a chance to feature in a full Photographers Exhibition which is being curated by Ireland’s newest quality monthly magazine State.

You can find all information, plus the official festival-download charts over at the official website. This year I am really looking forward to the “Scottish Invasion”-part, featuring bands such as Sons and Daughters and Frightened Rabbit. And I am really delighted to anounce this on the 711th anniversary of the Battle of Stirling Bridge, hehe.

I’ve only just heard about the Pipeworks festival which has been running since June 20th.

Here is a timetable of events for this weekend. Most events are ticketed, but there is a free choral event tomorrow afternoon:

Choral Cornucopia, 3pm, City Hall, Dame Street, Dublin

New Dublin Voices
Mornington Singers
Cois Cladaigh
Resurgam

The weather has been perfect for the Docklands Maritime Festival this bank holiday weekend. I took my family in to the festival on Saturday and came away with a sunburn and a full stomach. In fact, we’re going back in today so I can get my hands on some of those garlic potatoes and jumbo prawns (which I had to pass up on Saturday due to already having stuffed myself with bratwurst.)

Here’s a little video clip of just a few of the things on offer at the festival. And I’m looking forward to seeing what RedMum and the Flickr group captured from the meet up yesterday!

Dublin Docklands is host to a Maritime Festival this coming bank holiday weekend.

A spectacular fleet of tall ships; exciting maritime-related street theatre and musical entertainment performed by Waterford-based arts group Spraoi; Dublin’s largest outdoor market offering fine food, clothing, jewellery and plants; and boat trips along the river are just some of the delights awaiting visitors.

Sounds like fun. And its all free.

Africa Day at Dublin Castle took place yesterday and was great craic altogether. A celebration of African culture and tradition, the place was packed to the brim – there was a 20 minute queue to get in when we arrived at around 3pm. According to RTÉ, over 7, 000 people attended. There were stalls displaying traditional crafts, clothing and everyday utensils, short films and exhibitions, South African wine tastings and sporting events. The main stage hosted a great mix of African and Irish acts – from traditional Malawian Dance Performances to Irish hip hop group Millionaire Boyz and Irish trad lads Kila.

it ended with performances from Mundy (who opened his set by saying “Should I just sing Galway Girl and go home?”), Republic of Loose and Sinead O’Connor.

According to the 2006 census, almost 42,000 of the people living in Ireland were born in Africa.

There are a few more pics on the Dublin Blog Flickr.

The Rathmines Festival kicked off on the 14th of this month and will pick up again today, finishing late on Sunday night. The festival features a variety of events, workshops, and galleries, all happening along Rathmines Road (Upper and Lower) just south of Grand Canal. Most events are free and those that come with a price tag (like some music performances) never rise above a tenner. Dance, theatre, literature, music, photography, film, sports, history – there really does seem to be something for just about everyone!

For more, including a downloadable schedule, surf over to the festival website at www.RathminesFestival.com. Alternatively, the good folks at Cafe Moda have agreed to allow the use of their coffee shop as the festival club house, so if you happen to be in the area, stop by for brochures, booking, or any other information.

There’s certainly something for everyone in Dublin for this year’s St. Patrick’s Festival – even for parents who miss their clubbin’ days! I took my daughter to SS Michael and John in the West end of Temple Bar yesterday for her first rave party, where ‘the only drug is calpol,’ according to the group’s MySpace page. The Baby Rave is being put on by Belfast arts charity, Young at Art.

If you’re a parent of a child 0-4 years old, I would wholeheartedly recommend taking him/her/them to this multi-sensory experience. Even at five-and-a-half months old, my little girl was wide-eyed in wonder as she watched the colourful flower-shaped lights float up the walls and across the ceiling. The music was just the right volume to “thump,” but not so loud that I felt my little one’s ears were at risk. The staff were also very helpful, friendly, and sensitive.

The Baby Rave continues today and tomorrow. Be sure to visit the St. Patrick’s Festival site for details (CLICK HERE). You can pay the EUR 8.50 charge (per person) at the door like we did, but to guarantee your entrance, you’re better off booking in advance the day before. So book now for one of the three raves happening tomorrow. Given the wet weather Dublin seems to be getting, an indoor event such as this is sure to be very attractive for young families!