A Date With Dublin – February 14th 2012

Temple Bar Cultural Trust (TBCT) plans a different way to celebrate St Valentine’s Night: why not swap dinners and diamonds for cultural gems!

TBCT has unveiled a new programme of events to celebrate Valentine’s Day called ‘A Date With Dublin’. From 12 noon until 12 midnight on February 14th, cultural organisations across the city will light up with love, offering lovers and friends an adventure to the cultural heart of the city. TBCT and partners have arranged a programme of affordable and free events that promise discovery, beauty, fun and great value.

Highlights of the programme include an outdoor dinner and movie experience starting at 6.30pm in Meeting House Square, Temple Bar. Under the cover of the beautifully illuminated umbrellas, Meeting House Square will be transformed into an atmospheric haven especially for Valentine’s Day. In the square, filled with couches, bean bags and rugs in Valentine’s colours, one of the most romantic films of all time, Casablanca, will be screened and beforehand movie lovers can enjoy some hot and spicy, Thai red chicken curry for only €5.

Lorraine Maye, Cultural Events Programmer for Temple Bar Cultural Trust said, “We want to give people a great experience and offer great value throughout the day. We’re delighted to be partnering with so many excellent cultural organisations to offer people such a fun, affordable, alternative to traditional Valentine’s Day activities.”

There are plenty of opportunities for people to get involved and get interactive. TBCT is calling all film lovers to log on to www.templebar.ie and choose, from a shortlist of six, the final film to be screened in Meeting House Square at 11pm; Project Arts Centre is asking people to join in an interactive, anti-Valentine’s Day game called ‘Love Sucks’ at 5.30pm, and all aspiring dancers should make their way to Dance House for 8.30pm where Viva Dance School will be demonstrating ballroom basics!

St Valentine himself gets special billing to remind us all of his unique connection with Dublin at Whitefriar Street Church. During the day, St Valentine will be celebrated through special programmes of choral music at the church, where some of his remains are contained within the Shrine of St Valentine.

At 2pm the National Gallery of Ireland, Merrion Square will be offering a special tour of romantic imagery in the Gallery’s collection, while across town at 3pm, art lovers will get a free Valentine’s Day tour of the Francis Bacon studio at Dublin City Gallery, The Hugh Lane on Parnell Square.

Have your caricature drawn by Seán Drawn and attend the world premiere of his graphic novel ‘Cupid’s Last Arrows’ in the Exchange Dublin from 12pm; meet your perfect book match with book speed dating at The Gutter Bookshop where the book experts will match you with your ideal book from 6.30pm or head to the Gallery of Photography from 1pm to capture your romance with a vintage style photo portrait which will then be presented as part of a special Valentine’s night screening in Meeting House Square.

Most events are free and some require booking in advance. Further information is available from Temple Bar Cultural Trust at www.templebar.ie. Tickets for the movies at Meeting House Square are available from www.entertainment.ie/tickets

Top 5 Things to Do This Week In Temple Bar | 23rd – 29th January 2012

Top 5 Things to Do This Week In Temple Bar  | 23^rd – 29^th January 2012

Enjoy the outdoor performances part of the Temple Bar Trad Fest this week, and check out some of the events in the Gallery of Photography, Button Factory, Temple Bar Gallery and Studios and Project Arts Centre too!

With over fifty cultural organisations, creative companies as well as unique shops and cafés, there is always something to do in Temple Bar.

Temple Bar Trad Fest
@TempleBarTrad
Outdoor Performances
Date: Saturday 28^th + Sunday 29^th January 2012

Dublin’s biggest and best festival of Irish Music and Culture, the Temple Bar TradFest will be back for the 7th year from January 25-29th 2012. The 2012 festival will include headline concerts in Christ Church Cathedral, Dublin City Hall and The Button Factory. Other highlights include over 200 free events, music trail, singers club, open sessions, two outdoor stages, the international Celtic Irish dance show, master classes and showcases, gigs for kids, children’s club, pipe bands, street performers, a rural Irish village in the city and much more. For more details on the outdoor events visit Trad Fest  – What’s On

Button Factory
@buttonfactoryie
Day Time Set Dance & Céilí
Date: Sunday 29^th January 2012, 1pm
The Button Factory is the name of the refurbished Temple Bar Music Centre. Officially opened on October 2007 the venue is a whole new departure. A new layout, new capacity, state of the art pa and lights mark The Button Factory out as one of Ireland’s most exciting venues. With quality live music, excellent sound and lights and a higher level of comfort, The Bu…tton Factory is the ideal place to enjoy band’s, dj’s and other events. Weekly club nights give The Button Factory an extra dimension. The clubs run from Thursday to Sunday.

Gallery of Photography
Varvara Shavrova: The Opera
Date: From 21st January until 26th February 2012

To celebrate Chinese New Year 2012, the Gallery of Photography is presenting the Irish premiere of The Opera, Varvara Shavrova’s spellbinding work on traditional Peking Opera. The Opera is an artist’s insight into the fragile world of the Peking Opera, one of the most revered artforms of the Chinese national scene. The work focuses on the transformation from male to female, and from female to male, of the Peking Opera artists. Balancing moments of pure visuality with behind the scenes footage, the video underscores the striking avantgardist qualities of this most traditional of artforms. The Opera is accompanied by a specially commissioned score by composer Benoit Granier which incorporates elements of traditional Chinese and contemporary electronic music.

Temple Bar Gallery and Studio
@TBGandS
Bit Symphony by Liam O’Callaghan
Date: until 4^th February 2012

Bit Symphony is an audio-visual installation consisting of an assemblage of turntables, amplifiers and speakers, reconfigured and manipulated so as to autonomously perform a complex musical composition of looping records. Liam O’Callaghan creates the sound by forcing loops, changing speeds, warping and physically scratching records, fading volume in and out and altering tones.

Project Arts Centre
@projectarts
The Family
Date: From 13^th January until 28^th January 2012

Spirit of the Fringe winners THEATREclub are back with a play that just might be about you and EVERYONE you know. The Family is a play about your family. Watch them fight, love and try to make dinner. They will cry and stare as funds gets thinner. BUT The Family love each other, Cos after all, you can choose your friends….Since the foundation of the State, the family was the bedrock of Irish society. At a time when the very fabric of the nation is being called into question, THEATREclub are making a play that explodes the idea of the contemporary Irish family, tearing up “An Teaghlaigh” to figure out where we go to from here.

**Do not forget the Temple Bar Food Market is back in Meeting House Square every Saturday from 10 am until 4 pm and that the Designer Mart will be back every in Cows’ Lane from February 4^th 2012.

If you’re looking for more info on what’s on in Temple Bar simply check out our events calendar at www.templebar.ie and follow us at @TBCT for the latest news from Temple Bar, Dublin’s Cultural Quarter.

Events at Meeting House Square – the perfect venue for you!

Meeting House Square reopened in early December 2011 following the installtion of a retractable canopy, which now provides all – weather proof for events hosted at the Square, in the heart of the city.   Now, you can simply turn off the rain at the flick of a switch as we see the brand new custom designed retractable canopy bloom on the Square.

This first of its kind project in Ireland is brought to you by Temple Bar Cultural Trust, and the event possibilities are endless: from cinema screenings and performances to product launches, art exhibitions and photo calls, music, video and film sets.

TEMPLE BAR FOOD MARKET RETURNS TO MEETING HOUSE SQUARE

MOVIES ON THE SQUARE: SINGING IN THE RAIN

THE BLOOMING RETRACTABLE CANOPY AT MEETING HOUSE SQUARE – HOW IT WORKS

Follow Meeting House Square @MeetingHouseSq / Facebook.com/MeetingHouseSquare / www.meetinghousesquare.ie

Interested in hiring Meeting House Square for your event?
Please contact Lynsey Ni Rainaill, Venue Manager of Meeting House Square on mhs@templebar.ie.

Smock Alley Theatre to re-open shortly

It’s been a long wait and the excitement is a-building! Smock Alley Theatre (1662) is one of Europe’s oldest theatre buildings and we’re thrilled that it is about to come back to life as a theatre. We got a sneak preview tour of the building complex earlier this week and it was exhilarating! You can see some of our pictures on flickr here, or above in the slideshow.  After a colourful and varied history, the building will return to its original use as a theatre in a couple of weeks following an extensive redevelopment.

The Gaiety School of Acting is already anchored in the Girls’ School building on West Essex Street, the Boys’ School building on Exchange Street is now in use as a one of Ireland’s most innovative performance spaces, and the two new studios are busy from dawn to dusk! The main theatre space in now getting the finishing touches. For more information, including venue hires, read more here

Complimentary Wi-Fi now available in Meeting House Square, Temple Bar

Bitbuzz, Ireland’s leading Wi-Fi provider, is now offering complimentary Wi-Fi for visitors to Temple Bar Cultural Trust’s newly reopened Meeting House Square. This is Bitbuzz’s first time hosting Wi-Fi in a public space; the service is available now to visitors to the square every day, all day.

Meeting House Square reopened in December 2011 following the installation of a retractable canopy over the space, providing an all – weather cover at outdoor events. The canopies provide excellent shelter for the square’s existing outdoor cinema and stage. The venue can hold over 400 people seated and will also be providing blankets to visitors on chilly evenings. To celebrate the new launch Bitbuzz has installed Bitbuzz Freetime, meaning that all visitors to the Square can avail of complimentary Wi-Fi at any time.

Meeting House Square will be hosting some of the major events for the Dublin Chinese New Year Festival from 20th January until Friday 3rd February as well as a number of events throughout the year.  The Square will also continue to host the weekly Temple Bar Food Market, which offers a selection of artisan Irish produce.

Dermot McLaughlin, CEO of Temple Bar Cultural Trust said: ‘We are in the business of bringing culture closer to people, so having complimentary Wi-Fi in a public space like Meeting House Square makes perfect sense. Our online community is growing all the time and we’re sure that complimentary Wi-Fi in the Square will be well used and appreciated. We are delighted to work with Bitbuzz – they understand our needs and they have worked with us to make Meeting House Square a place where creative connections can happen.’

Des Kenny, Bitbuzz Development Manager, commented: ‘Offering complimentary Wi-Fi in an outdoor space as unique as Meeting House Square is a new departure for Bitbuzz. Smartphones and internet tablets have greatly increased the demand for complimentary Wi-Fi in venues across the board in 2011. Now that most people have access to the internet so readily on their phone we expect that levels of usage in Meeting House Square will be exceptional. We would hope that Meeting House Square was the first of many such outdoor venues for Bitbuzz.’

Follow Meeting House Square @meetinghousesq and on facebook.com/meetinghousesq

Interested in hiring Meeting House Square for an event, launch or performance? More info here>

Top 5 Things to Do This Week In Temple Bar | 16th – 22nd January 2012

Explore the Old City!

Make the most of your day with a stroll around the Old City of Temple Bar: you can enjoy the current exhibition in Exchange Dublin, flick through some of the fantastic books of the Gutterbookshop, enjoy some freshly baked sandwiches of The Bakery and find some unique pieces of design in the Cow’s Lane Designer studio and Ubode!

With over fifty cultural organisations, creative companies as well as unique shops and cafés, there is always something to do in Temple Bar.

Exchange Dublin
@exchangedublin
Address: Exchange Street Upper, Old City, Temple Bar, Dublin 2
Exchange Dublin is a new collective arts centre in Temple Bar, Dublin run entirely by young people and holding discussions, gigs, visual arts and performance. Most projects originate from the autonomous Exchange Groups that use the space as a hub for their activity. Representatives from these groups form the general Exchange Dublin Collective that programmes and coordinates events in the space. All work is voluntary and no one is paid. Exchange Dublin is a non-alcohol space and events are open to people of all ages.

The Gutter Bookshop
@gutterbookshop
Address: Cow’s Lane, Old City, Temple Bar, Dublin 8
The Gutter Bookshop is a new independent bookshop based in the Old City area of Temple Bar. They sell all kinds of books, including some great children’s books, as well as gifts and stationery. They aim to provide you with something just a little bit different than you’ll find in the big chain bookshops.

Cow’s Lane Designer Studio
@CowsLaneCraft
Address: Essex Street West, (off Parliament Street) Old City, Temple Bar, Dublin 8
Located just off Cow’s Lane in the Old City area of Temple Bar (beside the Bakery) this is a little shop with a big heart! Cow’s Lane Studio is a collaboration between several Dublin based designers and artists who met through Designer Mart at Cow’s Lane. Everything is handmade and the shop is run by the artists who make the work which means every day you can speak and deal directly with the person who made the piece you like! Featuring handmade hats, jewellery, accessories, sculpture, women’s and children’s clothing, visual imagery and men’s t-shirts.

The Bakery
Address: 8 Pudding Row, West Essex Street, Old City, Temple Bar, Dublin 8
A unique continental style bakery located in the historical Old City area of Temple Bar. All of the produce is made fresh on the premises. They offer a variety of breads and cakes including made to order celebration cakes.

Ubode
@ubode
Address: 3-4 Smock Alley Court, The Old City, Temple Bar, Dublin 8
Inspired from his work in the Interiors industry over the past ten years Gary Tiernan set up UBODE to provide customers with a choice of well designed, good quality products at great prices. Having graduated as a Furniture Designer at the prestigious Furniture College in Letterfrack, Co Galway, Gary went on to work with some of Ireland’s leading retailers as a buying consultant and interiors adviser.

Do not forget the Temple Bar Food Market is back in Meeting House Square every Saturday from 10 am until 4 pm and that the Designer Mart will be back every in Cows’ Lane from February 4^th 2012.

If you’re looking for more info on what’s on in Temple Bar simply check out our events calendar at www.templebar.ie and follow us at @TBCT for the latest news from Temple Bar, Dublin’s Cultural Quarter.

Dublin Chinese New Year Festival, 20th January – 3rd February 2012

The Lord Mayor of Dublin, Andrew Montague, announced details of this year’s Dublin Chinese New Year Festival on Thursday, 12^th January, 2012 at 11am at Meeting House Square, Temple Bar, Dublin 2.

This year’s festival runs from 20^th January to 3^rd February and celebrates the Year of the Dragon. Dublin, now twinned with Beijing, will celebrate in style and highlights include the Asia Market Chinese New Year’s Carnival on 22^nd January and Chinese Opera in the Open sponsored by Kildare Village on 21^st January. Both events take place in the newly covered Meeting House Square here in Temple Bar. Other events include the Chinese Film Festival with Etihad Airways, a children’s programme at Dublin City Public Libraries, a photo exhibition on Peking Opera, lectures and much more.

The Lord Mayor said “The Dublin Chinese New Year Festival for 2012, the Year of the Dragon, has an action-packed programme of events and I am looking forward to celebrating Sino-Irish relations with the Chinese Community and Dubliners alike.   The positive contribution by our Chinese Community to the vibrancy of Dublin life is sometimes overlooked so I take this opportunity to thank the Dublin Chinese New Year Festival Committee for their hard work in organising this wonderful Festival.”

Full details of these and other events in the Dublin Chinese New Year Festival 2012 are available at www.cny.ie

TBCT are inviting new members to join ‘Get Active’ – a cultural programme for the Active Retired

Temple Bar Cultural Trust’s ‘Get Active’ programme is now enrolling  new members to join our cultural club for the active retired, offering workshops in arts and crafts, tours, monthly book club and drama club among other cultural activities every month until next December. For more information and free membership contact Eimear Chaomhánach echaomhánach@templebar.ie or Call us on 01 677 2255.

Upcoming Get Active Events:

• January 26th Monthly Book Club at The Gutter Bookshop|11am – 1pm
• February 7th Handpainting on Fabric at The Culture Box | 11am – 2.30pm
• February 15th Drama Club at The Culture Box | 2.30pm – 4.30pm
• February 23rd Monthly Book Club at The Gutter Bookshop | 11am – 1pm
• March 7th Jewellery Making (Earrings) at The Culture Box | 11am – 2.30pm
• March 14th Dram-active! with Richie Ball at The Culture Box 2.30pm – 4.30pm

Download the full programme of events for Get Active in 2012 here word doc / pdf

Earlier this month, TED - ideas worth spreading shared this wonderful video of actress, former model, political activist, fitness guru and writer Jane Fonda discussing the ‘longevity revolution’ or as Jane describes as ‘The Third Act’, a developmental stage of life of the last three decades with it’s own significance. Jane puts the question to the audience how do we use this third act successfully? Answers on a postcard below please…

Print exhibition ‘From Dublin to LA and back’ opens tonight at Monster Truck Gallery, Temple Bar

Monster Truck Gallery, 4 Temple Bar, Dublin 2
Jan 13th 0 18th 2012

From Dublin to LA and Back is a Printmaking Exchange Exhibition between Black Church Print Studio & Los Angeles Printmaking Society. This exhibition was selected by master printmaker, John Greco, who is also the founder of Josephine Press, Santa Monica, CA.

This is the return leg of a printmaking exchange exhibition of Black Church Print Studio members to LA in 2010/11 and all works included in this exhibition are by members of the Los Angeles Printmaking Society.

A wide selection of styles and media are included such as: intaglio, lithography, serigraphy, monoprints, monotypes and relief prints.

For further information log on to print.ie.

Top 5 Things to do in Temple Bar this weekend | 13th – 15th January 2012

The first few weeks after the Christmas holidays can be stressful…but don’t worry, because we have the right solution for you; be healthy, enjoy yourself and start 2012 with an energy kick this weekend in Temple Bar and The Old City!

Here is our Top 5 Things to do In Temple Bar for this coming weekend:

Samdhi Yoga
The Wooden Building, Cow’s Lane, Temple Bar
Samadhi Yoga Studios are a haven of calm, a place where you can leave your life behind and immerse yourself in the joy of yoga. They specialize in the strong physical styles of Ashtanga yoga, Hatha yoga, and Iyengar yoga. From experience we know that strong practice reaps strong rewards.

Temple Bar Food Market
@templebarmarket
Meeting House Square – Every Saturday, 10am – 4pm
This foodies paradise is a must do when visiting Temple Bar. This weekly market takes place every Saturday from 10am – 4.30pm. The market returns to Meeting House Square this December following the installation of the retractable canopy.

Physio Company
Meeting House Square, Temple Bar
Since its inception in 2007, The Physio Company has grown to become the largest private Chartered Physiotherapy provider in Ireland. The Irish family owned medical company was founded by Chief Executive Stuart McGoldrick and his wife Anne, who is the Director of Medical Services of the company.  Together they have combined clinical excellence with best business practices to bring a modern approach to private practice Chartered Physiotherapy.

Melt Healing Centre
Temple Lane South, Temple Bar
Melt was created by Michelle Magill, a therapist and former Fine Art student of NCAD, Dublin.  Due to her training in sculpture, she has an understanding of the human body and the emotional and physical problems that it can experience.  She aims to heal these problems through a range of services including massage, polarity therapy, acupuncture, herbalism, yoga, reflexology and more.

First Fortnight 2012
@firstfortnight
The Button Factory, Temple Bar – Saturday 14^th January 8pm.
In 2010 and 2011 First Fortnight was a live original music gig preceded by a public mental health symposium in the daytime. In 2011/12 First Fortnight are working alongside See Change to raise awareness of their national campaign to reduce stigma in mental health in Ireland. In January of 2012, rather than being a one day event consisting of a talk and a live music event, First Fortnight will be transformed into a 2 week programme of events all falling under the mental health umbrella. The finale of the festival will be held on Jan 14^th in The Button Factory, with a live music event featuring Royseven, Cashier No.9, Le Galaxie  & dREA. This is a gig not to be missed, and tickets are only €10!

With over fifty cultural organisations, creative companies as well as unique shops and cafés, there is always something to do in Temple Bar.  Do not forget the Designer Mart will be back every in Cows’ Lane from February 4^th 2012!

If you’re looking for more info on what’s on in Temple Bar simply check out our events calendar at www.templebar.ie and follow us at @TBCT for the latest news from Temple Bar, Dublin’s Cultural Quarter.