Jameson Film Festival

Not long to go now until the Jameson Film Festival kicks off in Dublin. The festival runs for ten days from February 17th to 27th and presents over 120 films.

There is a wide range of flims to choose from including categories such as Irish Cinema, Latin Cinema, Real to Reel, French Cinema, First Look...to name but a few.

For more information on the festival and the films check out www.jdiff.com

Dublin Ocktoberfest is back!

Dublin Ocktoberfest starts this Thursday, 30th September and runs until 10th October in the IFSC. The event is well worth a visit...at least once! It was a huge success last year with big beer loving crowds filling the wooden benches in the large tents. The energic atmosphere in the tents is created by the Bavarian music as well as the beer. A friendly vibe is created by the clanking of beer mugs with anyone within arms reach. There is plenty of traditional tasty German food on offer. For more information on the event click here. The IFSC is just a 15-20 minute walk from Temple Bar Hotel.

Taste of Dublin

Taste of Dublin is back on June 10th - 13th in the Iveagh Gardens. The food and drink festival is one of the most popular events of the summer with upto 30,000 visitors expected to attend. For some reason the sun always seems to shine for Taste of Dublin (I hope I haven't jinxed it now!). Dublin's top restaurants will display their finest cuisine samples and it's always a good idea to have a good look around before deciding on which to choose.Well known chefs including Darina Allen, Kevin Dundon, Donal Skehan Gino D'Acampo and Rachel Allen will be present and even offering cooking demonstrations.
Taste of Dublin is a great day out for family and friends and if you don't live in Dublin we highly recommend you stay over and make a weekend of it. Temple Bar Hotel is a 20 minute scenic stroll from the Iveagh Gardens.

Handel's Festival Dublin, April 13th

As I have said in many posts, Temple Bar is a great area for hosting free events. Coming up on Tuesday, 13th April is 'In Handel's Day' which is a one day event run by Temple Bar Cultural Trust. The famous Handel's Messiah was first performed in Temple Bar (on Fishamble Street) on April 13th, 1742 and on April 13th this year there will be lots of free activities from 10am to midnight to commemorate it. Some of the events include:

Let's Walk & Talk: Handel's Dublin - Then & Now (11am)
This is a historical walking tour with Pat Liddy. It is free and no booking is required.

Messiah on the Street (1pm)
A unique choral performance of excerpts from Handel's Messiah on the original site on Fishamble Street, Temple Bar where Messiah received its world premiere in 1742. Again this is free and no booking is required.

Fishamble Street is a 5 minute walk from Temple Bar Hotel.
Check out www.templebar.ie for a full programme of events.

Festival of Russian Culture

Dublin continues to amaze me! The amount of festivals and events in this city is just fantastic. Well I do come from rural West Cork where the only event was the annual Festival with the 'Rag' as the main event!! I've just found out about the Festival of Russian Culture started on February 15th and continues until February 21st. There will be a collection of informative films on Russia screened in Meeting House Square, Temple Bar this evening and tomorrow evening. If I hadn't made plans already I'd love to go along to the Pepper Canister Church to see the musical 'To Russia with Love'. Click here for a full list of events for the festival.
Most of the festival events are walking distance from Temple Bar Hotel.

Jameson International Film Festival Dublin

The Jameson Film Festival which takes place from February 18th to 28th is one of those festivals which is going from strength to strength. There will be over 120 film and documentary works screened over the 10 days. The popularity of the festival is due mainly to the fact that it offers in a lot of cases the only chance for people to see the film and many of them are Irish premieres. This year there are a few films that have caught my attention including Ondine which was shot in my home County of Cork and stars the handsome Mr. Colin Farrell. It also happens to be the Opening Gala film. There is also a chance to see a number of classics, most notably La Dolce Vita. For more information see www.jdiff.com. All the venues are within walking distance of Temple Bar Hotel.

Temple Bar TradFest coming up

Temple Bar TradFest was launched yesterday. It takes place over 5 days and nights from January 27th to 31st. Try to pick up a Programme of Events which will give you a good guide to all the performances in Temple Bar.

Is there anything more magical than a pub filled with the sound of traditional Irish music? It is at the very core of the Irish culture. There's an energy in traditional Irish music that attracts people of every nationality and makes them want to get up and dance a jig! Irish music sessions keep Irish music alive right across the globe. For visitors to Ireland that are seeking out Irish cultural experiences, a traditional Irish music session is highly recommended. But also for locals who have experienced extreme weather conditions lately, it is the perfect way to raise your spirits and celebrate being Irish!

Christmas Markets in Dublin's IFSC

I was so excited to hear Dublin's Christmas markets are back on December 10th. Last year we went there for our Christmas party (a budget alternative to the big sit down meal party) by walking down there (just 10 mins walk from the hotel) in the afternoon and strolling around the stalls. There was plenty of food vendors serving delicious hot food and mugs of mulled wine to warm us up. There is a fantastic festive atmosphere around the markets with everyone in the Christmas spirit. It's a great place to get some stocking fillers with lots of quirky gift ideas. There's no charge and it's great for children and adults. It could also be added to the list for anyone doing the '12 pubs of Christmas' in Dublin. On that note, if anyone has established a good list of pubs....do leave a comment and let me know!

Warning! If you are walking down to the markets with a gang, expect to lose some on the way to the many inviting bars you will pass!!

Dublin Beer Festival! A Great Night Out!

Well I took my own advice yesterday (and suffering for it today) and I gathered the troops after work and headed down to Oktoberfest in the IFSC. There are numerous food stalls serving a variety of German foods. I had a tasty German sausage which had been cooked on the charcoal bbq followed by a Baileys and Banana Crepe for dessert. And then for the Beer!! I went for the smaller jug of Paulander Beer as I wasn't sure if I'd even be able to lift the larger one. Most of the drinking goes on in the large tent with wooden benches and seats. The atmosphere was fantastic with plenty of beer mug clinking and lots of beer loss in the process! The Bavarian band played traditional German music which is quite lively and calls for plenty of beer mug raising! There were German girls in the traditional Dirndl dress and you can purchase the dresses, but be warned that while it may seem like a good idea after a few beers, you won't be wearing it on a regular Saturday night out!

There's still over a week left to go so get yourself down there.

Dublin Beer Fest!

If like myself you are raging that you didn't make it to Munich for Ocktoberfest why not take a trip in George's Dock in Dublin's IFSC for Paulaner Ocktoberfest!! It's also worth the trip if you are suffering withdrawal systems from a recent trip to Munich. It's a FREE event and runs from the 8th to 18th October. In true Ocktoberfest style there will be traditional German food and entertainment, as well as German barmaids dressed in traditional Dirndls.

My advice is to gather the gang and head down there after work some evening next week after work. There's plenty of food there...soakage!

Walking distance from Temple Bar Hotel - 15 minutes.

Running away with the Circus!

When we were kids, my brother had this notion that he wanted to run away with the circus. I think it was the idea that he could eat as much candy floss and popcorn as he liked that was the ultimate appeal. Admittedly the circus has a certain lure for most children who crave adventure and escape!

Temple Bar Circus Festival started yesterday and runs until this Sunday, attracting both children and adults. This afternoon there was a performance by the Cannonball Circus. Temple Bar Meeting House Square was alive with children's laughter as they watched their performance. Their animated faces displaying their utter enthusiasm for all things Circus!

I was raging with myself yesterday when I rang the ticket office to see if there was any tickets left for the outdoor screening of Mouin Rouge tonight. But the good news is, there's lots of non-ticket events going on over the weekend.

Walking distance from Temple Bar Hotel - 5 minutes.

Jazzing it up on Bloomsday!

Temple Bar was alive with Jazz bands and Bloomsday celebrations yesterday afternoon.
Distance from Temple Bar Hotel to the Temple Bar - 0 minutes, yes we're in the heart of it!

Getting ready to Bloom!

The highlight of my recent Ulysses walking tour was witnessing one of the greatest supporters of all things Joycean (Senator David Norris) roar a string of expletives as he chased an ‘Out of Service’ Dublin Bus down North Great Georges Street. Apparently the buses are banned because of their potential damage to the underground wine cellars that stretch out underneath the street.

The irony of witnessing such a humorous scene while on a Ulysses walking tour did not escape us as the epic novel is based on humorous observations in Dublin city. Every year on June 16th, Bloomsday is celebrated as it marks the day when all the action in Ulysses took place, when the fictional character, Leopold Bloom wandered Dublin city.

This year the Temple Bar area will host a number of events on June 16th to celebrate the day. Buskers Bar will have a jazz band from 5-7pm and will be serving a Blooms day breakfast all day as well as the famed Gorgonzola sandwich with burgundy wine. Sounds blooming amazing! (sorry, I couldn’t resist!!!).

For more information on events in Temple Bar on Bloomsday, click here.
To download a free iWalk podcast click here
Distance from Temple Bar Hotel to Temple Bar - 0 minutes!

It’s all about Soul…..

Eight years ago when I lived in Manhattan, I remember a Summer’s evening when I went to Central Park with an ex boyfriend to listen to the New York Philharmonic Orchestra...it was our attempt at being cultured! Being typically Irish we just rocked in and ended up sharing my denim jacket to lie down on(they were in fashion 8 years ago!!). We looked around us at all the super organised Americans with their picnic baskets of wine, cheese & grapes, rugs, candles…you name it!! I was more than a bit envious and didn’t feel in the least bit cultured!

Are the Irish finally catching up? I think we might be! Well I thought so last Sunday as the sun shone down on Merrion Square’s Soul Picnic. All around there were families with picnics (we couldn't go too far wrong when the name 'Soul Picnic' suggested that the picnic was essential!!). The entertainment from various Soul artists was amazing and there was an atmosphere of cheeriness in the beautiful surrounds of the city centre park. The fact that it was one of the first sunny days experienced in Ireland this year definitely helped the event to run smoothly.

The Soul Festival also showcased some acts live on stage last Friday night in Temple Bar’s Meeting House Square which created a great buzz amongst the crowd in Temple Bar. In the words of Oscar Wilde “Nothing can cure the soul but the senses, just as nothing can cure the senses but the soul.”

Distance from Temple Bar Hotel to Merrion Square- a 10 minute walk.