I Love My City
A Celebration of Irish Culture
I Love My City is a series of engaging, evocative and intimate cultural events and happenings curated by the festival and staged in some of Dublin’s most beautiful, historic and prestigious cultural venues and spaces.
18 headline events, featuring established and emerging Irish and international artists, from a variety of disciplines, including literature, music, film, song, spoken word, visual art and more, will be presented throughout the festival.
In addition, citywide venues and spaces will host a multitude of inspiring events presented by exciting collectives, artists and performers, immersing audiences in the vibrant cultural fabric of the city.
Events are either FREE ticketed or PAID ticketed. To register for free tickets or to buy tickets see www.stpatricksfestival.ie.
Mad Myths:
FREE Ticketed Events
Dates: Saturday 14th March
Where: Royal Hibernian Academy (RHA), Ely Place, D.2
Times: See each event below
Fabulous First Stories (3-5yrs):
Time: 10am – 10:45am
Come and join a playful, interactive session of stories and songs to celebrate St. Patrick's Day, featuring tales of mischievous fairies, lost kings, talking frogs and maybe even a monster or two.
Wild Irish Tales (7-11yrs):
Time: 12pm – 1pm
Enjoy an hour of Irish myths and folktales, not for the faint of heart, these stories feature wild warriors, mad one-eyed kings and capricious fairies.
Telling Tales Together: (Suitable for the whole family)
Time: 2.30pm – 3.30pm
Using games and stories, come and master easy ways to learn a story, ways to keep a story interesting (no matter how many times you have to tell it!), and discover new stories to take home.
Special Screening: ‘The Snapper’ plus Q & A with Colm Meaney
PAID Ticketed Event
Date: Saturday 14th March TBC
Where: The Pillar Room, Rotunda Hospital, D.1
Time: 7pm
“When the characters spoke, Dublin spoke”
This year author Roddy Doyle’s Barrytown Trilogy (The Commitments, The Snapper, The Van) is the UNESCO Dublin City of Literature: One City, One Book. Each book follows a different strand in the life of the unforgettable Rabbitte family, encapsulating 80s and 90s Dublin and the trials and tribulations of the fictional clan.
In celebration, a special screening of ‘The Snapper’ will take place in the beautiful Pillar Room of The Rotunda Maternity Hospital, which featured as a location in the film. As part of the event, very special guest Colm Meaney, who plays the character of Dessie Rabbitte, will be interviewed by RTÉ’s John Kelly.
BoNs Synth Ensemble
FREE Ticketed Event
Date: Saturday 14th March
Where: The Grand Lodge, Freemason Lodge, Molesworth St, D.2
Time: 8pm – 8.50pm
BoNs is the musical and songwriting catalyst for Dublin-based multi-instrumentalist, producer and synthesist Glenn P Keating. Over the last decade, the music of BoNs has evolved, by way of experience, in playing as a member of Jape, Somadrone, I am the Cosmos, Solar Bears and the Redneck Manifesto. This debut performance will take the music out of the studio for the first time - the studio however, will be accompanying Keating for this event, with a vast array of synthesizers and instruments making up the BoNs ensemble. Keating's electronically driven compositions will be performed essentially as a one-man show on the night, in this incredible venue.
Bia Beatha: Irish Cuisine & Culture
PAID Ticketed Event: €65
Purchase tickets at www.stpatricksfestival.ie/shop
Dates: Saturday 14th & Sunday 15th March
Where: Guinness Storehouse, St. James’ Gate, D.8
Time: 7.30pm -10:30pm
Tell me what you eat, and I'll tell you who you are.
The type of food we eat, the preparation of ingredients and how we consume and share it, hold the essence of who we are and where we are from. In the historic setting of the pre-industrial brewer’s dining hall, Bia Beatha and your host, culinary historian Máirtín Mac Con Iomaire, will take you on a journey into Ireland’s cuisine, its people and society.
Enjoy a specially crafted three course menu by Guinness Storehouse Executive chef, Justin O’Connor, showcasing the best of Irish cuisine, prepared using seasonal Irish ingredients.
Join us for this unique dining experience celebrating Irish food and culture in a setting filled with old world charm. The evening will end with a live musical performance.
Ticket includes a welcome cocktail and wine served with dinner.
Me Jewel and Darlin’ Dublin
FREE Event (No ticket required)
Dates: Saturday 14th – Tuesday 17th March
Where: Marsh’s Library, St. Patrick’s Close, D.8
Times: 10am – 5pm daily
Me Jewel and Darlin’ Dublin is a new exhibition of letterpress prints, affectionately named after author Eamon MacThomais’ account of Dublin life from 1974, by Dublin-based studio One Strong Arm. This series of antique wooden, metal type, woodcut prints and illustration celebrates the great things about this city - a snapshot of tales told through the writings, thoughts and musings that some of the great people Dublin has produced.
To celebrate the year of Irish Design, St Patrick’s Festival and ID2015 have come together to reimagine public spaces in our capital city. Taking the present, and specifically the 2015 Parade theme, Celebrate Now as inspiration, this exciting collaboration aims to get people to stop and take a moment out of their busy day to think about the city differently. What If Dublin and Reflect Yourself were chosen through an artist submission process.
What If Dublin
FREE Event (No ticket required)
Dates: Saturday 14th – Tuesday 17th March
Where: Various outdoor locations see www.stpatricksfestival.ie
@what_if_dublin #whatifdublin
What if Dublin is a Twitter-based web platform, initiated by a collective of young architects, designers and urban researchers, which invites the public to participate in a debate on the actual urban questions of the city.
In collaboration with the Irish Architecture Foundation, a selection of questions starting with "What if Dublin...", will be brought out into the physical world. Several installations, strategically placed throughout the city centre, will seek to engage the passer-by with their immediate environment, triggering their imagination and actively encouraging engagement in re-thinking the possibilities of public spaces.
Reflect Yourself:
FREE Event (No ticket required)
Dates: Saturday 14th – Tuesday 17th March
Where: Dubh Linn Gardens, Dublin Castle, D.2 (Outdoor)
Times: 7am – 7pm
A Mirror. A mirror provides that snapshot in time, reflecting only the here and now.
Created by Barry Sheehan, Head of Design at the Dublin Institute of Technology, along with furniture design students, Richard May and Tomas Barisauskas, this thought-provoking, outdoor installation explores what specifically prevents us from reflecting on the past or wondering about the future.
The Past is Present – A Series of Talks
FREE Ticketed Events
Where: The Little Museum of Dublin, 15 St. Stephen’s Green, D.1
Time: 1pm – 2pm
The Women of Dublin – 100 years ago and today: (Saturday 14th)
Head of Special Projects at the National Archives, and former President of the Women's History Association, Catríona Crowe explores the history of women in Dublin from 1900 to today - the lives, politics and social realities of the past that continue to influence the lives of men and women in Dublin today.
The Secret History of Dublin: (Sunday 15th)
Historian, author and collector of Dublin's past, Donal Fallon, presents a whistle-stop tour of the city's most fascinating hidden histories and lost stories, the ghosts that still surround Dublin residents in the buildings they live in, work in and walk past every day.
Dublin's 1000 Year Legacy: (Monday 16th)
Dublin was founded by the Vikings, and much of its early topography can still be found and visited in the city we love today. Dr. Pat Wallace, Director of the Wood Quay Excavations and ex-Director of the National Museum, reveals the Viking capital that Dubliners have inherited.
Guinness: In the City
FREE Event (No ticket required)
Dates: Saturday 14th – Tuesday 17th March
Where: Various outdoor locations see www.stpatricksfestival.ie
For the first time ever, images from the vast Guinness Archive at Guinness Storehouse will feature in locations around the city, just waiting to be discovered. This outdoor exhibition trail, produced in collaboration with Sweatshop, tells the story of one of Ireland’s most iconic brands and how, through the societies, housing and people, Guinness wove its way into the very fabric of the city of Dublin. The story of Guinness goes beyond the story of the beer, it has had a profound impact on the shape and development of Dublin. These photos illustrate the rich legacy that Guinness continues to have in the city to this day.
A Visual Tribute to W.B Yeats
FREE & PAID Events
Dates: Saturday 14th – Tuesday 17th March
Where: The Irish Georgian Society, City Assembly House, 58 South William Street, D.2
Exhibition Opening Hours: Saturday 14th, Monday 16th & Tuesday 17th March 10am - 5pm, Sunday 10am – 1pm
The Dublin Painting and Sketching Club with The Irish Writers Centre present an exhibition of paintings inspired by the poetry of W.B Yeats. Poetry recitals, short readings on Yeats and musical settings of his poems by harpist Claire Roche celebrate the work of one of Ireland’s greatest literary icons, in the beautiful Georgian surrounds of City Assembly House.
Poetry Readings & Harp Recital with Clare Roche: Sunday 15th at 3pm. Tickets €5 from www.irishwriterscentre.ie
Informal Poetry Readings: Monday 16th & Tuesday 17th from 2.30pm. Free events, no ticket required.
The Ultimate Sunday
PAID Ticketed Event €10
Purchase tickets at www.stpatricksfestival.ie/shop
Date: Sunday 15th March
Where: Belvedere House, Great Denmark Street, D.1
Times: Drop in from 12pm – 6.30pm*
Is your ultimate Sunday full of the Sunday papers, soothing music and stellar coffee? How about live comedy, great tunes, board games and movies? Or does Sunday mean enquiring minds and time out to recharge from the week? Whether Sundays mean tired heads, or curious ones, St. Patrick’s Festival has crafted the perfect event; The Ultimate Sunday.
In this hidden, Georgian gem the Sunday papers will be brought to life through talks and interviews on news, culture, style, travel and more!
Resident DJ Sally Cinnamon will bring the perfect tunes, comedians John Colleary (Pictorial Weekly) and Gary Cooke (Aprés Match) will deliver the news worth knowing, Donal Dineen will talk to the artists worth hearing, including singer Lisa O' Neill, artist Cian McLaughlin and author Paul Murray, and Chequerboard's live set is guaranteed to relax and inspire.
Be prepared to get comfy and open your mind to a Sunday full of sacred sounds and thoughtful talks.
* Ticket holders please feel free to set up camp for the afternoon or pop in as you please. Slippers optional!
Tell Me About It
FREE Ticketed Event
Date: Sunday 15th March
Where: The Little Museum of Dublin, 15 Stephen’s Green, D.2
Times: 5pm – 7pm
A showcase of some of the best poetry, storytelling and spoken word that Ireland has to offer. Curated by Dublin poet Stephen James Smith, Tell Me About It, takes inspiration from St Patrick Festival’s cultural theme of I Love My City. Artists such as Paul Timoney, Erin Fornoff, Rory Jones, Eva O’Connor, Brian McMahon Gallagher and Stephen James Smith himself will take to the stage to deliver their wordy verse and stomping stanzas.
The Pipes, The Pipes
FREE Ticketed Event
Date: Sunday 15th March
Where: Royal Hibernian Academy (RHA), Ely Place, D.2
Time: 7pm – 8.20pm
Paint, pipes and pictures will be a forceful combination at this special live experience.
The Pipes, The Pipes is a homage to the singular magic of the uilleann pipes. Featuring the expertise of three exceptional pipers, Pádraig McGovern, Leonard Barry and John Touhy. This live show will also feature contributions by French visual artist Lionel Palun and Spanish painter Guillermo Carrion, who will respond live to the mesmerising soundwaves and conjure images that enhance the musical flow.
Cities Breathing
PAID Ticketed Event: €10
Purchase tickets at www.stpatricksfestival.ie/shop
Date: Monday 16th March
Where: O’Reilly Theatre, Belvedere College, Great Denmark Street, D.1
Times: Doors 7.30pm, Show 8pm – 9.30pm
Cities are living. Cities breathe. Videographers and visual artists Peter Martin, Albert Hooi with Al Kennington and Kev Freeney, were commissioned to visually explore contemporary Dublin, collecting beautiful, moving imagery of our unique capital. Musical artists Clu, New Jackson and I Am The Cosmos, have composed an eclectic array of scores to accompany the three short films. In the impressive O’Reilly Theatre, the two creative strands come together for this once off, live, audio visual vignette of Dublin city today, produced by Dylan Higgins and Al Kennington.
NOTIFY & Pauline Scanlon
FREE Ticketed Event
Date: Tuesday 17th March
Where: The Chapel Royal, Dublin Castle, D.2
Times: 7.30pm – 8.40pm
NOTIFY and Pauline Scanlon, both leading figureheads of the new Irish Music Tradition, breathe fresh life into Gaelic music and song with "a musical tapestry that ranges from soft melodies to crashing crescendos". In the gorgeous surrounds of the Chapel Royal, the ensemble will deliver an evocative repertoire of original compositions, re-arranged traditional tunes and Irish language songs, produced with sensitive electronic overlays and inventive arrangements that are “cinematic in scope” (New York Echo).
Supported by the Arts Council of Ireland and Northern Ireland, Traditional Arts | Touring Award and in association with Seachtain na Gaeilge.
PORT A' tSAOIL: TIONSCADAL KATE BUSH / Jig of Life: the Kate Bush Project
PAID Ticketed Event
Date: Tuesday 17th March
Where: Smock Alley Boys School, 6/7 Exchange St Lower, Temple Bar, D.8
Time: 7pm – 8.30pm
Níl éinne inchurtha le Kate Bush mar ealaíontóir. Fitear rac, ceol clasaiceach agus ceol tíre go han-éifeachtach ar fad sa saothar aici. Anocht tá Caitríona O'Leary againn chun scoth na n-amhrán le Kate Bush a chanadh dúinn. Gabriel Rosenstock a thraschruthaigh na liricí i nGaeilge agus Margaret Lonergan ag teilg liricí agus íomhánna ar scáileán.
Caitríona O’Leary, acclaimed by Crescendo Magazine for ‘her angelic and etheral voice’ - performs the very best of Kate Bush’s songs, translated into Irish by Gabriel Rosenstock. The show features on-screen projections of the lyrics, with images created by Margaret Lonergan.
Léirithe ag/ Produced by IMRAM Irish Language Literature Festival.
