Dublin 8 steps back into the spotlight with the sixth annual ‘Culture Date with Dublin 8’ festival from May 8-12. Festival curator Grace McEvoy shares some of her top recommendations from this year’s line-up of events …
The Humans of The Liberties Exhibition at The Bank, James Street
The Humans of The Liberties is a creative collaboration between Culture Date with Dublin 8 and the Humans of Dublin project. This year we invited the Humans of Dublin to shine a light on the diverse voices of the Liberties – a neighbourhood celebrated for its historic charm and tight-knit community. A large-scale exhibition of portraits of stories from the people of the area will take place in a former bank on James Street. Each portrait and story will invite you to walk alongside the residents, sharing in their wisdom, experiences, and observations of an evolving community. It’s a raw, vulnerable and real snapshot of the people we meet on the streets of Dublin – a must see as part of this year’s festival.
Late in D8
We are very excited by our new partnership with The Goo magazine to bring a special selection of evening and late night music events throughout the festival programme called Late in D8. Catch Irish Women in Jazz in Arthurs, or pop in to famous rock ‘n’ roll bar The Thomas House where you will discover two nights of free gigs featuring bands from Dublin 8’s landmark music college BIMM. The popular spoken word hip hop collective Shakalak will liven up the We Love Markets event at the Digital Hub on Sunday. Enjoy a cocktail at the new Love Tempo bar (co-owned by two of Dublin’s best known club promoters Mother & Hidden Agenda) for a late night boogie with a curated programme of DJ events for your dancing pleasure.
La Catedral Studios Open Studio & Meet the Artists Event
Discover a hidden gem in the heart of Dublin 8. On May 9, La Catedral Studios, a long-established home for artists, makers and creatives located just off Thomas Street will open its doors to the public, for one night only. This quirky secret space will throw open its distinctive black and white street doors to welcome the general public for an open studio event. This is a rare opportunity to stop in and meet the artists, explore the labyrinth of individual workspaces within and perhaps catch a glimpse of Ophelia, the art studio cat. On the night, you’ll have the opportunity to explore the studios and meet with the artists.
Watch out for Áine Gallagher’s Cup of Focals
Áine Gallagher is the queen of offbeat and Ireland’s only guerilla Irish language enthusiast. She will be roaming the streets of Dublin 8 with her Cup of Focals during this year’s festival. Áine loves to create fun, surprising and friendly ways to get people using their cúpla focal. Her Cup of Focals is just that, a literal cup, full of Irish words, that helps prompt quick interactions as gaeilge. See if you can find her and her giant teacup at various locations and venues throughout the festival, and go grab a focal and have a chat with her – she may be a bit weird – but she’s not scary!
Lunchtime Talks at St Audoen’s Church
St Audoen’s Church is quickly becoming a popular tourist attraction in Dublin having recently opened up its doors to visitors. It will be free to visit throughout the duration of the festival, and there will also be special lunchtime talks at 1pm everyday by the esteemed tour guides and staff. Learn about the medieval street names and walls which surround the church, or discover the history of the belfry. There may even be some costumes involved!
