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The Wood Quay Summer Sessions, run by Dublin City Council, are a series of free lunchtime gigs that take place every Thursday in July from 1-2pm in association with First Music Contact (FMC), Improvised Music Company (IMC), Music Network and Contemporary Music Centre (CMC). “When Dublin City Council came to us and asked ‘Do you want to programme some music for Thursdays during the summer?’ we said, ‘Why don’t we show all of Dublin’s music?'” said Angela Dorgan, CEO of First Music Contact. “Events like the Wood Quay Summer Sessions can help to bring artist

The Liberties is one of Dublin’s oldest neighbourhoods and for Amy Sergison, it’s part of her family history. She revisited the area to explore its evolution. The Liberties is one of Dublin’s oldest neighbourhoods having been around in one way or another since the 12th century. In my memory, this is where my nana lived and my Dad grew up. I have very fond memories of visiting my nana on Basin Street. We would know we were close in the car, even if our eyes were closed because we could smell the hops from Guinness. I remember Greta’s shop (sadly gone today), where the floor sparkled like diamonds and jars filled with sugar barley stood tall on top of

There's no better city than Dublin in which to spend a long lazy weekend; walk along the canal admiring the swans, sup a coffee in town watching the world go by, maybe do a little yoga in the local park. But one of Dublin's greatest attributes is its proximity to some of Europe's most beautiful cities. You can fly out on Friday evening, come back on Sunday night and feel like you've truly experienced another culture. Here are six glorious European cities that are only a couple of hours away:

The Book of Kells in Trinity is arguably Dublin’s most famous work of art but what of all the internationally renowned masterpieces housed in the Dublin galleries? Here are ten of the major artworks waiting to be discovered behind doors you walk past every day. In the National Gallery: 1. Caravaggio – The Taking of Christ Caravaggio painted this dramatic scene of the arresting of Jesus in 1602 for the Roman Marquis Ciriaco Mattei. We see Judas identifying Christ with a kiss and the guards moving in for the arrest. The darkness of the painting is lit from within by a lantern held by St Peter, although this is considered to be a self-p

Dublin’s parks have undergone a renaissance in recent years. Once a location for a quiet game of frisbee or a poetic wander amongst the flowerbeds, they have of late been injected with a new vitality. Food stalls, open-air cinema, yoga, and family events are now a given and in the summer months, Dublin’s parks host free lively festivals and original evening events that give the city’s pubs and clubs a run for their money. RUN FOR FUN, WALK FOR HOPE Every Saturday, in parks all over Dublin, early birds can enjoy a free 5k timed parkrun courtesy of parkrun.ie. Operating since 20

For 23 years The Ark in Temple Bar has provided the children of Dublin, and of Ireland, with the opportunity to experience and participate in art and culture. We visited The Ark to learn about what’s on offer for children and families today. The Ark is a dedicated cultural centre for children. It was the first of its kind in Europe, quite a forward-thinking facility for this little island. It was founded after the ratification of the UN Convention on the Rights of The Child, which safeguards children’s right to access culture and art. The Ark “believes in every child’s right to discover and love art in a society where creativity and culture are valued a

On a summer day in Dublin city, there’s no danger of being bored. Indeed, for a relatively small city (by international standards), there’s always something to do, and this is remarked on by most visitors to the city. Yes, there are tourist attractions worth checking out: the Guinness Storehouse, Trinity College and the Book of Kells, the National Gallery, the Natural History Museum and Christchurch Cathedral are all worth a look, but Dublin really comes alive through its people and its culture. Between theatre, live music, art exhibitions and installations, talks and workshops, comedy and family-friendly events happening Monday to Sunday, right through the yea

There’s a lot of things you can learn at your local library. And how to speak Pirate is one of them. As a place to learn a foreign language, Dublin’s public libraries have a notable advantage over the city’s other estimable language-learning institutions – the facilities they offer are free! Aside from the foreign language books you can borrow, your library card gives you access to two other invaluable resources. One is a language app called Mango. The other is the more traditional but by no means outmoded method of improving your French, or your Mandarin; con

Dublin is in a unique position for a capital city in that it has both mountains and sea at its doorstep. We caught up with Melissa McDermott – Galz Gone Wild founder – and Ruth Farrell, to find out about the group of women who escape the city to find some scenic hush in the Wicklow mountains. Mel founded the group after moving home from London last year. She found herself lacking direction, and she was unsure of her next step. She started to hike to clear her head, but the hiking community she found were mostly male and older. They were hiking for different reasons. “There is a community there, but it’s very much about getting from point A to point

With customers becoming increasingly concerned about the quality of their food and its provenance, more and more Dubs are turning to farmer’s markets. We spoke to five market sellers at Leopardstown Farmer’s Market to get to the bottom of what these markets can offer that other shopping experiences can’t. Margaret Hoctor  Margaret farms lamb, apples and sweetcorn at Kilmullen Farm and sells her produce seasonally.

The National Museum of Ireland… No, wait a second: ‘the National Museums of Ireland’. That’s right, there’s actually four of them – at four different sites. Three of them are purpose-built; the buildings have always been museums: that’s the Natural History Museum on Merrion Street, the Archaeology Museum on Kildare Street and the Museum of Country Life in Castlebar, Co Mayo. The fourth site, Collins Barracks – which accommodates the Museum of Decorative Arts and History ̵

Ten of Dublin’s most eminent statues have been given a new lease of life – and a voice - thanks to a project called Talking Statues by Failte Ireland with support from Sing London and Dublin City Council. Dublin is a city with a rich past. Its history is full of humour, folklore and, most of all, characters - many of whom have been immortalised as statues. James Joyce They stand in parks, on street corners and in galleries. They connect us to a time gone by, and they all have a story to tell. But when was the last time you stopped to look at a statue? Or gave a moment's thought to who it portrays and why it's there? Talking Statues helps us to remember the achievements and ideas of the people who were turned into stone or bronze. It keeps their stories alive using an artfully crafted monologue delivered directly to your phone. Just scan a QR code near the statue, and James Joyce or even Cúchulainn will give you a bell. I can assure you that it takes communing with a statue to a whole new level.