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For almost 30 years, The Ark in Temple Bar has provided the children of Dublin – and Ireland – with the opportunity to experience and participate in art and culture. Dublin.ie visited The Ark to learn more about what’s on offer for children and families today. What The Ark Dublin is all about 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

Summer festivals, shows and other things to do On a summer day in Dublin city, there’s no danger of being bored. Indeed, for a relatively small city, 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

Hiking for women who want to connect with nature 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. Creating a supportive community of women Mel founded Galz Gone Wild in 2017 after moving home from London. She found herself lacking direction, and she was unsure of her next step. She started to hike to clear her head, but the hiking communities 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 B, as quick

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.

Sunlight Chambers: An overlooked Dublin jewel ‘Sunlight Chambers’, it says over the door of the office building at the corner of Parliament Street and Essex Quay. What a lovely name! But why is the building called that? Facing north across the Liffey, it certainly wasn’t catching many rays when Dublin.ie visited on a day in December. And not many people were taking in the view. They were too busy watching for gaps in the traffic thundering along the quays. As a result, they missed out on one of Dublin’s architectural jewels. What people should be doing is looking up… With its arched windows and overhangin

Pat Liddy is many things. An artist, historian, writer, illustrator, broadcaster, mapmaker, and environmental lobbyist who has helped make Dublin a global tourist attraction. The author and illustrator of over seven books on the city, as well as others on Irish cultural sites, he is the operator of Pat Liddy’s Walking Tours of Dublin. I was born and reared in what we might call the inner city, which in this case was Phibsborough. So, in the first place, that qualifies me as a true Dubliner, because the definition is “Born between the canals,” isn’t it? If I wanted to come into t

And another one bites the dust… Like a fleeting Twitter trend, 2017 has been and gone – but not without leaving its mark. We’ve rounded up 10 of Dublin’s stand-out moments and memories from the last 12 months. 1. There she blows! Hurricane Ophelia brought the country to a standstill this year, uprooting trees, ripping roofs off houses – and stirring the sea into a foamy swimming pool for those who couldn’t spend a day without a dive at the Forty Foot. While the rest of Ireland battened down the hatches, Dublin rejoiced at a traffic-free Mon

The greatest story ever strolled Pitching itself as “the greatest story ever strolled”, the Icon Walk cracks the heart of the Irish people wide open and tie-dyes the backstreets of Temple Bar with its vibrant colours. Like spokes from a hub, the walk’s rainbow-painted laneways radiate outwards from The Icon Factory, a gallery and shop at the corner of Aston Place and Bedford Lane. Founded in 2009 by Barney Phair, this not-for-profit artists’ co-operative is run for the benefit of the many creatives that ply their wares here. Supporting street art and thwarting vandalism

Galia (pronounced Ga-lee-ah) Arad is just back from playing support on Marc Almond’s UK tour. Last year, she toured Ireland with Jack L. She regularly tours Europe with Jools Holland, most recently playing support for him at the 3Arena in Dublin. And she owes it all to Shane McGowan and his manager Joey Cashman, who in a strange, unexpected way set Galia’s music career in train and took her from small-time gigging in New York to centre stage at the Royal Albert Hall. Coming from a classically trained background, Galia moved to New York from her Indiana home in her early twenties to pursue a singer-songwriter career with a musical style that she calls “Bob Dylan meets