EIGHT CLUB MEMBERS SHARE THEIR FAVOURITE PLACES MUST SEE 10 REASONS TO GOTO DUBLIN

12.2016

HOLIDAY HORSING AROUND

As the year comes to a close, Dubliners love going to the races at the Leopardstown Racecourse. Four days of events, sports-centred with high-society chic, offer a full spectrum of equine entertainment: Opening Day, with all its pomp and fanfare on 26 December, with impressive jumps racing the next day. On the 28th , a veritable parade of colourful hats for Ladies’ Day, then the Lexus Chase, one of the most prestigious races. On the 29th , a concert ends the festival. This tradition has remained alive and well since... 1888! > The Christmas Festival, 26-29 December 2016 at the Leopardstown Racecourse. www.leopardstown.com

01.2017

PARLIAMENTARY PERFORMANCE

The Temple Bar Company, the cultural and merchants’ association of the district of the same name, aims high when it comes to organising the country’s biggest traditional music festival. With the city’s support, the event generally takes place at unusual sites, such as Saint Patrick’s Cathedral, the Hugh Lane Gallery, the Wax Museum and even Ireland’s former House of Lords! Gaelic harpists and singers, folk acts and rock groups offer rare performances in these unexpected settings. > Temple Bar TradFest, 25-29 January 2017. www.templebartrad.com

02.2017

FOOD FIESTA

The Dine in Dublin Restaurant Week is a great way to explore the capital’s gallery of gastronomic delights. Each year, about sixty establishments offer giveaways, special events, value offers and more. Some of the city’s best eateries are “on the menu”: Fallon & Byrne, Pichet, Ladurée… where you can enjoy Nespresso Grands Crus. > Dine in Dublin Restaurant Week, 20-26 February 2017, at select restaurants.

SILVER SCREEN ON THE EMERALD ISLE

The Dublin International Film Festival has been presenting its awards for fifteen years. A number of the city’s movie theatres are reserved to screen and promote the works presented to the jury. It’s a wonderful way to sample the best in Irish cinema and the latest international releases. > Dublin International Film Festival, 16-26 February 2017. Schedule and reservations available starting early 2017. www.diff.ie

03.2017

GOING GREEN

Saint Patrick’s Day is a worldwide tribute to Ireland. In Chicago, Illinois, USA, great volumes of green dye are dumped into the Chicago River… but nothing beats the festivities in Dublin! The city is set entirely ablaze with powerful green lights, creating a vibrantly verdant ambiance for revellers. > Official Saint Patrick’s Day celebrations, 16-19 March 2017. www.stpatricksfestival.ie

05.2017

DANCING IN THE STREETS

Contemporary dance is booming in the Irish capital. In 2016, the official line-up at the Dublin Dance Festival explored powerful social themes such as migration, femininity and Greece’s political situation in works by local and international choreographers. But the street is also where Dubliners experience this national passion first-hand by enjoying impromptu performances. > Dublin Dance Festival, 15-27 May 2017 (dates not yet final). www.dublindancefestival.ie

06.2017

THREE-DAY SAIL

In Ireland, the first Monday in June is a public holiday, extending the preceding weekend to a sailing celebration when regattas can be observed from the Dublin docks. A moment of pure poetry, with tall ships cruising along the Liffey. > Dublin Port River Fest, 3-5 June 2017, on the river docks. www.dublinriverfest.com

STREET LUNCHEON

One Sunday a year, all over Ireland, you can enjoy a home-cooked meal in public places, with friends or friendsto-be. This Street Feast, now with 20,000 faithful supporters, gains gastronomic momentum every year. Some places have made the concept a way of life, like the Fusion Sundays World Culture Markets: guests bring an international dish to share with their table neighbours. > Street Feast, 11 June 2017. www.streetfeast.ie > Fusion Sundays World Culture Market, every second Sunday of the month, 11 a.m. - 5 p.m., Dublin Food Co-op. www.facebook.com /fusionsundaysmarket

LIVING LIKE ULYSSES

“Bloomsday” is named after Leopold Bloom, the main character of James Joyce’s masterpiece, Ulysses. On this day, everything is done to reproduce the look and feel of 16 June 1904, the date the plot unfolds. People dress in Edwardian-era clothing, recite book passages in the streets and sample the dishes described in the tome’s thousand pages. Joyce himself said he wanted to paint such a complete picture of Dublin that, were any catastrophe to befall the capital, “it would be possible to rebuild the entire city, brick by brick, using Ulysses.” > Bloomsday Festival, 16 June 2017, from 8:00 a.m. on, beginning at the James Joyce Centre. www.bloomsdayfestival.ie

08.2017

QUEENS OF THE OVAL BALL

Dublin will be the site of the first part of the Women’s Rugby World Cup. During the group stage, twelve countries will compete in groups of four, with the best qualifying for the finals matches in Belfast. The shamrock-wearing players will be defending their country on their own pitches, with hopes of defeating the English defending champions! > Women’s Rugby World Cup, starting 9 August 2017 at University College Dublin. www.rwcwomens.com