JULY 2015 / FREE / TOTALLYDUBLIN.IE
Sun gets in your eyes TOTALLY DUBLIN
#130
with NOTES FROM THE MARGINS BELINDA MCKEON FOAMING AT THE MOUTH and ISTANBUL
LIFESTYLE STORE AND EATERY 41 a/b Drury Street, Dublin 2 http://industryandco.com Instagram: industrydesign Twitter: @industryandco Facebook: /industrydesign
PROMOTION
The Meeting House A carnival for all the senses With its dramatic décor and sultry, seductive lighting, The Meeting House is as bold and brazen as the tunes that pulsate from the DJ booth – but make no mistake: this is not Just Another Hipster Joint. With a kitchen led by internationally-acclaimed Burmese chef Bawmra Jap, we offer a vibrant menu that caters for all – gluten-free and vegetarian diets included – without compromising on taste. From Tuesday to Saturday, all plates come in at €9.99 and are to be ordered like tapas – but be warned: sharing this grub ain’t easy. From fragrant and fruity crab salad to sticky, fall-off-the-bone pork ribs, there are no weak links at this eaterie, where you’ll also find the crispiest, most succulent prawn tempura in town, and a seared steak salad that zings with lemongrass, coriander and chilli to rouse the drowsiest of taste buds. Coconut curries, mini Asian burgers and tuna sashimi are also firm favourites. Light, fresh and bursting with flavour, Meeting House fare will leave you sated but not stuffed – a lucky thing, or you might be less able for the dance floor, which beckons seven nights a week with DJs mixing soul, funk, disco and re-edits. Recent visiting acts have included the likes of The Reflex and Snow Patrol’s Nathan Connolly.
From fragrant and fruity crab salad to sticky, fall-off-the-bone pork ribs, there are no weak links at this eaterie, where you’ll also find the crispiest, most succulent prawn tempura in town A delectable drinks menu will help you party the night away and, in spite of a wide selection of wine and beer on offer, cocktails are a must, with a menu designed by award-winning mixologist Aaron Wall. Among popular classics – Mai Tais, Caipirinhas, and the impossibly delicious Pornstar Martini (a passion fruit, prosecco and vanilla vodka affair) – is a Tommy’s Margarita whose punchy citrus notes will invigorate any flagging heads, and a Lychee and Lemongrass Sour that more curious quaffers will find impossible to resist. But it gets better: prices go all ‘topsy tailsey’ on Sundays and Mondays, with a devilishly reasonable €6.66 for all plates and . . . (drumroll) . . . the same goes for the cocktails. Sunday nights have never seen such wickedness. The Meeting House would like to lay its cards on the table; unlike the Joker, whose mischievous face grins from various dark corners, we’re not trying to fool anyone: whether it’s hunger, thirst, itchy feet or a taste for revelry that brings you to our door, we welcome you with open arms. The Meeting House, Meeting House Square, Temple Bar, Dublin 2 Open Monday-Friday, 5pm till late Saturday & Sunday, 12pm till late www.themeetinghousedublin.com For Bookings call: 01 670 3330
Article written by: Alice Youell Photography: Emil Damyanov
Totally Dublin
60 Merrion Square Dublin 2 (01) 687 0695
JULY 2015 / FREE / TOTALLYDUBLIN.IE
Publisher and Advertising Stefan Hallenius stefan@hkm.ie (01) 687 0695 087 327 1732
issue 130 eastern lights Something about the summer months and their proclivity to inspire travel means that we often end up looking at stories from beyond our own shores during the season where our own rock is actually its most enjoyably habitable. Jamie Leptien’s diary of a displaced Dubliner in Istanbul as the eastern edge of Europe reacted against the pervading cultural conservatism seemed a fitting story to tell in light of our own decision in May to reject the norms religions have instituted on our behalf. Elsewhere, as has become tradition in July, the month of PhotoIreland festival, we’ve taken a look at some Irish photographers exploring marginal subjects through their idiosyncratic lenses. It’s a colourful month! - Ian Lamont
Editorial Director
Peter Steen-Christensen peter.steen@hkm.se
Editor & Web Editor
8 Nice Gaff Mark it
10 Roadmap
Where are we going?
16 Design 4lyfe
Doll’s house
22 Notes from the Margins Darkness on the edge
26 Elections in Istanbul Franchise Fever
32 Belinda McKeon Tender is the night
34 Foaming at the Mouth Dancing about architecture
Contributors
Lauren Kavanagh lauren@hkm.ie +44 75 989 73866
Editor at Large Arts Editor
Aidan Wall artsdesk@totallydublin.ie
Fashion Editor
Honor Fitzsimons honorfitzsimons@gmail. com
Film Editor
Oisín Murphy-Hall film@totallydublin.ie
Literary Editor
42 Barfly
Advertising Manager
60 Gastro
New, clear fishin’
70 Games
Go Speedracer!
72 Artsdesk
The Tollund Man
74 Print
Could’ve been a brilliant career
Aidan Lonergan 085 851 9113 al@hkm.ie Karl Hofer 085 869 7078 kh@hkm.ie Al Keegan ak@hkm.ie 085 8519112
Sea shanties
82 Music
Distribution
On Great Works
84 Listings All things
Gerry Balfe Smyth Killian Broderick Tom Cahill Liza Cox Leo Devlin Ollie Dowling Mark Duggan Sarah Flanagan Eliza A. Kalfa Jamie Leptien Laura Magahy Luke Maxwell Stephen McCabe Greg McElherron Aoife McElwain Mary McFadden Meadhbh McGrath Peter Morgan Jocelyn Murray Boyne Martina Murray Bernard O’Rourke Alex Sheridan Eoin Tierney Mònica Tomàs Danny Wilson
Sales Executives
Cathy Burke cb@hkm.ie 0858888123
78 Film
with NOTES FROM THE MARGINS BELINDA MCKEON FOAMING AT THE MOUTH and ISTANBUL
Art Direction & Design
Gill Moore print@totallydublin.ie
Old is the new new
#130
Cover photo: From this month’s shoot, styled by Sarah O’Flanagan and shot by Gerry Balfe Smyth
Wasted Summer Days
36 Fashion
TOTALLY DUBLIN
Ian Lamont editor@totallydublin.ie (01) 687 0695
Daniel Gray
18 Garb
Sun gets in your eyes
Kamil Zok kamil@hkm.ie
All advertising enquiries contact 01 - 6870 695 Read more at totallydublin.ie Totally Dublin is a monthly HKM Media publication and is distributed from 500 selected distribution points. All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced in whole or part without the permission from the publishers. The views expressed in Totally Dublin are those of the respective contributors and are not necessarily shared by the magazine or its staff. The magazine welcomes ideas and new contributors but can assume no responsibility for unsolicited manuscripts, photographs or illustrations. Printed by MittMedia Print Totally Dublin - ISSN 1649-511X
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NICE GAFF words Laura Magahy photos Jamie Clarke Chavez
DUBLIN CORPORATION WHOLESALE MARKETS Mary’s Lane, Dublin 7 The markets area of Dublin is a hub of activity, smells, sounds and sights. It is where I work, and the inspiration for the first pottery collection from Arran Street East. Trading began here in late 1892 and the Fruit and Vegetable Market building is decorated with representations of the goods being sold within. Clumps of onions and other fruit and vegetables are surrounded by terracotta detailing, and it was these pieces that were integral to the design and colours of the Arran Street East pots – which are named in corresponding tones of cabbage, potato, celery, lemon, pomegranate and pink grapefruit! The sculptures around the granite entrance archways are by Charles Harrison and the whole ensemble of polychromic brickwork, ornate wrought iron grilles and sculptures gives the markets an ornateness and cheerfulness that is missing in many more recent buildings that are of similar purpose that surround the Fruit and Vegetable Market. This covered market was built to house the Corporation Wholesale Markets and is still in use today, transforming the surrounding area with activity early each morning, and giving it the distinct character and energy that this part of town has become known for. The original design, by City Engineer Parke Neville, was carried out after his death by his successor, Spencer Harty. The structural ironwork of the roof spans east to west in gabled ranges, with cool north-light glazing illuminating the
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interior market halls. The red brick facades are enlivened by the use of yellow brick to line arches and create patterned blocks, and make for a lovely geometric muse. Little Green Street, which leads into the market area has been of particular interest to me due to its name change throughout the years. It was originally known as Bradogue Lane from the river that rises near Cabra and enters the River Liffey at Arran Street East. The same street was even known as Petticoat Lane in the past! What fascinates me most about this building is not only its striking features and intricate detailing, but the relevance of both the building and its design in today’s Dublin. Buying and selling fruit and vegetables used to be a very social event, and although this is still held strong in many other European countries, it has somewhat faded in urban centres around Ireland. However, with the presence of the Fruit and Vegetable Market remaining, recently a network of businesses and cafés has sparked up nearby which I believe can reignite the previous traditions of the markets area and connect them to the innovative Dublin of today. Laura Magahy is Managing Director of MCO, a design and project management company, Executive Chairman of the Irish Design 2015 campaign, and has recently started her own line of potted goods under the label Arran St. East.
ROADMAP words Ian Lamont Mary McFadden
Form is Temporary, Class is Permanent Form is a new exhibition of the work of photographer Malcolm McGettigan (whose work has graced the pages of Totally Dublin) centred around the drama and elegance of the human body in the context of the gladiatorial arena – as the image of these two pouncing pugilists dramatically illustrates. The exhibition launches at 6pm on Thursday 16th July at the In-Spire Gallery at 56 Gardiner Street and runs until Friday 24th July as part of PhotoIreland 2015. IL For more of Malcolm’s work, see malcolmjmcgettigan.tumblr.com
Arcade Con Back for the fifth year running, Arcade Con is one of the largest gatherings of geeks and gamers in Ireland. Featuring special guests including award winning voice actor, Troy Baker, who played Joel from The Last of Us and The Joker in Batman: Arkham Origins; along with one of the world’s most prolific cosplayers, Kamui, and Dr. Joseph Roche, the Trinity assistant professor who was let go of the Mars One programme because he questioned its viability. Arcade Con is also a non-profit and it will be raising money for Pathways and Acquired Brain Injury Ireland as their chosen charities this year. If you feel like a weekend of comics and craic, get your geek on and book your tickets now. MMCF See www.the-arcade.ie/convention for more.
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Pecha Kucha After a successful comeback in April at the Grand Social for the spring edition, Irish Architecture Foundation and Totally Dublin are returning with another Pecha Kucha night, this time taking place in The Sugar Club on Wednesday 22nd July. Featuring in our summer edition will be discussions about the outdoors, public space and nature, and hopefully more wisdom on a par with the star of our last outing, Botanical Gardens’ Dr. Matthew Jebb. Tickets will be €5 on the door and with the last event being a sell-out, we advise getting there early! IL The full line-up will be announced on facebook. com/totallydublin and on @totallydublin
Transport Plan Early last month the National Transport Authority and Dublin City Council announced a plan that will drastically change the landscape of Dublin’s city centre. It includes pedestrianisation of Suffolk Street, elimination of private cars and taxis from College Green, which will also get widened footpaths, cycle lanes and the Luas, with similar plans for Westmoreland Street. While the actualisation of such drastic changes is difficult to fully grasp at the early stage, the plan seems to be a vital recognition that the City centre needs to look in another direction, towards increased use and integration of public transport and increased infrastructure for cyclists rather than to accommodating more and more private cars. IL The full plan – along with access to public consultation, which is open until 16th July, can be found at dublincity. ie/TransportStudy
Teeling Distillery You can’t but help have noticed the name of Teeling Whiskey around the city in recent months, as they’ve been gladly sponsoring numerous cultural events since they began trading last year, and now they have set up shop, in striking fashion, in Newmarket Square in the Liberties with the opening of their distillery. The Liberties had been central to the history of whiskey production in Ireland until the last of the existing distilleries closed in the 1970s. But it’s not just the beverage that’s getting back in touch with its roots, as brothers Jack and Stephen Teeling, who are running the show, are sons of John Teeling who set up the Coolie Distillery in Louth in the 1980s, and indeed they have a family connection to the industry running back as far as the 18th century. The distillery is an impressive space that connects with the roots of the area and the industry but with an essentially contemporary outlook and feeling. The whole production process is visible (and smellable) on visiting, as well as a historical exhibition and a swanky event space upstairs known as the Bang Bang Bar. IL Visit the distillery at 17 Newmarket Square, Dublin 8 or teelingwhiskey.com
HALLER MODULAR FURNITURE SYSTEM | DESIGN: PROF. FRITZ HALLER, 1965 | WWW.USM.COM
modern furniture for working and living, since 1971
OHAGANDESIGN | TIMEPLACE | CORRIG ROAD SANDYFORD | DUBLIN 18 | TEL 01.535 8555 11
ROADMAP words Ian Lamont Mary McFadden
Open Gallery Open Gallery is a photography project taking place at D-Light Studios from Sunday 26th to Tuesday 28th. The massive studio space on North Strand Road is opening its doors to all photographers, professional and amateur, with submissions being accepted all the way up to Thursday 23rd July. Based on the idea of the ‘Homeless Gallery’ that ran during PhotoIreland in 2011 and 2012, the Open Gallery has no restrictions on quantity or content of works – it’s literally the most open of open calls going. There is a submission fee of €25, though artists are free to sell their works during the exhibition time and there are three awards with prizes on offer. Admission to the event itself is free also. IL To submit an entry contact karolina@d-lightstudios.com
What If Dublin Eagle-eyed Twitter users will have noticed the @what_if_dublin account in recent months collating a range of different suggestions about how to rethink public and private space in Dublin City. The work of a collective of anonymous architects and designers, What If Dublin is inventively using a social media platform to funnel public ideas into a single resource. From next month’s issue, we’ll be featuring a regular spot from the What If Dublin team in the Roadmap section, so watch this space! IL Until then, follow @what_if_dublin
Dublin Inquirer New to join the family of city publications comes fresh start-up, the Dublin Inquirer. Focusing on hard-hitting Dublin-based news for younger readers, the Dublin Inquirer offers a new take on the capital. Managing editor and co-founder of the paper, Lois Kapila, explained how the idea came about. ‘Back in 2009, I did a brief national internship in the US. It introduced me to a world of alternative weekly publications, where reporters were doing local news that was incredible – as good, if not better – than the nationals. That stayed with me.’ Their launch offers local businesses a good opportunity for promotion ‘We want to work with local businesses and artists to help their online sales,’ Kapila said. ‘It’s mainly independent publishers at the moment but we’re still in the process of adding vintage clothes, too and we’re hoping it will grow into other areas.’ MMCF Check out the new edition each Wednesday at dublininquirer.com
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ROADMAP words Ian Lamont
City Spectacular This year, the Laya Healthcare City Spectacular turns ten years old, although it hasn’t always been known as such. It began in the midnoughties as the World Street Performance Championships, which would traditionally take over Merrion Square for a weekend each summer with a display of physical performance and grotesquerie from strongmen to contortionists, and from sword-swallowers to jugglers juggling anything imaginable, from footballs to fire. Amongst the big names are Victor Rubilar, Argentine freestyle footballer extraordinaire, weight-lifting strongwoman Mama Lou and British contortionist Bendy Em (as well as a woman with the world’s strongest hair) – plus food, and plenty more family fun. The Laya Healthcare City Spectacular takes place on Friday 10th to Sunday 12th July in Merrion Square. See cityspectacular.com for more.
Gin & Tonic Lolly Dublin food blog Grublin has unearthed something super summery for enjoyment in those rare glimpses of sunshine: Gin & Tonic ice-pops. Concocted by Shane Smith, head pastry chef at Fallon & Byrne, the recipe and an instructional YouTube video about how to make them can be found on grublin.ie or bit.ly/ginlolly.
Marker Equilibrium Equilibrium is a new project being launched by The Marker Hotel this summer. It began initially with the ‘Nutribox’, originally a menu item debuted by head chef Gareth Mullins to beat off the January blues, and has now developed into a hotel-wide philosophy with diners and guests alike increasingly looking for healthy option menus, as well as balancing between exercise and proper relaxation time. The Equilibrium menu will be unveiled at the Brasserie this month and features many health-conscious takes on classics, such as the Nutriburger. For more, visit the Marker Hotel, Grand Canal Square, D2. themarkerhoteldublin.com
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DESIGN words Lauren Kavanagh
Fauling for you Alison Conneely is a fashion designer and stylist who has just launched a new range of leather handbags. The Faul bag is a sleek, minimal bag that comes in three colours: black, navy blue and dove grey.
What’s your background in design? I graduated with a BA and an MA in geography and sociology before studying fashion design. This strangely supported my work as a designer and my interest in the notion of geology as mythology. Growing up on a peninsula on the west coast of Ireland has probably informed my design work more than my design degree has. What inspired your Faul bag? Faul – pronounced like ‘fall’ – is my homeland in Connemara. Geology, mythology and memory have always informed my work as a designer and maker. The Faul bag was inspired by Irish modernism and the folk who lived and worked on the land in bygone times. It is minimalist, timeless and durable.
What are you up to next ? I’m working with the incredibly inspiring architect Dominic Stephens to build a studio in Faul. The studio will be the primary base for my brand. We will also hold a series of lectures and workshops at the studio with some of the greatest names in the design world. I’m also working on a capsule collection to show in Paris for AW16 and we are adding to our accessories line, building on from the Faul bag.
www.alisonconneely.com
Blueprint Talks A talk series prese nte d by Indig o & Cloth X Making Sp a c e surrounding the curious and cre a ti ve throughou t the ye ar of Irish design 2015
9 E s s e x S t r e e t , Te m p l e B a r, D u b l i n 2 | i n d i g o a n d c l o t h . c o m · m a k i n g s p a c e . i e
Stoner chic Graphic designer and illustrator Rachel Sender has recently turned her hand to more 3D pursuits, creating these personable little ceramic ‘pothead’ plantpots. The pots are all unique and each have their own name – below is Mina and to the right are The Fugates. Rachel is based in Rotterdam but will post to Ireland. See more potheads at pottingaround.tumblr.com and view her other work on rachelsender.com
Curiouser and curiouser Now in its third year, The Festival of Curiosity takes place at the end of July, in 14 different locations around the city. A ‘celebration at the intersection of art, science, technology and design’, it’s aimed at all ages and promises to be even more exciting than the previous sold-out events. There are free daytime events for families, and a schedule of evening-time curated events too, with the programme available online now. festivalofcuriosity.ie
Yamamo Christmas P 3 Course M
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Organiser goes for groups ove Use promo co YUMMYXMA
Yamamori Noodles, D2 • (01) 475 5001 www.yamamori.ie Yamamori Sushi, D1 • (01) 872 0003 Yamamori Izakaya, D2 • (01) 645 8001 www.yamamori.ie
Yamamori Izakaya 12/13 Sth Great George’s St., D2. 6458001
GARB words Honor Fitzsimons photos David Poole
ANDROID DREAMS Brenda Aherne and Helen Delany are the innovative duo behind punchy knitwear label Electronic Sheep. Growing up next to one other in Dublin and cutting their teeth together at NCAD, their distinct fusion of fashion and graphic design has garnered praise from the likes of Vogue, I-D, and Elle, gained stockists worldwide, and features each season at London Fashion Week.
Hi Helen. Electronic Sheep is you and Brenda – how did you two meet? It’s a bit of a long story, so I’ll give you the short version! Brenda and I grew up next door to each other and got really into music and art at the same time. So the plan was to either run away with a band or plan to go to art college. We got a taste of London at around the age of 16 or 17, and decided we wanted to go to college in London, that was the master plan! We were actually both offered places in the NCAD, I did graphic design and she did fashion. I had no real interest in fashion apart from my own clothes, I didn’t have any desire to pattern cut or anything. I did graphic design but it was more as a way to do illustration, so it had more to do with visual communication at NCAD, like understanding how to design typography. What’s it like to have a business with your best friend? How do your aesthetics meet? I suppose it kind of happened as an accident. We didn’t sit down and say, ‘This is what we’re going to do’, it was more after we graduated we felt we needed to leave. Dublin has great opportunities for creative work now and it’s very vibrant, but when we left college there wasn’t really lots of choice work-wise. So we both left and worked in different countries, I went to London, and then New York, and then to Italy for a while and worked in all sorts of creative areas – art direction, photography, multimedia and magazines – whereas Brenda went to Germany and set up an accessories label and worked as a knitwear technologist. So the process of setting up Electronic Sheep didn’t happen for a while, as we were off working separately, being in different countries, seeing different things and developing aesthetics. Brenda then returned home and she won an award to set up a company and she needed immediate graphics, a logo, and a name, so I was roped in! Then we would bounce ideas back and forth and the Electronic Sheep came out of that, even though Brenda was doing the knit on her own and the knit didn’t have the graphics, she was experimenting a lot with them. I had done this typographic project and Brenda asked if she could integrate it and little by little it grew, we had a few events and so somehow I ended up with a company in Ireland! It comes quite naturally to work together, and the progression, I guess just being friends and having experienced so much together there’s no big arguments on what we think looks good or bad or whatever.
Tell us about your collection for AW15. Inspirations? This collection is a bit more kitsch and retro. We were kind of staying away from that for a little while as it became quite popular, but it’s what we really like. A few things kind of came up, a friend of ours was making a doll’s house, and I’ve been collecting loads, and so was Brenda, and it’s funny because we find we start to collect the same things around the same time, and something we both stumbled upon was collecting these dolls. The plan was that we would somehow get some dolls into the collection, and next thing you know – they are the collection! When we’re researching a collection we like to keep it quite loose, sometimes a different theme can emerge and for this one the dolls took over. We brought a doll’s house into our research, and we did stuff on the interiors and they were quite unusual, quite playful. We try to push the illustrations as far as we can within the technology, we’ve drawn three floors of a dolls house. I like to include little hidden references like the tiles in the bathroom are famous tiles from a film called Performance, the one with Mick Jagger. There’s magazines with whole covers on the floor, and in the kitchen there’s a little can of Coke, you can’t see the full detail, but we know it’s a can of Coke which is quite fun, and we get a little kick out of those details. We don’t just fling everything on, we have to work out how it’s going to look and where it’s going to land on the body. We put a lot of pattern in so the mix balances it all out and doesn’t make the garments too difficult to wear. Do you do a lot of drawing or do you work from the computer more? For the beginning of a collection it’s all very hands-on, we wouldn’t really research on the computer at all, so most of it is done by things that we’ve been collecting naturally, as designers collecting things that we are naturally interested in. We have a bit of an archive at this stage as we’ve been collecting things for nearly 20 years, since we were kids. I still have a collage on my wall in my mother’s house in Dublin from when I was in NCAD, so sometimes I would just take things off that for projects. Brenda too, she’s got boxes of stuff. Between us we would have a lot of scrapbook stuff or museum research, so we would look into those to get something different, we would rarely go on the computer to look something up, that more comes in at the technical side of making something. There’s so
much out there that’s accessible and it’s our job as designers to be more creative. We’re not high street and we’re not a massive luxury label so our job is not to conform, and our luxury, being small, is that we get to do something fresh and something new and from our perspective. What’s next on the cards for Electronic Sheep? Well this collection Doll House comes out in August, and we’re also working on our next collection for AW16. The next thing that’s happening is that we’re going to be in the Science Museum in London, so we have some Planet Scarves based on images of the troposphere. We’re also doing a film for this collection called Dolls House with Margarita Louca and Slashstroke magazine, it was shown at London Fashion Week in February and the final film will show at Aesthetica Short Film Festival.
Electronic Sheep is stocked at Scout, 5 Smock Alley Court, Essex Street West, Dublin 8. For more, see electronicsheep.com
GARB words Honor Fitzsimons photos Alex Sheridan
MAGPIE MEMORIES Designer and maker Morganna Murphy hoards, gathers and curates memories and materials to create effervescent collections of everything from wearable comforting creatures to truly desirable clothing. Only recently graduated from NCAD and snapped up by the hotbed of young creative talent, Atelier 27, we pop in to find out what Morganna is making next.
Opening Hours: Mon - Sat: 10am - 6pm
But First,Coffee Cold Brews Available all Summer
9 Essex Street East Temple Bar
What do you make? I’m always making, so it can be anything. I started with accessories, necklaces and bracelets and things, which was good because I didn’t have a lot of patience, so I could make something and say ‘that’s big enough to be a necklace’! I studied Textile Art & Artefact at NCAD so for my degree I got slightly bigger with my pieces and decided to make bags. I liked that it was a thing to behold and look at as opposed to jewellery you wear, but I really always wanted to get into making clothing. After college I needed a little break so I just worked and saved. I bought a few metres of fabric here and there, and after Christmas I decided to start making a fashion collection for SS15. I have so much random stuff at home, when I go home my mum gets me to watch hoarders programmes, she is worried I’m turning into a hoarder, it’s that bad! I have this big cupboard filled with materials and I started to pull out my favourite bits and colours, and started to arrange them into combinations that I liked. So what I was going for was classic simple silhouettes but with intense detail, I specialised in embroidery in college and I really like being able to see all of the hours that go into things. I solve through making, I don’t really draw things out all the time, although for my AW15 collection that’s coming up I did draw a recurring motif for me that’s kind of a splodgey slimy shape that runs over the body in lots of different materials. I have things in my head that I want to see in real life, I want to get as good as I can possibly get at making things, I want it to look intense and really laboured. It sounds cool! Tell us about your AW15 collection? Well the first piece, what I call the ‘Slime Dress’, was largely to do with a childhood memory. There’s this river in Dundalk that’s a really narrow, really stagnant strip of water, and I was in town with my mum and I just remember walking by and there was this man who had obviously fallen into the river. He was shlomping along and he had algae all over him, dripping off his arms and trailing all over the place, and he just looked like a slime man! The slime dress is a more glamorous version of that.
How did you begin to stock at Atelier 27? This was while I was still at NCAD, around the middle of third year. It started when I made a collection of accessories called Environments, which was about creating the environment I wanted to be in, through words and little figures. So I brought them in to Atelier 27 and luckily Ruth [Ní Loinsigh] liked them. It’s been really great here, like I had this piece that was a giant gold knitted medallion and I liked seeing people pick it up and try it on and smile. It’s a reaction I get a lot and it’s really nice to see people smile when they look at my work.
chain. Like for my slime dress there’s chunky leather layered over mesh, next to sequins all in greens. I like to combine materials and things together - fishing tubing makes really great stuff, and straws make great beads. There’s a lot of embroidery, knitting, crochet, coiling, basketweaving, and putting together of stuff. That’s how they evolve, I don’t like there to be any boundaries with materials. I’m always gathering, and sometimes that might only be a small amount of something, but I do like to play with limited things, and to find out what I can make out of the limits of what I have.
You do show quite a large breadth of skills – is there one process you like most? I feel like I have most of the textile processes down, apart from crochet! I like things that are comforting, so I do a lot of rolled, padded, soft
Morganna Murphy is stocked at Atelier 27, Drury Street, Dublin 2. For more see morganna-m.wix.com/morganna-murphy
Postcards from the edge words Jocelyn Murray Boyne
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Notes from the Margins is a group show currently exhibiting at Gallery of Photography Ireland as part of PhotoIreland Festival 2015. It brings together the work of five Irish artists each addressing social issues in Ireland today and presents thoughtful representations of individuals and communities often seen as existing on the margins of society, and seeks to bring these stories in from the margins and make the case for a more equal, inclusive, caring society. We spoke with artist Emma McGuire about her background in photography and the process behind her suburbia-focused series Church Road.
Can you tell me a little about the early stages of your photography work? I studied English and psychology in UCD and as soon as I finished I realised that I wasn’t happy pursuing either field. I just had no creative outlet. A friend recommended that I apply to the highly regarded portfolio course at Sallynoggin College taught by Joe Sterling and Christine Redmond. They opened our minds to the world of fine art photography. I was encouraged to apply for the University of Ulster MFA. I applied and was successful. What effect did the experience of studying at the University of Ulster have on your photographic work and on your practise as an artist? My time at UU was both amazing and terrifying – it was quite a surprise for starters. I came from doing a one year course in photography and while I had an undergraduate degree in English which proved relevant, I had a lot to catch up on in terms of technical skills. Being probably the least experienced in my class was both a pro and a con at once. I had a great deal to learn and improve upon but similarly, this meant that I was so open to everything. I was willing to try new avenues and concepts suggested to me and see where they led. I think the biggest advantage I received from completing the course was the access to peer reviewing sessions. I don’t think we can ever underestimate the importance of opening our work to others for critiquing. What is the most recurring theme in your work? My current photographic practice evolved from taking pictures of people and places undergoing transition. This has been informed by my own experiences and circumstances growing up. I’ve moved around a lot and always lived in rented accommodation. I think rented houses have a strange, uncanny quality about them. As a renter you always feel temporary, as though you’re passing through. I was always very aware of the fact that our home wasn’t ours. Who or what have been the greatest influences on your photography work? It’s really difficult to limit myself here to a few but, photographically, it would be the work of Robert Adams, Diane Arbus, Alec Soth, Todd Hido, Trent Parke, Rinko Kawauchi and I can go on and on! When I saw Hido’s work House Hunting I just kept thinking I wish I had made that work. I’m also influenced by American 1980s horror films, night-time, the suburbs, Halloween – all of these things interest me. Can you talk about how you began your series Church Road? The project began when I was walking home from work at night. I started photographing houses with lights left on, signs of habitation within. The images I was creating were pretty clichéd however, but I was drawn to them. I had a few friends living in several houses along Church Road [in Killiney] at the time. Most of these houses are listed for demolition, so that the land can be sold for apartments. The houses along this road were built for middleclass families, however many had been neglected and were at different stages of degradation. Some were destined to be torn down and the land used for new apartments. The house I was most interested in was called Smallacre, and the
more I looked at this house I could see what the house and my friends had in common. At the time we were all just out of college, in that transition period of not knowing what we wanted to do next and I felt that these houses were kind of lost too. I showed my classmates the photos I had taken and with some help realised that Smallacre was the embodiment of the project I wanted to make all along. With this house I was no longer a voyeuristic intruder, I was on the inside making photographs of my friends. Also, it simply had the aesthetic I had been searching for the entire time! Unfortunately this epiphany came about a month and a half before finishing my MFA. As a result, that last month and a half was absolutely mental. I was taking pictures constantly, it was a rush to document it all. Once the course was finished I ended up moving to a house a two minute walk away from Smallacre and so the project has continued. Do you see your work as fitting into any particular style or aesthetic of photography? I remember submitting my work for consideration to Source magazine and being flustered at the few categories of styles I had to choose from. I picked documentary because I’m documenting my friends living in this house and all the things that come with that. At the same time I’m very wary of calling it an honest, unbiased account – its subjective, deeply personal and I’ve taken full artistic licence. It is a narrative-based piece of work. There are a number of portraits in the series, how did you choose your subjects? Some people lived in this house, some people didn’t. What was important to me was that they were going through the same thing as the house itself. Secondly, I chose my subjects based on certain aesthetic qualities. I photographed my friend Hannah on a bed, she wore pink, the bed was pink, I simply wanted it to look that way.
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How have your subjects responded to the documentation of themselves and their environment in such a way? Mostly they have responded really well to it. They want to be photographed and they think that having a record of this time in our lives is a wonderful thing. Although it’s a slightly romanticised depiction, I think that’s ok. I don’t want the series to come across as too depressive. We may be feeling slightly lost and aggravated with our options but we are also having a great time.
Belfast photographer Gavin Devine’s collection I am another concerns subjects coming to terms with their own sexuality, and the at times traumatic process of coming out in a predominantly Catholic society. Devine’s work focusses on a lost generation of older members of the LGBT community and the difficulties that they had to deal with, particularly in the pre-decriminalisation era. Ciaran Dunbar’s work, The Wise, focuses its lens on the community of Muirhevnamor in
You describe this series as an ‘ongoing’ project. Do you have an idea of where you would like to take it from here? I think it’s got a couple of years left in it while the houses along Church Road still stand. I don’t feel that I have got the best photos I can out of the project. I still feel that there are a lot of great shots there and that while these people are still in this situation it’s important to keep documenting that.
Dundalk where Dunbar himself comes from. Muirhevnamor is a large social housing facility built in the 1970s and early 1980s to facilitate the housing of those escaping conflict in the North which has developed significant problems with anti-social behaviour. There is an attached stigma to the housing community that both alienates those within from the outside and helps to bind them as a community. The title refers to a classification by sociologist Erving Goffman referring to those who become
Being the only artist in this exhibition whose work was made in Dublin, what would you like the Dublin public to take away from the exhibition? I hope some people can empathise with the places and people featured in the work and that maybe they see themselves at a certain age or point in their lives in these portraits. I also hope that the work inspires some discussion about much needed rent control in Dublin.
privy to the life and social functions of the stigmatised group. Rory O’Neill’s collection as part of Notes from the Margins is entitled €19.10 & other stories, a reference to the weekly sum of money received from the State by asylum-seekers while they are in Direct Provision. Direct Provision is a the system used to by the State to house those seeking refugee status in Ireland. The system has come in for heavy criticism for the limbo-like
This is the first year of the Solas Prize, a new collaboration between Source magazine and Gallery of Photography Ireland it is an international photography award with prizes of $11,500, an exhibition in a major photography gallery and publication in a leading photography magazine. What do you think of this prize as an opportunity for Irish and international photographers? I think it’s a fantastic opportunity for photographers, though mainly because of the lack of restrictions placed upon the requirements for inclusion – it’s simply a photography prize for Irish artists or those who made work primarily in Ireland. Too often we are asked to place our work into strict categories or distort its intended meaning to be considered for prizes, but this prize will be awarded to the best work and that’s it. Finally, what does it mean to a young artist to be involved in a group show such as this? I was ecstatic to be asked to be a part of this show. I’m so appreciative of the people at Gallery of Photography, in particular the curator of the show Trish Lambe. In photography today there are more opportunities than ever to get your work out there but that also means that occasionally you can feel lost in a sea of all the different competitions and festivals. It’s just so nice to feel that you’ve made something that people want to see and that’s relevant to a certain time.
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existence it leads to for those subject to it, and O’Neill’s work is an exploration of this. Malcolm Craig Gilbert worked for 18 years as a police officer during the Troubles in the North, before being medically retired due to the affects of Post Traumatic Stress Disorder. His work in Notes from the Margins stems from his own experience with PTSD evoking uncensored personal memories, fears, anxieties and paranoia.
A selection of must-see exhibitions at this year’s edition of PhotoIreland, which runs from 1st to 31st July.
Under the Influence, Dominic Hawgood Under the Influence is an award-winning series that examines the use of exorcism within London’s African evangelical churches as well as the merchandising of these contemporary rituals. In his work, Hawgood combines photography with the moving image using CGI and lighting design to create a sensory experience that avoids the formal theatricality of traditional photography. Opens Friday 3 July | Oonagh Young Gallery, 1 James Joyce Street, D1 Clockwise from left: Ciaran Dunbar, Conall from the
Eamonn Doyle ON photobook launch
Rory O’Neill, €19.10 & other
Following the success of Doyle’s wellreceived photobook i, The Library Project will host the launch of his second book titled ON. Doyle will present his latest work at the event and give visitors an insight into the bookmaking process.
stories
Friday 3 July | The Library Project, Temple Bar, D2
series The Wise Malcolm Craig Gilbert, Domestic Goddess Gavin Devine, Tommy, from the series I Am Another
Greetings From Ireland Worldwide Notes from the Margins runs until the 9th of August in Gallery of Photography Ireland’s main space. A series of talks and events will take place during the run of the exhibition the schedule for which may be found at galleryofphotography.ie
Greetings From Ireland started as an open call for artists to submit work that interprets Ireland today with a view to establishing a more diverse view of the country than may be seen on the visual merchandise offered to tourists in Temple Bar. 40 artists were chosen to exhibit their entries at the December 2014 launch at The Library Project. The second stage of the project will be on show at this year’s PhotoIreland festival. Friday 3 - Friday 31 July | The Library Project, Temple Bar, D2
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New Young Turks Another seismic day at the polls on Europe’s peripheries.
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words and photos Jamie Leptien
Four months ago I moved to Istanbul and found a room in Cihangir, a gentrified neighbourhood near to Taksim and Istiklal, the city’s main commercial drag in Beyoğlu, a district on the European side of Istanbul. Though I only realise it now, the move from one edge of Europe to the other did come with a certain amount of culture shock. On one of my first nights, a friend brought me to a Kurdish-owned bar. Listening to men and women speak Turkish and Kurdish, smoking cigarettes with guiltless pleasure, I felt as if a Western white ignorance beamed from my skin and clung to my bones. I knew little about the Kurdish region – about its Indo-European language or its people’s long history of oppression by the Turkish state – but could sense that association with it carried left-wing cachet. A month later, when a group was flying out to eastern Turkey for Nevroz, the Kurdish celebration of the traditional Iranian New Year, I went along out of a sense of duty to cultural capital. In Diyarbakır I spent the weekend in a state of near-permanent embarrassment, and acquired a miserable cold listening to speeches I didn’t understand in a field with a hundred thousand Kurds. My embarrassment was most acute with our host, a Kurdish anarchist who enjoyed reminding me that I lived in barista-packed Cihangir. (A few months later during a visit to Istanbul, he would point to me and tell someone: ‘O Cihangir; O capitalist’ [translation: ‘He’s Cihangir; he’s a capitalist’].) Gradually, as the months passed, I began to feel less conspicuously ignorant here. I started learning Turkish, and came to feel at home in a tiny patch of streets near Taksim, through long nights going from bar to bar with Billy, a school friend who has been here for a few years. For a while, every weekend a Friday or Saturday night would spill over into the next day, as if
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only by staying restless longer than the streets could you find some closure. Knowing no one else at first, Billy’s group of friends are my first point of contact. All of them have spent some of the summer of 2013 in Gezi Park, and had got to know what tear gas tastes like. The party that speaks to this experience is The People’s Democratic Party (HDP), formed in 2012 as a prominent Kurdish party joined forces with a polyphony of left-wing parties, trade union organisations, LGBT-rights groups and groups representing ethnic minorities such as Alevis and Armenians. These groups previously fielded independent candidates, none of them having had enough support to pass the 10% voting threshold required to enter parliament as a party. Secular, anti-capitalist, anti-nationalist and pro-Kurdish, the HDP were born out of the need to coherently oppose the neo-liberal and Islamist rule of Recep Tayyip Erdoğan’s Justice and Development Party (AK Party). From the beginning of May, the streets gain an extra layer of noise: political party vans play catchy jingles through muddy speakers, every neighbourhood street sags with political bunting and house-sized faces of government politicians gurn from billboards. I start to get some sense of the vast complexity of Turkey’s political landscape beyond the safety of nights in Beyoğlu, with their memories of Gezi and open arms for all sexualities and genders. With every day that brings the Sunday 7th June general election closer, the city’s collective tension levels seem to rise. Thursday 28th May I get a message from a friend who works at the Dublin social media news agency Storyful, asking if there’s anything going on in Gezi Park, so I walk up to check. Though a cloud hangs over Istanbul, the sun is shining on Taksim and Gezi. It is quiet, green and park-like. This day two years ago, 50 environmentalists began a sit-in against plans to replace one of Beyoğlu’s few remaining green spaces with a shopping centre and luxury apartments, in the architectural style of an Ottoman military barracks. It was a very Erdoğan project: pro-capital, anti-social and indulgent of a personal nostalgia for preWorld War I Ottoman Turkey, when Istanbul was the capital of an Islamic empire. When the protests grew from 50 people in Gezi to 3.5 million across Turkey, it was the culmination of six months in which Erdoğan seemed to go out of his way to alienate as many citizens as possible: calling out kissing in public, increasing restrictions on abortions, implementing a ban on alcohol sales after 10pm, removing the Turkish flag from the logo of the national assembly, imprisoning public figures for criticising Islam; the list goes on. In the context of Turkish democracy, the temporary realisation of an Occupy-style horizontal society in Gezi Park was perhaps less historic than protestors crossing deep political fault-lines in the name of a common enemy. For the first time in Turkey’s political history, groups as opposed as Kurds and ultra-nationalists could be found on the same side. Walking back through Taksim Square towards Istiklal, I pass the ever-present loitering dozenor-so policemen. When Erdoğan first came to power, Islamists and liberals alike lauded him for putting an end to a long history of military interventions into state politics. Gradually, however, he has replaced the autonomous military with a militant police force of his own. Around Taksim, the role of the police seems overwhelmingly to be to suppress political dissent. Laws against smoking inside and selling off-license
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“In large part thanks to HDP’s “I make no apologies whatsoever for propagandising. gender quotas, People say I vulgarised it, but Turkey now Ulysses is a vulgar novel!” - Senator David Norris will now have more women in parliament per capita than Ireland.”
alcohol after 10pm are mostly ignored, as are the Syrian and Kurdish children who beg money from passers-by and the drug trade flourishing a few minutes walk away in impoverished Tarlabaşı (another Beyoğlu neighbourhood). But a minimum of three buses of police – armed with rubber bullets, tear gas and pepper spray – attend every peaceful protest. For May Day, a traditional day of protest here, the streets around Taksim Square and Istiklal close for the day, barricaded and guarded by hundreds of police from the early hours of the morning.
“I start to get some sense of the vast complexity of Turkey’s political landscape beyond the safety of nights in Beyoglu”
Friday 29th May At a goodbye dinner for a friend, my Turkish teacher, Emine, laughs in my face when I suggest she join me at a meeting of Erdoğan’s Justice and Development Party (AK Party). She says I will get punched in the face. I affect self-righteous disapproval at her political closemindedness, but am slightly hurt, and worried that I might actually get punched in the face. Emine was born in the AK Party stronghold of Konya in southern Anatolian Turkey, and raised a Muslim. At 13 or 14, ‘the light came’, and she stopped believing. When I tell her I was raised by two non-believing parents, her response is to envy my ‘purity’. I have never thought of it like this before. Her father votes for MHP, the ultra-nationalist party whose sign of allegiance is to raise the right hand and form the shape of a wolf by joining thumb and middle fingers. Political beliefs aside, she says, he is a sweet man, and she avoids letting him know that she votes HDP. When he pushes her too much on the subject of marriage, she tells them she has a Kurdish boyfriend, and that ends the conversation. Saturday 30th May Before the AK Party rally, I go to a HDP rally nearby. In the quiet of the train on the way there, I watch a man standing alone and holding a HDP flag upright in the carriage. He wears a forced half smile, and inside I imagine his nerves to be fluttering. Only a few of the other passengers on the train look like HDP supporters. I look at a group of head-scarfed women, spot some prayer beads on the hands of a few men. Pulling into the train’s penultimate stop, the slowing windows reveal dozens of HDP supporters lined up to board the train. As the doors open, an ovation begins, and either from within or without the whole carriage fills with the sound of clapping. A few of the newly boarded start up a chant: ‘Biz’ler, HDP, Biz’ler Meclise’ (‘We are HDP, We are going to the parliament’) – chanted in two bars of five beats, as mnemonic as a football chant. The man holding the flag is surrounded now, and the tension in the carriage dissipates in the noise of chanting. Some of the passengers whose political allegiance I couldn’t guess have broken into smiles, joined in the chanting or begun filming with smartphones. When I arrive at the AK party rally later, an airshow is underway – Turkish fighter jets perform somersaults and leave jet trails across the sky. Having just listened to hours of political speeches at the HDP rally, and I feel the unexpected relief of being entertained. The sun has come out, there is grass to stand on and there are planes to watch. With the great majority of women wearing headscarves, it is indeed nothing like the Turkey I am used to from Taksim and Cihangir. But I do, slightly, feel I understand AK Party’s success a bit more: religious dress aside, my fellow onlookers strike me as ordinary members of the global capitalist
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majority – interested in a nuclear family, clean clothes and a good smartphone. Erdoğan and the AK Party came to government at a moment of economic despair and were in charge during 13 years of record economic growth, even as the global economy foundered. For their lower-tomiddle class religious electorate, they offered material improvements to quality of life, as well as a justice narrative of sorts, giving Islam pride of place in Turkish politics following decades of exclusion thanks to militarily enabled secular rule. Later on, as Prime Minister Ahmet Davutoğlu orates on stage, a vast Turkish flag is passed through the crowd. Being under it as it passes over reminds me of being in a particularly happy festival tent: everyone is bathed in red light and smiling, and for a moment I stop worrying about being found out and punched for not being an AK Party supporter. Friday 5th June At a HDP rally in Diyarbakır, two bombs explode, killing four people and injuring over 100. This is the third bomb attack on HDP this month. HDP party co-chair Selahattin Demirtaş calls for calm. Erdoğan gives out that he tried to call Demirtaş to offer condolences but that he wouldn’t answer. In the media whirlwind of election season, the deaths become political currency before the blood has dried. Sunday 7th June, Election Day By six o’clock, the country’s 47.5 million votes are cast, as an astonishing 86.49% of eligible voters turn out. We watch the results come out in a bar near Taksim, where the election-day ban on alcohol means it’s one small upstairs room with the windows covered, the air thick with tension and smoke and every seat taken. When the result is confirmed around half eleven, it’s better than any of HDP’s supporters had dared to hope for, as they get 13.12% of the vote, and the same amount of seats in parliament as the third-placed MHP party. In large part thanks to HDP’s gender quotas, Turkey will now have more women in parliament per capita than Ireland. Turkey’s Kurdish population will have significant parliamentary representation for the first time in their history. Erdoğan’s AK Party still gets the most votes but fails to get a majority for the first time in its party’s history. Erdoğan’s hopes of getting the overall majority 30
needed to give executive power to his presidential office are dashed. The bar’s owner turns the election coverage off and puts on an Erdoğan ‘Staying Alive’ parody. Ding-dong, the witch is dead. On the streets outside, people dance and drink until the early hours of the morning. In the week after the election, there is a certain sense of anti-climax, as parties struggle with coalition talks, and the dreaded possibility of a return to the voting booths rears its head. Meanwhile, the Turkish lira falls to an all-time low, and analysts predict an impending economic crisis for now ‘politically unstable’ Turkey. It turns out the Erdoğan years of unprecedented economic growth were built on a credit-fuelled construction bubble. In what would be a cruel irony, the new coalition government might find itself at the reins of economic crisis just like the one that preceded Erdoğan’s first election victory in 2001. In the meantime, look forward to filing this report and temporarily returning to political ignorance. Beautifully, the sound of election vans is nowhere to be heard in the streets.
“In large part thanks to HDP’s gender quotas, Turkey will now have more women in parliament per capita than Ireland.”
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Love So Tender The release of Belinda McKeon’s second novel Tender has met with much fanfare, with John Boyne calling it ‘the best Irish novel I’ve read since The Spinning Heart’. Following 17 year old Catherine Reilly as she navigates college life, the novel is about much more than the straightforward development of the character, figuring sexuality, obsession, and irony among its themes. Totally Dublin met with award-winning Irish writer Belinda McKeon to discuss the timely nature of her new novel, and address how autobiographical Tender really is.
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words Eoin Tierney photo Rich Gilligan
Both your books feature Trinity College as a setting. I almost didn’t notice that [Trinity] was in both books. I was so concentrated on the characters in this one that it came as a surprise to me to realise that I’d accidentally set another novel in the same place. I suppose that it did make a big impact on me. I went there when I was 17, it was a hugely mind-expanding experience for me. I had a very good time, but also I changed enormously as a person. So it probably is a natural well for me, as a place in which to put characters. Especially because [in Tender] these were two young people: one of them is a student there, one of them is not, but he’s so dependent on Catherine in a way that it becomes his stomping ground as well. Did you study Creative Writing with Deirdre Madden while at Trinity? Yes I did. She was the Writer in Residence in 1997, when I started. I took her class once a week for a term, on a Monday evening I think, in her rooms. It was great, but a bit of a shock to the system. I was 17, it was my first ever experience of a creative writing workshop of any kind. I’d come up through school writing stories and nobody was reading them, but anybody who did read them was like, ‘That’s great, well done.’ Deirdre was much more rigorous, she introduced me to the idea of rigour, and standards. The other people in the class were older than me, they had a different vocabulary. And I felt really intimidated. I remember then settling and feeling that it was a very positive thing. Paul Murray was in that workshop – he was a final year student at the time. To me, they were so glamorous and incredibly intellectual. But they were also very warm, and sweet towards me. Paul and I have remained good friends since then. The character Catherine in Tender conducts interviews with several well-known authors, was that your experience as well? I was the books editor for Trinity News, and I got to interview a lot of writers. I just wrote to them and said ‘Can I interview you?’ John McGahern was very kind. At that time he wasn’t giving many interviews, he came out of himself more in the last years of his life. I really admired him, he was a hero for me at that time in my life. I was very nervous and he was very kind; my questions were bumbling and really pretentious, I was asking him awful questions about Sartre. He saw exactly what this was, a nervous undergrad meeting him for interview for the college paper. He gave me lots of nice material to use. Well some, he was pretty reticent as well. Michael Doonan [the fictional author Catherine interviews] isn’t based on anyone. Maybe he’s all Irish writers, or maybe he’s none. No male writer that I’ve ever interviewed as a young journalist was assholey to me. Here was an opportunity for me to push some of Catherine’s stuff to the surface. She’s very neurotic. I wanted a very controlled figure who would push her into these blurty kind of statements. Also I was interested in putting a very young female journalist with a very established older male writer and just seeing what happened. The novel is set not long after homosexuality was legalised in Ireland, and charts the difficulty of one of the characters in coming out. This is very timely, following the recent Marriage Referendum. The timing is entirely serendipitous. I’d been working on the book for five years, in fact the genesis of the book is much earlier. The two characters,
Catherine and James, I’d been toying with those characters for the guts of 17 years. The timing has been weird in a way. The reason it came out this month is because I was late with it. It was supposed to come out last year, but I just didn’t submit it on time. That’s why it came out in May. Then it just turned out that it came out the week of the Referendum. I was like, ‘This is really, really weird.’ And I was actually very worried that this was entirely the wrong time for it, that people would go, ‘Oh we don’t want to read it. We never want to read another story about another young gay man again.’ But that was just me being jumpy and paranoid, it’s about the characters. What else is fortuitous in the book is that Catherine experiences a lot of ‘mansplaining’. Have you heard of ‘mansplaining’? Do you understand that you’ve just mansplained ‘mansplaining’ to me? She absolutely does. It’s cultural: it’s the time, the country, the fact that she’s a young woman who’s quite naïve, and doesn’t hide her naïveté. I don’t know what her progression is throughout the novel with regard to that question, but certainly at the beginning of the book she’s almost looking to be mansplained to. That’s the extent of her conditioning. One of the things
“An awful lot of the work of writing this book was learning to realise that the cringe was the point.” that she loves about James is that she says she can feel her mind grow with him. Mansplaining is not something she sees as a bad thing, at the beginning of the book. Whereas I think that by the end she’s gotten her own territory a bit more. But I’m also not sure about that, it’s not a straightforward journey into clarity for Catherine. The book also captures how boys tend to communicate with Catherine in this very ironic way. I wondered if that was a generational thing. In the late ’90s, when I was in college, everything was so deeply ironic that we were almost paralysed by it. It was like the new Joycean paralysis was this intense irony where nothing was serious, and it probably has accelerated actually in recent years. That’s something I’m glad you saw, the way in which irony offers people this very pleasurable, very funny way to communicate – the way the character Emmet communicates with Catherine, for instance. He’s telling her he’s into her, but he’s not going to say it straight. There’s something really lovely about that, but it is also just another way in which we don’t talk to each other, that directness is not possible. But maybe that’s a good thing, maybe directness is actually an over-rated quality. Another of the book’s themes is the importance of gossip in Irish society, seen in the character Pat Burke. Oh yeah, he’s an old dick! He’s just the local busybody. He’s the eyes of the community, and the self-appointed moral arbiter. It’s dangerous to talk about anything in representation, but he is an older Ireland, an Ireland that watches. There’s something of the church in him, the patriarchal society that tells you what you can and cannot do.
The idea that these two young people couldn’t just sit together and do whatever they want together, without it being reported back, as if it’s his right to do that. That is the environment and atmosphere out of which Catherine has come. In that sense a lot of her paralysis is probably natural, or at least understandable. The structure to Tender is unusual in that it changes from section to section. There are four sections and each one is stylistically different, particularly the third section. The third section, ‘Romance’, is Catherine’s crisis – in fact, James’ crisis as well. By that stage the wideeyed girl of the early part of the book has been left behind. The book is entirely set in her close, first-person perspective, it’s her consciousness. So I wanted the shape of the language to reflect her consciousness. At the beginning it’s gushing, naïve, over-done: that had to be the case, and was awfully difficult because my temptation was to prune it, make it look elegant and sophisticated. But that wouldn’t represent her consciousness. The challenge was to keep the plot moving, quite a lot of the plot work had to be done in that section. Even though it’s broken and fragmented, she goes to a different place mentally, so it was challenging. In a recent interview with the Irish Times, it appeared as if you wanted to distance yourself from claims that Tender was overly autobiographical. I actually didn’t, in fact I was the one who brought it up, because it hadn’t come up and I didn’t want to be coy about it. [Tender] at its core is an autobiographical novel. As I said, I had been working on those characters for 17 years, those two young people grew out of my experience. But the irony of that is very little – only the tiniest, almost peripheral things – are from life, and the larger events are fictional. Yet I still think of it as deeply personal, as autobiographical, in a way that I find it hard to articulate. As in, I cannot say all this happened to me, and yet, it’s a deeply personal book. I’m not at all trying to distance myself from autobiography, I couldn’t be bothered. There’s a line taken from Catherine’s English essay on Plath and Hughes, that I thought was an attempt to throw readers off the scent: ‘About autobiography, and how it never showed itself in the work in the lazy way that readers expected it to.’ I don’t know if it was an attempt to throw people off the scent, again that was Catherine’s essay, not my novel. It’s interesting that once you put autobiography into the ring at all, it shuts the conversation down slightly. I wrote that essay as an undergrad. It’s a very undergraduate thing to become fixated with. But also, Plath’s poetry is so viscerally in touch with a certain kind of pain, so I gave that essay to Catherine. She thinks she feels the connection of the intensity of emotion that’s in Plath’s poetry. I resisted that aspect of the book a long time, I thought there’s something cringey about it. But then an awful lot of the work of writing this book was learning to realise that the cringe was the point. If your character is a naïve, melodramatic 17 year old, you don’t give her hipster cred. If your character is a little bit naïve or embarrassing, then you have to go there, even if it makes you look naïve or embarrassing. That’s your contract, as a writer. It’s very exposing. Tender is out now, published by Picador.
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Foregoing the wholesome institutional embrace of the gallery, Foaming at the Mouth is a ‘visual art spoken word’ event which takes the best Irish artists, writers, and performers out of the white cube and into venues that are far less definitively shaped. We caught up with its organisers, Emer Lynch and Tracy Hanna, to discuss the fruitful marriage of visual art and language.
Rabid Succession Rabid Succession
words Aidan Wall photos Gary Teeling
Can you introduce yourselves and talk a bit about your artistic backgrounds? Emer: I studied at NCAD originally. I was in the Glass department and mainly studied glassblowing. After college I went to Germany and Italy for a while to learn skills in architectural and stained-glass studios. I moved back to Dublin in 2012 to do my masters at IADT studying curation. This new mix of theory, project planning, installation and developing relationships with artists suited me perfectly. Tracy: I’d been making artworks for years and showing them, and studied fine art for my BA – at DIT in 2007 – but I’ve recently become increasingly interested in more discursive methods of research, production, and realisation. I write too, in various ways, for art and not for art. The year before Foaming I did an experimental fiction writing course in the Irish Writer’s Centre which gave me the confidence to put more focus directly on writing as a material. Right now I’m studying on an MFA in Rotterdam at the Piet Zwart Institute. How did Foaming at the Mouth come into being? E: Early in February 2014 I had an elusive date with someone organising a spoken word night for writers. I dragged Tracy along, and at one point she turned around to me and said ‘Oh my god, wouldn’t this be great for artists?’ It all kicked off from there and we quickly became very excited. We knew the writing skills of many of our artist friends and imagined what might happen if they said their words live to an audience. But it also felt like a natural progression from what I was doing already. I had worked with commissioning writers and producing publications for exhibitions I curated, and was thinking more and more about the gap that exists between an exhibited artwork and a piece of text printed on a page. T: Yeah, I suppose we saw a gap, something that maybe wasn’t happening so prevalently or did not yet have a forum of its own: a space for the
presentation of art writing. But we certainly had no apprehension of how receptive everyone was going to be to it. I think making it more universal and accessible came from taking some risks: asking some people to contribute who weren’t showing writing but who we just knew had the skills to do this and would be great at it. I think this kept some rigidity away, and made it a space to experiment. This was and is so important to how we approach curating this. The first Foaming at the Mouth showcased performers who hailed from a variety of creative backgrounds: music, writing, visual art, comedy, academia, etc. How would you situate Foaming at the Mouth amongst these largely differing styles of production? T: It’s like putting your hand into a huge gloopy pot of people working with language in different ways and scooping out those who use it a bit more aesthetically than others. Is there a common thread throughout the performers you decide to showcase? E: Our main curatorial interest is use of text or language. There’s no outright criteria but we generally invite people who use words in an interesting or strong way in their practice. Mostly we chose people from visual art, but also some we thought were interesting from other disciplines. Most people we invite we have encountered in person at some point, professionally or personally, and we’ve been excited by some spark in their behaviour or attitude: we’re excited by them. What informed your decision to host Foaming at the Mouth outside of a typical gallery space? E: We wanted to make a space where contributors felt comfortable in taking a risk. And for the audience, a pub is already designed as a comfortable place for telling stories and listening. Also, it was important that anyone could
happen upon the events and feel comfortable there: that they weren’t just for the art community. T: Yeah, I suppose doing it in a pub gave the pair of us free reign to do what we wanted – to keep it fun, to pack people in, to choose how we promote it. Not being connected with an institution gave us the space to do what we wanted with this event, no one was paying us, the event itself was the most important thing and how it functioned. It really felt like some kind of community spirit pushed the appreciation of the events, like maybe people felt like this kind of thing was needed or something. Our thinking was: let’s try to put really great stuff in front of people, but let’s not take ourselves so seriously and let’s enjoy art and have a laugh together. And in retrospect, doing it this way gave extraimportance to the ‘thing’ we were putting in front of people. Holding up art and language together, away from the gallery, institution, other programming. It wasn’t an add-on: it was the main event. The first run of shows took place in the Stag Head’s cosy basement. When did you decide to move to a new venue? Tell us about it. E: It became very apparent by the final event in the series last year that if we did it again we would simply need a bigger venue. We are very excited about the new venue. It’s the Polo Clubhouse in the Phoenix Park, behind the zoo. I just did a site visit with our fantastic sound technician Aaron Kelly and I got so excited. The venue itself holds so much potential to facilitate something great happening. Do you have plans to follow up this new series of shows? What can we expect from the future of Foaming at the Mouth? E: It’s been more difficult with the geographical distance this year. I don’t think it’s something we’ll do continually every summer, but the future is definitely wide open. T: I love this thing we’ve been doing and I love working with Emer. There’ll be a future of some sort for sure. Since last summer there’s been events in Dublin cropping up that are similar to what we’re doing and I think that is a super positive. Having some containers for art and language is a facilitative, supportive and enabling thing for artists and others working with words. I think for us, individually and collaboratively, there will be a future tense that is richer because of Foaming. I’m excited to move forward with my own practice and I know Emer is too with her’s. Foaming at the Mouth has influenced us both enormously, and given us the confidence to be much more daring. Foaming at the Mouth returns for two shows in the Phoenix Park Polo Club on Saturday 11th July and Saturday 15th August. For more information see fatm-dublin.tumblr.com
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Pink playsuit, Jenny Vanders
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Wasteland, wasted days of summer Photography Gerry Balfe Smyth Styling Sarah Flanagan
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Multicoloured floral top, Lucy’s Lounge Dark peach skirt, American Apparel 38
Blue flared trousers, Harlequin Pink t-shirt, Topshop White clogs, Topshop Socks, Topshop
White tee, Matthew Miller, Nowhere Floral embroidered top and skirt, Simone Rocha, Havana White leather belt, COS
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Photography: Gerry Balfe Smyth assisted by Ian McDevitt & Niamh O’Reilly Styling: Sarah Flanagan Hair: Kate Crowley at Kazumi
White tee, CĂŠdric Charlier, Costume Black skirt, Marc by Marc Jacobs, Brown Thomas Sneakers, COS
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Make Up: Lauren BlueAushra poloneck, Harlequin
Models: Distinct Model Management Gold shorts, American Apparel
White trainers, Adidas Socks, Topshop
Jacket, Isabel Marant, Costume Puffa jacket worn as skirt, Moncler, Brown Thomas Ruffled Elizabethan shirt, The Costume Mill
Blue fabric worn as hood, stylist’s own Pearl coloured crop top, American Apparel
Photography Gerry Balfe Smyth Assisted by Ian Mc Devitt Styling Sarah Flanagan flanagan.sarah1@gmail.com Make Up Susan Dahl Model Leva from Distinct model management
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PROUDLY SPONSORED BY
BARFLY words Oisín Murphy-Hall photos Killian Broderick
Johnny Rush’s is a place you’d take, rather than have, a drink. I reflect on this while I sit smoking in a cheap aluminium chair on its terrace, facing onto a sunny South William Street – where it is almost certainly the worst pub – on a Friday evening. The awning overhead protects me from the worst of the ambient glare, so I see Anton bounding along the path from Butler’s before he sees me, in this dark and slapdash observation turret that has been weighing on my good humour since I arrived. ‘Ah, taking some drinks, is it?’ he says with a wave. The sad fact of the matter is that the smoking terrace is as good as it gets here. It’s just some aluminium patio furniture surrounded by a partition, facing directly onto the street, but it’s the one place on the premises that provides a constant assurance that an outside world exists. You can even put your head out into it, like a dog speeding down a motorway. The conventional idea of hell is a terrible place characterised by extreme heat and cruelty. In fact, the deeper suffering is one for which no name exists: hell in its purest embodiment might be something more akin the death of thought, a dreadful and static place of pure negation. Far be it for me to suggest that a pub in Dublin embodies such a transcendent, absolute concept of pain, but if I had to approximate a correspondent bar in our nation’s capital to the idea of hell just outlined, it would almost certainly be Johnny Rush’s. Inside is a strange mix of newly-introduced traditional pub paraphernalia and the original outfittings for Rush, the bar’s previous iteration as a sleek, trendy night spot. Wall-size mirrors reflect chrome and old whiskey advertisements, side by side. To say the transition is awkward would be an understatement. It’s like being trapped in the pub equivalent of Brian McFadden’s beard and distressed jeans circa his first solo album, Irish Son. I’m not sure anyone’s buying it. Towards the back of the bar is signposted a ‘snug’, which turns out to be just another area of the bar, not separated in any way. If you like being lied to, come to Johnny Rush’s. Sheepishly, I turn back to order another round. Over the course of the ritual two-part pour, the barman, in a pointless and perverse gesture, dips the nozzle of the still-running bar tap into the forming Guinness beneath. There is no other way to put it: this act has compounded my humiliation. As I walk back out to the terrace, a glass smashes somewhere behind me. I do not turn around to see whether it has been done by someone in anger, or perhaps as a cry for help. For some reason, the area around South William Street to George’s Street is named Dublin’s Creative Quarter. It is perhaps in the spirit of absolute negation that Johnny Rush’s has formed at its periphery, like a rational kernel of pure antithesis, a sobering reminder of the horrors wrought by man in the name of creation. It contains every shite pub, the start of every bad night, every trapped, decaying future you almost felt taking the first sip of a pint. ‘I liked it,’ says Anton.
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HELL IS CHROME Johnny Rush’s
Johnny Rush’s 65 South William Street, Dublin 2 01-6719542
BARFLY words Danny Wilson photo Killian Broderick
Ah, Rathmines, the suburb that never sleeps. Bathed in the fluorescent lilac and fuchsia glow of the Swan Centre sign, home to squalid students hovels, innumerable new Irish and Miriam O’Callaghan – it’s a cultural melting pot to rival all comers. As one might expect from such a pulsating cosmopolitan hub there is no shortage of venues for one to quell a thirst, from the now defunct, always intimidating Grace’s, suburban Flannery’s substitute Roddy Bolands, QOTSA-loving young professional hangout Blackbird to the bastion of black stuff exalting auld-lad-dom Slattery’s. But even in this most competitive of quarters, there is one watering hole that stands above the rest; the peerless Mother Reilly’s. For an establishment that on the exterior appears to be a wing of the Uppercross Hotel, Ma Ra’s manages to maintain an unprecedented level of eccentricity. From its uneven, blacklacquered floor to its discoloured ceiling; a comfortingly subterranean cosiness permeates the bar’s décor. It has its own brand of charmingly muddled traditionalism, with images of Houghton sticking the ball in the English net sitting comfortably beside black and white photos of Mike Tyson exiting a helicopter alongside James Bennett, the star of Trim, County Meath’s best, and only, martial arts film, Fatal Deviation (if you haven’t seen this vital cultural text then drop what you’re doing immediately and get googling). Proximity to Trinity Halls and a longstanding deal offering €4 pints for those baring student cards means there is never any shortage of fresh-faced scholars populating the spacious smoking area, but taking a drink in here is by Niall Coyne no means purely a young man’s game. The seats closest to the bar itself are usually populated by grey-ponytailed dad-rockers nattering with the always pleasant staff to the smooth sounds of Curtis Mayfield tracks being piped in, while one table outside is perpetually occupied by the Qtysame x 1. old souses entertaining/bothering the rest of the clientele with their 10,000th acoustic 1290mm x 610mm reverse plotrengold dition of American Pie.
TELL YER MA Mother Reilly’s
If the idea of some ruddy-faced homegrown McLeans doesn’t float your boat, then more often than not there’s considerably more appealing live entertainment on offer from table quizzes of some renown to live sets from trad troupes and weed perfumed/monikered pub rock and reggae acts (shout outs to The 9 Bars and Seven Deadly Skins). The previously mentioned smoking area is perhaps the pub’s greatest asset and is often WIP: 2779 more densely populated than the bar itself. Partially covered, dotted with at times unnecessarily powerful heaters and with an abundance of elfin thrones and tables hewn from gargantuan slabs of wood, the otherworldly ambiance of the interior reaches its zenith out back. Boisterous but invariably welcoming, you can tell that an untold number of great stories start and black vinyl graphics applied with a ‘quiet one’ in here.
to window available space 1651mm x 1397mm.
Date: 10/06/2014
Artw Mother Reilly’s 26-30 Upper Rathmines Road, Rathmines, Dublin 6 01-4975486 www.uppercrosshousehotel.com
Qty x 4. 900mm x 425mm reverse plot gold and black vinyl graphics applied to window available space 1117mm x 1397mm.
To celebrate a successful first year at our new location we are launching a series of sessions in partnership with Jameson kicking off on Saturday 18th July. Hope to see you there!
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PL A) dif on pro
B) gra an cou be an pro sig
On is r om res cu Bedford Stuy Barbers 1 Cope St, Temple Bar, Dublin Tel:(01) 671 8442
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DRINK words The Corkscrew Team Greg McElherron
Chenin Blanc and Merlot Chenin Blanc Chenin Blanc is a white grape that has travelled remarkably infrequently from its home, which is some point along the Loire around the town of Saumur. The most famous of its newer territories is South Africa, where it has really existed as the Cape’s most vinified white variety until the last decade, which has seen Sauvignon Blanc and Chardonnay grow and increase in vineyard area. Chenin as a variety is high in Malic acid and has medium thick skins. Its ripening in mid-northern France means that when made into wine, it is often very high in acid. Even when producers extract at high levels this acid is still persistent and can be off putting. However, it is the acid in relation to the structure of the wine that allows the wines to age superbly well, especially in one of Chenin’s better areas or, better still, in one of its sweeter styles. Chenin is one of the most versatile varieties that we know – in the Loire valley alone it makes wines in dry, off dry, medium sweet, sweet (dessert) and sparkling. The core flavours of Chenin are often said to be appley. In riper wines flavour of honey can develop as well as some flavours ranging from petals to apricot. One useful thing to remember and to be able to identify is its acid.
Merlot Merlot is a black grape variety originally associated with the great wines of Saint-Émilion and Pomerol, but now so popular worldwide that it competes only with Grenache and Cabernet Sauvignon as the most planted dark-skinned grape variety overall. Its recent increase in popularity may be most readily associated with consumption in the US, but in reality, total American Merlot plantings lag behind those of Cabernet Sauvignon by quite a margin, and it is in Bordeaux (and France overall) that Merlot is decisively the most planted red wine grape. DNA profiling provided evidence that Merlot is likely to be the progeny of Cabernet Franc. In consequence, Merlot turns out to be the probable half-brother of Cabernet Sauvignon, which explains why Merlot-dominant red Bordeaux can taste so like Cabernet-dominant red Bordeaux. Although Merlot has become the red (and therefore fashionably scorned) answer to Chardonnay, few of those who order it in such quantity – typically by the glass in the United States – would be able to describe its flavour with any precision. One thing they would be agreed on though is that it is ‘smooth’. If any single wine promoted texture rather than flavour to the front rank of concerns for American winemakers it is Merlot: ‘Cabernet without the pain’. Indeed one of its flavour characteristics in France, a fragrance bordering on herbaceousness, is seen as a positive drawback by many American tasters. The Corkscrew is at 4 Chatham Street, Dublin 2. www.thecorkscrew.ie
Stone & Wood Pacific Ale 4.4% When people visit Australia there’s normally a few places that they want to get to and the almost mythical Byron Bay is never far from the top of the list. Located between Sydney and Brisbane, Byron Bay is world renowned for having amazing surf beaches, a vibrant music scene and generally laid-back hippy vibe. It’s little wonder that a craft brewery which has emerged from this unique backdrop should create some outstanding brews that perfectly capture the spirit of the place. Stone and Wood Brewery was set up in 2008 by Brad Rogers, Jamie Cook and Ross Jurisich, a couple of friends that got together whilst working for Australian brewing behemoth Carlton United Brewery. During their time at CUB they had been working on a craft beer project called Matilda Bay Brewing which provided them with the opportunity to learn the ropes of craft brewing but eventually realised they wanted to stop working for ‘the man’. Their philosophy – ‘take it slowly and keep it simple’ – has been put to the test by the soaring success of Pacific Ale which has transformed Stone and Wood into one of the most successful craft breweries in Australia. As with numerous Irish craft breweries, they soon outgrew their initial brewing setup and had to build a second, larger brewery that is dedicated exclusively to brewing their flagship brand. Pacific Ale pours bright yellow and as it’s bottle conditioned only turns cloudy once the yeast residing at the
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bottom of the bottle is brought into play. It strikes me as a hybrid between a Bavarian wheat and Belgian white beer in appearance and aroma but is much lighter in terms of taste and mouth-feel which may explain why it works so well in the hot Australian climate. There are generous, citrus notes in the aroma (oranges and lemons) but the main flavours are driven by tropical fruit from the malt (barley and wheat are used) which give it a deliciously sweet taste. What really sets it apart is the use of the craft brewing stalwart Galaxy hop which is added towards the end of the brewing process (late hopping) and this, combined with the fact that it’s non pasteurised, provides a really fresh, clean and long lasting finish. If you get the weather you’re hoping for then you’d want to ditch the Coronas and get your hands on a couple of these bad boys to really kick-start your summer. GMcE
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Bray Camille O’Sullivan
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D U B L IN Prepare for an intensely emotional theatrical experience as Camille O’Sullivan performs hidden gems and old favourites drawn from a decade of her most mesmerising performances. Expect joy and passion in equal measure and see for yourself how O’Sullivan has forged an internationally renowned reputation as she interprets the songs of Jacques Brel, Nick Cave, Tom Waits, David Bowie and others in an intensely dramatic way. Catch Camille O’Sullivan at the Mermaid Arts Centre Bray at 8pm on Friday 10th & Saturday 11th July. For more see www.mermaidartscentre.ie
Junior Song School
Junior Song School is a great programme for students at primary school level interested in making music and writing songs with others. The week-long workshop covers subjects such as learning how to write and record songs, make music videos and putting on gigs for family and friends. Aimed at those learning how to play an instrument or those playing already, this workshop offers opportunities to find friends who share a love of making music while having fun jamming with them. Junior Song School runs from July 27th – 31st. See www.mermaidartscentre.ie for further details.
Bray Summer Fest
With an eclectic mix of musical, culinary and visual treats, there’s plenty to see and do at this year’s Bray Summer Fest. Attractions include food and craft markets, a seaside funfair, Groove Festival and the ever-popular Bray Air Display (see below). Entertainments at the Summerfest Funfair (Sunday 12th July to Monday 3rd August) include a vintage style sideshow, inflatable cities, jungle gyms and a range of water activities. All are individually priced with regular weekday offers also available on site. Bray Summer Fest culminates in a spectacular fireworks display on Bank Holiday Monday, and runs from Saturday 4th July to Monday 3rd August. Keep up to date on Twitter with the hashtag #bsf15 and check out www.braysummerfest.ie for more.
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Compliments to the Chef
A passionate and devoted advocate of authentic Italian cooking, chef Marco Roccasalvo runs the award-winning Campo de’ Fiori Bistro Market in Bray with his wife Laura. Also the author of two books, Marco talked to us about his adherence to Italian traditions, the importance of carefully sourcing good quality ingredients and his mission to educate people in Ireland about the right way to eat Italian food.
Marco, tell us what brought you to Bray.
Bray Air Display
When I left Italy in 2001 I wanted a fresh start and I also wanted to open a restaurant, so I sat in the car and I drove until I stopped some place I liked! I came to Ireland and after working in Athlone and Dublin I opened the first Campo de’ Fiori in Bray in 2004. I was later involved in opening a small market where we sold Italian salami, cheeses and olives. On Fridays we presented aperitivo with prosecco when that was still something new and we had people coming from all around to try it. We eventually opened another restaurant on the seafront, which closed at the end of 2014, and now we’re doing the best of both menus in the original place. We do a lot of seafood and it’s a great menu, but I’m going to change it slightly because the season brings with it new ingredients.
Expect spectacular visuals in the skies over Bray on Sunday 19th July as the award winning Bray Air Display gets underway at 2pm. The Black Knight Defence Force Parachute Team make a welcome return along with old favourites the vintage Aer Lingus Iolar, MiG15, the Strikemaster and the Hawker Hunter. Special guests the Swiss Air Force Aerobatics team make their debut this year and there’s an extra special treat in store with ‘Patrouille de Suisse’ looping the loop in six red and white jets along the seaside skyline. Supported by the Irish Aviation Authority, see www.brayairdisplay.com for further details.
So your Italian heritage is clearly critical to your menu, right?
Shadows and Dolls & Meitheal at Signal Arts Centre
Signal Arts Centre in Bray hosts two exhibitions this July. The first, Shadows and Dolls, by talented Italian artist Roberta Fiano explores the shadows of the past and the passage of time, linked by the common connections of time and beauty. This is followed later in the month by Meitheal, an exhibition of works by current and former members of staff showcasing their diverse backgrounds, wide range of styles and mediums. Shadows and Dolls runs from Monday 6th July to Sunday 19th July with an opening reception on Friday 10th July, 3-5pm, while Meitheal runs from Monday 20th July to Sunday August 2nd with an opening reception on Friday 24th July, 6-8pm. See www.signalartscentre for more.
Not the Edinburgh Fringe… But better
There’ll be laughs galore at the end of the month with some of Ireland’s best known and up-andcoming comedians providing a great weekend’s entertainment before heading off to brave the footlights of Edinburgh in August. Friday night promises some serious laughs as the wonderful Eleanor Tiernan of Irish Pictorial Weekly fame takes to the stage with Al Porter while Saturday sees Karl Spain and Chris Kent bring their unique brands of comedy to the Mermaid. Catch ‘Not the Edinburgh Fringe…’ at the Mermaid Arts Centre on Friday 31st July and Saturday 1st August. Tickets through www.mermaidartscentre.ie
Groove Festival
The family-friendly Groove Festival gets off to a finely tuned start on Saturday 4th July in the stately gardens of Killruddery Estate. The main stage sees headline acts Christy Moore and The Darkness, with the ever-popular Kílaa and local movers and shakers the Riptide Movement also on the bill. The Eskies and Toasted Special grace the Harbour Bar Stage, while away from the music you’ll find additional diversions including an Activities Centre and Kidzone with driving simulator, archery and a climbing wall. Groove Festival takes place on 4th and 5th July at Killrudddery House & Gardens. Tickets available from www.groovefestival.ie
I really care about my traditions, I love what I do and I love to present Italian food, as it should be. My aim is to present an authentic product, so our menu is not the usual one of pasta with chicken or pizza with pineapple. In my opinion there are too many places where Italian food is presented in the wrong way. In Italy pasta is never served next to the fillet steak! I’ve had people send back dishes because they say, “This is not carbonara because there is no cream in it”. We try to educate people the right way to eat Italian food and it’s not always easy! We’re doing more comfort food now than before so we’ve moved to very traditional dishes like lasagna but obviously presented in the Italian way - so no salad or chips. We use only topside beef to make it and the pasta’s homemade.
Is it hard trying to find good quality produce?
I do a lot of research when I start to make a menu. When we buy ingredients we’re looking for original authentic products, so we have a few Italian suppliers. A guy in Northern Italy makes us very nice special cheeses dipped in Barolo, or wrapped in chestnut leaves, quite different than what you find in the market here. We also work with Kish Fish and we get great Irish beef from FD Meats here in Bray. Buffalo mozzarella is very popular here, but in Italy the cow mozzarella is more common. In Italy buffalo mozzarella has five or six days of shelf life but outside Italy it has 25 days, so it’s a completely different product. We decided to avoid selling it until we found a company bringing it in every week. It’s more expensive but what you get is an incredible product, and obviously we always explain to our customers why our caprese costs a little bit more.
You’ve written two recipe books. What is your favourite recipe?
My favourite dish is tonnarelli with lobster. That’s the dish that I love to do all the time and it’s one of our signature dishes in Campo de’ Fiori. The lobster in Ireland is top quality, the best in the world really and I get it from a family in Bullock Harbour. It’s made with homemade pasta, half a lobster and I make the ragoût with prawns. It’s just simple and fantastic.
You’re clearly very passionate about what you do!
Well, I believe when you visit a restaurant for dinner it should always be a good experience. What we do is to try to present the most authentic food that you can find on the market because we believe that brings our traditions to the table. Once people are smiling and happy it makes every one in the restaurant happy. Compliments are very welcome at Campo de’ Fiori! Campo de’ Fiori Bistro Market, 1 Albert Avenue, Bray, Co. Wicklow t: 01-2764257 www.campodefiori.ie
photo Marco Roccasalvo
Marco Roccasalvo Campo de’ Fiori Bistro Market Bray
A SEASIDE CELEBRATION OF MUSIC, FOOD, GAMES & MORE
1ST-2NDTHE-BEATYARD.COM AUGUST. DOORS 2PM Over 18’s - Government I.D. Essential - R.O.A.R.
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Monkstown
Irish Chamber Orchestra presents the Four Seasons - Twice!
In a gig not to be missed this summer Director Katherine Hunka and the Irish Chamber Orchestra combine Vivaldi’s iconic Four Seasons with Astor Piazzolla’s earthy Four Seasons of Buenos Aires. The freshness and musical brilliance of Vivaldi’s Four Seasons never fails to enchant, while in Piazzola’s Seasons many moods are depicted within the single movement given to each season. In what promises to be an exhilarating evening enjoy both pieces as you’ve never heard them before. The Irish Chamber Orchestra perform at Monkstown Parish Church in association with Pavilion Theatre on Saturday 18th July. See www.paviliontheatre.ie and www.irishchamberorchestra.com for further details.
NEWS, REVIEWS, LISTINGS, MUSIC, ART, PHOTOGRAPHY, FASHION, STREET STYLE, EATING OUT, EATING IN, NIGHTLIFE, DAYLIFE, HETERO AND GAYLIFE, FILM, THEATRE, PARKS, SHOPS, PUBS, CLUBS AND HAPPY DUBS, WHAT’S ON, WHAT’S GOOD, WHAT ARE YOU UP TO?
TOTALLYDUBLIN.IE
Comhaltas Seisiún
A unique experience encompassing the best of traditional Irish entertainment, Comhaltas Seisiún is one of the longest running summer shows of its kind. Following a stage show of Irish music, song, dance and storytelling light refreshments are served during a short interval. As the second part of the evening’s entertainment unfolds guests are invited to join in the Seisiún experience, taking to the floor as they wish, with a step, tune, song, or story. Seisiún runs for six consecutive weeks at Comhaltas in Monkstown this summer from Wednesday 1st and Thursday 2nd July. Admission: €10 including light refreshments, local concessions may apply. See www.comhaltas.ie for more
Dún Laoghaire
The 2015 Volvo Dún Laoghaire Regatta
The Volvo Dún Laoghaire Regatta is one of the most eagerly anticipated events of the Irish summer as Irish and international teams compete over four days of racing in one of the most picturesque areas of Dublin Bay. There’s plenty of fun to be had both onshore and off with a great range of events for sailors and landlubbers alike. Head to Dún Laoghaire, savour the stunning views and enjoy some great food as you find your sea legs with the rest of the seaside crowd. The 2015 Volvo Dún Laoghaire Regatta runs from Thursday 9th July to Sunday 12th July. See www.dlregatta.org
Hot House Flowers Acoustic Show
Whether busking on the streets of Dublin or performing on the stages of the world no two Hot House Flowers gigs are ever the same. Combining an unpredictable energy while mining a deep repertoire, their musical performances demonstrate the magic of improvisation at its inimitable best. There’s no danger of them taking themselves too seriously either, so expect plenty of humour and musical banter as the Hot House Flowers bring their unique brand of soul, gospel and traditionally infused rock to the Pavilion Theatre at 8pm on Thursday 9th July. Tickets available through www.paviliontheatre.ie
7 GREAT CITY CENTRE LOCATIONS & 6 CAFÉ’S Antiques Gifts & Crafts Unique Jewelry Furniture Vintage Clothing Collectables Bean bags Fortune Teller Coins & Stamps Fish & Chips Italian Cafe Indian Rice Bistro Cakes & delicatessen Free Face Painting & Popcorn and much more...
how to find us: Bus: 4,7,17 and 114, Dart Train Car: 100 yards corporation car park on Carysfort ave.
BEST VALUE, BEST TASTE, ITSA THE BEST! WITH VEGETARIAN, VEGAN, LOW-CARB & GLUTEN FREE OPTIONS
SEE SA.IE WWW.IT
The Dublin Pub Guide PREMIUM & CRAFT BEERS
FRITEHAUS
Frite haus
THE PORTERHOUSE central
L. Mulligan Grocer the twelfth lock
Frite Haus offers a growing range of craft beers with wonderful authentic Belgian fries and sausages with an Irish twist in the heart of Dublin 2. They have put a great deal of thought in to their menu, from triple cooked house made potato chips, craft sauces and house made condiments, to their locally sourced artisan butcher sausages. Great ingredients, expertly prepared and served in a relaxed Belgian style ‘Chip Shop’ restaurant.
The Porterhouse in Temple Bar opened in 1996 as Dublin’s first microbrewery. Brewing three stouts, three lagers and three ales in the tiny brewery created much demand for the brews and lead to the growth of the craft beer market. Seasonal beers are available alongside their regular ten drauaght beers they brew, namely Plain Porter which won a gold medal twice for the best stout in the world!
The most revered pub and eatery in Dublin 7 – L. Mulligans Grocers focusses heavily on the quality of its produce - beers, food and whiskeys are the staple. The extensive range of beers are all from Irish craft breweries, their food is locally sourced and has some surprises on the ever changing menu. The whiskey selection was 200 at last count, and is continually growing. L. Mulligan also run events including beer and whiskey tastings and a weekly quiz.
Frites Haus, 87 Camden Street Lower, Dublin 2 T: 087 050 5964 www.frite-haus.com
45-47 Nassau Street, Dublin 2 tel: 01 677 4180 www.porterhousebrewco.com Fb: Porterhouse-Brewing-Company
18 Stonybatter Dublin 7
@Porterhousebars
(01) 6709889 lmulligangrocer.com
McDaids
O’Donoghue’s
Grogan’s
McDaids is, if we’re honest, the kind of place where you’d call yourself lucky if you’ve nabbed a seat early in the night. Its much cosier, shoulder-to-shoulder affair where an unbeatable Guinness is only a quick shuffle away and commenting on overheard banter is de rigeur. The perfect place for whiling a night away righting the world’s wrongs with a few close friends or quiet pint in Brendan Behan’s memory.
O’Donoghue’s is one of Dublin’s most historic drinking establishments located just off St. Stephen’s Green in the heart of Dublin. Probably best known for its traditional Irish music, session still take place daily, midweek from 9pm, Saturdays from 5pm and all day on Sunday from 1pm. O’Donoghue’s has a rich history in providing a welcome for locals and visitors alike to play a tune or enjoy a pint. A menu of soup, stew and sandwiches is served daily from noon.
Grogan’s Pub has been a mainstay in Dublin since time began. When you walk through the doors you get a sense of being catapulted back to a bygone era when pubs where a place that everybody knew your name. The decor has not changed in almost 40 years, and that’s the way it should be. Do try their legendary toasted sandwiches with a pint of plain and admire all the artwork hanging from the walls which are, by the way, available to buy.
@fritehaus1
REGULARS
15 Sth William St, Dublin 2
3 Harry Street, Dublin 2 01 679 4395
15 Merrion Row, Dublin (01) 660 7194 Hours: 10:00 a.m. – 12:00 a.m.
IRISH CRAFT BEER FESTIVAL 2015
cocktails and spirits
IRELAND’S LARGEST CRAFT BEER FESTIVAL RETURNS TO
THE RDS, DUBLIN FROM 27-29TH AUGUST 2015
IrishCraftBeerFestival.ie
The Meeting House
Mint Bar at The Westin Dublin
The Blind Pig
In spite of its playful ethos, this venue takes its cocktails seriously, shaking up popular classics as well as quirky new creations to keep us guessing. Signature snifters include a startlingly exotic Lychee and Lemongrass Sour, and an Emerald Collins that switches gin with whiskey to delicious effect. Located in the bosom of Temple Bar, the Meeting House terrace is the perfect spot for sharing pitchers with friends as the sun goes down. Inside, it’s at once cool and welcoming, lively yet laid-back, and the scene hots up at the weekends when DJs mix soul, funk and disco into the early hours. You might even see the sun come up again.
The Westin Hotel has recently reopened its refurbished Mint Bar. With completely revamped interiors and a redesigned cocktail and food menu, the new Mint Bar evokes the glamour and style of the historic building’s 1920s heyday. Classic leather seating and stylish wooden furnishings complement the original stone walls and unique vaulted ceilings of the former bank, whilst warm lighting helps create a cosy and welcoming atmosphere, while the Onyx bar provides a stunning centrepiece. To do justice to these striking interiors, The Mint Bar’s renowned team of expert mixologists have developed an innovative and exciting drinks and cocktail menu combining familiar and updated classics with signature creations, while keeping the new food menu simple and seasonal.
Named after the police, who turned a blind eye to the liquor rooms of the 1920s prohibition era, The Blind Pig launched as a monthly pop-up Speakeasy bar, in secret, at a well-known Dublin venue. Since then, The Blind Pig has developed an affectionate fanbase in Ireland and abroad. The Blind Pig is the brains of the internationally award-winning mixologist Paul Lambert. With his expertly-crafted cocktail menu, The Blind Pig is now in permanent residence and is a full underground cocktail bar and restaurant. The location, which is less than a 5-minute walk from Trinity College, is revealed upon booking.
Meeting House Square, Dublin 2 All cocktails just €6.66 on Sundays & Mondays themeetinghousedublin.com 01 670 3330
The Westin Dublin, College Green, Westmoreland St, D2
reservations@theblindpig.ie 085 874 7901
Neary’s
Mulligans
Generator Hostel
There’s a reason that Nearys has remained so consistent over the decades the formula works. Housed in an elegant slice of Edwardian Dublin with its old-world interior still in pride of place, the early evening buzz in Nearys is a rare sight to behold. With a crowd ranging from theatre-goers and thespians from the nearby Gaiety to local suits and Grafton shoppers, Dave and his team of old-school barmen will take care of all your needs.
One of the city’s most adored watering holes, Mulligans of Poolbeg Street was originally a shebeen before it went legit all the way back in 1782, making it amongst the oldest licensed premises in Dublin city and just a few years younger than Arthur Guinness’ famous brewery. Inside, the walls creak with the weight history and a thousand forgotten conversations long lost to the passage of time. But aside from that, it has a reputation for two things great Guinness and great barmen. No music, no television, none of yer fancy stuff, only the essentials are present in this landmark establishment.
Generator hails a return to the proud tradition of innkeeping; providing lodging, food and of course, drinks. A relaxed venue where you can enjoy a selection of craft beers, the trusted classics or something more suited to a backpacker’s budget. Expect to meet guests from all over the world as they stop over in the fair city. It provides a perfect opportunity to practice your rusty Spanish, Portuguese, Italian or German. Situated in the ever-present yet up and coming Smithfield Square, right on the Luas tracks, Generator is a refreshingly different interface beween Dublin and her visitors.
8 Poolbeg Street, Dublin 2
Smithfield Square, Dublin 7
01 6775582
01 901 0222
1 Chatham Street, Dublin 2 01-6778596
www.generatorhostels.com/Dublin-Hostel
Brasserie le Pont
Bellucci’s
KAFKA
Michie Sushi
26 Fitzwilliam Place, Dublin 2
Sweepstakes Centre, 22-30 Merrion Road, Dublin 4
236 Lower Rathmines Road, Dublin 6
01-6694600
01 668 9422
01 4977057
@brasserielepon1
www.bellucci.ie
11 Chelmsford Lane, Ranelagh, D6 01-4976438 www.michiesushi.com
Located in the hear of Georgian Dublin where Fitzwilliam Place meets Leeson Street, Brasserie le Pont serves classic French cuisine in a stylish and elegant setting. A vibrant and fuss-free atmosphere has characterised this popular restaurant where you can enjoy a drink at their beautiful wine bar or on the heated terrace. Meanwhile the restaurant is the perfect place for business lunches, pre-theatre suppers, romantic meals or just casual get-togethers. Brasserie le Pont also offers private dining rooms and live jazz sessions at the weekends.
Located in Dublin’s exclusive Ballsbridge area, Bellucci’s is situated close to many of Dublins top hotels, across from the famous RDS venue and a short walk from the Aviva Stadium. The restaurant is also close to both the American and British Embassies and is ideal for business lunches, pre and post-event suppers. The casual atmosphere coupled with great Italian food and service set the scene for a cosy romantic meal. The large outdoor area is ideal for al fresco dining or enjoying one of the something from the extensive cocktail menu.
Kafka offers affordable, wholesome, and well-made brasserie fare at a reassuringly reasonable cost. The sparse, minimal décor goes hand in hand with the delicious diner-style food; free of pretence and fuss. A varied but not overstretched menu touches enough bases to cover most tastes offering up anything from bangers and mash to porcini mushroom risotto. While their prices are easy on the pocket, Kafka cuts no corners with quality of their food.
The word Michie in Japanese means ‘filled with smiles and laughter’ which is just how the folks at Michie Sushi want their customers to feel when they have eaten their sushi. Since expanding from a take away, catering and delivery service with a restaurant in 2011, they have been winners of McKenna’s Best Sushi in Ireland award each year. Though they specialise in hand-roll sushi, they also offer popular Japanese dishes such as ramen and okonomiyaki. With top quality sushi from chefs only trained by Michel, consistency is guaranteed. Visit them in Ranelagh, Dun Laoghaire, Sandyford, Avoca Rathcoole and Avoca Kilmacanogue or call for delivery.
The 101 Talbot
The Meeting House
100-102 Talbot St, Dublin 1 t: 01-8745011 www.talbot101.ie
Meeting House Square, Temple Bar, D2 www.themeetinghousedublin.com 01-6703330 @meetinghousedub
The 101 Talbot is one of Dublin’s best-loved restaurants, thanks to excellent modern cooking and vivacious service. It boasts great food, friendly staff, buzzing atmosphere and a full bar licence. The 101 is highly acclaimed and recommended in many guides. Their food is creative and contemporary, with Mediterranean and Middle Eastern influences, while using fresh local ingredients. Popular with Dublin’s artistic and literary set, and conveniently close to the Abbey and Gate theatres, the restaurant is a very central venue to start or end an evening in the city centre.
The Meeting House serves up superbly balanced, pretty-as-a-picture plates (all priced at €9.99 or €6.66 on Sunday and Monday) that burst with the flavours of South-East Asia. Favourites include a rare and delicate blackened cod, a seared sirloin steak that zings with Sichuan pepper and Asian Salsa Verde, and a signature tomato dish that takes notions of salad to a whole new level. The wine list is both thoughtful and exciting, though with award-winning mixologists behind the bar, cocktails here are a must. Enjoy all this and more in their cool, moody interiors or kick back on the terrace and watch the world go by in the summer sun.
Stanley’s Restaurant and Wine Bar
KC Peaches Wine Cave
7, St. Andrews Street , Dublin 2 // t: 01-4853273 //
www.kcpeaches.com
@stanleysd2
01 6336872
FB: Stanley’s Restaurant & Wine // www.stanley-
@kcpeaches
srestaurant.ie
28-29 Nassau St, Dublin 2
Hard Rock Café Dublin
Stanley’s Restaurant and Wine Bar is located in the heart of Dublin, a short walk from College Green on St Andrews Street. They pride themselves on pairing modern Irish cuisine with an inspiring and unconventional wine list. Chef/proprietor Stephen McArdle has created a unique space across three floors, a modern ground floor wine bar, an intimately classic dining room, and private dining room to cater for all occasions.
12 Fleet Street Temple Bar, Dublin 2 t: 01-6717777 If you’re looking for fantastic food and live entertainment in a unique, laid back environment, Hard Rock Café Dublin is the place for you. Located just a few blocks from the Liffey in famous and vibrant Temple Bar, a pedestrian friendly area of Dublin featuring cobblestone streets, wide sidewalks, and plenty of attractions. Hard Rock is a great central stop off point which serves fantastic food with a smile. Try their legendary burgers with a delicious cocktail or beer to wash it down. Have a rocking day!
KC Peaches Wine Cave is a true hidden gem located under Dublin’s busiest café on Nassau St. Outstanding chef Ralph Utto continues the philosophy of KC Peaches by designing tasty sharing plates offering seasonal, all natural, additive free and locally sourced wholefood. The wine selection follows the ‘nourishment by nature’ message, allowing you to choose from only the best but affordable natural, biodynamic and organic wines. The Wine Cave is Dublin’s best kept secret on the verge of being discovered as the ‘place to be’ in the capital. TueSat 5.30pmlate with live music every Saturday.
Vikings Steakhouse
Punjabi By Nature
COPPINGER ROW
Table Six
2nd Floor (Bram Stoker Hotel), 225 Clontarf Road, Dublin 3 01 853 2000 info@vikingssteakhouse.com www.vikingssteakhouse.com www.facebook.com/vikingssteakhouseclontarf
15 Ranelagh Avenue,
Coppinger Row, South William Street, Dublin 2
Templeogue Road, Templeogue, Dublin 6W
Dublin 6
01 6729884
01 4905628
www.punjabibynature.ie
www.coppingerrow.com
reservations@tablesix.ie
t: 01-4960808 Nestled away in the middle of Ranelagh Village, food connoisseurs can find a comfortable Indian restaurant unlike any other in Dublin. Punjabi By Nature offers a unique experience that reflects traditional Indian home cooking. Head chef Kaur’s family has long been rooted in a tradition of home cooking and quality food, with Kaur learning her techniques by watching her mother, father, and other members of her family cook. Taste the difference for yourself.
Coppinger Row, named for the lane off South William Street where the restaurant is located is in the heart of the city centre’s shopping district and is known for it’s Mediterranean cuisine, it’s relaxed, funky chic and also it’s cocktails. The menu relies on simple values of quality taste and seasonal change to keep the dishes fresh and appropriate. Between the food and ambience, Coppinger Row is an ideal spot in which to start a night out in the city centre.
Vikings Steakhouse, on the seafront in Clontarf, offers a wide range of juicy steaks (côte de bœuf and steak on the stone are specialities) along with seafood, chicken and vegetarian options. Super starters, healthy salads and a wide range of expertly made cocktails available, along with craft beers and an excellent wine list. Great value, friendly and professional service awaits you. Vikings Steakhouse... because steak does matter!
tablesix.ie / fb.com/TableSixDublin @TableSixDublin Table Six is a modern European bistro situated in the heart of Templeogue Village. They take their inspiration for dishes from around the Mediterranean coast, and put a new twist on some excellent classic dishes uses the best local ingredients and changing the menu seasonally. Table Six always has a quaint buzzing atmosphere in their dining room, which is brightly decorated with pieces of artwork created from cutlery.
outdoor seating
vegetarian
kid-friendly
full bar
wi-fi
booking recommended
red luas line
green luas line
ely bar & brasserie
CAFFE ITALIANO
The Kitchen Restaurant
The Brasserie at The Marker
Chq, IFSC, Dublin 1
7 Crow Street - Bazzar Galley, Temple Bar, Dublin 2
3 Anne Street South
Grand Canal Square, Dublin 2
www.elywinebar.com
www.caffeitaliano.ie
eat@thekitchen.ie
01-6875104
elybrasserie@elywinebar.com
01 5511206
01 677 4205
bookyourtable@themarker.ie
thekitchen.ie
@themarkerhotel A refreshing addition to the Grand Canal restaurant scene, The Brasserie starts with its stunning interior. Comfortable modern, minimal furniture, including the legendary Panton chair, the spectacular grey marble table, and private booths and banquette seating, creating the right amount of privacy for intimate dining. In Ireland, the traditional way of cooking is simple dishes, built around one great ingredient. The Brasserie is no different. From succulent rare breed pork or prime dry-aged beef, The Brasserie stays true to Irish roots. For a unique night out visit The Marker Brasserie for one of Dublin’s best dining experiences.
@elywinebars 01 672 0010 ely bar & brasserie, awarded ‘Wine Bar of the Year’ 2014 & 2015 by The Sunday Business Post and ‘Best Wine Experience’ 2014 by Food & Wine magazine, is in a beautifully restored 200 year old tobacco and wine warehouse. Great wines, beers, cocktails and ‘food terroir’ all delivered with passion, make this one of the most unique and atmospheric dining experiences in the country. Check out their sun-trap water-side terrace this summer.
Right in the centre of Temple Bar you’ll find one of Dublin’s best kept secrets, the haven that is Caffe Italiano. The philosophy here is fresh food seven days a week using the best ingredients at affordable prices. All the food and wine comes directly from Italy, from cheese and cured meat boards to lamb cutlets with Black Forest sauce, they believe in doing things the traditional way to capture truly authentic flavours. There’s live music at weekends making this one of the capital’s hotspots, whether it’s for a coffee, a refreshing beer, a chilled glass of wine or a memorable dinner.
www.facebook.com/thekitchendub The goal at The Kitchen, is to deliver an innovative menu, a great selection of wines and Irish craft beers, in fun and stylish surroundings, at an affordable cost. Their Head Chef, Vincent Blake, takes pride in preparing dishes which are made from a selection of nutritious, healthy, and well balanced ingredients. The Kitchen’s style of food is influenced by many world cuisines. The secret to their food having such great flavour is their use of fresh herbs, and a delicate balance of spices
SALAMANCA
Zaragoza
St.Andrew’s Street,Dublin 2 // 01 6774799 // info@
South William St
salamanca.ie // www.Salamanca.ie //
01 6794020
facebook.com/salamancatapas // @SalamancaTapas Salamanca brings the taste of Spain to downtown Dublin, providing a wide range of quality Spanish tapas and wines. Their aim is to whisk you from the mundane to the Mediterranean with every mouthful. Located on St Andrews Street, right beside the relocated Molly Malone, just off Grafton Street. Taste the sunshine and sea in the tapas on offer on the menu, such as Jamon Iberico, fried calamares and Prawns in Olive oil, also found in the signature dish, Paella de Pollo There are great lunch and early Bird offers, seven days a week. Also try their Cava & Tapas Platter nights which run from Sunday through to Wednesday. Check it out and transport yourself to Spain, without the check in!
info@zaragoza.com // @zaragozadublin
Asador
Johnnie Fox’s Pub
1 Victoria House, Haddington Road, Dublin 4 // t: 01
Glencullen, Co Dublin 01 29555647 info@jfp.ie www.jfp.ie
fb.com/zaragozadublin Zaragoza restaurant is slap bang on buzzy South William St, Dublin’s hotspot for nightlife. The restaurant takes its name and culinary inspiration from the Spanish City and is a true food lover’s paradise. Treat yourself to a unique dining experience, as local delicacies are married together with authentic Spanish flavours. There is an enticingly extensive menu with Tapas and larger dishes. Choose from tantalizing charcoal tuna, tempura cod and a myriad of other dishes. You can also go for a cold platter and pair it with one of the delicious wines available. Explore, eat and enjoy!
2545353 // www.asador.ie / fb.com/Asador reception@asador.ie // @AsadorDublin Situated on the corner of Haddington Road and Percy Place, just a stone’s throw from Baggot Street Bridge in the heart of D4, Asador is known as a true barbecue restaurant where the best of Irish fish, shellfish, and of course steaks are cooked over fires of oak, apple woods and charcoal. It’s an authentic barbecue experience where the open kitchen allows guests to watch the chefs work the bespoke 7 foot ‘asado’. Go for the great flavours you get from cooking this way, stay for the craft beers and cocktails.
Since 1999 ely wine bar has been at the forefront, being the first to truly deliver great wines by the glass. Today ely continues to be the leader in sourcing great wines, 500 in total. Awarded Best Wine Experience 2014 by Food & Wine, Best Wine Bars 2014 & 2015 by Sunday Business Post and 100 Best Restaurants 2015 by the McKenna’s Guide this is a place were you can enjoy prime organic beef and pork from their own farm and match it to wines from all over the world. Brilliant for bar bites too!
One of Ireland’s oldest traditional pubs is just half an hour’s drive outside of Dublin. Located astride a mountain in Glencullen, it’s also the highest pub in Ireland. A great destination for locals and tourists alike, transporting visitors to bygone times with trad music performed every night and during the daytime on weekends. All the produce this green isle is famous for features on the menu: oysters, mussels, crab claws, seafood platters, steak and lamb, as well as vegetarian dishes. The Hooley Show features live music, Irish dancers and a memorable four course meal. Johnnie Fox’s should be on everyone’s bucket list.
le bon crubeen
Umi Falafel
TGI Friday’s
The Revolution
82 Talbot Street, Dublin 1 // www.leboncrubeen.ie //
13 Dame Street, Dublin 2
10 Terenure Road East, Rathgar, Dublin 6
@LeBonCrubeen // 01 7040126
01 670 68 66
Fleet Street, 19/20 Fleet Street, D2, t: 01-6728975. Stephen’s Green, D2, t: 01-4781233. Blanchardstown S.C., D15, t: 01-8225990. Dundrum Shopping Centre, D14, t: 01-2987299. Airside Retail Park, Swords, Co. Dublin, t: 01-8408525 w: www.fridays.ie
This award-winning brasserie in the north of Dublin city centre is well known for delivering some of the best value for money in the city. The menu delivers a grassroots experience, sourcing ingredients from the very finest Irish producers delivering consistent quality. The pre-theatre menu is hugely popular with diners visiting the nearby Abbey or Gate theatres while a diversity of offerings mean vegetarians, coeliacs and those looking for low calorie options are also catered for. Shortlisted as finalist in 2012 of the Irish Restaurant Awards’ Best Casual Dining Restaurant.
ELY WINE BAR 22 Ely Place, Dublin 2 // 01 676 8986 // elyplace@elywinebar.com // www.elywinebar.com // @elywinebars
umifalafel.ie @UmiFalafel Umi Falafel want to share with you their passion for the freshest and most authentic falafel in Dublin. Their falafel are prepared fresh daily at their location on Dame Street with an old family recipe – ‘Umi’ is the Arabic word for mother after all. Umi Falafel is a fantastic eatery for vegetarians and vegans, as they serve mouth-watering salads, delicious Lebanese favourites such as hummus and baba ghanoush, as well as their favourites, the Palestinian or Lebanese falafel sandwiches served with a choice of salad and dips for a wholesome meal. Open 12pm-10pm daily.
TGI Friday’s is your number one authentic American style restaurant that makes every day feel like Friday. It’s the home of the famous Jack Daniel’s sauce, grill and glaze making their burgers, chicken wings and steaks some of the best tasting dishes in Dublin. TGI have a fantastic selection of drinks to relax and enjoy with friends including an exciting new cocktail menu, great value lunch deals and a hard to beat two-course menu. #InHereItsAlwaysFriday
t: (01) 492.6890 w: www.therevolution.ie @rathgarcraft The Revolution specialises in artisan stone baked pizza and craft beers. Located just south of the city in Rathgar, they offer creative styles of food including pizzas, steak and tacos, a vast selection of both local and international craft beers, and an array of quality wines by the glass. Their friendly staff will go the extra mile to make your time at The Revolution unforgettable. All their bread and pizza dough are made inhouse daily, and their ingredients are sourced locally when available. At The Revolution, it’s all about good food, good beer, and good people.
Kinara Kitchen
Upstairs@57
The Port House Pintxo
17 Ranelagh Village, Dublin 6 // @kinarakitchen //
56/57 Lower Clanbrassil St, Dublin 8
12 Eustace Street, Temple Bar, Dublin 2
01 4060066 // kinarakitchen.ie
01-5320279
01 6728950
57theheadline.ie
www.porthouse.ie/pintxos
Located above 57 The Headline Bar on Clanbrassil Street Dublin 8. Upstairs@57 offers a food menu which is varied and influenced by the seasons. The eclectic wine list has been chosen carefully to offer great choice, and to compliment the food offering. Upstairs@57 also has a full bar which boasts 24 Irish Craft Beer taps and a premium Irish Whiskey List. If you look for comfort and quality when dining, look no further.
The Port House Pintxo in Temple Bar serves an array of authentic Spanish Tapas and Pintxos plus a wide and varied selection of wines from Spain, Portugal and the Basque Region. With an impressive garden terrace overlooking Meeting House Square the soft candle light creates a romantic and relaxed atmosphere. Does not take bookings
Kinara Kitchen, featured in the Michelin Guide 2015, is the award winning Pakistani restaurant serving tantalising traditional food, paired with delicious cocktails and wines. Offering a great value lunch with ethnic naan wraps and thali style meals, Thursday, Friday and Sunday, and open 7-nights for dinner, with early bird available Monday - Thursday for €21.95 per person for 3 courses. Above Kinara Kitchen is Upstairs Bar & Roof Terrace. The award winning vintage-themed ‘secret’ cocktail bar is perfect for brunch or aperitifs in the sun. Call to find out about their cocktails classes and booking highly recommended.
Kokoro Sushi Bento
Mao
19 Lower Liffey Street, D1, 01-8728787
2 Chatham Row, Dublin 2 t: 01-6704899 w: mymao.ie
51 South William Street, D2, 01-5470658 Unit N, Liffey Trust Centre, D1, 01-5474390 FB: @Kokoro Sushi Bento
Kokoro Sushi Bento takes pride in preparing not only the freshest, but most affordable sushi Dublin has to offer, freshly-made every day. Home to Ireland’s only pick ‘n’ mix sushi bar, at Kokoro you can enjoy delicious Japanese hot food favourites such as Katsu Curry or Yaki Soba. In using premium ingredients, together with highly trained staff, Kokoro has forged a reputation as Dublin’s finest independent sushi restaurant.
You can visit Mao in Chatham Row (or their locations in Dun Laoghaire, Dundrum, Balinteer or Stillorgan) to enjoy the extensive Asian menu full of tempting, traditionally prepared dishes. Savour the flavour with delicious curries or try a shared platter to get the full Thai experience, not forgetting their famous Mao Classic dishes. If you fancy making a night of it, why not sip up a low calorie, classic or dessert cocktail or two. Mao are an official Leinster Rugby food partner, so why not try one of their healthy dishes as chosen by Leinster Rugby’s nutritionist. #MadAboutMao. Prepare to tuk-in! Lunch menu: 12-4pm Mon to Fri; Early Bird menu: 4-7pm daily; à la carte menu: from 12pm daily
mexico to rome
The Green Hen
23, East Essex St, Temple Bar, Dublin 2.
33 Exchequer Street, Dublin 2
01 6772727
01 6707238
www.mexicotorome.com
thegreenhen.ie
w: kokorosushibento.com
facebook.com/mexico2rome // @MexicotoRome Across from the Temple Bar Pub, is Mexico to Rome, the Bandito’s Grill House. They serve up wonderful mouth-watering Mexican dishes with a twist with tasty European and Italian dishes available. On the menu are sizzling fajitas, burritos, tacos, chilli con carne, steak, fish, pasta dishes and their famous Tex-Mex baby back ribs with Southern Comfort BBQ sauce. The extensive menu suits big and small groups. All cocktails are €5 and there is a great Early Bird (starter and main for €13.50) and a Lunch Special (starter, main and a glass of wine for €9.95). Well worth a visit!
coda eatery
Yamamori Izakaya
Marcel’s Restaurant
Il Posto
Viva
13 South Great George’s Street, Dublin
1 Saint Mary’s Road
10 Saint Stephen’s Green, Dublin 2
27 South Richmond Street, Dublin 2
016458001
Ballsbridge, Dublin 4
t: 01 679 4769
t: 01 424 4043
www.yamamori.ie
01 660 2367
w: www.ilpostorestaurant.com
w: www.vivaespanatapas.com
Yamamori Izakaya is located in what was originally Ireland’s very first café on South George’s Street. The mix of old Irish architecture, oriental decor and soulful tunes set the scene. Downstairs is the Japanesestyle drinking house, serving small Japanese tapas dishes (‘Japas’), the famous Izakaya cocktails, and plenty of Japanese whiskys, beers and sake. Walls adorned with 1940s beer ads, movie posters and black and white movies provide a visceral back drop to compliment the eclectic mix of tunes from Dublin’s favourite DJs.
Marcel’s is the new restaurant on St Mary’s road in the location of the former Expresso Bar. It is the sister restaurant of the Green Hen. There is much change in the decor, which is very attractive with inviting sit-all-day orange dining chairs. The menu is quite simple, yet appealing. However the food delivers with great, clean flavours. Open all week for both lunch and dinner, it is well worth a visit.
Situated on Dublin’s landmark St. Stephen’s Green, Il Posto has been cooking delicious contemporary and traditional Italian Mediterranean dishes using the best local and international produce since 2003. A firm favourite for business lunches, romantic dinners, pre-theatre meals and great nights out. Il Posto offers an intimate and elegant setting, an informal relaxed atmosphere and sumptuous food, all served with a generous helping of warm hospitality.
Situated near the canal in Portobello, Viva brings a slice of Spain to Dublin. This Family run restaurant is filled with Latin colour and a vibrant bohemian atmosphere. Serving authentic Spanish tapas from our extensive menu and a delicious selection of Spanish wines, Cava and Cava cocktails, Spanish coffees, a good range of teas and real Spanish hot chocolate. Viva places an emphasis on flavour and wholesome homemade dishes, delicious seafood and paella made to order in a warm, relaxed casual dining space making it the perfect place to share a great meal for any occasion with friends.
The Gibson Hotel, Point Village, Dublin 1 01 681 5000 thegibsonhotel.ie It’s the final studio album by rock giants, Led Zeppelin and it serves pretty legendary food too! At Coda Eatery the ingredients speak for themselves. Their menu offers a wide range of meats for example; dry aged rump, sirloin, rib eye and flat iron which are cooked over burning lava rock at a high temperature to create a charred and smoked finish. They’ve kept things simple serving these prime cuts with well prepared sauces and seasonal sides.
Located in the heart of the city on Exchequer St., The Green Hen specialises in classic French cuisine with an Irish twist. It is known for its gallic décor, an extensive drinks list of wines, bottled beers, draughts and of course its legendary cocktails. Open 7 days a week, you can try the three-course early bird for €22 from 5.30-7pm from Thursday to Sunday. Delicious food, a lively atmosphere, personable staff and a unique quaintness set this restaurant apart from the rest.
53
CAROLINE BOYLE OF MEXICO TO ROME AND SALAMANCA Mexico to Rome is a bit of a veteran in Temple Bar, what inspired you to open it? Yes, Mexico to Rome is nearly 20 years in business in Temple Bar, and it is a wonderful achievement to be still working away at it. We are absolutely delighted to be still going strong. It was a collaboration of ideas at the time between us and our then Head Chef. We were previously an Italian restaurant which was called Pizza Pasta, but at that time in 1996, would you believe, Temple Bar was awash with Italian restaurants. We wanted to be different, to catch a new market, myself and Chef came up with combining both cuisines as a theme. A brain storming session led to the name Mexico to Rome, and it has remained so to this day! What is the key ethos to Mexico to Rome? Our ethos is to prepare cook and serve hearty, tasty, dishes in a wonderful atmosphere with friendly service. Our Mexican food is unique to us, yet
authentic in many respects. Our Italian dishes are recipes which we have improved upon over the years. We have added to our menus over the years and tried and tested a lot. There is always work to do! Can you tell me about the team in the kitchen? Most of my team are with me for years, some are newcomers. They know the recipes inside out. They are a loyal, hardworking lot who aren’t afraid to experiment with new creations, whilst respecting some legendary dishes on our menus.
updated à la carte menu, which has some exciting new Mexican and Italian dishes, and which are already proving extremely popular. We are also offering daily specials, which gives our chefs the opportunity to try and test various dishes. We have a €9.95 lunch special which is amazing value – it comprises of a starter, a main course, and a glass of wine or a soft drink. Then of course we still have our Early Bird menu which is equally as good, and consists of a starter and main for €13.50. As they say in the movies, watch this space!
You also run Salamanca, a tapas restaurant. How do the two compare? It must be quite a challenge ? Mexico to Rome and Salamanca both classify as casual dining, but that’s where the similarities end. Salamanca is Spanish, the creations are totally different to Mexico to Rome. It is extremely challenging, managing and marketing two totally different concepts, especially in different locations. It’s full-on hard work but I absolutely love the challenge, and I’m constantly striving to be better than my competitors in both restaurants! Thankfully I have an excellent team in both who share my ethos and values. I couldn’t possibly do it without them. What plans do you have for the future for Mexico to Rome? Any menu changes? Right now we are giving Mexico to Rome a slight facelift, which is due to be completed shortly. We have recently launched our
Mexico to Rome, 22 Essex Street, Temple Bar, D2 (www.mexicotorome.ie) and Salamanca, 1 St. Andrew Street, D2 (www. salamanca.ie)
The Dublin Dining Guide Best Delivery •
Delivers Wine
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Saba To Go
KANUM THAI
13 Rathgar Road, Rathmines, D6, t: 01-4060200
Rathgar 01 4062080 Ballsbridge 01
Based on the award winning Saba restaurant on Clarendon Street, Saba To Go do Thai and Vietnamese food at high quality for fast paced life. All their meals are freshly cooked on a daily basis with highest quality ingredients with a mixture of locally sourced produce and key ingredients imported from Fair Trade producers in Thailand and Vietnam to give the real authentic east Asian taste. Delivery as far as: Donnybrook, Churchtown, Rathfarnham & Sundrive
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6608616. Twitter -- @kanumthai Kanum Thai is an Irish owned authentic Thai food and noodle bar, which also provides take away or delivery to your home. Kanum uses only Irish meats and there is no MSG used in their food preparation. All of the food is cooked to order and is low in fat. Kanum pride themselves on giving their customers restaurant quality food at takeaway prices. Eat in, Takeaway or Home/Office deliveries from Noon until late 7 days a week. Areas: Dublin 2,4,6,6w,8,12,14,16 and parts of 24. Deliver wine. Beer for eat in only. Available Vegetarian, Low Carb and Ceoliac Friendly options. Orders by phone, online at www.kanum.ie or through their APP( “kanum thai dublin”, avail-
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able on APP store and Google play)
Mao At Home Ballinteer: 01 296 8702 Donnybrook: 01 207 1660 Stillorgan: 01 278 4370 Tallaght: 01 458 50 20 Dundrum: 01 296 2802 Mao restaurants have been the top Asian restaurant chain in Dublin for over 20 years and now are delighted to deliver their extensive range of Asian and Thai cuisine direct to you. Just order online, over the phone or walk in and take away to experience top quality dishes, from mild or spicy curries, fragrant wok specials to the popular Mao Classics! The Mao At Home chefs are passionate about using only the finest fresh ingredients to create our authentic, healthy and virtually low fat dishes. As an official Leinster Rugby food partner why not try one of their healthy dishes as chosen by Leinster Rugby’s nutritionist. #MadAboutMao Prepare to tuk-in! www.mymao.ie
••••••• Pizza Republic Quality food, delivered! Pizza Republic have taken their favourite features of Italian and American style pizzas and perfected the Pizza Republic style, crispy on the outside, soft and fluffy on the inside, the way pizza should be. They guarantee fresh, delicious food, collected or delivered! Everything on their menu is of the highest quality and freshly prepared daily. They’ve created a mouthwatering menu full of choice including vegetarian options. Order online for collection or delivery from www.pizzarepublic.ie Leeson Street delivers to South City Centre, Trinity College, Grand Canal Dock, Temple Bar, Portobello, Ranelagh, Rathmines, Rathgar, Harold’s Cross, Milltown, Clonskeagh, Belfield UCD, Ballsbridge, Donnybrook, Sandymount, Ringsend, Irishtown t: 01 660 3367 Sun-Thurs: 12:00-23:00 Fri-Sat: 12:00-01:00 Dublin 18 delivers to Cornelscourt, Cabinteely, Carrickmines, Foxrock, Deansgrange, Leopardstown, Ballyogan, Stepaside, Kilternan, Sandyford, Sandyford Industrial Estate, Stillorgan, Goatstown, Blackrock, Mount Merrion t: 01 207 0000 Mon-Thurs: 16:00-23:00 Fri-Sat: 12:00-0:00 Sun: 12:00-23:00
Killiney delivers to Killiney, Dalkey, Glenageary, Glasthule, Sandycove, Dun Laoghaire, Sallynoggin, Deansgrange, Kill of the Grange, Monkstown, Monkstown Farm, Ballybrack, Cherrywood, Loughlinstown, Shankill t: 01 235 0099 Mon-Thurs: 16:00-23:00 Fri-Sat: 12:00-01:00 Sun: 12:00-23:00 Twitter- @PizzaRep Facebook- PizzaRepublicIreland Instagram- pizzarepublic w- www.pizzarepublic.ie e- hello@pizzarepublic.ie
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Base Wood Fired Pizza Terenure t: 01 440 4800 M –F: 16:00-23:00 - S– Sun: 13:00-23:00 Ballsbridge t: 01 440 5100 M-F: 08:00-23:00, S-Sun: 12:00-23:00 Twitter- @basewfp w- www.basewfp.com e: info@basewfp.com Base stands for honest, handmade, contemporary pizza. Base founder Shane Crilly wanted to improve the standard of pizza he could find in Dublin, and to create a pizza that he would be happy eating himself. They only use fresh ingredients, handcrafted every day. They never use anything that is frozen or pre-packaged. Base strives to honour the heritage of traditional pizza, follow them on their journey of creating pizza with real integrity. Ballsbridge to Ballsbridge, UCD Bellfield, Clonskeagh, Booterstown, Ringsend, Irishtown, Donnybrook, Iveagh Gardens, South Dublin City Centre. Terenure to Terenure, Rathfarnham, Darty, Ranelagh, Knocklyon, Templeogue Rathgar, Kimmage, Ballyboden, Churchtown, Portabello, Walkinstown.
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The Mango Tree - 51 Main Street, Rathfarnham, D14, t: 01-4442222 - Sarsfield House, Chapel Hill, Lucan, Co. Dublin, t: 01-6280000 - Meridian Point, Greystones, Co. Wicklow, t: 01-2874488 The Mango Tree is all about authentic Thai flavours, spearheaded by Head Chef Nipaporn, trained by her mother, herself a successful Thai food chef in Thailand and Sweden, Chef Nipaporn has brought he skills acquired around the world to The Mango Tree. With branches in Rathfarnham, Lucan and Greystones, the Mango Tree covers huge areas of both sides of the city. Favourites include traditional Thai dishes such as Pad Thai and Green Curry.
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ALL OUR SUSHI IS PREPARED FRESH DAILY IRELAND’S ONLY PICK N MIX SUSHI BAR BEST VALUE SUSHI IN DUBLIN
“I could’ve had a casual work-around-the-corner type of relationship with Kokoro. You know, all cool and convenient. But instead I’ve become a stalker!” AINGEALA FLANNERY - IRISH INDEPENDENT
“If you want to try Japanese food there is a new Sushi place on Lower Liffey Street called Kokoro Sushi Bento where you can make up your bento box – a Japanese style lunch or takeout box – with a good selection of well priced sushi.” LUCINDA O’SULLIVAN
New Branch NOW OPEN at 18 Merrion Street Upper, Dublin 2
19 Lower Liffey Street, Dublin 1 / 01 872 8787 51 South William Street, Dublin 2 / 01 547 0658 18 Merrion Street Upper, Dublin 2 / 01 678 9876 Unit N, Liffey Trust Centre, Dublin 1 / 01 547 4390
kokorosushibento.com
PROUDLY SPONSORED BY
GASTRO words Aoife McElwain photos Mark Duggan
SOLE FOOD Fish Shop
‘We felt that in Dublin if we did something simple well enough, and with an honesty that people could see, we would make a go of it.’ So say Jumoke (known as J) Akintola and Peter Hogan, who met seven years ago in London where they both worked as teachers. They used their holidays and weekends to indulge their love of street food, and set up a small food business. What started as a hobby soon revealed itself to be what they wanted to do full-time. Then, Peter moved back home to Dublin and took J with him. ‘We were really encouraged by the community feel of Dublin and the small independent businesses that were popping up around town and doing so well.’ They set up a stall serving fish and chips in the Blackrock Market in early 2014, with the end goal of a permanent space never far from their minds. They found the space at 6 Queen Street in Smithfield in August 2014; they got the keys in November, started work in January 2015 and opened in April, with just 16 seats and an open kitchen. By this time, Fish Shop had perfected its simple system of serving fresh fish daily. Setting up a fish restaurant in Smithfield makes a lot of sense; Fish Shop are a five minute walk away from Kish Fish on Bow Street, a family business who’ve been selling fish in this area for nearly 50 years. ‘We’ve come to rely on our suppliers who do a great job in sourcing the best
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Fish Shop 6 Queen Street, Dublin 7 www.fish-shop.ie
fish from all around Ireland. We chat to them on the phone at least once or twice a day to find out what’s being landed.’ There are a small number of other great local suppliers name-checked on the menu; Arun Bakery and Le Levain for the sourdough and brioche buns, Maddens for the spuds and McNally’s Farm for the greens. The Fillet O’ Fish Shop (€10) is never off the menu; it’s a hake fillet (generally from Dingle) balanced between a sweet, toasted brioche bun and held together with a steak knife speared through it. A fennel, apple and mint slaw adds a satisfying crunch to each mouthful. There is none of the depressingly soggy oiliness that plagues so many fillets of fried fish in this city; this fish is beautifully battered, crispy and light on the outside and flaky and pearly white on the inside. That same quality of batter is at work on the Beer Battered Catch of the Day (€9). Chips are ordered on the side and are worth the extra €3.50. For starters, we get two large bowls of steaming shellfish. West Cork’s organic Roaring Water Bay mussels arrive in a subtle parsley and garlic broth that we mop up with soft slices of sourdough (€2). The plate I enjoy eating the most at Fish Shop is a special of Sligo cockles with sherry vinaigrette (€8.50). It’s tart and refreshing, and, again, superbly simple. The daily specials board at Fish Shop seems to be where customers can push the boat out when it comes to trying new seafood. ‘The demand among consumers is definitely increasing and any time we put anything different on the menu people are always game to try it – we sold out of an octopus special in an hour one Saturday. We thought we’d be eating octopus for our own dinner!’ There isn’t any dessert when we visit but Peter promises us they’re working on it. ‘I’m thinking crumble for dessert,’ he tells us as he clears off our table. ‘I’ve been testing a few recipes but I just haven’t quite got it right yet.’ It sounds like the same attention to detail and patience required to get a simple idea just right, that Peter and J have applied elsewhere at Fish Shop, is at work here. I really respect that. I have no problem waiting for dessert if it’s going to be spot on when it arrives. Our bill, which includes a pretty plate of preserved baby vegetables (€3.50), jars of excellently executed homemade tartare sauce (€1.50) and lemon mayo (€1), a glass of sweet Riesling (€5.50) and a San Pellegrino sparkling orange (€2) comes to €54.50. So what of the idea that Irish people just don’t eat that much fish? Fish Shop don’t take reservations; you’re encouraged to swing by and, if there isn’t a table free, head to Ryan’s next door or Dice Bar across the road until they call you for your seat. Both times I visited, there was a queue at the door of fish enthusiasts eager to join the waiting list. ‘People are really clued in now and knowledgeable about food, but I think the main issue around Irish people eating fish is the availability of really good fresh fish and seafood to retail customers. If you decide that you want to have fish for your dinner, it is a bit mad that people feel that they have to drive to Howth. The redevelopment of the Dublin Markets off Capel Street will hopefully involve a really good fish stall!’ Until that time, Fish Shop has us covered.
PROUDLY SPONSORED BY
GASTRO words Aoife McElwain photos Mark Duggan
My vegan and vegetarian pals are always having to justify their food choices. ‘Why don’t you eat meat or cheese? Will you not have some chicken?’ It must be really tiresome. They also have to ask a lot of questions. ‘Do you use chicken stock in your vegetable soup?’ It must be a joyfully rare occasion to find a restaurant where it’s the omnivores who are asking the questions. ‘What’s tempeh?’ ‘How do you make a vegan béarnaise sauce?’ A 100% plant-based vegan restaurant, Sova Food: Vegan Butcher opened in May in the Mart Project, an art space on Lower Rathmines Road. At the moment, they’re open from Wednesday through to Sunday for brunch and dinner. Run by a smiling Polish guy named Barto Sova who has nearly 20 years of experience in the restaurant trade, The Vegan Butcher started as a regular Friday night pop-up in Paris Wine Bar in Dublin in September 2014. ‘We are dedicated to everyone who wants to enjoy good, tasty food with benefit for your body and soul.’ The menu reads really well; I feel spoiled for choice, so I can only imagine how elated a vegan must feel upon reading it. I start with a wheatgrass, spinach, cucumber, lime and matcha juice (€3) which is almost obnoxiously healthy. A mint, pineapple, kale and orange juice is more relaxed on the palate, but still as virtuous. My gluten-free starter of herbs soy schnitzel (€5) turns out to be two dry soy fritters and a ball of thinly shredded beetroot. The plate is beautifully presented with edible flowers, lime, apple slices and a few swirls of a ‘creamy’ aioli, but it needs more sauce or dressing; the whole dish is too dry. I grab a spoonful of aioli from my dinner date’s chickpea and kale kofta plate (€5), which on the whole is a more successful dish. I’m not sure about the texture of my sage and potato pancakes (€12.90) – I was expecting fluffy pancakes rather than the shredded potato cakes that appear – but I love the saffron and mushroom ragu that accompanies it. Smoked tofu doesn’t quite replace bacon but lardons of it add depth to this dish. A chia burger (€12.90)
SOVA, SO GOOD
Sova Food: Vegan Butcher
is the tastiest dish we try, and it’s big enough to share. Desserts (€4.50 each), brought in from GF Bakery in Ranelagh, are entirely vegan. We linger over a lemon and poppy seed cake with sugary icing and a dark chocolate brownie, neither of which feel lacking due to the absence of dairy. Our bill comes to €50.80. When I visit, it’s mostly Barto himself that makes the experience one worth revisiting. He’s like a gentle, vegan giant, with a bushy beard and smiling eyes. He looks after us really well, telling us about the juices and the edible plates. ‘They’re made from compressed wheat bran. You can eat them,’ he says with a twinkle in his eye. ‘They don’t taste very good but you can eat them.’ Overall, I leave the space feeling good; I feel nourished by the food and cared for by the host. Sova Food: Vegan Butcher is on the look out for a permanent space. The Mart Project is a lovely temporary home but it doesn’t have sufficient cooking equipment to really take this project where it has the potential to go; they’re currently working off a four-hob electric domestic oven. I hope they find a space that allows them to keep experimenting with the food so they can realise the promise of their menu. And maybe even some edible plates that actually taste good.
Sova Food: Vegan Butcher 46 Rathmines Road Lower, Dublin 6 t: 085-7277509 w: www.sovafood.eu
Over 50 craft beers: for every season, occasion, event or excuse. ely bar & brasserie, IFSC, Dublin 1. www.elywinebar.com
ely totally dublin 2015 strip ad ART.indd 1
22/01/2015 13:43
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BITESIZE words Martina Murray
1. To Ramble Fab Foodie Trails Fancy meandering your way through the dog days in Dublin city, taking in a range of delicatessens, speciality shops, bakeries and street markets as you go? July is the perfect time to check out The Dublin Tasting Trail, a walking tour with a difference, where you’ll meet a variety of artisans maintaining age old family traditions as well as new arrivals to the city’s food scene. Learn a little about the culture and history of Dublin’s neighbourhoods as you sample traditonal and contemporary Irish produce and get the inside scoop on the best of what’s happening food-wise in Dublin. For more see www.fabfoodtrails.ie/dublin-tasting-trail
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2. To Pop in Dublin Pop Up at Fumbally Stables Hot on the heels of last month’s very successful Bizarre Bloomsday Brunch, chefs Cuan Greene and Harry Colley will be serving dinner on Saturday 4th and lunch on Sunday 5th July. A BYOB event with €5 corkage charge and tasting menu, the gastronomical Dublin Pop Up duo request that diners give them notice of any special dietary requirements in advance. Tickets and further details are available at dublinpopup. com
3. To Nominate Irish Food Writers’ Guild Social Responsibility Award The Irish Food Writers’ Guild recently announced an exciting new annual award to celebrate the efforts of those individuals, businesses or other organisations involved in food and embracing the ethos of social responsibility in an outstanding way. Likely contenders include community kitchens or gardens, food education projects, food businesses donating a portion of their profits back to the community and ethical food entrepreneurs, chefs and retail businesses. Projects should have a positive relationship with the community in which they operate and be both well managed and transparent. Nominations are open until Friday 31st July. See www.irishfoodwritersguild.ie for further details.
4. To Eat Eat Street at Laya Healthcare City Spectacular Over the past few years food has become an increasingly important part of every festival, so much so that this month’s Laya Healthcare City Spectacular has a whole street dedicated to it. Eat Street at the Food Village in Merrion Square features over 30 different vendors, each serving up an array of international specialities including German bratwurst, Thai noodles, Indian curries and Spanish paella, while the more traditional burgers, fish and chips are also on offer. For those craving something sweet there’ll be handmade fudge, chocolate fountains and filled crêpes, not to mention that hardy annual of Irish summers, the 99. Eat Street at Laya City Spectacular, July 11 – 13 Merrion Square Dublin 2
5. To Blog Cono Sur Blogging Competition Wine producers Cono Sur have challenged bloggers from Ireland to come up with a savoury main dish recipe that pairs perfectly with one of their single vineyard wines. There’ll be a public vote to select the top three recipes from Ireland, following which the winning blogger will be chosen to participate in the grand final in Paris by chef Christopher Carpentier. With the ultimate prize of a trip to Chile up for grabs what are you waiting for? The closing date for entries is August 4th. More details at bloggercompetition.conosur. com
SOUNDBITE words Martina Murray photos Oisin Harnett
BEESWAX IS THRIVING Gearóid Carvill & Kieran Harnett, The Dublin Honey Project
Inspired by nature, craft and tradition the Dublin Honey Project aims to produce raw honey from each of the postcodes of the city. Founders, architect Gearóid Carvill and photographer Kieran Harnett, are united by shared beliefs in the importance of food provenance and supporting biodiversity in local food production. They talked to us about ‘tail-to-snout’ beekeeping, the health benefits of locally produced honey and the diversity of flavours emerging from the foraging efforts of Dublin’s bees. Gearóid and Kieran, what led you both to beekeeping? Kieran: I’ve always had an interest in growing fruit and vegetables. I was aware of the health benefits of local honey and I thought it would be great to be able to produce it as well. When I started as a photographer it was all very hands-on and tangible, there was no photo-shop and sitting at a computer all day so, for me, beekeeping fulfils that desire to get out in the open, work with my hands and not be stuck in an office. Gearóid: From the time I grew my first lettuce leaf to my first apple tree and having hens in the garden everything else was a predictable fall into beekeeping. From my design background I’m interested in narrative and how things are presented, whether I’m talking about a route through a building or landscaping a garden. Beekeeping is a way of really engaging with nature and we had this amazing story about producing honey so it seemed natural to try and make it into a brand and let the packaging tell the story. How easy is it to keep bees in Dublin? K: As long as you have the money and the time it’s easy to set up but it’s not necessarily easy to do it well. There are a lot of beekeepers in Dublin but nearly all of them are suburban beekeepers with big back gardens rather than roof top beekeepers. The urban environment tends to be a less polluted environment from the bees point of view, but very few people are keeping bees in the city-centre on buildings the way they are in London. G: We’d always encourage somebody who’s interested to do a course with their local beekeeping association as it provides a peer group and support network and also covers things like public liability insurance should anything go wrong. Is it a very time consuming process?
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G: It’s very time intensive! You don’t just have the hive at the bottom of the garden and leave it there until you can start draining honey out of it. Honey is only produced in any meaningful crop during certain periods of the summer, so as a beekeeper you’re constantly looking out the window or checking the forecast. The temperament of the bees changes with the weather; their activities change with the season and like any sort of farming you have to inspect the bees regularly during the active season. K: We have 20 hives at the moment, at about 60,000 in one hive, that’s 1.2 million bees! You have to cater your time to the bees and follow their schedule because if you don’t half your bees might swarm across the hills and you’d see them disappearing in a cloud, but working with the bees is fantastic. It’s like meditation because you have to be very present and mindful, and of course producing huge amounts of honey is very satisfying! What kind of flavours can you get from Dublin honey? G: In Dublin there’s an amazing diversity of flora and nectars for bees to forage from. Last year we actually had an early and a late season honey and they were totally different colours with different flavour profiles. It’s all to do with what’s flowering and what nectar the bees are collecting. K: There are several crops. You could take off honey now and you’d have chestnut and blackthorn and then in July it’d be clover and lime and blackberry. In August, because the heather’s in bloom, we tend to go off up into the mountains and get a crop of heather honey. You mentioned the health benefits of local honey earlier. K: Yeah, local honey has huge health benefits. They did a study in Scotland last year where they discovered that heather honey was just as anti-bacterial
as Mānuka honey. A lot of people find that it really helps with hay fever because by eating the honey containing pollen from your local trees and flowers you’re inoculating yourself against it. We don’t heat our honey, because by heating it you’re killing any of the enzymes that are active in it. So if you’re taking honey as a cure for a sore throat it’s better to take a spoon of it rather than adding it to a hot drink. Is it possible to cover the whole city between you? K: No! We’re always on the look out for partners and collaborators. There’s tremendous goodwill towards bees, which has actually made things easier for us from an educational point of view. Because people know the bees are in trouble they’ll offer us space to put our hives on. G: We’re currently working with Belvedere College and have set up an apiary on their rooftop as part of their Urban Farm initiative in Dublin 1. We’ve also established an apiary in the apple orchards of UCD, and we’ve developed retail relationships with Fumbally, Indigo & Cloth and the Irish Design Shop. You can follow the story of the Dublin Honey Project on Twitter @dublinhoney and on Facebook and Instagram @dublinhoneyproject
As ‘tail-to-snout’ beekeepers what else can we expect to see from the Dublin Honey Project this year? K: We’re hoping to offer honey with particular provenance like blackberry honey or chestnut honey because nobody is really doing that in Ireland yet, and we’re hoping to educate the public a little in terms of how specific you can be with the product. G: Beekeepers are naturally thrifty so we’re also looking to diversify the offering and use all of the other byproducts as well. Bees produce pollen, wax and propolis, so we’re working on that at the moment, collecting the raw materials and developing our product design.
TOTALLYCAFÉ
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CAFÉ OF THE MONTH Simon’s Place Dublin Barista School
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Roasted Brown
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Sasha House Petite
If you’re looking for more from coffee, The Dublin Barista School is the place. A dedicated training centre, offering two-hour lessons in espresso basics or an intensive threeday course to earn their Qualified Barista Award. Dublin Barista School is also the place to pick up any coffee accoutrements, whether you want to weigh it, grind it or pour it. As well as offering the knowledge and the gear, they serve up incredible value take-out coffee which they roast themselves (everything is €2), or even a filter coffee which they source their beans from The Barn, a Berlinbased roastery. Open Mon-Sun 9am-4pm
Roasted Brown quickly established itself as one of Dublin’s top coffee spots and one of Temple Bar’s nicest hangouts. Baristas Ferg Brown and Rob Lewis serve beautiful coffee using a variety of beans and brew methods. But it doesn’t stop with coffee, Roast Brown’s food is all prepared on site; gourmet sandwiches, organic soups and delicious sweet treats. They also serve a top notch brunch on weekends and have recently begun roasting their own beans too.
Talk about not even knowing what you were missing until it is right in front of you! The latest addition to the Dublin cafe scene is the wonderful and quirky Sasha House Petite – a micro-roastery, French/Slavic pastry bar that will entice even the most diligent of dieters with the mouthwatering “signature desserts” and breakfast menus. Sasha House Petite’s specialties – from the Sacher Torte to the Pork Belly Bread – are delightfully refined and fresh; and if you’d rather go for some specialty coffee, you’ll be able to choose from a selection of several aromas and tastes, carefully picked and micro-roasted in house.
19a South Anne Street, Dublin 2. t: 01-6778756 w: dublinbaristaschool.ie @dubbaristasch
Proprietor/Head Barista: Ferg Brown Curved Street, Temple Bar, D2 @RoastedBrown
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An arty Bohemian café long established on George’s Street, Simon’s place attracts an eclectic mix of students, musicians and working stiffs. Heart-warming lunches of old-school doorstep sandwiches and home-made soups will always keep winter at bay. Try the cinnamon buns ! 22 S Great George’s St, Dublin 2 Tel ; 016797821 www.facebook.com/simonsplacecafe
Drury Street Car Park, Drury Street, Dublin 2 www.shpetite.ie t: (01) 672 9570 @SashaHouseDub
Clement & Pekoe
Il Fornaio
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147 Deli
Clement & Pekoe is your local coffee house in the heart of the city. Pop by for a morning fix or an evening winddown and watch the world go by on South William St. Choose from an array of loose leaf teas and seasonal coffee from select roasters. The owners, Simon and Dairine, are on hand to advise on how to enjoy tea or coffee at home too. Clement & Pekoe are now also open in Temple Bar, housed in the contemporary surroundings of Indigo & Cloth on East Essex St.
Nearly one year ago this cosy café opened in College Green to offer Dubliners an authentic Italian experience of really good artisan coffee and Italian premium quality food and products. The cakes and biscotti display in the window captures the eyes of every gourmet passing by, and the scent of panini and pizza (freshly baked everyday) invite you for a tasty lunch. The perfect place to buy the finest cured and cooked meats and cheese. Open Mon-Fri 7.30am-7pm. Sat: 10am-7pm. Sun 11am-7pm.
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The Bird Cage Bakery
147 Deli is a small independent delicatessen that is passionate about local, seasonal ingredients and great coffee, located in the heart of Chinatown on Parnell Streett beside North Great Georges Street. Everything is cooked and prepared on-site which includes smoking their own meats and fish for their mouthwatering sandwiches and salads. The menu includes sandwiches, soups, salads and freshly made juices with weekly specials. Great decor, friendly staff, good music and big in the game when it comes to sandwiches.
Warm, cosy and friendly, The Birdcage Bakery stands out at its Harcourt location as one of the area’s finest cafes. With inviting, comfortable décor, the friendly staff offer a selection of homemade pastries, desserts, cakes and bitesized treats all made from scratch daily. The savoury lunch menu is enjoyed all week long and offers an original take on classics such as meatballs and smokey bacon & cabbage among others. With top quality coffee, freshly roasted from the kiosk, enjoy one house blend and one single origin on offer daily, alongside a selection of teas from Clement & Pekoe. Open Mon-Fri 7.30am-3.30pm
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50 South William St, D2 and Indigo & Cloth, 9 Essex St East, D2 www.clementandpekoe.com @ClementandPekoe
15 College Green, Dublin 2 t: (01) 6718960 facebook.com/ilfornaiocaffe
147 Parnell Street, Dublin 1 t: 01 872 8481 w: facebook.com/147deliparnell @147cafe
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21 Harcourt Rd, Dublin 2 t: 01 405 4890 w: facebook.com/BirdcageBakery
TOTALLYCAFÉ Mexico K Chido
Base Coffee
With their funky vintage Citroen HY and friendly staff Mexico K Chido serve up delicious, authentic Mexican street food in an unconventional location! Parked in the entrance of Fegans Foodservice warehouse, K Chido creates a comfy (heated!) space with cushioned upcycled pallet furniture. Gustavo’s home-made marinades and salsas make it truly Mexican, firing out traditional classics such as pulled pork tacos, nachos and tortas weekdays, and transforming into a Mexican Bruncheria on weekends, offering a chilled atmosphere with your huevos rancheros. Freshly ground Ariosa coffee rounds off a perfect café experience. Mon-Fri 8am-5pm, Sat & Sun 11am-6pm
Base has won over the coffee lovers of Ballsbridge. With their House Blend and rotational Single Origin, there’s always something new to try here. They use the very best coffee sourced internationally from Dublin roasters 3fe. You can also grab a Base signature wood fired sandwich or salad or cake from Dublin micro bakery, Wildflour to make it the perfect working lunch hour.
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Head barista - Kieran O’Driscoll 18 Merrion Road, Ballsbridge t: 01 440 5100 @basewfp
18 Chancery St, Dublin 7 Email: kchidomexico@gmail.com @kchidomexico Facebook: Mexico K Chido
Hansel & Gretel Bakery & Patisserie From Trinity College to Baggot Street you’ll notice breadcrumb trails leading to Hansel and Gretel Bakery on Clare Street. Located just beside the National Gallery, this little bakery is the perfect spot to grab something to enjoy in Merrion Square. The freshly baked pastries (especially the almond croissants) and coffee from Ariosa make a great combo to start the morning, especially with the local office crowd. Everything is handmade from scratch with the ingredients sourced from small local producers, from their breads to their pastries to their delicious cakes. 20 Clare Street, Dublin 2 w: facebook.com/HanselandGretelBakeryPatisserie t: 01-5547292
Doughboys
SPILL THE BEANS PETER SZTAL AT THE SCIENCE GALLERY CAFÉ Tell me about your new brunch menu. We started it a few weeks ago and we’re still developing it. The aim was to create a menu that is inviting to people and we wanted to do something different. We have two types of menus for brunch. A pre-booked tasting menu which provides a cocktail and four dishes for €25, which includes a starter, that’s a sharing dish, a main, a dessert and then tea or coffee. Then we also have a walk-in situation, which features five classic staples that change on a monthly basis. I’ve been running this café for nearly six years and I’ve noticed one thing about my customers; they love a traditional menu but they enjoy that ours has a twist to it. You’ll leave satisfied but not too full. How do you pick what food to serve? When we’re creating the menu, we don’t want to limit ourselves to one cuisine as such. Everything is homemade and you can really taste the wholesomeness of it, particularly our stews, which are some of our most popular dishes. Back home in Poland we call it soup, but when I served it to my Irish friends they said that it wasn’t a soup, it was a stew. It’s a really chunky, meaty soup which isn’t blended, so it’s a stew. We have several different recipes for it as well, including beef in red wine and mushrooms. People are getting very health conscious so we like to have a healthy menu. I’m lucky to have wonderful customers who have traveled the world and like modern kind of food. When you’re eating food, you have to feel like you’re home.
Do you think Irish people are new to brunch? I think brunch has been getting particularly popular for the last two or three years. It’s started to really appeal to people though. My idea of a perfect brunch includes a little alcohol, good friends and food that won’t leave you stuffed. At the end of the day, it’s an early enough meal. What kind of coffee to you sell? We roast our own coffee. My partner and I started Cloud Picker, a roastery, two and a half years ago and Science Gallery Café is a flagship for Cloud Picker Coffee. We create specialty hand-roasted coffee just a mile away from the café and serve it to Science Gallery customers. The coffee trade is very big and we push it to be better. We sell blends that are quite seasonal and change often and we’ve also started to serve a tasting board, so customers can have beautiful single-origin coffee served three ways. What food other than brunch do you serve? Besides brunch, we’ve also launched our brand new lunch menu, and it’s been a great success. The inspiration from the food comes from the dishes that my colleagues and I fell in love with back home; we’re quite an international group as we have staff from Poland, Romania and Ireland as well. We have pierogi dishes – which are like dumplings – from my home, Poland. We also try to play with ingredients more familiar to Irish people, like black pudding and cheddar, whereas traditionally pierogi would be served with mostly potatoes and cottage cheese, or
A well-made sandwich is a wonderful thing and not easy to find, unless you’re talking about Doughboys. This bustling counter-service sandwich and coffee shop serves up delicious breakfast, lunch and coffee. All sandwiches are made fresh in-house with popular favourites such as meatball marinara and porchetta on the menu. There's Cloud Picker Coffee to fill your cup in the morning and freshly made lemonades at lunchtime. And not to forget their brekkie sandwiches – with smoked streaky bacon or breakfast sausage, poached egg and American cheese on a Arun brioche bun – a fine way to start the day! Charlotte Way, Dublin 2 t: 01-4022000 w: fb.com/DoughboysDublin Twitter: @DoughboysDublin
The Punnet Food Emporium
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The Punnet is a health food shop that offers customers a comprehensive range of healthy lunches, snacks and products difficult to find anywhere else nationwide – and if they don't have what you’re looking for, simply ask and they will find it for you! The Punnet's range of detox programs are also second to none, with 3/5 day fruit and veg or veg only juice cleanses and 5 day salad plans that take care of your food concerns for the week while all the nutrients and goodness take care of you. The Punnet is the only place in Ireland to offer such a service dedicating itself to fresh, quality food and juices and rich flavourful coffee including the 'Bulletproof'. 94/95 Lower Mount Street pfedublin@gmail.com www.thepunnet.ie @punnethealth
Berlin D2
•••••••• Located at the back of the Powerscourt Town House, Berlin D2 is a new cafe that is saying a big “Hallo” to Dublin’s city centre since it opened earlier this year. Serving Ariosa coffee, Berlin D2 has a relaxed vibe in the style of the city from which it takes its name. Also on the menu are a selection of sweet treats, and a some accoutrements straight out of the German capital: a DJ booth playing crisp electronica, Sunday markets, morning yoga classes, ping-pong competitions and an fledgling bookshop with art and photography books and magazines. Recently they’ve added a beer license (serving predominantly German beers) with Fischers Helles and Guinness on draft as well as an evening menu with schnitzel, bratwurst and marinated chicken. Coppinger Row, Dublin 2 fb.com/homeofthebear t: 01 6779352
Cafe @indigoandcloth sauerkraut and mushrooms. I’m aware that Irish people could be a bit scared of it. The lunch menu is all about comfort. To me, food isn’t about just giving energy; it’s about fun, friends and memories. It should be an experience. Is there anything specifically scientific about the café? The café is a kind of nucleus within the Science Gallery; it’s a crucial part of the gallery. It’s always an ever-changing space so it’s a sort of living organism where business people, Trinity lecturers, artists and students come and meet together to eat. Science Gallery Café, Pearse Street, Dublin 2, dublin.sciencegallery.com/cafe
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The newly opened Cafe is a collaboration with our good friends Clement & Pekoe. It sits on our ground floor and has seating for 6 to 8 people. You can grab a perch in the window or at the larger community table, enjoy the surrounds or grab something to read. Serving Climpson & Sons beans as our House Blend, choose from an ever changing filter menu, loose tea and some delicious cakes too. We hope you like it as much as we do. Open Mon–Sat 10am–6pm & Sun 12 – 5pm 9 Essex St East, Dublin 2 www.indigoandcloth.com/cafe www.clementandpekoe.com @indigoandcloth t: 01 670 6403
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Café Gray
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The Bretzel Bakery
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Busy Bean Cafe
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Minetta
Café Gray opened its second outlet on Dawson Street and is attracting a lot of interest. Owned by Robert Gray, it serves legendary 3fe coffee, loose leaf teas from Clement & Pekoe as well as cold pressed juice from Sprout Food for non-coffee drinkers. Their food offering is based on the best Irish artisan producers and the sandwiches, soup and salad are some of the best in town and the prices are very keen compared to the chains. Go before the crowds do!
A Dublin institution according to some, The Bretzel Bakery first began baking in Lennox Street in Portobello in 1870. It has recently expanded to include a café, offering not only freshly baked, hand-made bread, buns, cakes and confectionary, but a range of freshly made sandwiches and bagels on its signature loaves, not to mention they’ve a good strong cup of coffee or freshly brewed tea. With warm and inviting decor and friendly staff, the café is well worth a visit to beautiful Portobello – even if it has been a long time coming! Mon-Fri 8am6pm, Sat/Sun 9am-4pm
Located on Molesworth Street, Busy Bean Café is a very welcoming home from home. Amongst the favourites on offer is an array of fresh baked scones and breads, homemade soups, daily carvery sandwiches, pasta dishes, salads and a plethora of gourmet signature sandwiches. Simply put, their philosophy is to serve real food and real coffee at a real price where you will always be made welcome. Busy Bean Cafe also offers catering for offices and events. Open Mon-Fri 7am-5pm and Sat 9am-5pm.
This is no ordinary deli. Despite its size, it serves up the best handmade Italian style pizza, pressed sourdough sandwiches, wholefood salads, take-home meals and deli pots for miles. The two sisters make everything in-house daily, with a few well-considered exceptions from chosen suppliers: Tartine sourdoughs, Sprout cold-pressed juices, Nick’s Coffee’s espresso blend, and treats from Bakelicious. Their signature ‘pressed sandwich’ is Doran’s Devilled Crab with Gruyère – it must be sampled to be believed! Currently a daytime haunt for the growing numbers of Minetta junkies, but soon opening 3 nights a week from the beginning of June for pizza and BYOB.
63 Dawson St. FB @cafegraydublin @cafegraydublin
1A Lennox Street, Portobello, D8 t: 01-4759445 w: fb.com/the-bretzel-bakery
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37 Molesworth St, Dublin 2 t: 01-6789793 w: facebook.com/BusyBeanCafe
1 Sutton Cross, Sutton, D13 t: 01-8396344 w: www.minetta.ie Twitter: @minettadeli
Wall & Keogh Tea Lounge
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KC Peaches
Grove Road Café
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Science Gallery Café
Wall and Keogh is the original. It’s the tea company that made loose leaf tea important again, with a location to enjoy your cuppa in that compares to no other. They have a full café attached and all the baked goods are homemade. Just go see for yourself, it’s wholesale & retail tea of the highest grade.
A New York-style loft newly established on Dame Street, KC Peaches is the ultimate hangout for tourists, students and working professionals. Serving natural, wholesomely enhanced all-day dining options, you leave the cafe feeling truly nourished by nature. Unlike anywhere else in Dublin, their hot and cold buffet options are delicious, convenient and affordable. With everything priced per plate size you can pile high on that wholesome goodness but make sure to leave room for their famous cheesecake brownie. The philosophy is simple: ‘Eat well, live well.’ Mon 8am-8pm, Tue-Fri 8am-10pm, Sat 9am-10pm, Sun 11am-6pm
Grove Road is the latest addition to the flourishing Dublin speciality café scene and is apparently the new place to be seen in Dublin 6! It boasts a bright and inviting space with a rugged yet contemporary interior, and sweeping panoramic views of the canal. At Grove Road they are very proud of many things: their consistently great coffee which is supplied by Roasted Brown in Temple Bar and their fresh delicious food and treats to name but a couple. It has also been said that they have the friendliest staff the city has to offer! Mon-Fri 7.30am-6pm. Brunch Sat 9am-4pm.
Set in the super-cool surroundings of Science Gallery, Science Gallery Café is one of the city’s most interesting meeting places. This bright, contemporary space is home to an enthusiastic team serving up fresh food and great coffee. In fact, café owner Peter is so passionate about coffee that he decided to roast his own, and Science Gallery became the first place in Dublin to serve the amazing Cloud Picker Coffee, handroasted here in Dublin City Centre. You can also choose from a great menu that includes everything from Peter’s Mum’s Beef Goulash Stew to the student takeaway soup-sambo-fruit combo deals (for only €5!)
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45 Richmond Street South, Portobello, Dublin 6 t: 01-4759052 @wallandkeoghtea
54 Dame St., D2 t: 01-6455307 @kcpeaches
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1 Lower Rathmines Road, Dublin 6 www.groveroadcafe.ie t: (01) 5446639 @GroveRoadCafe
Pearse Street, Trinity College, Dublin 2. t: 01 8964138 www.sciencegallery.com
25 Lower Lesson street / 13 Lord Edward street, Dublin 2
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GAMES words Leo Devlin Aidan Wall
LIKE A DJ Octavio
BOSS
The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt PC, Playstation 4, Xbox One
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Splatoon – Wii U
In a world populated by anthropomorphic, J-pop-loving squid mercenaries, of course civilisation’s greatest threat comes from an EDM-fuelled octopus. From the mixer-sporting perch of his gargantuan robot, he loves to drop the bass – and his projectile fists. Turning the tables on this turntabling troublemaker is tricky, but in such a multiplayer-focused game as Splatoon, he’s far from your most potent adversary. Step into an online lobby, and Octavio will seem like a kitten compared to the oncoming legion of Japanese pre-teens. LD
The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt is an open-world dark fantasy RPG. The main quest-line follows Geralt (the eponymous gravelvoiced Witcher) as he tracks down Ciri, the woman to whom he is a father figure, of sorts. As Geralt, the player traces the trail of magical disaster left in Ciri’s wake as she flees a group of spectral horse-mounted hunters: the Wild Hunt. The Witcher 3 excels in so many aspects of its quest design that it’s hard not to be overwhelmed by the sheer amount of worthwhile quest lines: side-quests that would be mere fodder in other games of this sort take on crucial roles. It’s difficult to leave any stone unturned as nearly every quest, no matter how unimportant it may initially seem, subtly reveals a new aspect of the game world: be it a strange monster to fight, a hidden area to explore, or a character to interact with. There has not been an open-world game that carves as much detail into its minor characters as successfully as The Witcher 3. The rich dialogue that imbues the game’s characters with such life is just as likely to be witty as it is to be devastating. The strength of the writing is complimented by the varied and often surprising voice work which is full of guttural colloquialisms and charm. There is no repetitive quest formula at play, no endless series of caves, and certainly no dead-eyed characters who mechanically spout exposition. Although being shrouded behind a clunky learning curve, the swordplay has depth, especially at higher difficulties. The combat doesn’t disrupt the experience, but, as you get deeper in, you may find yourself lowering the difficulty to trade the thrill of overcoming a tough fight to more easily reach the stirring moments you’re really after: those of the world and its characters. As is the open-world curse, the game suffers from janky moments of dipping frame-rates, texture popping, and tiresome load times. These set-backs are easily forgiven though, as the world of The Witcher 3 is so full of personality and depth that you could lose months exploring its dark forests, murky caves, and vibrant villages. It’s hard to imagine you’ll play a game with more character or content this year, so play it. AW
Sunset Tale of Tales – Linux, Mac, Windows
Are characters in first-person games really so modest? Even with the relative decline in the computational cost of mapping reflections, there’s nary a mirror to be seen. The best you can usually get is a shimmery silhouette in the surface of a lake. Of course, developers keep you away from the bathroom cabinet for a reason. Catching a face other than your own staring back can make you feel more puppeteer than protagonist, with all attendant skeeziness. Sunset pushes right into that unease, the game opening on Angela Barnes’ reflection in an elevator door, and filling its one-apartment setting with glass doors and floor-to-ceiling windows. Angela is an overqualified housekeeper working in the early 1970s for Gabriel Ortega, a businessman in the fictional South American country of Anchuria, with ties to a newly installed military regime. Cleaning and tidying his home each evening
before he gets back from the office, Angela gets to Ortega indirectly – as we do – through the books he reads, the records he listens to and the encrypted documents he signs. Idle curiosity turns inevitably to voyeurism, and the reflections that surround Angela take on a real significance. Just as she snoops around Ortega’s life, we snoop around hers, listening to her thoughts, watching ourselves control her every move. This surreptitious assertion of control plays out on the story’s broader canvas too, which sees foreign powers manipulating Anchuria’s dictatorial government to their own ends. Events unfold distantly, through typewritten notes and newspaper articles, and just as the player is kept at a deliberate remove from Angela, so she is from the outside world. It’s a journey composed with both abstraction and intimacy, and is among Tale of Tales’ finest and most, ahem, reflective work. LD
GAMES words Aidan Wall
Speedrunning is the act of attempting to complete a videogame as quickly as possible. For something which seeks to shorten a game to its most optimised and minimal playtime, the process itself is a slow and arduous one based on practice and mastery of one’s chosen game. Often focussing on one game for months or even years, players grind away hoping to someday achieve the coveted world record. There are speedrunners for almost any game you can think of: from classics like the Legend of Zelda and Pokémon to not-so-classics like, eh, Panic Restaurant and Hello Kitty: Roller Rescue… Competition has been prevalent in video games since the heady days of getting your initials next to the high-score down the local chipper, pub or fun-time emporium, as it were. And while time attack modes have been a staple of video games since the ’80s, the most likely catalyst for speedrunning as we know it today is id Software’s first-person shooter classic Doom, which took the world wide web by storm when its downloadable shareware demo hit in 1993. Designer John Romero decided to include his personal best times for each level, and thus spawned the craze of players hooking up their 56k modems to upload their own personal best runs as in-engine ‘.lmp’ demo files for bragging rights over their peers. Originating as a Doom and Quake community, the Speed Demos Archives forums have since grown into a Mecca for speedrunning games of all kinds. Games are played on their original hardware as standard; for older games you’ll notice speedrunners opting for early Japanese cartridges as they feature less text to scroll through and are often riddled with exploitable bugs. Runs range from the absurdly short (Clue on the SNES clocks in at about three seconds) to slogging affairs lasting several hours, such as the Final Fantasy runs which require scheduled bathroom breaks during long cut-scenes. There’s a new generation of children and teen-
Gotta go fast
agers who’ve grown up in front of Minecraft videos instead of Noddy, and they’re just as eager to be producers of that kind of content as they are to be consumers of it. Speedrunning’s growth in popularity has happened in the larger context of a massive video-game live-streaming boom. Last year Google lost a bidding war against Amazon over the purchase of video-game streaming website Twitch; the winning bid landed at $970 million. The Twitch model allows streamers to sell monthly subscriptions, but most streamer income is generated through incentivised donation systems which sometimes blur the line between user-patronage and user-exploitation. The rising popularity of speedrunning makes sense as this audience, who are more interested in watching a game being played than playing it themselves, continues to grow. While some speedrunners have made the transfer from hobbyist streamer to career-orientated streamer, the majority of the speedrunning community considers it a purely fun, cathartic, challenging pastime. Speedrunning is competitive by nature but it’s also a wonderfully collaborative process. Runners share new glitches and exploits via message board threads, some of which span hundreds of pages charting years of discoveries. The organisers of the Games Done Quick marathons have done well to marry the professionalism and production qualities of career-streamers with the enthusiasm and geeky charm of hobbyist streamers. Starting in 2010 as a humble charity marathon broadcast from someone’s living room, it has grown into a hugely successful institution of live-streaming, whose last marathon raised over $1.5 million for the Prevent Cancer Foundation. Summer Games Done Quick is scheduled for seven days of non-stop speedrunning between Friday 26th July and Thursday 2nd August. Proceeds will be going to Doctors Without Borders. Visit www.gamesdonequick.com for more info.
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ARTSDESK words Oisín Murphy-Hall
Know when to fold ‘em Sam Keogh’s Four Fold is an elaborate installation that explores the link between violence and representation.
Sam Keogh’s Four Fold refers to an elaboration on the ‘threefold death’ supposedly inflicted on the Croghan man, a ritual sacrifice involving the delivery of three mortal wounds. Perhaps the fourth fold, then, is the exhumation, exhibition and representation of his remains, an idea that Keogh expounds upon in a playful, personal and reflexive way, raising flaps of vinyl skin like half-teepees embellished with image collages and disembodied hands from the hitherto flat print of the Croghan corpse that spans the entire floor of the gallery. Keogh’s idiosyncratic, bricolage style bears sharp contrast with the mottled, almost banal feeling of the archaeological remains, but in this disparity is revealed a truth. The Croghan Man, the Gebelein Man, the Baronstown West Man: these forms are named, examined and exhibited as generalities, or archetypes, a fact made possible by the shrivelling away of the subjective and the absence of memory, in his reassertion of both of which the artist calls into question not just what or how much we learn of our past by looking back, but what we can learn of our present selves in that petrified instant of self-observation. A performance video, taken by a camera attached to the artist’s chest, is projected onto the lower half of one of the larger sections of skin. Keogh delivers an energetic and fragmented monologue, taking in subjects as diverse as the Galapagos Island turtles (the exhibition also contains a life-size replica of one of their shells, pockmarked, decaying and hot with colour), the Alien franchise, police violence and the Phantom Zone of Superman mythology. His digressions are centred around past experiences in museums of the preserved remains of ancient bodies, in particular the virtual autopsy of the Gebelien Man in the British Museum: an extremely detailed, computer-generated autopsy simulation by which one can rend apart, examine and piece back together a representation of the remains with the use of a touch-screen. The intricate detail of the simulation is owed to computerised tomography (CT) scanning, a magnetic, non-invasive procedure utilised due to the extreme fragility of its object. The remains lie unimpressive and encased in glass, feet away from their on-screen, virtual dissection. The image, Keogh observes, ‘contains more truth than its referent’. However, it is the image constituted by the entire scene — the showcased corpse, its living observers, those operators of the touch-screen autopsy, the museum setting itself — that is the object of the exhibition’s focus. By the rendering of the simulacrum-corpse quite literally as a site for projection and often incongruous embellishment, the reflexive nature of observation is foregrounded, exposing the dialectic of the gaze that
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had remained hidden behind the sterile masks of historical anthropology, preservation and posterity. Just as these artefacts have become archetypal repositories for the projections of present day historical interest, as well as virtualised objects of invasion and fragmentation, so too have they perversely been rendered sacred. Keogh recalls being reprimanded as a teenager for trying to take a photo of what remains of the Baronstown West Man (‘like bits of All-Bran at the side of the bowl’), by a security guard who begged ‘respect for the dead’. He was, however, permitted to sketch a picture. Technology’s role as both mediator and mitigator of violence is of central concern to the artist. However, it is the way in which technology has become a shaping force in our conception of realities both immediate and historical that yields the exhibition’s most provocative questions. In a world where our understanding of humanity and of history is always already mediated by the technological, reduced to the stagnant domain of representation, what are the implications for the image, memory, and the work of art? Keogh stages a dreamlike exhumation and autopsy of exhumation and autopsy themselves, laying bare the primary significance of medium and process in the production of knowledge, and challenging the sterile, scientific gaze to which we continue to subject human life and history, thus reclaiming truth from the realm of certainty. Four Fold is exhibited in Gallery 1 of the Douglas Hyde Gallery in Trinity College until Wednesday 22nd July.
Above and below: Sam Keogh - Four Fold Installation photographs, The Douglas Hyde Gallery, May 2015. Photographs by Denis Mortell
PRINT words Liza Cox Gill Moore Eoin Tierney
In the All-Night Café Stuart David [Little and Brown]
The weight of nostalgia must be tough for a band, and none more so than Belle and Sebastian. Their first three albums are spoken of in sainted tones – any new release must seem pointless. They have only themselves to blame; their music crystallising in their listeners minds what the late ’90s sounded like. It’s a period that frontman Stuart Murdoch appeared to resist in his own memoir The Celestial Café (note the café theme), set around the release of 2003’s decent album Dear Catastrophe Waitress. But it’s a trick the band’s other Stuart – ex-bassist Stuart David – doesn’t miss. Here, David pens his recollections of a time for the band that fans most care about. David recounts his time spent at the music production course Beatbox in Glasgow, specifically set up for musicians on welfare. People piled in together, and given no direction, studio time or instruments, David formed a number of bands with his fellow ‘inmate’ Murdoch. David writes particularly well on how the band achieved their endearingly shoddy sound. The book gives a sense that B&S was all Murdoch’s doing, with David unable to crack quite where he got all his good ideas. Still, fans will be glad that David was the one who put pen to paper, in a memoir as witty and unassuming as the best of Belle and Sebastian’s music. ET
Preparation for the Next Life Atticus Lish [Oneworld Publications]
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Atticus Lish’s debut novel draws a powerful narrative from an unlikely pairing. Immigrant Zou Lei is smuggled into the States over the Mexican border in a truck, having made her way from China. She arrives in New York ‘carrying a plastic bag and shower shoes, a phone number, waiting beneath an underpass, the potato chips long gone, lightheaded.’ Determined not to return to jail, where she spent three months for her illegal status, she works a series of exploitative, gruelling jobs in fastfood restaurants for slave wages, doing calisthenics exercises during her lunch breaks. Brad Skinner arrives in New York after serving in Iraq, with his army issue handgun and armyissued antidepressants, tranquilisers, psychotics, antipsychotics, anti-anxiety and sleeping pills, shrapnel in his back and a nightmare in his head. A love of physical exercise first mutually attracts the two, and they form a ‘two-person unit’ to combat his worsening mental state and her illegal status, and to carve out a life together, American dream style (or something like that). It’s not exactly a recipe for a happy ending, particularly with the introduction of Brad’s landlady’s son, an ex-convict who has emerged from prison a thoroughly brutalised, ultraviolent white supremacist. It is however a recipe for hope, for a kind of happiness, and for a love all the more compelling for its lack of sentimentality. Preparation for the Next Life takes on some of the United States’ most glaring government policy failures: immigration, the penal system, traumatised war veterans. This equally exhilarating and terrifying book rips these deficiencies apart with a fury and clarity rarely to be found. But its anger at a society that has systematically failed its most vulnerable is never didactic and never self-righteous. Instead of preaching about the problems faced by the inhabitants of this marginalised world, Lish simply absorbs us in it. It’s a sprawling, epic read filled with minute detail of what it is to live at the very edge of stability: energetic, powerful, compassionate and devastating. LC
The Happiness Industry: How the Government and Big Business Sold Us Well-being William Davies [Verso]
Political economist and sociologist William Davies begins this fascinating survey of happiness management with a concrete example: the most recent World Economic Forum. The conference epitomised a culture of lifehacks and self-optimisation, focusing just as much on improving well-being as bettering fiscal affairs, and providing ‘a glimpse of a future in which all behaviour is assessable in terms of its impact upon mind and body’. Rather than tackling the generic ideas of positive psychology, this book specifically traces how human happiness is measured via these psychosomatic strategies. In accessible, anecdotal style, Davies sketches a comprehensive history of happiness promotion. He locates the primary impetus in 19th century utilitarianism – specifically in its confidence that social, political and economic ills could be solved by controlling ‘positive’ emotions as the ‘common good’ – and moves through more modern contexts of consumer decisions, political policy and neuroscientific and social media analytics. It would be easy for this work to slide into overly paranoid theories of surveillance, overly conservative anxieties around government interference or overly simplified theses of manufactured docility through the ‘opiate’ of happiness. After all, some of the more disturbing strategies mentioned include CCTV smile recognition and ‘nudging’ techniques for outright civic manipulation. Davies does conclude that societal preoccupation with individual feelings and choices inevitably leads to complacent, if not complicit, citizens. But the book succeeds in maintaining a nuanced, multi-perspectival approach, and finally hints at alternative moral and social ways to understand well-being, around and outside of corporate and governmental design. GM
We Animate Public Space With Meaning Instant Cultural Events in Dublin, Limerick & Cork
We take advantage of good weather and instant communication to gather hundreds of happy people at a moment’s notice. Sign up to get notifications at www.happenings.ie
Upcoming Events Open-Air Cinema in parks across Dublin
Whippersnappenings Kids cinema in parks
All summer
Sundays throughout the summer
Open-Air Music Fitzwilliam Sq & Merrion Sq
Another Love Story Killyon Manor
All summer
21st - 23rd August
Open-Air Yoga Dartmouth Sq
Now launched in Cork & Limerick
Weekly
Events all summer
www.happenings.ie
PRINT words Eliza A. Kalfa Peter Morgan Mònica Tomàs
Eggshells Caitriona Lally [Liberties Press]
Caitriona Lally’s first novel traces protagonist Vivian Lawlor’s life after the recent death of her great-aunt. Everyone mourns differently, but posting the ashes of your deceased relative to strangers is fairly unconventional. This immediate introduction to the character’s mind is indicative of what to expect from Eggshells: dark humour and bizarre behaviour. Vivian is trying to find her way back to ‘another world’, where her parents said she really came from. This task has her chasing fairies and leprechauns around Dublin, much to the dismay of the humans she encounters along the way. Her only ally is the equally eccentric Penelope – a friend acquired through the age-old method of advertising on a tree trunk. Eggshells expresses a Joycean sense of the ordinary as extraordinary, partially through modernist literary experimentation such as Vivian’s unique sketches and lists. Primarily, though, the experimentation is literal, as Vivian attempts various strategies in her quest to escape from this world. She states that she likes ‘to get lost in worlds inside other characters’ heads’. Lally’s brilliantly realised first-person narrative invites the reader to do just that. However, Eggshells also challenges us to interpret what it articulates about subjectivity, communication, and loneliness. With irony both comic and tragic, Vivian explains that sometimes it’s hard to know if Penelope is ‘very strange or very clever’. A memorable debut, this novel is not about knowing, but about never assuming to know. PM
Etta and Otto and Russell and James Emma Hooper [Penguin]
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Emma Hooper’s debut novel opens with a letter from wife to husband: ‘Otto,’ writes Etta, ‘I’ve gone. I’ve never seen the water, so I’ve gone there.’ Starting out in rural Saskatchewan during the Great Depression, the story leisurely shuffles along in the footsteps of 82-year-old Etta on her cross-country journey towards the Atlantic. Structurally, the novel benefits from Hooper’s musical background. Her rhythmic prose is one of the book’s delights, and the novel’s asymmetrical chapters and limping pauses skillfuly direct the reader to speed up or linger accordingly. Hooper describes the experience of constructing a novel as being akin to playing a symphony: ‘It’s one long piece, but the white space […] between the movements is very important.’ Space also becomes crucial as physical environment, with the flat, open spaces of the Canadian Prairies setting the pace as much as the scrupulously planned white spaces on the page. Sadly, Hooper is not as artful when it comes to character and plot development. The book has been described as ‘poetic’ and ‘lyrical’, which can be read as euphemisms that signify a general aimlessness. It’s hard to blot out the feeling that the stakes are not very high. Etta comes across more like a fairytale heroine than a real person, and the fantastical elements – including French-speaking fish skulls and a singing coyote with an affinity for ‘cowboy songs’ – reinforce this feeling. The characters share a risk-it-all nihilism that doesn’t actually feel risky. The couple’s long-term friend Russell runs after Etta only to leave her for dead after a perfunctory conversation during which she convinces him to instead go on an adventure of his own. ‘Because you want to and you’re allowed to and you can,’ she argues, doling out the same advice to Otto: ‘Be scared, and then jump into that fear. Again and again.’ The importance of chasing your dreams and taking chances is the grand theme here but this comes off as a little superficial if the reader is not remotely invested in the consequences of those risks. EAK
The Book of Fate Parinoush Saniee [Abacus]
Originally banned in Iran, and now translated into seven different languages, Parinoush Saniee’s bestselling The Book of Fate follows protagonist Massoumeh as she struggles to keep afloat through five decades of political and social turmoil in Tehran. A girl with academic ambitions in a family reigned by ruthless and small-minded brothers, Massoumeh is subjected first to their cruelty and then to the indifference and neglect of a loveless arranged marriage. Despite beatings, humiliations, and a never-ending string of calamities, Massoumeh is relentlessly brave, recovering from a severe bout of pre-wedding depression to ‘find a way to take revenge on life and make [her] existence tolerable’. Along the way, Saniee presents us with an impressive array of characters whose comings and goings make up much of the book, with little time spared for detail or description. Along with the ever-present threat of danger, this rushed pace contributes to making The Book of Fate a page-turner. For some, the novel simply represents a condemnation of Middle Eastern cultures’ perceived treatment of women. Yet although many of Massoumeh’s experiences may be alien to Western women, her devotion – bordering on martyrdom – to family seems more familiar. Massoumeh is intelligent and outspoken, yes; but it is precisely Saniee’s deft juxtaposition of the character’s brashness and dutifulness that makes her such a compelling persona. Were Massoumeh to have followed her ideals at the expense of her children, as her Marxist husband does, she would be utterly unsympathetic. In fact, her political values are hardly relevant, as she generally only espouses these ideals in so far as she desires her husband’s safety, and thus her children’s wellbeing. Massoumeh is well aware of this injustice: ‘it is as if I never existed’, she laments in a rare moment of self-pity. Although deeply rooted in recent Iranian history, this story of one unassuming housewife throws an uncomfortable light on patriarchy everywhere. MT
D OM I N I C HAW G O O D Under the Influence
KINDLY GRANT AIDED BY
FILM REVIEWS words Luke Maxwell Stephen McCabe Meadhbh McGrath Oisín Murphy-Hall Bernard O’Rourke Danny Wilson
The Look of Silence Director: Joshua Oppenheimer Talent: n/a Release Date: 11th June In 1965, the CIA forged a document purporting to reveal a communist conspiracy to kidnap and murder leaders of the Indonesian army. The US embassy in Jakarta, along with the British Foreign Office, provided the military, led by General Suharto, with transportation and communications equipment, weapons and a kill list of members of the Indonesian Communist Party — then the world’s largest communist party outside of China — as part of mass-killings that saw the loss of up to 2.5 million lives in the space of two years. This is the background, never mentioned, to the story told in Joshua Oppenheimer’s The Act of Killing and, now, The Look of Silence, documentaries — the latter framed by unassuming optometrist Adi, whose brother Ramli was killed in 1965, confronting paramilitary members and their families in a series of poignant interviews — about Indonesia’s shameful recent past, in which the masskillings seem to have erupted from the wild oriental psyche as a result of political ignorance (e.g. ‘communists worship the devil’) or mystical belief (e.g. that drinking the blood of one’s victims protects one from insanity) rather than from the material conditions of class struggle and imperialism of which history has made record. For all that it vilifies the foot-soldiers of the slaughter, it remains cosy with its generals. Suharto, who ran the country from 1967 to 1998, is never mentioned, and America’s involvement in events is framed as merely cultural or, barely, ideological. Oppenheimer says that he receives death threats from Indonesian paramilitary members. In the West, he is nominated for Oscars and honoured at the BAFTAs. His films claim to expose the lies told by mass-murderers in order to absolve themselves of guilt for the crimes they committed. However, in selectively depicting historical events as an irrational, hermetic and national conflicts, he produces in turn a narrative of absolution for Western imperialism, whose bloodied hands are rendered entirely absent from proceedings. This is State Department mauvaise foi at its most polished. Murderers need to tell themselves something to sleep at night. OMH
Queen and Country Director: John Boorman Talent: Callum Turner, Caleb Landry Jones, Pat Shortt, David Thewlis Release Date: 12th June The belated sequel to Hope and Glory (1987) picks up nine years later, as Boorman stand-in Bill Rohan (a rather lifeless Callum Turner) turns 18 and is conscripted during the Korean War. At basic training, Bill befriends the mischievous Percy (Landry Jones, overacting in every scene), and becomes infatuated with a woman so mysterious she won’t even tell him her name. Unfortunately, their relationship never gets close to a spark, and the rest of the film is devoted to Bill and Percy’s pranks on their stuffy commanding officer. Queen and Country often feels like killing time, as Boorman attempts to capture both the broadly comic and deeply serious aspects of military service, but remains tonally confused throughout. The film can’t decide whether it’s a Carry On-esque comedy, a romantic melodrama, or a wartime adventure, but ultimately, it is not one Boorman will be remembered for. MMcG
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Black Coal, Thin Ice
El Ardor
Director: Diao Yinan Talent: Fan Liao, Lun Mei Gwei, Xuebing Wang Release Date: 12th June
Director: Pablo Fendrik Talent: Gael García Bernal, Alice Braga, Jorge Sesán Release Date: 19th June
This Chinese crime drama takes elements of film noir and de-cinematises them, shedding style in favour of gritty reality. Set against the bleak industry-scape of a mining region in northern China, Black Coal, Thin Ice follows ex-cop Zhang Zili’s relentless pursuit of his final unsolved case, mainly (it seems) because he has nothing better to do. Zhang is initially a comically dorky alcoholic, but soon his stalkerish pursuit of the femme fatale moves him into unsettling, predatory territory. The lack of music and stark shooting style makes this an uncomfortable watch, but also keeps the noir elements that director Diao Yinan is sampling from ever really doing what they’re supposed to. The plot is suitably intricate, but it’s all a little too inconsequential. That nobody but Zhang cares who committed several murders is a classic detective set up, but Black Coal, Thin Ice goes a bit too far, and fails to convince the audience to care whodunnit either. BO’R
One of the essential thematic tent-poles of the Western has always been man’s struggle to tame the wild frontier. Argentinian filmmaker Pablo Fendrik’s latest plays off this long established motif but transposes the action from the sun-baked expanses of the American West to the suffocating rainforest of his native country. The film follows a mysterious jungle-dweller (Bernal) in his quest to assist a family of hard-nosed homesteaders at war with a band of land-grabbing mercenaries. Bernal’s man with no name trades in a brand of brooding intensity that could be read as poorly drawn, but the combination of the picture’s quasimystical tone and explicitly Leone-indebted underpinnings afford Fendrik the capacity to paint in broad strokes. Though there is no small degree of artistry on display in El Ardor’s presentation, particularly in the use of smoke later in the picture to elicit the same claustrophobia of the earlier jungle scenes, thematically and narratively speaking, this is far from an exercise in nuance. DW
She’s Funny That Way
Amy Director: Asif Kapadia Talent: Amy Winehouse, Nick Shymanksy, Blake Fielder-Civil, Yasiin Bay Release Date: 3rd July
Director: Peter Bogdanovich Talent: Imogen Poots, Owen Wilson, Jennifer Aniston, Rhys Ifans Release Date: 26th June What happened to Peter Bogdanovich? The first-time director who in 1971 delivered one of the most poignant coming-of-age visions of small town America ever committed to celluloid in The Last Picture Show has in 2015 capitulated into bourgeois, Manhattanite farce with this achingly mild comedy about stardom, infidelity and Broadway that aims right at the middlebrow and scores a palpable hit, right between the Cameron Crowe and the Woody Allen. She’s Funny That Way is a totally passable, all too familiar tale of starlet Isabella (Poots) landing her first acting role in the midst of love triangles, lies and humorous coincidences that betray ultimately a lack of faith in humanity, but a wide-eyed abundance of faith in miracles and show business. It’s sad to watch Bogdanovich, who once bore witness to the darkness at the heart of the lie of the American Dream, proselytise for it with a cast of Hollywood jobbers, now ironically a victim of the wider tragedy he has tried so strenuously since to ignore or forget. OMH
“We come from such different worlds, but I’ve never felt this way about anybody” – The Longest Ride’s Sophia on her redneck Romeo
After the success of his last portrayal of a cultural icon, Senna, director Asif Kapadia turns his focus to musician Amy Winehouse. Over the course of two hours, Kapadia follows Winehouse’s ascent from a broken home in North London through success as a jazz singer to the pop stardom that was thrust upon her and the addiction, bulimia and depression that came with it, eventually consuming her life. Voiceovers from an assortment of friends, family and collaborators paired with archive footage and personal home videos create a vivid and richly detailed personal portrait. Kapadia’s reappropriation of paparazzi footage shows the appalling treatment that Winehouse endured at the height of her fame and the problematic way that the media painted her as a romanticised rock star despite her clearly suffering from addiction. More than that, however, Amy also captures what made Winehouse such an interesting musician, which makes the film all the more heartbreaking. SMcC
Love at First Fight (Les Combattants)
The Longest Ride
Slow West
Director: Thomas Cailley Talent: Adèle Haenel, Kévin Azaïs, Antoine Laurent, Brigitte Roüan Release Date: 19th June
Director: George Tillman Jr. Talent: Scott Eastwood, Britt Robertson, Alan Alda Release Date: 12th June
Director: John Maclean Talent: Kodi Smit-McPhee, Michael Fassbender, Ben Mendelsohn, Caren Pistorius Release Date: 26th June
Les Combattants takes the ‘boy meets girl, boy likes girl, boy follows girl obsessively until she likes him back’ set up that’s been a rom-com staple for far too long and tries to wring something new out of it. In this case it’s that the girl is more interested in joining the army than returning her admirer’s affections. There’s plenty of potential for the subversion of traditional gender roles, but Les Combattants mostly avoids this and remains far closer to typical rom-com territory. Thus the heavier themes – army aspirations are linked to a survivalist preparation for the end of the world – feel a little misplaced. The film stumbles from a well executed (if unoriginal) adolescent romance into an unsubtle comparison between training for adulthood and preparing for the apocalypse. The result is a formulaic movie that is actually at its best when sticking to said formula, and at its worst when it tries to deviate from it. BO’R
It shouldn’t be difficult to adapt a Nicholas Sparks novel for film. The Notebook’s template is right there for imitation, so it’s surprising how badly The Longest Ride screws up. This 130 minute slog of a movie has no idea what to do with its own story. Art student Sophia and bull rider Luke are classic star-crossed lovers from two different worlds, lacking only in chemistry, tension and actual character traits. It’s a small relief when the film introduces a belated second plot 30 minutes in, when Sophia and Luke rescue WWII veteran Ira from a car crash, leading to a series of flashbacks to Ira’s own troubled romance. But these competing storylines only get in each other’s way, ensuring neither one gets enough emotional weight. Too little happens over too much time, followed up but a silly convenience of an ending. At least the title is apt: sitting through this one is a feat of endurance. BO’R
Jay (Smit-McPhee) is a young Scot lost in the American west in search of his ladylove Rose (Pistorius). Jay is green and hires Silas, a gruff bounty hunter played by Michael Fassbender, to help with his search. As the two men journey they form an uneasy alliance. Slow West, which is director John Maclean’s feature film debut, seems intent on showing us the worst of the genre. Everyone and everything is terrible in 1870s America. Maclean shoots a very handsome, and at times, thrilling western. However, it’s Maclean’s tendency to rely on a cheap, one-note bleakness time and time again that undoes all the good in the film. Slow West shows some promise but refuses to play to the strengths of its director, or indeed, the genre. Western or Anti-Western, it doesn’t matter, you won’t care. John Maclean will make sure of that. LM
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FILM words Mary McFadden
Let’s go swimming Kilkenny based animation company Cartoon Saloon were nominated for an Academy Award earlier this year for their feature length work Song of the Sea. With the movie being released over here this month, we caught up with Fabian Erlinghäuser, who worked as an animation director on the film, to find out more about its production.
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Tell me about your role in making Song of the Sea. I was animation director on it, and first assistant director as well. Basically, it’s a European production which means that in Europe we have to co-produce; there isn’t really one big lump of money like at Disney or at Dreamworks where they would just greenlight something for $100 million. In Europe, we have to actually get interested parties on board to produce a film like Song of the Sea. So we came up with the story here, and Cartoon Saloon was sort of the hub. We made all the pre-production here, the script, the animatics, the character designs, background designs, the overall style and art direction. Once we had that, we could get other studios on board to help us, say for a certain amount of background and so on. The overall production time was about 18 months, and you have different departments running at the same time.
have a specific style we like to go for, and this style can be very alien to other people. There isn’t a name for it, it’s just a very stylistic thing like flat characters and flat backgrounds.
Was it difficult splitting the animation between the different studios? Yeah, there were five countries in total, including post-production so there was a lot of coordination involved! To get everyone on the same page and really immerse themselves in the Celtic story sometimes can be difficult. Some people have never seen a hurley for example, and you have to explain to them what it is. In any given day you could be sitting at a table with seven people from seven different countries. It’s a very international business where you hire people for specific tasks, for example if I need a good character animator, he could be from anywhere, from Italy, France or even Ireland. It’s open for everybody really, it’s like hiring an actor, you don’t hire based on nationality first and foremost. In Cartoon Saloon, we
You’ve received your second Oscar nomination for Song of the Sea. A few years ago, did you ever think you’d get to this point? Its great to be recognised like that with the Oscar nomination, but at the same time we’re very aware that it’s very hard to beat the big boys. You’re talking about a budget of something that’s $6 million going up against something that cost $160 million, so were very aware of that sort of phalanx. It’s very hard to break through, but that’s not our aim; we want to make a good movie, to put something out there that’s distinctly Irish as well, something that stands out.
Is the soundtrack an important part of mixing animation and music? Does it make or break a scene? Absolutely. It is said that music adds 50% to the scene, it adds a completely new dimension to something and really sort of completely makes or breaks it, as you say. The composer Bruno Coulais worked with Kíla [on the soundtrack], and he worked a lot with Lisa Hannigan, the Irish singer. She did one of the voice parts and also a singing part and we were really happy to work with her, she’s lovely, so it was nice to get the Irish involved as well. We have a lot of Irish comedic voice actors; Pat Shortt is a bit of a legend, and Pat Kenny as well, so it was great [to work] with that voice talent.
Song of the Sea is on general release from Friday 10th July.
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AUDIO REVIEWS words Tom Cahill Ian Lamont Daniel Gray Danny Wilson
Jamie xx In Colours [Young Turks] Reviewing an album for a monthly magazine allows us the benefit of soaking in the thousand other reviews published before ours make it as far as the printers. The drawback is that you, reader, have done your share of soaking too. Like me, you may have encountered at least five reviews of Jamie XX’s debut proper that define this collection as a Great Work; is it? A Great Work should feel out of time, yet wholly of the moment. A Great Work should sound born from hard work - like that microsecond before a marathon runner crosses the finish line. A Great Work invites meaning. A Great Work is not mastery of craft, but perfection of form. A Great Work should preferably feature one Young Thug guest verse. A Great Work should transcend context. A Great Work should break through the spectator’s customary expectations and reveal the other and the different. A Great Work is not delimited by the means of its creation. A Great Work should preferably feature one banger. A Great Work is unconcerned with being a Great Work. 4/10. DG Like this? Try These: The xx – Coexist, John Talabot – ƒin, SBTRKT – SBTRKT
Institute
Sun Kil Moon
Catharsis [Sacred Bones]
Universal Themes [Caldo Verde]
The debut offering from Austin post-punkers, Institute, bares an almost celebratory tone for a record so fuelled by utter self-loathing. Bruising and lean, track after track has been essentially stripped of any pronounced highs or lows in favour of a uniformity of tone that serves the inward looking groans of dissatisfaction from front man Moses Jones. Jones’ slurred, apologetic vocals consistently strike a satisfyingly snotty, adolescent chord as he repeatedly says sorry for always saying sorry. Top notch punk for the perma-embarrassed. DW
On Benji, Kozelek broached a kind of universal empathy through stunning diaristic compositions on the love of his parents, death, his childhood. Universal Themes, with intentional irony, deploys similar lyrical devices but makes them more intensely personal, with a microscopic level of stream-of-conscious detail. Sonically, it features unwieldy edits in place of smooth juxtapositions, occasionally breaking down to just straight spoken word. Much like the heavyweight boxing fights that Kozelek uses as reference points, Universal Themes is at times both fascinating and grotesque (and occasionally a little dull). IL
Titus Andronicus
So Stressed
The Most Lamentable Tragedy [Merge]
The Unlawful Trade of Greco-Roman Art [Honor Press]
The double-stuffed opus is not the preserve of the monsters of rock, it has its only legacy in the pages of punk also through Hüsker Dü, the Minutemen and more recently with Fucked Up. Despite its huge ambition, The Most Lamentable Tragedy sees Titus Andronicus stretched thin and slamming out much same-ish material with occasional dabs of the string section (that most tired signifier of epic status) to complement singer Patrick Stickles’ heartfelt struggle with manic depression. Would prefer 93 minutes of The Thermals. IL
So Stressed’s kindred spirits, Pissed Jeans reap artistic rewards through throat-lacerating examination of the angst-ridden office kitchenette psychosis. So Stressed’s concerns are more millennial, like tech-workers broken by one buzzword too many. Instead of embracing the ugliness of the everyday, So Stressed seem pained by the horror of it all. A bloodcurdling, self-directed plea to ‘use my inside voice’ is just one example of where wry weariness, despair and wry weariness about one’s own despair play off one another on this immersive, strikingly cohesive and thoroughly exciting debut. Recommended. DW
Najee
Walter TV
You, Me and Forever [Shanachie]
Blessed [Sinderlyn]
Summertime always calls for something smooth in the air and premier saxophonist and flautist Najee’s new release is just the ticket for relaxing on these long stretches of blue sky nights in Dublin. Perfect for cocktails and smooching. This disc is the much anticipated follow-up to Najee’s Billboard chart topping The Morning After, and it’s no surprise that he is a multi-platinum seller and multi-Grammy nominated artist with these smooth moves. This music will be floating in the air over the city all summer. TC
Appealing to the uncategorisability of any given record is more often than not a signifier of journalistic laziness, but then there’s bands like Walter TV. Blessed is part riff-driven, ’90s-informed indie rock, part early Animal Collective, and all steeped in queasy, otherworldly, treacle-thick, reverb. Spacelounge loop driven passages sit alongside punky yelps and playful aping of old school rock’n’roll to make up an inexplicably cohesive hip shakin’ and head scratchin’ good time. DW
Beach Moon/ Peach Moon
SOAK
Kite Without A String [Paper Trail] The second act to feature on burgeoning Irish label Paper Trail, Beach Moon/Peach Moon trade in emotional swells of emo while drawing on more pronounced post-rock sounds. At points the twinkling six-string stylings recall Windy City pop experimentalists like The Sea and Cake. There are undoubtedly nods to the now ubiquitous bedroom pop sound here, yet, there is a broadness of scope and willingness to subvert that aesthetic that sets BM/PM apart from their more purist contemporaries. DW
Before We Forgot How To Dream [Rough Trade] Bridie Monds-Watson has been a rising star of Irish music for a couple of years, but her first album proper has only recently appeared, rather than having been railroaded out on the early hype train. The extra time spent incubating her freshman LP seems to have been well spent, with Before We Forgot How To Dream sounding more elaborate and sonically developed than many a singer-songwriter’s debut. The best moments (e.g. Sea Creatures) are always where the palette expands beyond the typically woebegone acoustic numbers. IL
Blackrock 01 2889161 www.mcmahondental.ie
Arthur Russell Corn [Audika Records] Corn is another addition to the posthumous Arthur Russell catalogue from the appointed gatekeepers of his recorded legacy, Audika Records, which collects recordings from 1982 and 1983 intended for a record that was never fully finished. Given Russell’s track record, being unfinished is not a surprising state in which to find his music, as he was famously restless, perhaps even insecure, about how to channel his multitude of talents and musical urges into final products for public consumption. Nor however does an unfinished Russell work lack value or interest, and the material on Corn hangs together well. Stylistically, it blends best with Calling Out Of Context, a 2004 compilation of his post-disco dance songs, while sharing some compositions (This Is How We Walk On The Moon, Lucky Cloud) with the 1994 compilation Another Thought, which were presented there in starker, cello-led arrangements. As such, Corn is the least revealing of his posthumous releases, given that the musical territory and compositions are largely familiar to Russellcompletists. With other artists, such a package might seem exploitative, but given Audika’s dedication and sensitivity to Russell’s oeuvre, such an accusation would appear flippant. Corn functions both as an enjoyable and pretty coherent LP, as well as a document of a point in Russell’s career that found him beautifully weaving many threads – rhythm, repetition, pop melodies, cello – explored in detail on their own elsewhere. IL Like this? Try These: Daphni – Jiaolong Suicide – Suicide Factory Floor – Factory Floor
listings St. Vincent Friday 10 July | Iveagh Gardens | 7pm, €36 On her most recent record, 2014’s self-titled album, Annie Clark declared that she was making ‘a party record that you play at a funeral’ with ‘the feel of humans but the sound of machines’ – both accurate descriptors of the kind of her vibe. In performance St. Vincent mixes queasy funk with outrageously scraggy guitar solos, and a demure appearance with intense stage theatrics, and her recent Irish appearances have all garnered rave reviews. Like the visits from Grizzly Bear and Beach House in recent years to the Iveagh Gardens, this has the potential to be a special evening.
LIVE GIGS Wednesday 1 July AC/DC Aviva Stadium 6pm, SOLD OUT! Beck’s Rhythm Series Bill Laurance Project The Sugar Club 11pm, €17.50 Thursday 2 July Paloma Faith Iveagh Gardens 6.30pm, €45 Plugged In The Grand Social 8pm, FREE Beck’s Rhythm Series Hiatus Kaiyote The Sugar Club 7.30pm, €20 Ladysmith Black Mambazo Earlsfort Terrace 10pm, from €45 Friday 3 July The Jigsaw Jam Whelans 8pm, €12 Outlook Launch The Twisted Pepper 10.30pm, €11.95 Avicii Marlay Park 4pm, €49.50 D.O.A Fibber Magees 8pm, €16 Magic Mountain High Opium Rooms 11pm, €TBC Brass Tacks 2 The Grand Social 8.30pm, €15 Neil Diamond 3Arena 8pm, €99.50 Beck’s Rhythm Series Taylor McFerrin & Marcus Gilmore The Sugar Club
10.30pm, €12.50 Saturday 4 July Forq Whelans 8pm, €18 Imelda May Marlay Park 4pm, €49.65 Paolo Nutini Marlay Park 4pm, €49.65 Groove Festival Kilruddery Estate 2pm, from €49.50 Danny Daze The Opium Rooms 11pm, €11.75 The Frames 25th Anniversary Show Iveagh Gardens 6pm, €40 Resurrection Ireland The Workmans Club 8pm, €10 Agents of Time The Button Factory 11pm, €TBC Beck’s Rhythm Series Bizarre Ride II The Pharcyde The Sugar Club 11.30pm, €20 Sunday 5 July Neil Diamond 3Arena 8pm, €99.50 Groove Festival Kilruddery Estate 2pm, from €49.50 The Frames Iveagh Gardens 6.30pm, €TBC Tuesday 7 July Cannibal Ox The Button Factory 8pm, €20 Wednesday 8 July Frankie Valli & the Four Seasons 3Arena
6.30pm, €59.50 Declan O’Rourke Whelans 8pm, €26.50 Thursday 9 July The Libertines 3Arena 6.30pm, €49.50 Chic featuring Nile Rodgers Iveagh Gardens 8pm, €51.15 Hermitage Green Leopardstown 6pm, from €10 Hothouse Flowers Pavilion Theatre 8pm, €25 Friday 10 July Ana Gog The Grand Social 8pm, €10 Fleetwood Mac 3Arena 6.30pm, from €65.45 Modest Mouse Helix Theatre 8.15pm, €30 Daft as Punk The Grand Social 11pm, €TBC St. Vincent Iveagh Gardens 7pm, €36 Daft Funk The Button Factory 11pm, €15 Lubomyr Melnyk Pavilion Theatre 8pm, €23 Saturday 11 July Fleetwood Mac 3Arena 6.30pm, €55 Joran van Pol The Button Factory 11pm, €TBC Sunday 12 July
Damien Rice Iveagh Gardens 8pm, €45 The Sydney Garrison Whelans 8pm, €10 Monday 13 July Nick Oliveri Gypsy Rose 7pm, €15 Tuesday 14 July Jeanette Byrne – No Regrets – The Music of Edith Piaf The Sugar Club 7.30am, €20 Nickstar Pres – Nicholas McDonald The Academy 6pm, €26.65 Wednesday 15 July Anton Newcombe & Tess Parks The Sugar Club 7.30pm, €20 The Growlers Whelans 8pm, €17.50 Thursday 16 July Neon Atlas Whelans 8pm, €8 The High Kings Leopardstown 10pm, from €10 Friday 17 July Goitse Whelans 8pm, €10 Longitude Marlay Park 5pm, from €59.50 The Soul Rebels The Sugar Club 7.30pm, €15 Saturday 18 July Kodaline Festival Big Top 7pm, €45
Longitude Marlay Park 2pm, from €59.50 Tim Finn Whelans 8pm, €27 Sunday 19 July Longitude Marlay Park 2pm, from €59.50 Nuclear Assault Voodoo Lounge 5pm, €25 Christopher Cross Bord Gáis Energy Theatre 7.30pm, from €39.50 Wednesday 22 July Chuck Prophet Whelans 8pm, €18.50 Thursday 23 July Fiona Maria Whelans 8pm, €10 Damien Dempsey Leopardstown 6pm, from €10 Bilal The Sugar Club 7.30pm, €17.50 Friday 24 July Scott Maher (Album Launch) Whelans 8pm, €10 Dave Clarke The Academy 11pm, €20.90 Josh Wink Opium Rooms 11pm, €11.75 Ed Sheeran Croke Park 5pm, €80 White Noise 500 The Academy 11pm, €15 w/ Dave Clarke, Marcel Fengler &
Sunil Sharpe The Needables Mother Reilly’s Bar 9.30pm, €TBC Saturday 25 July The McCrary Sisters The Sugar Club 11pm, €17.50 Ed Sheeran Croke Park 5pm, €80 Kool Keith & Kutmasta Kurt The Sugar Club 11pm, €15 The Lone Bellow Whelans 7.30pm, €16.50 Tuesday 28 July Philip Henry & Hannah Martin Whelans 8pm, €12.50 Wednesday 29 July The Lone Bellow Whelans 8pm, €12.50 Thursday 30 July Ben Miller Band The Workmans Club 8pm, €12.50 Rhiannon Giddens Whelans 8pm, €23 Friday 31 July Legend – Bob Marley Experience The Opium Rooms 7pm, €15 Aesthetic Perfection Voodoo Lounge 7.30pm, €22.50 The Pretty Things Peepshow Whelans 8pm, €15/12 Saturday 1 August Sal Vitro Whelans 8pm, €12/8
Sensorium All Day Party Saturday 4 July | The Tivoli | 2pm | €17.50 (early bird) – €28 (late bird) ‘It’s going to be a big party – and its Independence Day too, which is quite relevant,’ says Block T Programme Director Grace McEvoy of their fifth birthday party, which is serving as a city micro festival full of art, music, food and good times. ‘We’ve worked with some old and some new collaborators on the line-up: Archetype, Bedlam, Nialler9 and Ensemble Music. We’ve booked the whole Tivoli venue, so there’s the Tivoli stage upstairs, the District 8 venue downstairs and the carpark as well, with DJs and food and installations outside and over 20 acts on stages.’ Among the big draws will no doubt be Lasertom & The Blast Crew, I Am The Cosmos and RiZa – featuring the exceptional Congolese guitarist and Donal Dineen collaborator Niwel Tsumbu. Meanwhile there’ll be new light shows from Slipdraft and installations from Glow Depot and Dave Clarke’s Glowhole which you may have fallen into at Body&Soul!
Summer On The Canal For event listings & venue rental visit www.bellobardublin.com
Live Music at Portobello Harbour
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Town
Rathmines
JAZZ SUNDAY Jazz Brunch Kilkenny Rest. Kilkenny Shop, Nassau St. D2 11am, Free Jazz Brunch Hugo’s, Merrion Row, D2 1.15pm, Free Stella Bass Qrt. Cafe en Seine, Dawson St. D2 2pm, Free Jazz Session JJ Smyths, Aungier St. D2 July 5 Louis Stewart Qrt. July 12 Julien Colarossi Qrt. July 26 Richie Buckley Quintet 4.30pm, €10 Jazz & Tapas Zaragoza, South William St. D2 July 5 Filipa Quintino July 12 Aleka July 19 Liza Nelson July 26 Tania Notaro 6pm, Free Stella Bass Quintet Searsons, Upper Baggot St. 6pm, Free MONDAY Hot House Big Band Mercantile, Dame St. 8.45pm, €5 Essential Big Band Grainger’s, Malahide Rd. 9.30pm, €5 TUESDAY Jazz/Swing Night Twisted Pepper, Mid Abbey St. 7pm, €10 Phoenix Big Band Tara Towers Hotel, D4 9pm, Free Tom Harte Quintet
CLASSICAL Leeson Lounge, Upr Leeson St. 9pm, Free Jazz Session International Bar, Wicklow St. 9.30pm, €5 WEDNESDAY Jazz Session (1st Weds of the Month) The House, 4 Main St. Howth, Co.Dublin 7.30pm, Free THURSDAY Jazz Session JJ Smyths, Aungier St. D2 July 2 Gotcha... July 9 Jaime Nanci & The Blueboys July 16 ORGANICS July 23 Par Trois July 30 Cormac Kenevey 8.30pm, €10 Jazz Session International Bar, Wicklow St. 9.30pm, €5 FRIDAY Jazz/Swing Band Mint Bar, Westin Hotel 10pm, Free SATURDAY Jazz Supper Club The Workshop Bar, 10 Georges quay, D2 8.30pm, Bookings 087 2878755 Jazz Session The Fitzwilliam Hotel, St. Stephen’s Green, D2 9pm, Free ONE OFF Wednesday 1 July Bill Laurance Project Sugar Club, Lwr. Leeson St.
7.30pm, €17.50 Thomas Gansch (Dublin Brass Week) SOLD OUT ! JJ Smyths, Aungier St. D2 9pm, €20 Friday 3 July Taylor McFerrin & Marcus Gilmore Sugar Club, Lwr. Leeson St. 10.30pm, €15 Sunday 5 July Louis Stewart Qrt. JJ Smyths, Aungier St. D2 4.30pm, €10 Wednesday 8 July Palfest Jazz JJ Smyths, Aungier St. D2 8.30pm, €10 Tuesday 14 July Jeanette Byrne - No Regrets Music of Edith Piaf Sugar Club, Lwr. Leeson St. 7.30pm, €20 Friday 17 July Listen at Wellington The Wellington, Baggot St. Bridge, D4 7pm, €10/€5 www.listen.ie Wednesday 22 July Emilie Conway Qrt. feat. Marcos Varela (NYC) JJ Smyths, Aungier St. D2 8.30pm, €10
Wednesday 1 July Anne O’Byrne and Friends NCH, Main Auditorium 8pm, from €18 Thursday 2 July ESB Live 2015: Ladysmith Black Mambazo NCH, Main Auditorium 8pm, from €45 Friday 3 July From Broadway to Hollywood NCH, John Field room 1.05pm, €16 RTÉ NSO: Summer Evening Series NCH, Main Auditorium 8pm, from €12 Saturday 4 July GuitaRIAM NCH, John Field room 1.05pm, €15 Fiesta Mexicana NCH, Main Auditorium 8pm, from €10 Monday 6 July Creative Music Making for Primary Schools NCH, Room 103 10am, €80 Summer Piano Master Classes NCH, Kevin Barry Room 10.30pm, €5 Musical Play: Teacher Training for Early Year Music NCH, Room 103 3pm, €70 Tuesday 7 July Summer Piano Master Classes NCH, Kevin Barry Room 10.30am, €5 RTÉ NSO: Summer Lunchtime Series NCH, Main Auditorium
1.05pm, €12 Wednesday 8 July Eamon Keane in Concert NCH, John Field Room 8pm, €20 Thursday 9 July The High Kings NCH, Main Auditorium 8pm, from €18 Friday 10 July More Good Old Days of the Theatre Royal NCH, John Field Room 1.05pm, €16 RTÉ NSO: Summer Evening Series NCH, Main Auditorium 8pm, from €10 Saturday 11 July Mary Chapin Carpenter NCH, Main Auditorium 8pm, from €25 Sunday 12 July National Youth Orchestra of Ireland Summer Proms NCH, Main Auditorium 3pm, €15 Monday 13 July Songschool NCH, Kevin Barry Room 10am, €150 Thursday 16 July 17th and 18th Century Bel Canto Royal Irish Academy of Music Katherine Brennan Hall 8pm, €25 Friday 17 July From Havana to Buenos Aires NCH, John Field Room 1.05pm, €15 Art of the Song: Carole King’s Tapestry NCH, Main Auditorium
The Beatyard Festival Saturday 1 August & Sunday 2 August | Dun Laoghaire Harbour | 2pm, from €39-59 (day) / €65-95 (weekend) The little festival that could is back with a new format and a new venue out in Dún Laoghaire Harbour. The Saturday features funk legends Sister Sledge, Glasgow’s Optimo DJs and Norwegian buzz-merchant Lindstrøm, while Sundays is more distinctly chill with Four Tet and reggae hero Barrington Levy topping the bill. Beyond that, there’s opportunities to chow down on some tasty grub at The Eatyard before sipping on a cocktail (or two) in Tipple Town, all while listening to some stellar grooves with the beautiful harbour as a backdrop.
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8pm, €25 Sunday 19 July An Evening with Emmylou Harris and Rodney Crowell NCH, Main Auditorium 8pm, from €45 Monday 20 July Junior Songschool NCH, Kevin Barry Room 10am, €112.50 Tuesday 21 July RTÉ NSO: Summer Lunchtime Series NCH, Main Auditorium 1.05pm, from €12 Friday 24 July Kevin Fitzpatrick – Chopin Valses (Complete) NCH, John Field Room 1.05pm, €18 Movie Classics NCH, Main Auditorium 8pm, from €13.50 Saturday 25 July The Nina in Me NCH, Main Auditorium 8pm, €20 Monday 27 July HJ Lim, Piano NCH, John Field Room 8pm, €20 Wednesday 29 July Renowned Computer Bill Whelan Seminar NCH, John Field Room 1.05pm, €15 Friday 31 July RTÉ Concert Orchestra Signature Series: Bryn Terfel NCH, Main Auditorium 8pm, €39.50
COMEDY
Longitude Friday 17 – Sunday 19 July | Marlay Park 1.30pm, €59.50 (day) / €149.50 (weekend) The festival where you don’t have to do any of the mucky stuff, Longitude, is now a firmly established as a middle of the summer staging post of large and mid-sized international acts, (and Hozier.) Along with Wicklow’s finest, the other headliners are The Chemical Brothers and Alt-J, but the best stuff is all lower down the card. On Friday hot ticket Young Fathers line-up with laser-synth guru Todd Terje to have the revellers pew-pewing like mad scones to Inspector Norse; on Saturday Dan Snaith appears as both Daphni and Caribou while on Sunday James Blake and Wild Beasts will be doing their respective white-soul things before the Chemical Bros.
KAILY
Wicked Wolf Comedy Night Wicked Wolf, Blackrock 8pm, €5 Every second Tuesday The Comedy Improv The International 9pm, €5 Every Monday Talk Talk Panel Show The International 9pm, €5 Every Tuesday The Comedy Cellar The International 9pm, €8 Every Wednesday International Comedy Club The International 8.30pm, €10 Thursdays, Fridays & Sundays 7.30pm & 10.15pm, €10 each Each Saturday Battle of the Axe The Ha’penny Bridge Inn 8pm, €5 with flyer Capital Comedy Club Chaplins Tuesdays, Thursdays, Fridays & Saturdays Doors 8.15pm €10 (students €5 Thursdays), €3 Tuesdays The Comedy Crunch The Stag’s Head 7pm, free event Each Sunday & Monday Alan Carr Anseo Comedy Club Anseo 9pm, Pay what you want Every Wednesday Wicked Wolf Comedy Night Wicked Wolf, Blackrock 8pm, €5 Every second Tuesday The Comedy Improv The International 9pm, €5 Every Monday Talk Talk Panel Show The International 9pm, €5 Every Wednesday The Comedy Cellar The International 9pm, €8 Every Wednesday International Comedy Club The International 8.30pm, €10 Tuesdays, Fridays & Sundays 7.30pm & 10.15pm, €10 each Each Saturday Battle of the Axe The Ha’penny Bridge 8pm, €5 with flyer Tuesdays or Thursdays Capital Comedy Club Chaplins Tuesdays, Thursdays, Fridays & Saturdays Doors 8.15 pm €10 (students €5 Thursdays), €3 Tuesdays The Comedy Crunch The Stag’s Head 7pm, free event Each Sunday & Monday ONE OFFS Colum McDonnell plus Guests The Laughter Lounge 7pm, €26 Thursday 9 – Saturday 11 July John Colleary, Edwin Sammon, Colum McDonnell, MC Simon
O’Keefe Chaplins Bar 9pm, €10 Friday 10 – Saturday 11 July Paul Tylak, Marcus O’Laoire, Aidan Greene, MC Simon O’Keefe Chaplins Bar 9pm, €10 Friday 17 – Saturday 18 July Showstoppers 2015 The Laughter Lounge 7pm, €26 Thursday 16 – Saturday 18 July Tom Allen plus Guests The Laughter Lounge 7pm, €26 Thursday 23 – Saturday 25 July Gearoid Farrelly, Chris Kent, MC Simon O’Keefe, Plus Guests Chaplins Bar 9pm, €10 Friday 3 – Saturday 4 July
FESTIVALS
PhotoIreland Ireland’s first international festival of photography and image culture, it brings together a wide range of Irish artists, galleries and cultural institutions. Other than workshops, the event features the exciting project ‘Greetings from Ireland Worldwide’, where Irish people submit pictures of what Ireland is to them, no matter where they are. Find out more at photoireland.org 1 – 31 July Guitar Festival of Ireland (GuitaRIAM) The popular festival will be opening this year with a bit of a change of pace; Guitarists Gareth Pearson and Shane Hennessy will be playing a joint gig which will show off their talent as well as showcasing their sound, which is everything from funk and jazz to rhythm and blues. After forming in 2011, they have been trying to make their mark as a fresh, forward thinking band. Find out more at www.gfi.ie 3 – 6 July Longitude Featuring the chart-topping Hozier, along with acts such as Alt-J and The Chemical Brothers, this new festival will be jam-packed full of indie, rock and electronic bands. Buy tickets at www.longitude.ie 17 – 19 July Vodafone Comedy Festival This feel-good festival will have you doubled over with an impressive line-up of over 80 comedians. Acts including Jason Byrne and Tommy Tiernan will perform in five fully seated indoor venues around The Iveagh Gardens in the heart of Dublin. Check out www.vodafonecomedy. com 23 – 26 July Festival of Curiosity Enjoy a weekend of science, culture and curiosity at one of Europe’s most unique festivals. From the free daytime family activities to exciting and curated nights, expect an itinerary full of surprises and curiosity. www.festivalofcuriosity.ie 23 – 26 July Laya Healthcare’s City Spectacular Celebrating its 10th year, the festival is going to be a bigger and better event to mark the milestone as it sets its sights for Merrion Square. Featur-
ing 34 time Guinness world-record holder and sword-swallower, The Space Cowboy; female contortionist Bendy Em and metal bar-bending strong woman Mama Lou, this free event will delight all ages. www.cityspectacular.com 11 – 27 July Fourth of July Festival Try things the American way for a day with the fantastic 4th July Festival. It’s a day of all things U.S.A with a flag football tournament kicking off at 11am, along with cheerleaders and a Tailgate Food Village packed with stateside foods. www.eventbrite.ie 4 July Marlay Park It wouldn’t be an Irish summer without spending the weekend at Marlay Park, rain or shine. With a lineup including smooth crooner Paolo Nutini, Irish rockabilly Imelda May and Alabama Shakes, the festival is set to be a real crowd pleaser. www.ticketmaster.ie 3 – 4 July Jameson Movies on the Square Kicking off at the start of July with Irish classic ‘The Commitments’, the popular festival returns offering more free films in Temple Bar every night until the end of August. Dubliners can enjoy a medley of funny films on the big screen in the beautiful open-air setting of Meeting House Square. www.dublinks.com 4 July – 22 August
POKER
Fitzwilliam Casino & Card Club Monday 8:30pm: €75 + €5 No Limit Freezeout. Tuesday 8:30pm: €50 + €5 No Limit Double Chance Freezeout. Wednesday 8:30pm: €20 + €5 Hold’em Multirebuy. 7:30pm: Satellite Tournament. Thursday 8pm: €45 + €5 + €10 Scalp No Limit Freezeout. 9:30pm: €30 + €5 Pot Limit Omaha Triple Chance. Thursday End of Month €250 + €20 Freezeout. Friday 8:30pm: €70 + €5 No Limit, Double Chance. Saturday 8pm: €100 + €10 Deepstack No Limit Freezeout. 9pm: €20 + €5 No Limit Freezeout. Sunday 8:30pm: €50 + €5 No Limit Freezeout. www.fitzwilliamcardclub.com
KIDS Colour! The Ark, Temple Bar Wed 15 July - Thurs 23 August 10.30am, 12pm, 2pm, 3.30pm, €9/12 Family Workshop: DIY Instruments The Ark, Temple Bar Saturday 18 July 11am, €11/8 Early Years Workshop: The Colours of Stories The Ark, Temple Bar Tuesdays 14, 21 & 28 July 10.15am & 11.45am, €11/8
CLUBBING Mondays Soul, Funk and Disco with Upbeat Generation Industry Club and Venue, 11.30pm Sound Mondays Turk’s Head, Parliament St Indie rock, garage and post-punk 11pm, free Dice Sessions Dice Bar, Smithfield DJ Alley King Kong Club The Village, Wexford St, 9pm, free The Industry Night Break For The Border, Stephens Street Pool competition, karaoke and DJ DJ Ken Halfod Buskers, Temple Bar Chart pop, indie rock, rock, 10pm Lounge Lizards Solas Bar, Wexford St Soul music, 8pm, free Thank God It’s Monday Ri Ra, Georges St Electro, indie and big beat 11pm, free Simon S Fitzsimons, Temple Bar 11pm, €5 Floor fillers Language Exchange Ireland DTwo, 6.30pm Like speed-dating, but for learning languages Tuesday We Love Tuesday Ri Ra, Georges St Martin McCann’s eclecticism 11pm, free C U Next Tuesday Indie, pop, hip hop hipsterdom Lost Society, Sth William St, 11pm, €6 Ronan M Fitzsimons, Temple Bar 11pm, €5 Lost Tuesdays Deep House The Pint, Free Admission, 8pm Wednesday FUSED! Ri Ra, Georges St 80s and electro, 11pm, free Fubar! The Globe, Georges St 11pm, free Dirty Disco Dtwo, Harcourt St Chart pop Wednesdays at Dandelion Dandelion, Stephen’s Green Student night Moonstompin’ Grand Social, Liffey St Ska and reggae 8pm, free Bruce Willis Lost Society, Sth William St 10.30pm, €10 Dance music for students Somewhere? Workman’s, Wellington Quay Free before 11 Indie and dance Simon S Fitzsimons, 11pm, €5 Thursday Decades Club M, Bloom’s Hotel, Temple Bar FM 104’s Adrian Kennedy plays classics Free before midnight LITTLE big Party Ri Ra, Georges St
Soul, indie and rock ‘n’ roll 11pm, free Mischief Break For The Border, Stephen St 11pm, €8 After Work Baggot Inn, Baggot St Quiz night with band and DJ from 11pm, 8pm, free Take Back Thursdays Industry Bar and Venue, Temple Bar 10pm Blasphemy The Village, Wexford St, 11pm Get Loose, Get Loose Mercantile, Dame St Indie, Britpop and alternative 10.30pm Push Workman’s, Wellington Quay Soul, funk, disco and house Phantom Anthems Workman’s, Wellington Quay Rock, indie rock, other rock Weed and Seven Deadly Skins Turks Head, Parliament St 11pm, free, Live reggae Loaded Grand Social, Liffey St 8pm, free Indie and alternative Zebra Whelan’s, 11pm, Free Bands and DJs show their stripes Poison: Rock, Metal, Mosh & Beer Pong The Hub, €4/7, 10.30pm Flashed Techno / House / Hiphop / Reggae / RnB €5, 10pm Friday My House Buck’s Townhouse, Leeson St With special guests Ladies Night Baggot Inn, Baggot St Cocktail masterclasses from 7 7pm, free Club M Friday Club M, Bloom’s Hotel, Temple Bar DJ Dexy on the decks We Love Fridays Dandelion, Stephen’s Green DJ Robbie Dunbar Friday Night At Vanilla Vanilla Nightclub, D4 Chart-topping hits, 11pm Car Wash Sin, Temple Bar Retro disco 9pm, free before 11 Friday @ Alchemy Alchemy Nightclub, Temple Bar Chart floor-fillers, 11pm Living Room Lost Society, Sth William St Moves from 7, music from 10 7pm, free WV Fridays Wright Venue, Swords €10, 11pm Irish DJs Resident DJ Café en Seine, Dawson St, 11pm, free War Andrew’s Lane, 10pm, €8 Pop for students and hipsters Darren C Fitzsimons, 11pm, €10 Chart hits Babalonia Little Green Café
Samba, reggae and mestizo, 9pm, free Saturday Simple Sublime Saturdays Club M, Bloom’s Hotel, Temple Bar Chart pop, dance and r’n’b Free before 11.30 Saturday @ Alchemy Alchemy Nightclub, Temple Bar Chart floor-fillers 11pm Dandelion Saturdays Dandelion, Stephen’s Green Two floors of summer sound Space: The Vinyl Frontier Ri Ra, George’s St Intergalactic funk, electro and indie 11pm, free Saturday Night SKKY Buck’s Townhouse, Leeson St Signature night Indietronic Grand Social, Liffey St Electro and indie, 8pm, free Propaganda The Academy, 11pm, €10 New and classic indie Saturday Night at Vanilla Vanilla Nightclub, D4, 11pm Andy Preston’s latest pop and rock Sports Saturday Baggot Inn, Baggot St Sports from 3pm, DJ til late, 3pm, free Sugar Club Saturdays Sugar Club, Leeson St, 11pm Hidden Agenda Button Factory, Temple Bar, 11pm International techno and house Djs The Best Suite 4 Dame Lane Suck My Deck The Village, Georges St, 11pm High Voltage Foggy Dew, Temple Bar, 10pm Bounce Sin, Temple Bar R’n’b and chart, 9pm, €10 Gossip Andrew’s Lane Indie, electro and pop, 11pm Workman’s Indie Residents Workman’s, Wellington Quay New and classic indie, 11pm, free BW Rocks Wright Venue Over 21s, neat dress, €10, 11pm A Jam Named Saturday Anseo, Camden St Lex Woo and friends, 7pm, free Reggae Hits the Pint Reggae, ska, Rocksteady The Pint, Free, 9pm The 33 Club Thomas House Last Saturday of each month, authentic ‘Harlem’ funk and soul night 9pm, free Sunday The Burning Effigies Turks Head, Parliament St Real funk and soul Sundays at Sin Sin, Temple Bar Tribal and electro house 9pm, €10 Well Enough Alone Dice Bar, Smithfield Bluegrass The Beat Suite 4 Dame Lane Indie, electro and pop 10pm, free Mass with Sister Lisa Marie Workman’s, Wellington Quay
SUMMER 2015
www.buttonfactory.ie www.sense-live-music.com
80s classics and hip hop, 10pm, free Saucy Sundays Grand Social, Liffey St Live music, 4.30pm, free Reggae, Ska, Rocksteady Foggy Dew, Temple Bar, 7.30pm, free Darren C Fitzsimons, 11pm, €5 Saturday @ Alchemy Alchemy Nightclub, Temple Bar Chart floor-fillers, 11pm ONE-OFFS Friday 3 July Abstract X Subject: Magic Mountain High (Live) Opium Rooms 11pm, €10 Official Dublin Outlook Festival Launch Party ‘15 with Commodo The Twisted Pepper 11pm, €12/10 Saturday 4 July Danny Daze Opium Rooms 11pm, €10 Sense - Agents Of Time - Live Button Factory 11pm, €10 Pogo: Bodytonic present X-Press 2 The Twisted Pepper 10.30pm, €14/12 Thu 9 July Pyg presents A Chic Afterparty with Nicky Siano Pygmalion 9pm, €10 Friday 10 July Daft Funk - The One More Time Tour Button Factory 11pm, €8/12/15 Saturday 11 July Sense - Joran Van Pol Button Factory 11pm, €8/10 Pyg presents Ewan Pearson Pygmalion 9pm, €5/10 Saturday 18 July Lauren Lane Opium Rooms 11pm, €10 Sense - Bodhi Button Factory 11pm, €8/10 The Building Society presents: Ejeca & Chambray Hangar 10.30pm, €15/18 Thursday 23 July Scavenger with Scratcha DVA & Lee Bannon The Twisted Pepper 8pm, €5/8/10 Friday 24 July Josh Wink Opium Rooms 11pm, €10 White Noise 500 with Dave Clarke, Marcel Fengler & Sunil Sharpe The Academy 11pm, €18 Saturday 25 July Sense - Third Son & Several Definitions Button Factory 11pm, €5/10 Squid Inc. Pres Soft Rocks Tengu Bar - Yamamori Sushi 10pm, €8/10
Sunday 26 July Pyg Sundays presents Secretsundaze Pygmalion 9pm, €5/10 Friday 31 July Martinez Opium Rooms 11pm, €10 Saturday 1 August Pogo: Beatyard present Mr. Saturday Night & Optimo The Twisted Pepper 10.30pm, €15/13 Sunday 2 August Pyg & Powerscourt presents Claptone & Special Guests Pygmalion 9.30pm, €15/20
Friday 7 August Pyg presents Nightmares On Wax [DJ set] Pygmalion 10pm, €5/10 MUD: Funkadelic present LTJ Bukem The Twisted Pepper 10.30pm, €15/13 Saturday 8 August Pogo:Benefit presents Alexander Nut & 60 Miles The Twisted Pepper 10.30pm, €15/13 Sense with Mak & Pasteman Button Factory 11pm, €5/10
Nicky Siano Chic Afterparty Thursday 9 July | Pygmalion | 9pm, €10 Devonté Hynes @devhynes May 31 Manhattan, NY Nicky Siano just changed my life Devonté Hynes @devhynes May 31 Manhattan, NY I’ve waited years to see him You don’t know what life is until you’ve heard a live on the boards 20 minute mix of “Kiss Me Again” from the man himself
July 4th - Dan Stritch & Friends July 11th - Joran Van Pol [Minus] July 18th - Bodhi July 25th - Third Son & Several Definitions August 8th - Mak & Pasteman August 15th - Eli & Fur August 22nd - SPECIAL GUEST August 29th - A Guy Called Gerald September 12th - Alex.Do [4hr Set]
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THEATRE Abbey Theatre The Shadow of a Gunman Director Wayne Jordan returns to the plays of Sean O’Casey with a fresh and vibrant production of The Shadow of a Gunman. Until 1 August, €13 - 45, 7.30pm (matinees Wed & Sat 2pm) Gaiety Theatre Riverdance 20 Returns The 20th anniversary of Riverdance, the show full of dancing and music based on Irish traditional styles. Tuesday 23 June - Sunday 30 August 7.30pm, €20 - 50 Gate Theatre A Month in the Country Brian Friel’s version of Ivan Turgenev’s tale of the cruel inequality of love, that mingles tragedy and comedy, laughter and tears. Previews Thursday 2 July, opens Tuesday 7 July 7.30pm, €25 Bord Gáis Energy Theatre The Producers This Broadway classic is a riotous mix of eccentric characters and show stopping songs. Monday 6 July – Saturday 11 July 7.30pm (matinees at 2.30pm) €30 – 55 The Bodyguard An unexpected bond forms between a body guard and the superstar he is hired to protect in this award winning musical based on the popular film. Thursday 23 July – Saturday 1 August, €20 – 60 Mamma Mia A smash hit musical based on the best-selling songs of ABBA. Tuesday 23 June – Saturday 4 July, 7.30pm (matinees 2.30pm) €35 – 55 Tony Christie Having recently celebrated 50 years in music, Tony Christie revisits some of his biggest hits including ‘Is This The Way to Amarillo’ and ‘Avenues and Alleyways’. Friday 17 July 7.30pm, from €39.50 Mill Theatre Dundrum Guests of a Nation Based on Frank O’Connor’s short story of the same name, the show is about O’Connor’s experiences as a member of the IRA during the Troubles and an unlikely friendship between two British soldiers and their IRA captors. Friday 3 – Saturday 4 July 8.15pm, €10/12 Assad Duo Sérgio and Odair Assad are known for their innovation and expression while playing the guitar. This July marks their Irish debut. Sunday 5 July 6.30pm, €24 Foil, Arms and Hog The show is a mix of theatre and comedy with unpredictable scenes,
wicked characters and energetic performances. Monday 13 July 8.30pm, €7 Pavilion Theatre My Fair Ladies Acclaimed Irish actor, Des Keogh, plays legendary Irish man of letters, George Bernard Shaw. Wednesday 1 – Saturday 4 July 8pm, €18/20 axis: Balymun Aunty Stuffy’s Big Summer Blowout A strictly 18+ show where you can join Stuffy and her amazing cast for a fun filled night of song, comedy, dance and crazy antics. Friday 10 July 8pm, €10/12 Aslan’s Christy Dignam and Joe Jewell: Some Songs and Stories An intimate acoustic show for one night only, this is a must-see for fans of the legendary Irish rock band, Aslan. Friday 24 July 8pm, €18/20 Civic Theatre Tallaght Thy Will Be Done Michael Carey’s hit is the story of two brothers, Jack and Peteen, who live side by side but haven’t spoken in 40 years. Funny and tragic in equal measures; a must-see. Friday 3 July – Saturday 4 July 8pm, from €16 Divas VS Rock Brought to you by the talented kids of Xquisite Dance, the show will take you through a battle between top hits from the legendary divas and legends of rock. Sunday 5 July 3pm & 7pm, €10 The Whistling Girl Featuring new musical settings of the great Dorothy Parker’s poetry, audiences can expect a darkly sardonic evening where the American’s wit comes to life. Friday 10 July 8pm, from €16 Mermaid Arts Centre The Casebook of Sherlock Holmes In this open-air theatre adaption, Sherlock Holmes has a mysterious new case where he and his trusty companion, Dr. Watson, join the search for the most elusive piece of treasure known to mankind. Saturday 4 July 7pm, €16 Sheevawn Musical Youth Theatre: Hairspray Through big songs with even bigger heart, Hairspray tells the story of Tracy Turnblad’s success in achieving her dream of dancing on the Corny Collins show, despite lots of prejudice and hardship along the way. Wednesday 22 - Saturday 25 July 8pm, €15
Not the Edinburgh Fringe… Al Porter and Eleanor Tiernan Check out some of Ireland’s best up and coming comedians before they head to Edinburgh. Al Porter’s flamboyant show has quickly built up his reputation as an entertainer, while Eleanor Tiernan promises serious laughs with her witty wordplay. Friday 31 July 8pm, €16 Camille O’Sullivan Intense, emotional and fierce, Camille O’Sullivan will be performing old favourites and new jams selected from the last 10 years of her enigmatic performances. Friday 10 – Saturday 11 July 8pm, €25 The New Theatre Risk Everything The Irish premiere of the thriller-cumdysfunctional-family drama. Monday 6 – Saturday 18 July 7.30pm, €15 Three Days Of Rain Following on from the critically acclaimed production of ‘Collected Stories’ last year, Company D brings you this Pulitzer Prize nominated play. Monday 20 – Saturday 25 July 7.30pm, from €12 Magpies on the Pylon This one-man play is written and performed by well-known actor and playwright Michael Collins. 27 July – 1 August 7.15pm, from €12 Olympia Theatre Once Set in Dublin, Once is the smash-hit, award-winning musical that captured hearts around the world with its touching love story and beautiful music. It’s a celebration of music, love and the city that inspired it. Tuesday 14 July – Saturday 22 August 8pm (matinee starts at 3pm), from €29.50
The Shadow of a Gunman Until 1 August | Abbey Theatre | 7.30pm (matinees Wed & Sat 2pm), €13-45 Sean O’Casey’s Shadow of a Gunman is about human endurance during the War of Independence while dealing with life, loyalty and love. Poet Donal Davoren struggles as he searches for peace in a busy, crowded Dublin tenement, while outside his countrymen engage in violent, guerrilla war. His neighbours are convinced he is a gunman on the run, and with the way Minnie Powell looks at him, he finds no qualms with playing along. However, once the city is placed under curfew, his fantasies and lies start to become uncomfortably real. Directed by Wayne Jordan (The Plough and the Stars) and starring Mark O’Halloran, Amy McCallister and David Ganly, this production shows with a fresh and vibrant approach just what danger there can be in being the shadow of a gunman.
ART Cross Gallery 59 Francis Street, D8 Cross Collection June 6 – August 29 Draoicht Gallery The Blanchardstown Centre, Blanchardstown, D15 Sally-Anne Kelly, Upon Becoming Aware of our Self Sally-Anne’s work is based around the various projections of the self that are presented by a subject and how this can be reflected in the different faces and lives of a site or location. She is interested in exploring the trace people leave behind them in a space and what story this can tell. Her work is an exploration into the discarding of identity, the instability and interchangeability of the self and the curated subject; the different versions of a person that they choose to share with different people in different platforms or situations. Through several methods of mold making, casting and making copies of the subject she creates objects that are based on the subject themselves in a variety of different materials. A copy of a copy, or a version of a version, something that is made from the original, but in the process of making becomes forever altered. May 8 – July 11 Helen MacMahon, Profero The work in Profero is the result of a fascination with the phenomena of light, movement, perception and space. They are the result of observation and they function to reveal the artificial ecosystem that exists between the viewer and these intangible elements. They co-exist in a state of continual flux, changes occurring in one facet having a perceptible impact on the others. The pieces are experimental in nature and this exploratory process is as important as the finished piece. May 8 – July 11 Marc Guinan Guinan’s physical exploitation of paint forces the viewer to reconsider the difference between paint and illustration. His work directly questions the space in which his paintings are shown,
whilst unlocking the possibilities concerning the materiality of paint. July 23 – October 3 Douglas Hyde Gallery Nassau Street, D2 Sam Keogh Crucial to Sam Keogh’s new installation is The Croghan Man, one of a number of 2,000 year old ‘bog bodies’ unearthed from Irish wetlands in recent years. A photograph of the flattened figure is reproduced at a large scale on the Gallery floor. The folds of leathery skin are lifted and propped open by sculptures, casts and found objects to reveal collages of a multitude of images. Abjection, preservation and the link between violence and representation are central themes in this exhibition. However, the permanence of an enduring artwork is contradicted by Keogh’s use of crude materials and demotic craftsmanship. May 22 – July 22 Wooden Ships This is an exhibition of small found objects. The fragments on display in this exhibition are old and modest in appearance, yet their origins span the world and its history. They include shards of painted wood from a Chinese warrior’s ancient tomb, a mediaeval pilgrim’s badge, a 17th century leather sole from a child’s shoe, and a Tibetan thokcha amulet that is thought to be made from the remnants of a meteorite. May 22 – July 22 Dublin City Gallery, The Hugh lane Parnell Square, D1 Declan Clarke, Wreckage in May Artist and filmmaker Declan Clarke will present an installation consiting of a trilogy of films produced between 2013 and 2015. The three films reflect upon the impact of industrialisation and modernism in Europe. April 30 – September 13 Gormley’s Fine Art South Frederick Street, D2 John Hearne, Laura Cronin, Dublin – Dawn to Dusk June 25 – July 18 Green on Red Gallery Park Lane, Spencer Dock, D1
Caroline McCarthy, Useless Deliberately working from source material that has a functional value, McCarthy detaches it from that function, and reconstitutes it within a discourse emerging from an engagement with art practice, one in which the problems of representation, illusion, abstraction and transformation play a central role. June 18 – August 8 Irish Museum of Modern Art Military Road, D8 Etel Adnan Adnan is an extraordinary creative voice and force of artistic renown. She moves freely between writing and art, poetry and tapestry and all aspects of her creative output will be reflected in the exhibition. Adnan was born in 1925 in Beruit and has been one of the leading voices in contemporary Arab American literature since the 1960s. A selection of Adnan’s enigmatic and colourful oil paintings will showcase her use of rapid, thick stokes representing the landscapes of California and the Mediterranean Sea. These works will appear alongside a series of delicate leperellos where the transcribes of poems are recorded on unfolding urban landscapes, fusing Adnan’s parallel practice as artist and writer. The exhibition will also include a black and white film, poetry and the recordings of the artist reading from some of her most recent published poems and writings. June 5 – September 20 Gerda Frömel, A Retrospective This exhibition will be the first contemporary retrospective of Gerda Frömel, an artist who was born in Czechoslovakia in 1931 as the daughter of German parents but who moved to Ireland in 1956. An incredibly well regarded artist during her lifetime, her work is no longer well known and has not been on exhibition since a 1976 retrospective at the Hugh Lane Municipal Gallery of Modern Art, Dublin the year after her untimely death. This exhibition seeks to bring new work to light and to reinstate Frömel as a modern Irish master. April 10 – July 5 Diogo Pimentão
Sean Scully, Home Kerlin Gallery | South Anne Street, D2 This exhibition comprises of major new paintings and pastels from Sean Scully’s recent ‘Landline’ series. The Landline series makes reference to the edge of land. Scully has removed almost all vertical forms from the works to create, in his own words, ‘a side-to-side motion’. The horizontal band becomes the central motif, mirroring land as it meets sea and air – but far from serene, the works capture movement and energy, showing an increased freedom of brushstroke. Scully’s loose horizontal bands mimic the repetitive yet wholly unpredictable rhythm of the sea, embracing its overlap, irregularity and discontinuousness. June 25 – August 29
This will be the first Irish solo exhibition of Portuguese artist Diogo Pimentão. Timed to coincide with Gerda Frömel, Diogo’s practice seeks to open the horizon of the drawing and its conventions to other dimensions, other processes and other tools. April 10 – July 5 IMMA Collection: Fragments This exhibition borrows its title from Philosopher Walter Benjamin’s comparison of the work of translation to re-assembling fragments of a broken vase – the individual fragments must come together, but need not be like each other. This could also be taken as an allegory for exhibition making, or collecting. April 24 – July 26 Karla Black Karla Black is regarded as one of the pioneering contemporary artists of her generation. Experimenting with ways to float material, form and colour at eye level remains a constant preoccupation in Black’s work. This preoccupation will form a key thread in the exhibition at IMMA, which will present Black’s extraordinary creative output through a series of new works tailored for the spaces here, revealing the artist’s free, experimental way of working combined with a careful aesthetic judgement. May 1 – July 26 Kerlin Gallery South Anne Street, D2 Sean Scully, Home New paintings and pastels from Irish American painter. See highlight. June 25 – August 29 Mother’s Tankstation 41-43 Watling Street, D8 Noel McKenna May 27 – July 4 The National Gallery of Ireland Clare Street, D2 Sean Scully at the National Gallery of Ireland This exhibition at the National Gallery of Ireland charts the two decades, the 1980s and 1990s and shows paintings from that period with works, principally multi-part photographic sequences, made over the past decade. May 9 – September 20
Oliver Sears Gallery 29 Molesworth Street, D2 Amelia Stein, Precipice This work was made over recent months in Mayo focusing on a stretch of headland from Port a’Clóidh to An Rinn Rua, Erris Peninsula, North Mayo which comprises of a complex diversity of rock formations and geology. July 3 – July 31 Project Arts Centre East Essex Street, Temple Bar, D2 Riddle of the Burial Grounds Lara Almarcegui, Rossella Biscotti, Simon Boudvin, Matthew Buckingham, Mariana Castillo Deball, Dorothy Cross,Regina de Miguel , Harun Farocki , Peter Galison & Robb Moss, Stéphane Béna Hanly, Tracy Hanna, Mikhail Karikis & Uriel Orlow, Nicholas Mangan, Tejal Shah. This exhibition puzzles over signs, forms and communication, to grapple with one of the most profound interests inherent to contemporary art – the meaning and language of forms. June 11 – August 1 The Royal Hibernian Academy Ely Place, D2 185th Annual Exhibition The RHA Annual exhibition, now in its 185th year, is the most ambitious public event in the Academy’s calendar. Ireland’s largest open submission exhibition includes painting, sculpture, print, photography, drawing and architectural models and it brings together the works of RHA members, invited artists and artists selected from open submission. May 25 – August 8 Rua Red South Dublin Arts Centre, Tallaght, Dublin 24 Marie Farrington, In Good Faith They Waited for Gravity Marie Farrington’s sculptures trace the intimate intersections between history, knowledge and the act of making through an exploration of the subtle forces and entropies contained within materials. In good faith they waited for gravity presents a series of new works that act as delicate testing grounds within which ideas of convention and purpose may be considered, lending
agency to invisible forces and revealing the tiny occurrences that unfold within the life of each object. While reflecting on the traditional subject matter of art history, the works included in the exhibition consider how materials may become imbued with value and meaning through time spent in contact with human processes. Each sculpture acts in conversation with the historical trajectories that have birthed it, drifting between its current, provisional form and the future existence it relentlessly suggests. June 19 – July 18 Maggie Madden, Field In Maggie Madden’s work, a diverse array of collected materials are crafted into fragile sculptural formations with geometric affinities. The work is suggestive of architectural structures, but also reflects on our spatial encounters in both the urban landscape and the natural world. The detailed constructions have the potential for endless expansion; to grow outward from densely ordered space and continue boundlessly. In some of the works there are open ended references to our networked world, communication and transport systems, the infrastructures of contemporary life in modern cities. June 19 – July 18 Temple Bar Gallery and Studios Temple Bar, D2 Celine Condorelli, Gavin Wade, Display Show Display Show exhibits a number of portable exhibition systems from reworkings of Frederick Kiesler’s display units of the 1920s and 40s, by Celine Condorelli and Gavin Wade, through to Yelena Popova’s customised flight case containing paintings with references to constructivism, Nazi theft and hoarding of artworks. Mobile walls, plinths and architectural modifications focus on the gestures and actions of friendship, support and politics within the processes of producing images, furniture, architecture and communities. July 3 – August 29
Georges ST Arcade
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George's Street Arcade is Europe and Ireland's oldest shopping centre and is located in the heart of Dublin city centre less than 5 minutes walk from Grafton Street and Temple Bar. In this enclosed Victorian market you can enjoy boutique shops and stalls ranging from trendy clothing, jewellery, funky music, collectable items, souvenirs and much more along with wonderful dining and food options. Come and savour this w o n d e r f u l a r c a d e wh i c h h as b e e n s e r v i n g D u bl i n s i n c e 1 8 8 1!
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f W o r Te in a a D e fr r o in w e ff n it e t *E e h gl h x r as is p ir M an e s co s a y Ju i A of rn ly n 3 C La H er 1 st o o 2 u u 0 r C 1 ar se 5 s e t * e
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11 Upr. Baggot Street
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www.bloombrasserie.ie 01 6687170
What you will find when you visit ... Bubblicity Bubble tea shop Little Macs Food stall Lolly & Cooks Gourmet food products & soaps Pieminister Pies Simon's Place Restaurant & Coffee Shop The Market Bar Pub & Restaurant
And a wide range of ... Clothes Accessories Jewellery Antiques & Collectibles Artists Florists Health Food Hairdessers Music Books Arts & Crafts Gifts Vintage W W W. G E O R G E S S T R E E TA R C A D E . C O M
• Open 7 days a week, all year round • Guided tours • Tutored tasting • Gift Shop • Restaurant GLASSES UP TO DRINKING RESPONSIBLY
Sign up to our VIP Club and receive: - Free Wine - 2 for 1 Lunch - Free Starters + Much More 11 Baggot St. Upper
01 6687170
Bury Quay, Tullamore, Co. Offaly, Ireland Tel: +353 (0) 57 93 25015 Email: info@tullamoredew.com www.tullamoredewvisitorcentre.com Visit
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BEST OF… JULY
BEST BAR WITH LIVE MUSIC
BEST PRE THEATRE
BEST TOUR OUTSIDE DUBLIN
Searsons of Baggot Street
101 Talbot
Tullamore D.E.W. Visitor Centre
This is not just a great pub to visit on match days. Every weekend there’s fantastic live music sessions with some of Dublin’s finest musicians! Saturday nights see a contemporary piano and vocal performance and on Sundays there’s LIVE Jazz (5.30pm) with Felim Gormely of the Commitments and the Zanzibar Quartet. What’s best about Searsons Sessions? Entertainment is on every weekend, they make delicious cocktails and it’s FREE! It’s also a good spot for a pint with friendly service and the food delivers like any great gastro pub – upscale quality Irish food mixed with a casual dining experience.
Rich in history and full of Dublin flavour, 101 Talbot is one of the cities longest standing restaurants . Now 25 years in business and located just minutes from The Abbey and The Gate Theatre, this well established and hugely popular restaurant has kept the theatre crowds and contributors well fed for many years with the pre theatre menu including 2-courses for €19.95. With an organic mix of seasonal produce changing regularly, it includes everything from fine meats and remarkable vegetarian options all served in a truly unique Dublin atmosphere.
Situated right in the heart of Ireland, there is an incredible experience that has been waiting for you since 1829.Take a trip to the beautifully restored home of Tullamore D.E.W. and immerse yourself in the history and magic that lies inside the walls of this 19th century bonded warehouse, where their whiskey making tradition began. Enjoy a guided tour which blends audiovisual and traditional storytelling and put your new knowledge to the test with your very own Tullamore D.E.W. personal tasting session. Glasses Up!
42-44 Upper Baggot Street, Dublin 4 01-6600330 | hello@searsonsbar.ie www.searsonsbar.ie @Searsons_Bar
101 Talbot Street, Dublin 1 www.101talbot.ie +353 (0)1 8745011
Bury Quay, Tullamore, Co. Offaly. 057 9325015 www.tullamoredewvisitorcentre.com
BEST SUMMER POP-UP
BEST YOGA
BEST BYOB
Green Beards Juicery
YOGALOFT
THE HIDEOUT
Balance the books between festivals and BBQs this summer with some delicious raw vegetable based cold-pressed juices. These are unquestionably the best green juices and smoothies in Dublin and packed full of flavour and goodness.Try out some spicy ginger based shots during your lunch that pack a kick and will keep your hangover at bay and energy levels up.
Introducing Yogaloft.ie, a shared yoga space in the heart of Temple Bar.The space offers a variety of styles and teachers in a warm space with a laid back atmosphere. Each teacher offers their own unique interpretation of how to embrace a sustainable practice on the mat.This modest space offers an oasis of calm in the heart of Dublin city centre
140 Baggot Street Lower, D2 t: 01-5588401 w: www.greenbeards.ie Twitter: @greenbeards
Yoga Loft Temple Bar 8 Cecilia Street, Temple Bar, Dublin 2 Email: keith@yogaloft.ie Phone: 0879534043
Dublin city centre has long been yearning for a chilled out spot where you can enjoy some casual beers without breaking the bank. Fortunately,The Hideout pool hall has stepped up to the plate. But don’t expect death metal, crooked cues or dodgy geezers trying to hustle you.The Hideout may be a pool hall by name, but with its bright decor and deep house vibe, it is not a traditional pool hall by nature. Alongside experiencing quality tables you can enjoy BYOB from €2.50 pp. Cues and cans it is then! 49 South William Street (01) 537 5767 thehideout.ie hello@thehideout.ie
BEST STORE
BEST MEAL IN TOWN
BEST THEATRE EVENT
TOLA VINTAGE
Mao, Chatham Row
THE NEW THEATRE - RISK EVERYTHING
Tola Vintage is not your typical vintage shop, it’s a lifestyle boutique filled with a selection of treats and one-offs from the U.S, Italy, UK & Amsterdam that are unavailable anywhere else in Ireland. Famed for their smart re-works and stylish twists on retro pieces, Tola Vintage was recently voted number one vintage store in Dublin by LovinDublin. Go and check out the new Summer collection now in store and online.
Treat your taste buds to delicious Asian food and sip up Low Calorie, Classic and Dessert Cocktails shaken to perfection while listening to funky tunes pumping by star DJ’s from Musicmaker Dublin. This is the scene you’ll find Friday and Saturday nights at Mao Chatham Row. Savour the flavour with mouth-watering curries, a shared platter, or a Mao classic for the full Thai experience. Then sip a CosMAOpolitan, Ginger Dragon or Toblerone to tame the flames! As an official Leinster Rugby food partner check out healthy dishes as chosen by Leinster Rugby’s nutritionist, just look for the little blue rugby balls on the menu. Call your besties, pick the perfect outfit, pack your selfie stick then drop in for a night you won’t forget. Mao, 2 Chatham Row, Dublin 2 01 670 4899
Risk Everything is a hilarious dark comedy that offers a refreshing perspective on family life. Mother, Carol, an incorrigible risk taker, is determined to outwit a homicidal thug out of a sizable sum of money. Her daughter Carol - who has had a very colourful past - is trying to get her life in order. Son-in-law RJ just loves nature programmes on TV and is really worried about Lyla the lioness, while new boyfriend Michael is lured into the scheme too, which places all of them in mortal danger.
10 Fownes St Upper, Temple Bar, Dublin 2 www.TolaVintage.com
BEST INTERNATIONAL BAR
BEST SUPERMARKET WINE SELECTION
GENERATOR
Fresh The Good Food Market
Great grub, drink specials and a packed events schedule combine with a captive audience of tourists to give one of the best international bars in the city. Located just off the Luas Redline in the exciting Smithfield District, this bar is a winner for those looking to practice “speaking foreign”. An ever-changing crowd guarantees a unique experience every time. Don’t miss out on the burger, rumoured to be among the best in the city.
Fresh The Good Food Market has long been established as one of the city’s finest quality food stores, and its in-store wine selection at The Wine Barrel is a standout example of just one of its many offerings beyond top quality food. With high-end sourcing of their produce and much loved food and wine pairings, The Wine Barrel has recently been noted by the Sunday Business Post as one of the top 5 supermarkets for high quality take-home wine. Fresh have newly renovated stores at Grand Canal Square, Smithfield, Camden Street and the IFSC, and The Wine Barrel can be found in all of these locations.
Smithfield Market Fair, Generator Hostel Dublin, Smithfield Square, Smithfield, Dublin 7
Grand Canal Square Smithfield Camden St Mayor St, IFSC
43 East Essex Street, Temple Bar, D2 Mon 6th – Sat 18th June 2015 7.30pm €10/12/15 www.thenewtheatre.com 01 670 3361