Totally Dublin 135 by Totally Dublin

DECEMBER 2015 / FREE / TOTALLYDUBLIN.IE

COSPLAY WITH ME Going undercover at Eirtakon

TOTALLY DUBLIN

#135

with FRONTLINE DEFENDERS CONOR WALSH EMMA MANLEY and GIRLS NAMES

There is a theory about Dublin’s unique dining and bar culture, basically, it states that the citizens socialize in the kind of places where they feel most at home. The bar/restaurant is a place to meet and entertain like-minded friends and perhaps meet new ones, to drink, to eat, to talk, to enjoy music and art, to simply relax. Centred in the heart of the city’s culture quarter, THE MEETING HOUSE is certainly that kind of place. It’s cosmopolitan but not at all exclusive. It’s undeniably hip but also rather laid-back. It’s staffed by a knowledgeable team who cannot be described as servers, rather facilitators; the kind of people who obviously love the job but you just know have other irons in various fires. Speaking of fires, the choice of Burmese Themed Hot Cuisine is a brave one, and it works. Their 999 menu is highly regarded as one of the city’s most exciting new menus. Fine dining cuisine served in a casual dining setting if you will. December is a month of innovation at The Meeting House Dublin, as they add new plates to their evening menu and their new 'Absolute Brunch' takes off. New plates now available on the evening menu include Blackened Cod, TMH Pork Dumplings, Mini Asian Tuna Burgers, Chicken

The Meeting House, Meeting House Square, Temple Bar, Dublin 2

Htamin Gyaw and Mussel Curry, with sides like the Asian Raw Chopped Salad. All dishes as always are €9.99.

Absolute Brunch has launched with a bang at The Meeting House. The new menu will include brunch classics with a twist, such as Glazed Pork Belly served with Soft Poached Duck Eggs, topped with Burmese Infused Smoked Hollandaise Sauce, resting on Toasted Coconut Buns. TMH Bao Buns will no doubt be a menu favourite, with fillings such as Aromatic Smoked Brisket of Beef, and not forgetting our Veggie friends, Tofu, Asparagus and Wild Mushrooms. There will also be lighter options such as exotic fresh fruit salad, layered with infused coconut milk and freshly squeezed, exotic juices. This new menu will include mouth watering new cocktails like ‘The Absolut Mary’ and “The Bacon & Egg Martini”.

Absolute Brunch will be available every Saturday & Sunday, noon until 5pm. Plates come at at either €6.66 or €9.99

( as always with menu’s at The Meeting House) and are designed for sharing with your friends.

For more information about the new evening and brunch menus, go to, www.facebook.com/meetinghousedublin or www.twitter.com/meetinghousedub

Open Monday-Friday, 5pm till late Saturday & Sunday, 12pm till late

For Bookings call: 01 670 3330 www.themeetinghousedublin.com

Totally Dublin

60 Merrion Square Dublin 2 (01) 687 0695

issue 135 on y va! ‘It is not war and death and famine. It is the opposite of that. It’s to persuade us there’s a world outside of that. That’s why sport’s important.’ The wise words of Michael Parkinson, familiar no doubt to regular listeners of the Second Captains podcast where the quote appears in one of their regular audio stings. The words crossed my mind when, while watching what was effectively some televised fog on the night of Friday 13th November, Twitter and texts rolled in with awful, bewildering news from Paris. I’m certainly in no position to try to make sense of a society that throws up that kind of horror, but the following Monday I was absolutely delighted to think there was a world outside all that, and that next summer we were off to, of all places, France. Merci beaucoup, Jonny Walters. - Ian Lamont

DECEMBER 2015 / FREE / TOTALLYDUBLIN.IE

Publisher and Advertising Stefan Hallenius stefan@hkm.ie (01) 687 0695 087 327 1732

Editorial Director 8 Roadmap

To the North Pole

12 What If…

You don’t have a chimney?

14 Nice Gaff Simms’ city

16 Design Ring my bell

18 Garb

Rattle yer jewellery

26 Front Line Defenders Protest songs

34 Eirtakon Hadouken

40 Conor Walsh The Letting Go

44 Inward Collision Nowhere Men

Peter Steen-Christensen ps@hkm.se

Editor & Web Editor

72 Artsdesk

Cathode Ray Tubes

74 Print

Bitches be like

76 Film

No way, Noé

78 Sound

Radio Kaoss Edge

82 Listings

Ft. National Treasures

with FRONTLINE DEFENDERS CONOR WALSH EMMA MANLEY and GIRLS NAMES

Contributors

Lauren Kavanagh laurenekavanagh@gmail.com +44 75 989 73866

Arts Editor

Aidan Wall artsdesk@totallydublin.ie

Fashion Editor

Honor Fitzsimons honorfitzsimons@gmail. com

Film Editor

Oisín Murphy-Hall film@totallydublin.ie

Literary Editor

Advertising Manager

Desktop folders

#135

Art Direction & Design

60 Gastro

70 Games

TOTALLY DUBLIN

Cover photo: Michaella Cambe and Shawna Sheridan at Eirtaken, shot by Mark Duggan

Gill Moore print@totallydublin.ie

Ladies who Lunch

Going undercover at Eirtakon

Ian Lamont editor@totallydublin.ie (01) 687 0695

Going for a dip

52 Barfly

COSPLAY WITH ME

Aidan Lonergan al@hkm.ie 085 851 9113

Sales Executives

Emily Bourke Killian Broderick Tom Cahill Ciarán Cuffe Dorje De Burgh Dave Desmond Leo Devlin Ollie Dowling Mark Duggan Daniel Gray Eliza A. Kalfa Roisin Kiberd Megan Killeen Kamil Krawczak Jim Loughran Luke Maxwell Aoife McElwain Mark McGuinness John Patrick McHugh Martina Murray Seamas O’Reilly Bernard O’Rourke Brian Teeling Cristina Tomàs What If Dublin Team Danny Wilson

Karl Hofer kh@hkm.ie 085 869 7078 Al Keegan ak@hkm.ie 085 8519112

Distribution 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 Stibo Denmark Totally Dublin - ISSN 1649-511X

ROADMAP words Ian Lamont

Emigrant Disco x Market Mayhem THE CHRISTMAS BAZAAR

Put together by Market Hub along with Block T, the Christmas Bazaar will take place from Friday 4th to Sunday 6th December in Block B on Smithfield Square from noon on the Friday and 11am each of the weekend days. The market will have over 120 stalls including Shop Vertov, Capulet + Montague jewellery (left) and Eighty Eight Records, as well as the ubiquitous pop-up café and de rigeur artisanal food. Block T have in recent years put together the Christmas Cracker Market, and this new venture is a collaboration with the folks behind the Smithfield Market and the Bow Jangles Market at Body&Soul so with their powers combined a la Captain Planet this is set to be a one-stop shop for yer pressie-buying needs.

DUBLIN FLEA CHRISTMAS CRACKER If you don’t sort yourself out at the Christmas Bazaar, why not check out the Dublin Flea Christmas Cracker Market in its fantastic new venue in the former John Player Factory on South Circular Road. There will be another 100 plus stalls from noon on Friday 11th December, and 11am on Saturday 12th and Sunday 13th December, including Liadain Aiken (hats on the right), Paperbear and numerous other folks selling collectibles, curios, bric-a-brac, arts and crafts, vintage and everything in between. For full information, check out dublinchristmasflea.ie

Now an annual occurrence, the Emigrant Disco is a party for all the stragglers coming back by trains and boats and aeroplanes to the auld sod for the Christmas festivities hosted by Shock World Service (aka Jon Averill) and Dublin party specialists The Locals. The Emigrant Disco this year takes place in Yamamori Tengu on Ormond Quay across three rooms and features performances from Space Dimension Controller (pictured) as well as DJ sets from Discotekken, Dip and the hosts themselves with tickets costing €7 (early bird) to €13. And they’ll probably play the national anthem at the end of it, or at least that tune from the Eir ad.

Little Gem 1st Birthday Having migrated down from a basement on Cavendish Row to the foyer of the Grand Social on Liffey Street, the Little Gem record shop and burgeoning DIY label celebrates its first birthday with a celebratory night of music from many of Dublin’s best underground acts. Heading up the bill are kraut-drone powerhouses Twinkranes with performances along the way from Patrick Kelleher, ¡NO!, Can Folger Day and Fierce Mild, whose debut EP Yes n Yes n Yes earlier this year was just one of the great and weird records released by Little Gem in their first year in business. The bash takes place on Thursday 17th December at Grand Social, with tickets costing €10.

Hot on the Heels of Love Taking its name from the Throbbing Gristle classic, Hot on the Heels of Love is a once-off event curated by Pádraic E. Moore as part of the What We Call Love exhibition that is currently installed at the Irish Museum of Modern Art. On the night, which takes place on Wednesday 10th December in the Great Hall, Chapel and Johnston Suite on the IMMA campus in Kilmainham, there will be three stages: first will be performances of poetry, screenings and hula-hooping featuring, amongst others, Caoimhe Lavelle and Richard Proffitt. Following this will be some performance art from Düsseldorf based artist William Hunt; finally there will be musical performances from Girls Names, Wounded Healer and School Tour. The event is free but ticketed, so go to imma.ie to book your place.

SPECIAL WINTER OFFER JUST €1995* *offer ends 20th January 2016

MARIPOSA SOFA WITH ADJUSTABLE MECHANISM FOR ENHANCED COMFORT| DESIGN : EDWARD BARBER & JAY OSGERBY, 2014 | VITRA.COM

modern furniture for working and living, since 1971

OHAGANDESIGN | TIMEPLACE | CORRIG ROAD SANDYFORD | DUBLIN 18 | TEL 01.535 8555 9

ROADMAP words Ian Lamont

photo: Fiona Morgan

Waking The Feminists

Beata Maria Irish contemporary music group Kirkos are presenting a dramatic new take on the story of the Nativity with a once-off performance in Trinity College Chapel on Tuesday 22nd December. That dramatic twist is that the story is told from the perspective of the mother (who was the one being dragged to Bethlehem on a donkey while about to pop after all) and sets texts from poets like Rilke and Browning to compositions from ten composers associated with the Royal Irish Academy of Music including Jonathan Nangle, Breffni Byrne and some current students of the Academy.

Playing on the title of the Abbey’s recently announced Waking The Nation centenary programme, Waking The Feminists is a movement initiated by set designer and arts manager Lian Bell in response to underrepresentation of the work of women in theatre (one in ten of the playwrights, and three in ten of the directors) on the stage at the national theatre in 2016 – and indeed, through the arts in Ireland. The movement gathered pace quickly online behind the hashtag #WakingTheFeminists, culminating in a public meeting on Thursday 12th November at the Abbey – which sold out in 10 minutes flat – to discuss a means of producing a systematic change to the representation of work by women in Irish theatre. You can follow the plight of this movement with the aforementioned hashtag, via their Twitter account @WTFeminists and at wakingthefeminists.wordpress.com, where you can also sign their online petition.

The event starts at 7pm, with tickets costing €10 from beatamaria.eventbrite.ie

X-ile Project

Trash Magazine

Put together by five Dublin-based artists and researchers, X-ile Project is an attempt to destigmatise the issue of abortion in the country by using the images and stories of those who have been forced to travel out of Ireland to avail of abortion services. In recent months, a number of women have appeared in the media to tell their own stories, ranging from the Irish Times’ Róisín Ingle to Helen and Graham Linehan to Megan Nolan, whose stories will form part of X-ile Project’s online gallery. However, they are also looking for members of the public to lend their face and their story to this worthwhile campaign.

Set up by two Dubliners, Tom Godfrey and Mark Callendar, Trash Fiction Magazine is a new addition to the growing roster of self-published mags sprouting up in Dublin in the last twelve months. Taking a ‘conscious stand against pretentious, boring and repetitive writing’, Trash sports a genre-free policy, promising to publish any type of writing that excites the editors. Issue 1 has just come out and is available from Kiozq, Article and other places, and they are looking for contributors for their second issue right now.

Those interested in getting in touch can contact them at thexileproject@gmail.com, on Twitter @thexileprojet and at fb.com/thexileproject

Get in touch at trashfictionmag@gmail.com or at facebook.com/trashfictionmag

Join us this Festive Season @

We cater for groups large and small Contact gill@mymao.ie for more details MAO Chatham Row 2-3 Chatham Row, Dublin 2. Tel: 01 670 4899 MAO Stillorgan Stillorgan S.C. Tel: 01 278 4364

MAO Dun Laoghaire The Pavillion, Seafront Tel: 01 214 8090

MAO Dundrum Dundrum S.C. Tel: 01 296 2802

www.mymao.ie

It’s the Season to Party at Fridays

Celebrate Christmas at Fridays

2 Course Christmas Menu

119.95 St. Stephen’s Green • Temple Bar • Dundrum Blanchardstown • Swords www.fridays.ie Advert 227x165mm.indd 1

20/11/2015 17:25

WHAT IF DUBLIN... words and images What if Dublin team

Over the past year we have received a number of comments on Twitter demanding more high rise buildings for Dublin. Ahead of the drafting of the new Dublin City Development Plan earlier this year, state agencies like NAMA and the HSE have also put pressure on DCC to end the restrictive height policy. The call for higher density and economical competitiveness is opposed by voices that fear the unique intimate character of the city centre could be destroyed. Dublin’s low rise charm is special indeed. We can’t think of any other capital where streets of single-storey cottages could survive market pressure and preserve a village-like atmosphere amidst a vibrant metropolis. And yet, the demand for housing and new office spaces must be met and further urban sprawl must be avoided. The debate about high rises, their locations in Dublin and the definition of ‘high’ is naturally a very emotional one. It re-negotiates our skyline and its symbolic meaning for Dublin as a rural, urban, traditional or modern city. But are we asking the right question? The question about what height to allow (similar to the recent debate about minimum apartment size) is misleading because it cannot reflect or guarantee quality. What if we concentrated on what kind of city, what kind of buildings we want to live in, what kind of public spaces we would like them to frame? And what if we put all efforts into ensuring that new high density developments suited these goals – small or tall – with high quality construction, innovative typologies and building concepts, a good mix of units, attractive private and semi-private outdoor spaces and well-designed, active ground floor zones of a human scale? Public submissions on the Development Plan can be made until Friday 11th December. It will come into effect in 2016 and determine construction in Dublin for the next five years. Have your say!

…BUILT HIGH (QUALITY)?

This month we are going to examine the city at eye level on @what_if_dublin. Send us your pictures of good and bad examples of how buildings face public space in Dublin – they could be featured here next month!

Design Consultancy Furniture

Lighting

Giftware

Accessories

Fabrics

Wallpapers

60 Camden Street, Dublin 2

Design

www.daylemonndesigns.com info@daylemonndesigns.com +353 (0)1 4458725

NICE GAFF words Ciarán Cuffe photo Ciara Mitchel

It starts and ends with Herbert Simms: the extraordinary City Architect of Dublin in the early twentieth century, and for me his perfect building is Chancery House, a stone’s throw from the Four Courts in Dublin’s North Inner City. Chancery House is built from concrete and brick. It’s a four storey high L-shaped block of local authority housing that has stood the test of time. Open concrete stairwells rise up to front doors that are accessed from long concrete decks that run along the building’s interior court. You might not build like this today, but the open decks allow you to socialise on your own terms with your neighbours. Older people lean against the concrete on a sunny day and call down to friends and neighbours below. Parents can watch out for children, and doors are still left ajar so that you’re in touch with the outside world. Laundry hangs to dry in the open courtyard. Simms came from London and studied at Liverpool before coming to a freshly created Free State in 1923. Political revolutions and wars had taken place across Europe in the decade previously, and young architects were inspired by promises of a new world of proper housing for all. The modern movement in architecture was creating striking new housing in Berlin, Vienna and Amsterdam. Working on a fraction of the budget that large cities could secure, Simms managed to build 17,000 homes in his 14 years working for Dublin Corporation. Chancery House is one of his smaller schemes, and houses just 27 families. Unusually it contains a small formal garden that was refurbished in recent years. On a sunny day you can rest for a while on a bench and listen to the trickle of water from a small fountain, and the bell of the Luas tram a few yards away, as well as

the constant drone of traffic on the Quays. The development was built by G and T Crampton, an old Dublin building firm that is still in business today. The scheme captures all the details of the Art Deco period, a curving roof cut is silhouetted against the sky, chevron railings and oval concrete columns mark the entrance. The outside walls are curved, just like the streamlined ocean liners that fascinated the famous French architect Le Corbusier. High above the street tubular steel railings echo the nautical theme and frame two generous balconies for lucky top floor tenants. Horizontal lines cut into the top floor plaster enhance the modern fresh feel to the upper floors. If you’re passing by, walk up to the top floor balcony, there’s an extraordinary view of Dublin that few people see. To the east you gaze over Ormond Square where the great Johnny Giles, freeman of Dublin, kicked his first football. Further away lie the Georgian roofs of Capel Street. To the left lies the Corporation’s Fruit and Vegetable Market, soon to open its doors to the general public and allow retail as well as wholesale trade. To the north, the closed motor tax office stands as a monument to the Brutalist architecture of the 1960s. Simms sadly took his life in 1948, but his legacy of extraordinary housing schemes all over Dublin are a testimony to his genius and dedication to providing decent housing for the working classes of Dublin. Simms’ buildings were innovative, and well built. He had an eye for detail and a strong understanding of what was happening elsewhere in Europe. At a time when the need for Council housing is under question in the corridors of the Customs House, Chancery House and the legacy of Herbert Simms shows us that good, decent housing is a worthwhile investment.

CHANCERY HOUSE Architects: Herbert Simms

Ciarán Cuffe is a Green Party City Councillor and runs the MSc in Urban Regeneration at the Dublin Institute of Technology. You’ll find him on the Twitter machine @CiaranCuffe

DESIGN words Lauren Kavanagh

FAMILY CHRISTMAS

Eoin and Ivor

Tell us a little about Daylemonn design. Eoin: We are based on a family business with over 25 years of experience in interior design and design retail. Our family store is in County Tipperary, and our conceptual basis and ethos is largely influenced by the Dutch model of specialist interior boutiques. Ivor: At the moment we are focusing on retailing our extensive range of furniture, soft furnishings and giftware as well as an abundance of seasonal decorations, ranging from the continental style Winter Wonderland to our more traditional reds, greens and gold. We also have a large collection of fabrics and wallpapers, and we have a dedicated design team who are always on hand for consultation and advice. What is your background in design? E: Well, Ivor establishing the company in Dublin, and I took on the marketing side of the brand. Interior design has always been in our family; our grandfather established a successful paint factory in Holland back in the 1940s that still exists today. Our mother has a wealth of experience and she really is the style behind the business!

I: I have a background in law and I apply that knowledge to setting up and running a comprehensive business, while Eoin has taken the lead on marketing and establishing the brand. Why did you decide to work together? I: I wanted more than the standard office job and I saw a gap in the Irish design market and began researching potential opportunities in Dublin. Eoin then came on board to assist with the initial fit-out of the premises and subsequent branding of the business. The shop is looking very Christmassy at the moment! What is your favourite item in stock for Christmas? E: Itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s hard to pick any one item we love from our displays. I love the themed cushions, there are so many fun animal and scenes printed on them. I: Stags are my favourite theme this year, thereâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s everything from stags that are handmade from bark, to stag prints on the walls. Daylemonn Design, 60 Lower Camden Street, daylemonndesigns.com

James Earley, Great Irish Elk photo: Eoin Holland

Earley house

Industrial Xmas

For the last few years, Dubliners have been treated to the sight of James Earley’s paintings adorning buildings and landmarks in the city. His vivid paintings, such as his giant mural on the side of Blooms hotel in Temple Bar, are a lovely contrast to grey winter skies. Now James wants to bring the same colour into your homes. In August he launched Iverna, an online art collection, that showcases the work of not only street artists, but photographers, painters, designers and typographers too. Prints from artists such as Joe Caslin, Le Bas, Conor&David, Colm Mac Athlaoich and James himself are available to buy on the site, and James will hold a physical launch in the Library Project on the tenth of this month.

One of the reasons we love Industry design shop on Drury Street is their range of recycled and hand-crafted items. Continuing this trend for Christmas, they have a gorgeous selection of decorations, made from metal, wood and paper, in soft and natural colours. Pictured on the left are: wooden tree, €6.50/8.50; brass star, €5/6; paper tree, €6.

The Library Project, Temple Bar, December 10th. For more, see iverna.ie

industrydesign.ie, 41A/B Drury Street, Dublin 2

Cut a rug Based in Wexford, Ceadogán Rug Makers create beautiful, contemporary rugs in their workshop by the sea. The founder, Denis Kenny, has over 25 years of experience working with wool and silk, and has a meticulous eye for detail. You can work with him on a bespoke rug, or choose from one of the many artists that Ceadogán collaborates with. Pictured left is the Lime Sun rug by ceramicist Andrew Ludick, and above Vessel No.1 by Helen Cody. To place an order or to arrange a rug commission, go to ceadogan.ie

GARB words Honor Fitzsimons

MANLEY GIRLS Dublin-based fashion label Manley is known for its bright, confident and utterly practical collections which contain a striking level of skill and craftsmanship in every piece. Totally Dublin got an exclusive look at their SS16 collection from founder Emma Manley, straight off the back of showing with the ID2015 Unfold presentation at London Fashion Week.

Did you always want to be a fashion designer? You have a family background in fashion, did that contribute? My mum was a fashion designer so I was brought up around it. I can’t say that I always wanted to be a fashion designer, but I always loved it and the idea of doing something in fashion. Once CAO time rolled around there was nothing else on my radar, I was very fashion focused at that point. From about the age of 14 or 15 I had been reading all of the fashion magazines so it was a case of ‘eyes on the prize’ with only that on my mind. I started off by doing a foundation in fashion and textiles in Coláiste Íde, I went to the Grafton Academy but that was after a year working where I ran the Topshop To Go Service, which was a specialist style advisor service, while I was applying for Fashion Design in LSAD and NCAD and getting nowhere with them. Unfortunately I was rejected about three years in a row!The reason I applied for the Grafton was that there really was no other option to be honest. Could you tell us about the new SS16 collection? Also, what’s your favourite piece and why? I love this collection because it’s really different for Manley in a number of ways. It’s the first time we’ve done a collection with all of our embellishment completely removed. With the launch of Manley jewellery I suppose we kind of sat back a thought that it would be cool to take a break from all of the embellishment on the actual garment but creating jewellery which lays over the garment with embellishment on it. SS16 is very simple, very girly, with clean lines, we also went for huge colour. It’s definitely the most colourful collection that we’ve done in years. We would usually have our base colours which tend to be nudes and then in the summer we would do navy and the winter we would do black, but we’ve even stripped all those out. We’ve got a beautiful blue, a bubble-gum pink, and an apple green, and they’re just really bright and chirpy and summery colours. In terms of favourite pieces, I love the Carrie skirt and the Lana crop together, I think they’re really fun. I love separates, I think it’s really great how you can put them together more formally or separately depending on how casually you want to wear them. It’s about letting your wardrobe work for you as well. They’re investment pieces but you can wear them in loads of different ways. So I think those twinsets are really cute and my favourite colourway in them is the blue with the apple, those colours look great mixed in together. You’re known for working predominantly in leather – what goes into the making one of your amazing studded pieces? A lot really, working with leather presents good and bad, every single item is completely unique and that’s what I love about leather. You’re never going to have the same piece as somebody else.

In terms of the hours that go into making one of them, every piece has to be individually handcut, so from our point of view it’s very much a labour of love. It is handcrafted luxury, it’s not mass-produced and laser-cut 30 at-a-time, or 300 at-a-time. It’s really that we work on one, and only one, at any one time. In terms of the studding, in order to get the studs in, the leather has to go through five different processes and there’s three of them that are done with our bare hands and two that are done using machines. Again, it’s very much a labour of love, we could have them mass-produced in China using glue guns and plastic studs, but we actually go by the old way of doing it, it’s a very traditional way used in equestrian leatherwork for things like saddles and bags. So we’ve adopted that and I think it works really well for us on the clothing, there’s a real honest weight to them which shows in the movement of them. Every piece is 100% individual, when you’re doing an investment buy, what more could you want than knowing nobody else really has a piece exactly like that? You’ve been adding new fabrications and accessories to your womenswear – could you tell us a little bit about those too? We delved into the fabrications that we had with Manley jewellery, I never really expected it to be as successful as it was, people have really gone for it and are loving it so we’re actually planning on doing a Manley accessories line as well, which looks great. I think it’s a really great way for us to do more and more in the embellishments, as really there are endless possibilities with embellishments, but being able to do it on jewellery and bags and accessories means we can get far more creative with it. It’s a really nice outlet to be able to create these mad necklaces for people to wear them with their own wardrobe or if they do have any Manley, they can mix them in with that. I’m really looking forward to getting my hands dirty with more jewellery, more accessories, and exploring the area further. Who is the Manley woman? Our customer is very fashion conscious, she wants something easy to wear but doesn’t see dressing up as a chore. They want to wear something that will influence how they feel on the day, they want to purchase ‘investment buys’ – really nice pieces, really beautiful pieces. They don’t chuck them out at the end of the season, they wear them season after season. They mix and match it in with vintage, with high street, with other brands. It’s somebody who’s brave and takes chances with their wardrobe. Be the first to snap up SS16 Manley from midDecember at Arnotts, Dublin and online at www.manley.ie

GARB words Honor Fitzsimons

MONIKER FROM FRIENDS Clare Grennan and Laura Caffrey have been serving the good people of Dublin the coolest curation of Irish craft and design since 2008. Now, going back to their roots in jewellery design, they bring us Names a beautifully balanced collection of covetable yet affordable jewellery. You both have a background in jewellery design but you own the Irish Design Shop on Drury St â&#x20AC;&#x201C; why did you decide to begin with the store? Clare: We started up the shop firstly as an online shop, with the intention of continuing to work in our studios on our jewellery and that was when we were in La Catederal Studios, but the shop was so busy that it became clear that we needed a physical shop. Laura: So we were looking for a space that had the capacity to hold our workshops and the shop in the same building. We had the idea that the shop could be open and we would be working away in the studio, getting loads of jewellery made, but that didnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t really work out because the shop takes lots of work!

C: When we moved in here [to Drury Street] the

and family members. They were all pretty normal women as well. We could have gone about naming the pieces after designers we like or something like that, but we thought it was more interesting maybe to go down this route instead, and people love it. Customers really like the normal stories of these women, or maybe finding their own name.

shop was so busy that the studios were totally abandoned, so it’s really only this year that we’ve had the time to really dedicate to the jewellery. We’ve cut off all other distractions, we’ve no other projects on. It’s something that we have wanted to do for years. We had been making bits and pieces here and there ourselves, and we started to notice a similarity of styles and shapes that the two of us were interested in. So we thought, maybe we should do something together as we thought that we would have more of a chance to get it done that way than on our own. As well as that, we really couldn’t find the kind of jewellery that we wanted to sell, that was made in Ireland, and so we thought that we would just do it ourselves.

How is each piece made? C: Firstly we cut the brass bar with piercing studs, then we get these really heavy hand files… L: This is a round bar or hexagonal bar, the other is rectangular, so we cut that up with a saw, and then we start filing the angles into it and then there’s a lot of sanding involved. Sanding really takes ages, and then we have the contrasts between the matte areas and the polished areas. So, we focus on just getting the finish perfect and exactly how we want it before we send it to the platers. A guy called Damien in Naas plates the jewellery in 18 karat gold for us then. C: And there’s soldering on the earrings. There’s also a nice little finish on each piece, we stamp it with a steel stamp, which has the logo. It’s nice to give it that bit of personality as well, and again customers really appreciate those little details. The catches on the shorter necklaces, for example, they’re a pain to make because they’re all handmade as well, every piece of the necklace is to be considered. L: We have these little details which will then carry on into the next collection. C: Yes, we have the next collection planned for mid-next year. We’ve really been taken aback from the response from customers so far and it’s only been a month, so we’re going to keep the head down and keep working away!

You’ve just launched your collaborative jewellery label Names, could you tell us a bit about the concept for it and inspirations for the collection? L: We started out by playing about with shapes, mostly geometric, then we went to the brass suppliers as we wanted to make it all in brass because we wanted it to be affordable and we found different shapes of bars and tubing. C: We were playing about with the materials for

a couple of months really, we wanted it to be very geometric and simple shapes whilst really utilising handmade techniques and traditional jewellery skills. It was a time of experimentation, we ended up with a long list of designs and we really could have kept going but we decided to minimise to 16 pieces. L: Yes, 16 pieces altogether; earrings, necklaces, a few bangles, and they all work well together. Why did you call the line Names? C: Well it was such a personal project, and so

long in the pipeline, and it came from when we were discussing with David Wall who was doing our branding. L: We told him how we wanted to release a collection every year so the idea of having each collection named after a collection of people is where it came from. C: But we decided to be as personal as it gets and name the pieces after ourselves and our mothers

GR EE

OS O R

TER BAR BE R OP SH

Names starts from €58 to €140, sold exclusively at the Irish Design Shop, 41 Drury Street, Dublin 2. www.irishdesignshop.com

NEW MOON JEWELLERY

Blackrock 01 2889161 www.mcmahondental.ie

Traditional & contemporary cutting edge haircuts that come with a wash and a refreshing hot towel head tonic. 48 Fleet Street, Temple Bar, Dublin 2 01 5240791 www.greenrooster.ie

Located in the 19th century Victorian Georges Street Arcade, New Moon has Dublin’s largest selection of Sterling Silver, Gold and Gemstone jewellery. New Moon 28 Drury Street, Dublin 2

Tel: 01 6711154 Web: www.newmoon.ie Email: info@newmoon.ie Facebook: Newmoon Jewellery Twitter: NewMoonJewel

All I want for Christmas...

Scout

The Listening Suite - HiFi Store

Nestled in the heart of Temple Bar’s historic quarter on Essex Street West, and neighbouring an assortment of independent retailers, Scout provides a refreshing approach to household and clothing. A consciously curated selection of covetable interiors and garments by Irish and international designers, are born from a collective appreciation of simplicity in form and longevity through traditional, handcrafted techniques. An afternoon is easily lost in Scout’s inviting surrounds, gathering beautiful pieces for you and your home, retail escapism at its finest.

As Ireland’s premier HiFi store The Listening Suite provide a unique opportunity to experience high fidelity music systems and exclusive brands within two dedicated showrooms in the heart of Dublin’s city centre. The Listening Suite is the ideal venue to audition the sound of the world’s leading HiFi manufacturers in Ireland. In addition to their city centre store they also offer their product range via their website.

(0)1 677 8846 5 Smock Alley Court, Essex Street West, Dublin 8. www.scoutdublin.com

11am - 6pm Tuesday - Saturday 10 Wicklow Street, Dublin 2 01 - 675 0974 www.thelisteningsuite.ie

Powers Three Swallow Release The brand new Powers Single Pot Still Whiskey expression, Powers Three Swallow Release has been distilled and aged to perfection. It is the 21st century embodiment of the traditional pure pot still whiskey style that has made Powers famous the world over. Powers Three Swallow Release RRP €45 are available in all leading on and off trade outlets.

A Curated Christmas Bear Bazaar

The Garden House

April and the Bear are on the move this Winter with their Festive Pop Up Shop at 6 Castlemarket, Dublin 2. With a treasure trove of unique gifts, cool homewares, edgy jewellery and festive décor this is one pop up you don’t want to miss! Their team will be on hand 7 days a week to help with all your gifting needs and they’ll also be hosting a range of fun shopping events throughout to get you in the festive spirit!

The Garden House Malahide and at Airfield Estate truly comes into its own at Christmas time. The Garden House team have curated five beautiful festive looks for Christmas 2015 and turned The Garden House North and South County Dublin locations into a Christmas wonderland. With five festive areas to shop, you can check out the soft faux fur throws in the Luxury Lodge, The Winter Light, inspired by snow and ice, The Night before Christmas with all its Christmas reds and holly greens, Christmas Morning captures the joy and happiness of a family Christmas and the Art Deco influenced Fabulous Chic.

Upstairs at 6 Castlemarket, Dublin 2 Open everyday from 26th November - 24th December For more please see www.aprilandthebear.com or facebook.com/aprilandthebear

The Garden House, Malahide and Airfield Estate, Dundrum www.thegardenhouse.ie

BeoLit 15 Available in Natural, Natural Champagne, Polar Blue, Shaded Rosa, BeoPlay’s latest Bluetooth speaker from Bang & Olufsen, the BeoLit 15 brings you the beauty of its predecessor BeoLit 12, in a range of exciting new colours. This premium portable speaker is packed with a series of recent innovations - like True360 sound and great new options for connectivity. This is the ideal gift this Christmas. BeoLit 15 applies the latest in Bluetooth technology, the Bluetooth 4.0. The BeoLit 15 remembers up to 8 users and can have 2 devices connected at a time – so you can take turns DJ’ing with your friends. This Bang & Olufsen speaker is a rechargeable portable speaker with up to 24 hours of continuous playback. Listen to your Digital Radio in the kitchen when having breakfast and come evening time, bring it into the living room and start the party. Plug your SmartPhone into the BeoLit 15’s USB port and charge it accordingly ensuring the party never ends. The BeoLit 15 is crafted with only the finest materials… the way it should be. The handle used to carry Beolit 15 around is made out of premium, full-grain leather – carefully selected for just the right feel and perfectly positioned to avoid the speaker from “wobbling” when carried around. The anti slip tray prevents your phone from slipping even when the bass is truly pumping. Priced at €499 and available in both Donnybrook and 12 St. Stephen’s Green.

All I want for Christmas...

Davey Davey Mens Salon Gift Vouchers

The Haberdashery

In today’s world, appearances make a statement about how you feel, about your lifestyle, and about who you are. The team at Davey Davey Mens hair salon is there to help clients fine-tune that statement so that they can project their best self every day. With many factors contributing to each individual’s style - such as face shape, hair type, lifestyle, and career - the services they provide are tailored to ensure a result that will instill confidence. What better gift for your favorite man than a €50 gift voucher for hairdressing, cuts, colouring, grooming, hot towel shaves, and more!

With a lovely range of gift items perfect for the crafty people in your life, The Haberdashery has something for every level of sewing ability. This online-only store has a great range of Christmas and non-Christmassy kits, Christmas fabrics and ribbons for your own decorative projects, lovely sewing boxes and sewing bags, as well as lots of other bits and bobs to keep creative hands busy all through next year. Free shipping on all orders over €30 to Ireland. www.thehaberdashery.ie

24 Stephen St Lower, Dublin 2 01 6078999 daveydaveymens.com

Gravity Climbing Centre Gravity Climbing Centre offers the chance to try out indoor bouldering at a world class venue, just a short LUAS ride from Dublin city centre. Bouldering is a fast-paced, fun and very sociable sport, in which you climb short (though sometimes tricky) walls above a matted floor. It’s a great way to de-stress and improve strength and fitness. Gravity’s team of coaches will give you the very best introduction to the sport if you’re a beginner or help you to the next level if you fancy being a pro! Vouchers available for induction sessions, coaching, memberships and climbing shop. Gravity Climbing Centre 6a Goldenbridge Industrial Estate, Tyrconnell Road, Inchicore Dublin 8 Tel. 01 707 8585 www.gravityclimbing.ie

Golden Moments Gift Experiences

Tales for Tadpoles

You’ve come to the right place if you are looking for unforgettable Christmas Present ideas. Whether you’re buying for the man in your life, your gorgeous girl or anyone else for that matter we’ve some amazing ideas for this Christmas. With unforgettable driving experiences for him, relaxing spa treatments for her, indulgent afternoon tea for Mum and distillery tours for Dad you should be able to find Christmas gifts for everyone right here. If you can’t decide what to give we have gift vouchers that allow them to choose their perfect gift. All of our vouchers are valid for 12 months and can include a personal message.

Although Tales for Tadpoles celebrates classic and contemporary children’s books and illustrations from around the world, it is definitely not just for the younger generation. You’ll find a myriad of fun and functional items including Christmas decorations, stationery, cushions, mugs, books, soft toys and tote bags featuring well-known characters such as Alice in Wonderland, The Wizard of Oz, Peter Rabbit, and the Moomins, and prints by illustrators such as Quentin Blake, Shirley Hughes, Arthur Rackham and Harry Clarke.

www.goldenmoments.ie 01 443 3173

36 Nassau Street, Dublin 2 talesfortadpoles.ie

Love & Robots Interactive Popup Shop Interactive fashion house Love & Robots has a new pop-up shop at the Fumbally Exchange on Dame Lane, so pop in to check out the future of shopping. You can create personalised accessories and gifts like jewellery, bow ties and cufflinks on-the-spot and they can turn them around for you within an hour. It’s like magic! Make sure you check it out, as it’ll be gone in the new year. 10am - 6pm, Mon - Fri 12pm - 6pm, Sat & Sun 5 Dame Lane, Dublin 2 www.loveandrobots.com

CESAR ESTRADA, PERU Cesar Estrada is a journalist and member of REDCIP (Network of Indigenous Communications in Peru) who has reported extensively on the rights abuses and environmental destruction connected to the mining company Minera Yanacocha and their Conga gold mining project, whose activities threaten to destroy the water basin for the region, damaging the livelihood and agricultural subsistence of those living in Cajamarca and Hualgayoc. He has also faced continuous judicial harassment and fabricated legal charges, as well as repeated death threats. On Saturday 31st October, Cesar Estrada was heading to the bus station to begin his journey to Dublin when two unknown men riding a motorcycle approached and pointed guns at him. His wife and a friend shielded him and as they rode off the gunmen shouted, ‘Next time we’ll get you when you are on your own’.

words Ian Lamont main photo Kamil Krawczak

THESE SONGS OF FREEDOM Front Line Defenders is an international human rights organisation based in Dublin that provides rapid practical support and resources to human rights defenders at risk around the world. These resources include an emergency 24 hour hotline in Arabic, English, French, Russian or Spanish, information and training on personal and digital security and security grants to meet the immediate security needs of human rights defenders at imminent risk. Human rights defenders are key agents of social change. They work around the globe as social organisers, lawyers, journalists, trade unionists defending the rights of those whom repressive governments would like to silence. They are targeted because they challenge the powerful vested interests of states or corporations, at significant risk to their own safety.

Every two years, Front Line Defenders hosts its Dublin Platform, which is one of the biggest gatherings of human rights defenders in the world. It brings together human rights defenders from all over the world to share experiences, to learn from one another and to develop more effective security and protection strategies to enable them to continue their vital work. The most recent Dublin Platform took place in November of this year in Dublin Castle and brought together 118 human rights defenders from 100 countries. The one thing they all had in common is that they are all at risk because of their peaceful human rights work. The people featured in our pages here represent just a sample of those who took part. All of them face intimidation on a daily basis but the level of danger they face is a measure of their impact in challenging injustice and oppression.

AUNG HTET NAING, BURMA

SHYER KARKI, NEPAL

Aung Htet Naing is the Coordinator of the Foreign Affairs Committee at ABFSU (All Burma Federation of Student Unions), one of the oldest organisations in Burma fighting the political oppression of the authoritarian military regime. The organisation focuses on safeguarding students’ rights and supporting the struggle for democratic education. More broadly it stands for democracy, peace and opposition to the military junta. Many leading ABFSU members are currently in jail or on trial for taking part in peaceful protests against the new education laws, and demanding autonomy for educational institutions and a return to democracy.

Shyer Karki is a defender of the rights of sexual and gender minorities, with a specific focus on lesbian women, in Nepal. Shyer’s organisation Mitini Nepal was founded in 2005, and works to protect the socially excluded and vulnerable sexual and gender minorities in what is a very traditional and conservative society. Mitini Nepal works at promoting awareness, as well as resettling people who have been estranged from their families in a dignified manner. ‘In our society, patriarchy still exists in different forms. Where women still have to fight for their rights, then we must acknowledge how hard it is for lesbian women. While working on cases, I have received threats of kidnapping and rape. My life has been in danger, I was being followed,’ explains Karki. ‘Every person has the right not to be violated because of their sexuality or gender.’

JUAN CARLOS FLORES SOLÍS, MEXICO

ZAHRA MOHAMED AHMAD, SOMALIA

Juan Carlos Flores Solís is an environmental and indigenous rights defender who works with campesino and Nahua indigenous communities near the Popocatépetl volcano, whose lives and communities are being adversely affected by a campaign by the federal government to allow international investors to exploit previously untapped oil and gas reserves, and develop large-scale infrastructural projects. As a result of his work representing the interests of these communities, he has been subject to a continued campaign of intimidation from politically interested players, including spending ten months imprisoned on the basis of an order issued by the state government of Puebla and the Federal Electricity Commission. He still has an arrest warrant pending against him.

Zahra Mohamed Ahmad defends human rights in one of the most dangerous places on earth, Somalia, which tops the Fragile States Index put together by the Fund For Peace. Zahra is the founder and legal adviser of the Somali Women Development Centre, whose members have been subject to arrest by both state authorities and paramilitary groups. In 2013 an attack by Islamist militants on the courthouse in Mogadishu claimed the lives of two of the SWDC’s lawyers among its 29 victims. Somalia’s quarter-century of political instability means that those at the margins of society are even worse affected than elsewhere. Widespread sexual violence and female genital mutilation are two of the issues Ahmad and the SWDC confront on a regular basis.

LINA BEN MHENNI, TUNISIA Lina Ben Mhenni is known for her writing and reporting, through her own blog ‘A Tunisian Girl’ and various social media and online channels, and was a vocal critic of former dictator Zine El Abidine Ben Ali and his repressive regime. Her accounts, photos and videos were a first hand source of information on the conflict in Tunisia for other Tunisian activists and the international media. Ben Mhenni has always written under her own identity, despite the constant presence of threats of imprisonment, torture and even death, meaning she now lives under security protection. Having visited and reported from the heart of conflicts across Tunisia, Ben Mhenni’s work has borne witness to an incomplete revolution in her home country where a functioning democracy still struggles to bloom.

YOUR VISION

(I THINK I’M) TURNING JAPANESE Rule 42 meets Rule 34 as Eirtakon visited Croke Park this November.

‘We’re very proud to have the only cloakroom in Dublin actually filled with cloaks’, proclaims Eirtakon’s Twitter account. I can try, but honestly, you’re not likely to get a much better picture of the convention than that. Arriving at Croke Park on Saturday morning, I instantly feel like that jerk who shows up to your lavish Halloween party in a t-shirt and jeans. The corridors are teeming with people in costumes ranging from the lastminute to the near-professional, and from the recognisable to the totally baffling. I spot a good number of Pokémon characters, which reassuringly bolster the delusion that my childhood is still culturally relevant; a genuinely terrifying, larger-than-life Sauron from Lord of the Rings stomping around the halls; and more Sailors Moon than I possibly can keep track of. What strikes me early on is that it’s not just Japanese culture on display here – at least half of the costumes (and admittedly, most of the ones I recognise) come from American comics, TV, and films. ‘We started out as an anime convention,’ says director Sinéad Cawley, ‘but it’s just expanded.’ Associate Mark Murphy, who’s been involved with Eirtakon for nine of its eleven years, explains, ‘Initially it was just some screenings, but we thought to ourselves, well, anime fans, they like console gaming, they like card games… These interests tend to overlap.’ ‘By proxy,’ Sinéad continues, ‘most of the people here are interested in Japanese culture as well. They’re interested in anime, they’re interested in manga, they’re interested in the

language, and plenty of them would like to travel there.’ The event is sponsored by the Embassy of Japan, along with a wide range of other organisations and companies, so they clearly see some merit in promoting the country through its pop culture. ‘Pop culture,’ says Yuichi Yamada, cultural attaché for the embassy, ‘covers things like anime, manga, games, J-POP, fashion, and food culture, which are widely enjoyed by Japanese people, and have the power to represent the real spirit of Japan. Forms of “traditional culture” such as pottery and the tea ceremony were the “pop culture” of their day. With a view to furthering people’s understanding of Japan, I am doing my best to promote pop culture as well as traditional art and culture.’ Dr Ryoko Sasamoto, lecturer in Japanese at DCU, agrees that pop culture provides a useful lens through which people can gain insight into Japan. ‘What I see amongst our students,’ she explains, ‘is that popular culture gives them an easy access to such a distant culture to their own. As anime, manga and games are so accessible, it makes it less daunting – probably! Once they have an interest, they become more open to other aspects of Japanese culture. And of course, being “popular” culture, these aspects are common amongst ordinary Japanese people. So students can experience “real” or ordinary Japanese culture from the very beginning.’ Most of the attendees at Eirtakon echo this; though many of their costumes have no connection to Japanese culture, they all

claim that anime, manga, or Japanese games sparked their interest in the convention, and that a love of cosplay (a Japanese portmanteau of ‘costume play’) helps to sustain it. ‘I studied Japanese in school,’ Michaella Cambe – cosplaying as Arcade Riven from the League of Legends videogame – tells me. ‘I think it’s a great way to get into the culture. Since anime and cosplay both originate from Japan, and they’re spreading through cons like this, it lets more and more people know about it.’ Shawna Sheridan, who’s dressed in a complementary Arcade Sona costume, adds, ‘Just getting to meet people with a similar interest in Japanese culture is amazing. You wouldn’t really get the chance otherwise.’ If there’s one thing in that’s definitely evidence at this con, it’s similar interests. ‘It’s weird,’ I overhear a couple saying in the lift. ‘It’s like everyone here already knows each other.’ They’re not wrong. I chat to a group dressed in various Doctor Who costumes for a while without even realising that they just met this morning. One of them tells me that he’s actually only here because his daughter wanted to come along. His costume says otherwise. ‘She’s probably outside hanging her head in shame,’ he laughs. ‘Eirtakon is probably one of the friendliest conventions you can get. Everybody knows what they’re doing, and everybody’s incredibly welcoming.’ Talking to the cosplayers, there’s no doubt that people know what they’re doing. ‘My costume’s all handmade,’ Deirdre de Feu – dressed as Snowstorm Sivir, another League

Noel McGillian

words Emily Bourke photos Mark Duggan

of Legends character – tells me. ‘The boomerang’s made from cardboard and papier-mâché, the rest of it’s made from fabric and fabric paint. It took me five days to make the whole thing. So many sleepless nights! I didn’t sleep for 36 hours at one point, just to get it all done. The weapon took three days in total. And the outfit took, like, twelve hours on top of that.’ ‘My first time at a convention, I did a Catwoman that I threw on last minute. It was a Halloween costume that I had from years before. Things have definitely changed from there. I won the cosplay masquerade last year! I was Maleficent [from Sleeping Beauty] with the wings and the horns and everything. I’ve come a long way.’ Glen Dixon, who’s dressed as Ahri the Nine-Tailed Fox from League of Legends (it’s completely inescapable here, apparently), tells me that his costume took about two months to make. ‘An entire month for the tails! They’re made of fur and garden wire. Oh, and a piece of wood that’s shoved up… well… my spine, let’s say. I’ve been going to cons for the last two years, and this is the second time I’ve worn this costume, though I added some armour because it was shown in a new trailer that was released. I have two anime cosplays as well, and a lot of game cosplays. I do both, it just depends.’ Melissa O’Brien and Fiona Mooney, dressed as Lumpy Space Princess and Flame Princess from the Adventure Time cartoon series, are another pair of long-time attendees. ‘I used to be on the committee, so this is my first time here without being staff,’ says Fiona. ‘Some downtime at last! We’ve been doing group costumes for a while now, but I’ve got no skills – Melissa does it all. I hate doing body paint, though this is probably my tenth time doing it. I always say I’ll never do it again. The taxi man this morning was a bit… surprised. “You’re very colourful, ladies,” is what we got.’ ‘This is my seventh year cosplaying,’ Melissa says. ‘It’s a tradition at this stage. You’ve just gotta come every year. I started making things because of cosplay, but now it’s my career; I’m a costume designer. So it’s a bit of fun, I guess!’ Caitie Pearce, also in an Adventure Time cos-

It took me five days to make the whole thing. So many sleepless nights! – Deirdre de Feu

tume, took up sewing because of cosplay as well. ‘I wasn’t really into making stuff before I started this. I only learned to use my sewing machine when I started cosplaying! But I spent about 20 hours on my costume this year – in spurts, not all in one go. This is my third Eirtakon. I went to ones in London and Belfast as well this year, but I think I like Dublin’s one better. You kind of know everyone who’s going to be there. It’s a fairly small community.’ Not as small as it used to be, though. Sinéad and Mark tell me that it’s gone from strength to strength over the years, despite humble beginnings. ‘It started off entirely run by the DCU Anime and Manga society,’ explains Mark. ‘But it’s grown past that now. We’re looking at about 4,000 visitors this weekend, up from 3,200 last year. Every year we just find more to do with it, more to go into. It started off as a very studentorientated, friends-of-friends kind of thing. You’d know everybody there.’ ‘The founders certainly never saw it in a place like this,’ adds Sinéad. ‘They just wanted to watch anime with some friends. Now look at it! It’s kind of grown itself. Every year we try to put on more events. We sit down and ask

CINNAMON AND VANILLA BLEND.

ION T I D E D E LIMIT

how we can make it bigger. We’ve been lucky to get a bigger audience every single year, which means more money, which automatically opens up new opportunities and resources. This year, for example, we’ve got musical performers and a huge PC-gaming section for the first time.’ ‘In the beginning, it was always us reaching out to people. But now we get people coming to us. We have to take applications for the panels these days. It’s easier to reach out to guests now, too, and some of them are even approaching us first. The Embassy helps us to get in touch with them – they know people are interested in Japanese culture here, so they’re always really helpful in arranging that.’ ‘A lot of the guests really want to come to Ireland, and they tend to go on holidays here while they’re over for the con. Our main guest [voice actress Michelle Ruff] is going to Kinsale and Dingle over the next couple of weeks, and a lot of others do the same. It’s nice to be contributing to the Irish economy a little bit! Luckily people tend to want to come here. Ireland itself is a big draw.’ ‘We’ve already booked out the whole venue again for next November,’ Mark tells me. ‘We’re going to start booking guests pretty soon. We’ve actually been working towards 2016 for a couple of months already – when it’s this big, it’s takes more than a year to plan.’ If you’re hankering after some Japanese culture in the meantime, though, Eirtakon is far from the only way to experience it in Ireland. The Little Museum of Dublin is currently hosting an exhibition dedicated to Lafcadio Hearn, a literary figure largely unknown here in his home country, but hugely celebrated in Japan, where his ghost stories and folktales made him one of the country’s most famous writers. ‘It’s a privilege to host this show,’ says Simon O’Connor, curator of the Little Museum, ‘and an amazing opportunity for the people of Ireland to discover one of their most successful and influential writers, and the enchanting effect he had on Japanese culture.’

Brian J. Showers of the Rathmines-based Swan River Press, who have just collected a number of Hearn’s essays and stories in a volume entitled Insect Literature, adds, “The variety of Hearn’s experiences, thoughts, and themes make him a citizen of the world. One whose range as a writer is not bounded by these shores. But there’s no reason we can’t celebrate him as an Irish author too, or at least a writer whose life was formed by his Irish upbringing. As he wrote in a letter to Yeats, “I had a Connaught nurse who told me fairy-tales and ghost stories. So I ought to love Irish Things, and do.”’

The exhibition, Coming Home: The Open Mind of Patrick Lafcadio Hearn runs until January 3rd, 2016.

At Zaytoon, the home of amazing Persian Kebabs, we do things differently: We can deliver food which is nutritious and tasty, quickly. Our bread is baked freshly just before we serve the food. Halal certificated. Our meat is 100% from traceable Irish farmers. We truly believe in the wholesome quality of our food. We would like to wish our customers a happy Christmas and a peaceful New Year.

14/15 Parliament St, Temple Bar, Dublin 2 Phone: 01 677 3595

www.zaytoon.ie

44/45 Lr. Camden St, Dublin 2 Phone: 01 400 5006

Opening hours: Sun-Thu 12pm - 4:30am Fri and Sat 12pm - 5am

THE KEYS, THE SECRET Mayo composer Conor Walsh talks about the value of letting go of your music.

words Dave Desmond photos Mark McGuinness

Having released his debut EP entitled The Front this October – the first release on local label Ensemble – Conor Walsh has been causing a stir with his minimalist piano compositions and mesmerising live performances. This isn’t a new vocation for Conor though, who has been patiently perfecting his craft since the formative years spent writing music on the piano in the reception of a hundred year old hotel in Swinford, County Mayo. Conor spoke to Totally Dublin about growing up in Mayo, his influences and his experiences on Other Voices and touring with Hozier. He explains how growing up in Swinford helped to shape his compositional style: ‘Well, I grew up in Mayo. I started to write tunes as a teenager on a guitar with vocals. I did this all through my teens and ended up transposing a lot of these tunes to the piano when I was about 19 or 20, and figured out that all of the tunes I had been writing sounded a lot better on piano than they did on guitar and vocals. I was a teenager in the ’90s, so I was from the Nirvana era, but my main influences as a late teen and my early twenties were Aphex Twin and Tool, especially the Aphex Twin album Selected Ambient Works 85-92. That was my introduction into ambient and minimalist music. So I continued to write tunes on the piano, and that was kind of the beginning of it.’ Conor’s story is a familiar one, and something that a lot of ’90s kids would be able to relate to. He recalls the early years studying for his grades: ‘The piano was like something that I was made to do when I was in my teens and I couldn’t stand doing grades and stuff like that, so I did a couple of the early grades and then, once I had an opportunity, I quit and focused on the guitar. But when I was 19 I returned to the piano and it was really nice returning to it without having to think of exams or scales, or all the other boring stuff involved with preparing for grades. It was really nice to have the freedom to just play my own music and develop my own style.’ ‘In the ’90s, the ultimate thing was to play guitar and sing. That was all I wanted to do, well, and play football of course. Definitely the grades thing was, to me, as anti-music as possible. I’m not sure it was really all that bad, but it just seemed bad [at the time], so I never went back to the grades but I did go back to the piano to transpose the tunes I had been writing on the guitar. I had a lot of melodies and hooks and they sounded so much better [on the piano]. But on a deeper level I suppose, in doing that, I discovered that I was more confident and I felt better and more sincere about the process in that I wasn’t trying to say anything, and I didn’t have a whole bunch of lyrics that I had to craft and decide whether they were profound enough or not. I felt much more comfortable with instrumental music and what I like to refer to as the non-directive nature of my own music. You’re putting it out there and leaving a certain

amount for the listener to work out themselves, to put their own images in their head and to create their own narrative or story to the music. But I definitely felt more comfortable doing that rather than putting lyrics to music.’ Over the years Walsh has been slowly moving into the production side of things. The electronic drones and effects that pepper his EP were all created by Conor in his home studio. ‘I do write a lot of electronic music,’ Conor explains, ‘and have done all the time for the last 16 years, and it was about merging the two and being comfortable with my identity as an artist that straddled both sides. I always wanted to include more electronics with the piano and I think that over the last two and a half years – and particularly over the last year – I’ve really become comfortable with having my own sound identity. The EP was recorded at home on [audio production software] Reason and, yeah, all that production is my own. A big decision about bringing the piano out, more into the electronic world, was about not doing too much, but just doing enough, and finding a position where you can say, “That’s enough,” and not drowning out or losing the character of the piano pieces. It’s a balancing act but it’s one that I’m more comfortable with taking on now. Four years ago when I started to commit to this whole project, to become a musician, I just started off with piano, so it’s really nice to have come along a couple of years later and to have included a lot of atmospherics and synths, and to still have retained the character of the piano tracks.’ This ethos seems to be written into the fabric of Walsh’s EP, a production process that gives the compositions room to breathe, while at the same time adding a depth and darkness to his compositions. Walsh’s music is meditative and melodic but there’s a melancholy that runs through his pieces. He muses over the genesis of this stark contrast within his work. ‘I think that I’m always drawn to music that’s profound, and I sometimes struggle with music that’s too happy, or too much fun. I like to think that even though some of it is melancholy, there’s hope in there as well. I don’t really know where it comes from, I mean, one of the biggest influences on my creativity is landscape and countryside, the kind of wild countryside here in Mayo is definitely inspiring and it can be really great but it can also be really dark as well. I’m looking out the window here on a November afternoon and it’s just miserable and it’s pouring rain. I hope it’s not too depressing, I hope there’s some hope in there as well. But then I can’t tell anyways, because with some tunes, people say to me, “Wow, that’s really happy, uplifting one!” and I’m dumbfounded that they’ve said that. I’ve always thought it was the opposite. So I’m not a good one to judge!’ You would be forgiven for thinking that Walsh is heavily influenced by some of the modern minimalist and new-classical composers but his influences lie in simpler terms. ‘Eric Satie, some of his Gymnopédies and Gnossiennes, had the same kind of impact as the Aphex Twin album had, in that they conveyed so much through so little, and that was something that really, really grabbed me. Of course I could tap into all the new classical composers, Dustin O’Halloran, Yann Tiersen, Nils Frahm, but in terms of a direct influence, like, I hadn’t heard of Nils Frahm until two years ago when some-

one said it to me after a gig! I guess I’m influenced by all sorts of music. I find, for example, that when I limit myself to listening to Lyric FM for a couple of weeks that I write better music than, say, when I listen to current affairs.’ Walsh has already accrued an interesting assortment of past gigs, ranging from Other Voices to his tour with Hozier. He remembers how he got to play at the Other Voices main event in Dingle in 2013. ‘Other Voices was really massive for me, it was amazing. I played the Music Trail in 2013 and I hadn’t realised it, but as a result of playing it you enter the competition for the IMRO Other Room. I won the IMRO Other Room competition. The competition provides a couple of emerging artists with an opportunity to play on the real show. That was really massive, and it happened really quickly. I really hope that in the future I get to play the real thing again because I think a lot of it went over my head. I remember going in the day of the shoot and being completely bedazzled by the whole set up. There was, I don’t know, 15 cameras, loads of production people running around, and to think for a second that “Jeez, this is all for me, and for my performance, this is crazy like!”. And I think it almost happened too soon, that I wasn’t ready to appreciate it, but it was a brilliant experience and a brilliant learning experience as well, and it lead to a lot of opportunities as well.’ ‘[The Hozier tour] was an unreal experience that came out of nowhere. Hozier had a couple of gigs left here in Ireland before he was about to leave the universe and become this massive star. I got a Facebook message off him one day – I didn’t really even know him – and ended up doing three gigs. The first one was a typical kind of club situation where everyone was standing up and drinking, and that didn’t suit my music at all, but it really didn’t suit his music either in my opinion. But the next two gigs then were in theatres in Waterford and Offaly and they were possibly two of the greatest experiences of my life. They were completely sold out gigs, in utter silence and I got a great reception. It’s funny when you think about opening slots, sometimes it’s really good to have a completely different opening act. It felt like I was setting up the audience into some sort of meditative trance for Hozier to come on and play in complete silence just before he was about to become the biggest star in the world. The other thing was that all those people at the gigs kind of knew what was happening, all the crew and everybody behind us knew that this was about to really explode, actually it had already started since the video [for Take Me To Church]. It was an amazing experience and it did work, yeah.’ Walsh has also been working with a number of video artists and film makers over the last few years. Mark Hearne of Le Tissier has provided visuals for Walsh’s gigs on a number of occasions and recently Louise Gaffney directed the video for the title track from Walsh’s EP, as well as creating the artwork for the vinyl release. Walsh also expresses an interest into composing for film. ‘That’s something that I’m absolutely desperate to get more and more involved in. I did some work last year for Kamila Dydyna. I scored a short film called Testimony for her that’s been very successful and has been very well received all over the world. That was my first professional short film and I absolutely

loved every second of the experience. Being directed to compose for imagery is a really beautiful experience that I really love and I’m very eager to get more of that kind of work.’ So, a horizon that’s full of opportunities for a Mayo man that seems destined for great things. When asked what he has planned next, Walsh laughs: ‘The first thing I’m focusing on is getting my laptop fixed because after four years of almost always being on it finally died last night! But in the longer term, of course more releases. I have tonnes and tonnes of music I want to release. I’m not sure if I’m going to release an EP or an album next, but for now I’m going to call it an EP to give myself a target to work for and get a few more tunes done. I’ve just been awarded the Recording Assistance Grant from the Mayo County Council, so that’s going to be a great help in getting some new music recorded. I never stop writing music. I guess the experience of writing the EP and facing up to letting go of the tracks was a really good experience and I’m looking forward to getting back in the zone with that now and letting go of the tracks.’

Conor Walsh’s debut EP The Front is out now on Ensemble from www.ensemble.ie

INWARD COLLISION

Dublin’s high-end, high-minded men’s wear boutique, Nowhere, has been catering to the needs of the city’s more sartorially adventurous gents for a year now. Named after an album by Ride, co-owner Brian Teeling makes no secret of the fact music has always been one of the central unifying forces in their work. ‘One of the first things my business partner David and I bonded over was how heavily into punk and shoegaze we were.’ Teeling speaks effusively about music; every avenue of conversation invariably loops back to the sonic touchstones

that inspire the store’s collections and ideology, so it made perfect sense that they should turn to the musical sphere when looking for a means to showcase their AW15 collection. Thorny Belfast post-punkers Girls Names, fresh off the October release of their latest record Arms Around A Vision, were a perfect fit. ‘There’s always a musical connotation with what we do and Girls Names really just fit with where Nowhere was at for this season. It all stemmed from seeing them at the last ever gig in the Joinery. I thought to myself that

I’d love to use some of that aesthetic for Nowhere.’ Nowhere’s philosophy in relation to the coalescence of fashion, art and music runs through the shoot. The title Inward Collision is taken directly from a Girls Names lyric, while the look of the images take inspiration from visionary science-fiction author JG Ballard. ‘Myself and Dorje [DeBurgh, photographer] are pretty Ballard obsessed, and we felt the shoot itself was very Ballardian in a sense, lots of concrete and glass, kind of anti-human. It felt right.’

Claire - Marni St Pimpernel Blossom Shirt €350, Sun Buddies Type 05 Rosewood €135 Cathal - Matthew Miller Tyler Leather Jacket Black €1,300, Sun Buddies Type 01 Smog €135

Black jumpsuit, Claude Pierlot at Brown Thomas Black lace-up boots, Topshop Black and white socks, Topshop Black silk hat, Harlequin White velvet bowtie, Harlequin

Tweed Pinafore Dress, Tissue at Brown Thomas Print Shirt, Maison Scotch at Avoca Linen Tie, Bonagrew at Castle & Drury Annabelle Loafer, Buffalo Shoe Lab Rib Tights from Falke (www.falke.com)

Gib – KTZ Double Breasted Patches Coat €1,165, Matthew Miller Newman Shirt White €260, Rory Parnell-Mooney Cropped Technical Trousers €300, Eytys Mother Suede Trainers Grey €170, Sun Buddies Type 02 Clear €135 Phil - Matthew Miller Rogue DTC Bomber Pocket Sweater Grey €330, CMMN SWDN Matt Trouser Grey €195, Sun Buddies Type 03 Tortoise €135

Gib – Matthew Miller Newman Shirt Navy €260, Marni Stripe Crew Neck Mohair Knit €465, Sun Buddies Type 02 Clear €135

Mac, Campelli for Ms Beatty at Maven Criss Cross Fleur Silk Scarf from Ciara Silke (www.ciarasilke.com) Rib Tights from Falke

Claire – Matthew Miller Tyler Leather Jacket Burgundy €1,300, Marni Cotton Shirt Duck Egg €295, Sun Buddies Type 05 Rosewood €135

Photography: Dorje de Burgh Fashion: Brian Teeling Assisted by Peter Doyle

Phil – A Kind of Guise Burged Jacket Navy €530, A Kind of Guise Permanents Shirt White €195, Sun Buddies Type 03 Tortoise €135

Girls Names: Cathal Cully Claire Miskimmin Philip Quinn Gib Cassidy Words: Danny Wilson Shot on location at The Gibson Hotel All products available exclusively at Nowhere, 64 Aungier Street, D2 www.anowhereman.com

The Dublin Pub Guide

The Meeting House

THE PORTERHOUSE central

SÖDER + KO

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 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!

Experience the magic that single estate handcrafted vodka brings to a cocktail with Absolut Elyx. Taste the Skandi influence in their craft beers, ciders and in our signature serves or try a classic cocktail with a SÖDER twist. Discover 3 bars each with a different vibe, a heated beer garden like nowhere else in Dublin and a late bar ‘til 3am on Friday and Saturday. Whether for a few drinks or to party ‘til late, it’s the place to be.

Meeting House Square, Dublin 2 All cocktails just €6.66 on Sundays & Mondays themeetinghousedublin.com 01 670 3330

www.porterhousebrewco.com

McDaids

CAFÉ EN SEINE

Generator Hostel

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.

Choice… here, you’ve never had as much. Signature cocktails served with style. French Champagne fused to create sparkling surprises. Gin concoctions bursting with botanicals. The purest of vodkas served just as they should be. And whiskeys… Irish, Scotch, American and Japanese… young, old and very old. A wine for every palette and bubbles for every occasion, all served with effortless charm in a lavish interior that is unmatched. With the largest drinks menu in Dublin, whatever your taste, just ask.

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.

40 Dawson Street, Dublin 2 01 677 4567 bookings@cafeenseine.ie cafeenseine.ie

Smithfield Square, Dublin 7

16-18 Parliament Street, Dublin 2 45-47 Nassau Street, Dublin 2 tel: 01 677 4180 Fb: Porterhouse-Brewing-Company @Porterhousebars

3 Harry Street, Dublin 2 01 679 4395

64 South Great George’s Street, Dublin 2 01 474 1590 info@soderandko soderandko.ie

01 901 0222 www.generatorhostels.com/Dublin-Hostel

Grogan’s

O’Donoghue’s

Neary’s

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.

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.

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.

15 Sth William St, Dublin 2

1 Chatham Street, Dublin 2 15 Merrion Row, Dublin

01-6778596

(01) 660 7194 Hours: 10:00 a.m. – 12:00 a.m.

So schmeckt Bayern. ter with Celebrate win weisse chnee ERDINGER S

ER-133415-Anzeige Produkt Schneeweiße_A4_quer RZ.indd 1

24.11.15 17:33

PROUDLY SPONSORED BY

BARFLY words Oisín Murphy-Hall photos Killian Broderick

THE EMPIRE STRIKES BACK Forty Foot Bar & Grill

Forty Foot Bar & Grill Marine Road, Dún Laoghaire 01-2360663 fb.com/fortyfootbarandgrill

‘Do you ever feel like there’s just no point to it?’ Anton asks me after a silence, as we step out of the DART onto the platform of Dún Laoghaire station. ‘No point to what?’ I reply. ‘Everything. Like this, coming out to Dún Laoghaire to do some bar review. What’s the point?’ ‘I suppose I try not to think about it,’ I say, ascending the station steps. ‘It’s just my job.’ ‘Some job,’ he says, meeting my gaze. ‘Criticising businesses that are just trying to provide employment in the community.’ His words sort of linger in the air, unanswered. The DART pulls away beneath us. ‘Personally, for me, I think you should be encouraging businesses. That should be your job!’ The overarching narrative of Wetherspoon’s incursion into the Irish market, having monopolised its native Britain, or at least the one the Vintners’ Association is inclined to push, is whether patrons will be inclined to trade in the traditional, real pub experience (add your own quotation marks according to cynicism) for its larger, cheaper, franchised alternative. Crucially, with prices for a pint ranging typically from €2.50 (Beamish, etc.) to €2.95 (Staropramen, etc.), you’re talking about literally half the cost of most extant Dublin pubs. Due to a commercial dispute over its pricing, Guinness is not stocked, which is another key, iconic difference between Wetherspoon’s in Ireland and the rest of our Diageo-friendly bars. Along with its extraordinarily low prices, the most striking thing about the Forty Foot is probably how brightly lit it is inside. No music plays over the PA. In terms of ambience, it feels more like a café or a gift shop than a bar, if you ignore the fact that everyone around you is visibly and enthusiastically sipping pints. You get the sense that you may not cast a shadow at all in this building, an impression that equates closely to that of being watched. Presumably, given the ubiquity of CCTV surveillance nowadays, you are. But the seating is comfortable, well laid out, far from cramped and consciously

mismatched enough not to look clinical or, worse, evoke the archetypal hotel bar. The selection of non-draught craft beers too is extensive, including both bottles (€2.45 for Lagunitas IPA being a particular highlight) and cans (likewise the €2.75 Sixpoint Bengali IPA). The food menu seems to have been conceived with a sort of blunderbuss focus, incorporating essentially everything that could possibly fall under the umbrella of ‘pub grub’, but in spite of the broadness of its approach, the fish and chips with mushy peas (€10.50, including a drink) is of remarkable quality and generous in its size. It’s hard to find fault with the operation on a functional level. Everything oscillates comfortably between ‘all right’ and ‘very good’. Ultimately, if Irish pubs are to be worried by the franchise’s emergence, it is specifically the ones that fall beneath those qualitative brackets. In an article in The New Statesman, Will Self suggests that the Wetherspoon’s model ‘demeans the customer and the worker’. Of the latter, one might rejoin, so too does all work under capitalism. But of course these are categories without any innate meaning to begin with; they are constantly reproduced in the act of exchange. It might well be that the bourgeois urge, rather than wishing to feel vaunted as a customer, is merely to slip invisibly and anonymously into the background of the commercial space. Admittedly, in this light, it feels quite impossible. ‘Well, I suppose you’re going to say that was just soulless, corporate drudgery, drinking in there with me,’ says Anton, stepping out into the winter air, cigarette in hand. ‘Actually I–’ ‘Yeah, apparently going and having a few pints with your mates in a big pub that’s providing employment in the local area is “soulless, corporate drudgery” these days! According to you, anyway.’

BARFLY words Danny Wilson photos Killian Broderick

NO UGLY DUCKLING The Swan

York Street’s The Swan is a pub of note for a few reasons; firstly, it is one of the oldest licensed premises in the city centre having operated as a bar since 1661, and the essentially untouched Victorian interior that you see there was installed by Thomas F O’Reilly in 1897. Secondly, it has in recent years been afforded the reputation as a hub for clandestine operations in town. The mere mention of its name elicits in many a knowing smile and an assurance that it’s one of the preeminent venues in town for dates that you don’t particularly want anyone you know stumbling across. The root of this association remains something of enigma. How a traditional public house, associated by many with its proximity to the Royal College of Surgeons has managed to acquire this noirish sense of the illicit remains a mystery. Perhaps the association

with covert action attached to the place stems from the pub’s reputation as a revolutionary hub during the Rising. Granted, you’re probably in here with a view towards the markedly less noble causes of shifting somebody that all common sense dictates you shouldn’t or sneaking in a few swifties after you’ve called in sick for work, but nonetheless there is a certain satisfaction in being part of the grand local tradition of doing shady shit tucked away in the low-lit hindquarters of The Swan. Up front oak and brass abound. Far from an ugly ducking, this is one of the finer examples of the ‘heritage pubs’ that entice countless visitors to these shores every year. With close ties to both the aforementioned Rising and the Civil War, the exterior façade remains pockmarked from gunfire, carrying a similar old-world prestige to the wood-panelled watering holes of Baggot Street, without the

atmosphere-stifling shortcomings that are associated with being the haunt primarily of monied fifty-something gents. The Swan isn’t purely a tourist-trapping throwback though. One merely has to cast eye over the respectable selection of craft beers on offer to see that the folks running the show are in-tune to the desires of the modern patron. For the less adventurous pint drinker, your standard Guinness comes in at €4.70, pretty reasonable for a town pint. Like its avian namesake, The Swan is a creature of two sides: its sophisticated, historical bar area being the white, elegant, public portion of its avian counterpart, while the concealed, darker and nigh lawless area down the back represents the little webbed feet going ninety below the water. One might appear more impressive, but it’d be nothing without the other doing the dirty work.

The Swan 58 York Street, Dublin 2 01-4752722 theswanbar.com

STEP INSIDE THE HOME OF

JAMESON BOOK YOUR TOUR AT JAMESONWHISKEY.COM

Step Inside 227x108mm_Nombr.indd 1

11/11/2015 10:08

Suesey Street

Bellucci’s

KAFKA

Umi Falafel

26 Fitzwilliam Place, Dublin 2.

Sweepstakes Centre, 22-30 Merrion Road, Dublin 4

236 Lower Rathmines Road, Dublin 6

13 Dame Street, Dublin 2

t: (01) 669 4600 | info@sueseystreet.ie

01 668 9422

01 4977057

01 670 68 66 // umifalafel.ie // @UmiFalafel

www.sueseystreet.ie

www.bellucci.ie 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.

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.

@SueseyStreet The Suesey Street name harks back to Georgian times and was the original name for Leeson Street in the 1700s. The venue was formerly Brasserie Le Pont and now offers a more informal approach to drinking and dining. The large outdoor terrace is one of the best in the city, fully heated and topped with a retractable canopy making it the perfect space for al fresco dining year round. With the focus on quality food and great hospitality Suesey Street is the go-to place to socialise and enjoy the finer things in life.

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.

Söder+Ko

The 101 Talbot

64 South Great George’s Street, Dublin 2 w: soderandko.ie t: 01 474 1590 e: info@soderandko

100-102 Talbot St, Dublin 1 t: 01-8745011 www.talbot101.ie 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.

Culinary Director Kwangi Chan and his team serve an Asian menu that’s made for sharing. Discover lots of small plates bursting with delicious punchy flavour. Pop in for an Express Lunch with a choice of tempting light bites, signature steamed buns and Chef Specials to savour. Come for dinner and mix it up with your favourites from their raw, dim sum and hot options, all designed to delight. Open for lunch, weekend brunch and dinner 7 days a week.

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

The Meeting House

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.

Meeting House Square, Temple Bar, D2 www.themeetinghousedublin.com 01-6703330 @meetinghousedub

Vikings Steakhouse

TGI Friday’s

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.

2nd Floor (Bram Stoker Hotel), 225 Clontarf Road, Dublin 3 01 853 2000 info@vikingssteakhouse.com www.vikingssteakhouse.com www.facebook.com/vikingssteakhouseclontarf

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

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!

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

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.

COPPINGER ROW

The Boxty House

Coppinger Row, South William Street, Dublin 2

20-21 Temple Bar Dublin 2

01 6729884

w: www.boxtyhouse.ie

www.coppingerrow.com

e: info@boxtyhouse.ie @theboxtyhouse

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.

The Boxty House in Temple Bar has been at the beating heart of a dynamic, contemporary community since 1988. Their guests experience a genuine taste of modern Ireland, with only the finest of Irish artisan produce used. They offer an extensive range of classic and contemporary dishes with a fixed price menu also available. You can also sit back, relax and enjoy their eclectic range of cocktails, selection of Irish craft beers and carefully chosen wine list. Open seven days from noon (Monday to Friday) and at 11am at the weekends for brunch, lunch and evening dinner. Last food orders taken around 10.30pm.

outdoor seating

vegetarian

kid-friendly

full bar

wi-fi

booking recommended

red luas line

green luas line

Deliveroo

ely bar & brasserie

CAFFE ITALIANO

CAFÉ EN SEINE

The Brasserie at The Marker

Chq, IFSC, Dublin 1

7 Crow Street - Bazzar Galley, Temple Bar, Dublin 2

40 Dawson Street, Dublin 2

Grand Canal Square, Dublin 2

www.elywinebar.com

www.caffeitaliano.ie

01 677 4567

01-6875104

elybrasserie@elywinebar.com

01 5511206

bookings@cafeenseine.ie, www.cafeenseine.ie

bookyourtable@themarker.ie

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.

For lunch, dinner and Sunday brunch at Café En Seine you’re assured a treat. This is French bistro fare at it’s finest. For Hors D’Oeuvres try our Warm Crumbed Goats Cheese, Chicken Liver Parfait or Salade Niçoise with home smoked salmon. For Entrées their Steak Au Poivre is the star with hand cut chips and your favourite sauce. Or try a new twist on an old classic, Beef Cheek Bourguignon so tender it melts. Open 7 days a week.

@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.

@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.

Asador

Zaragoza

1 Victoria House, Haddington Road, Dublin 4 // t: 01

South William St

2545353 // www.asador.ie / fb.com/Asador

01 6794020

reception@asador.ie // @AsadorDublin

info@zaragoza.com // @zaragozadublin fb.com/zaragozadublin

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.

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!

Michie Sushi

Mao

11 Chelmsford Lane, Ranelagh, D6 01-4976438 www.michiesushi.com

2 Chatham Row, Dublin 2 t: 01-6704899 mymao.ie

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.

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

SALAMANCA St.Andrew’s Street,Dublin 2 // 01 6774799 // info@salamanca.ie // www.Salamanca.ie // 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!

Il Posto

The Revolution

Hard Rock Café Dublin

ELY WINE BAR

10 Saint Stephen’s Green, Dublin 2

10 Terenure Road East, Rathgar, Dublin 6

22 Ely Place, Dublin 2 // 01 676 8986 // elyplace@

t: 01 679 4769

t: (01) 492.6890

12 Fleet Street Temple Bar, Dublin 2 t: 01-6717777

ilpostorestaurant.com

w: www.therevolution.ie @rathgarcraft

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.

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.

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!

elywinebar.com // www.elywinebar.com // @elywinebars 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!

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

The first floor bar offers 2 / 3 course set menu options every Thursday, Friday Saturday from 6pm. The weekly specials from the kitchen reflect the seasonal produce available from their quality suppliers and the drinks menu covers 24 Craft beers on draught, Cocktails, Wine and premium whiskey. Upstairs@57 is ideal for larger groups looking for great food and drinks at great prices.

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.

Johnnie Fox’s Pub

Yamamori Izakaya

Glencullen, Co Dublin 01 29555647 info@jfp.ie www.jfp.ie

13 South Great George’s Street, Dublin

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.

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.

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

016458001 www.yamamori.ie

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!

le bon crubeen

coda eatery

Konkan

Kokoro Sushi Bento

Viva

The Gibson Hotel, Point Village, Dublin 1

46 Clanbrassil Street Upper, D8 / t: 01-4738252

19 Lower Liffey Street, D1, 01-8728787

27 South Richmond Street, Dublin 2

01 681 5000

1 Upper Kilmacud Road, Dundrum / t: 01 2988965

51 South William Street, D2, 01-5470658

t: 01 424 4043

thegibsonhotel.ie

konkan.ie // info@konkan.ie

Unit N, Liffey Trust Centre, D1, 01-5474390

vivaespanatapas.com

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.

82 Talbot Street, Dublin 1 // www.leboncrubeen.ie // @LeBonCrubeen // 01 7040126 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.

Konkan Indian Restaurant is located on 1 Upper Kilmacud Road, Dundrum, just a two minute walk from the Dundrum Luas Station. They have another branch at 46 Clanbrassil Street Upper, near the Harold’s Cross Bridge. The food at Konkan is always fresh with complex authentic and regional flavours. Konkan has garnered rave reviews both for the food and the friendly service and is a firm favourite amongst the locals. Their Early Bird is great value and the Tasting Menu is definitely worth a try. They also offer restaurant quality food for delivery and take-outs at great prices (which can be ordered online at www.konkan.ie).

FB: @Kokoro Sushi Bento w: kokorosushibento.com 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.

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.

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.

outdoor seating

vegetarian

kid-friendly

full bar

wi-fi

booking recommended

red luas line

green luas line

Deliveroo

Gill Nolan from Mao, Chatham Row Mao on Chatham Row is a veteran on the Dublin restaurant scene - what is the story of how it started? Mao has been on the Dublin restaurant scene for over 20 years now. A gap was noticed in the market for genuine, high quality Asian cuisine at an affordable price point. Combining fresh and tasty Asian dishes with vibrant, trendy cocktails was something new and created a really fun environment to dine out in. Dublin was missing this and we knew Mao would fill the void. What do you think is the secret to its continued success? We’re committed to using quality ingredients and never compromise on flavour. Our team are very dedicated and we’ve a really loyal customer base who love our food and the relaxed, fun atmosphere. Though the brand is 20 years old, we appreciate we need to move with the times to remain relevant. We introduce new dishes and cocktails throughout the year so our menu never becomes stale

– though our signature classic dishes are still our most loved! Recently we introduced lower calorie dishes and cocktails, which are very popular. We’ve also just launched live music sessions on Thursday to Saturday evenings which are proving to be a great hit. We also recently opened a Mao At Home counter in store which offers a ‘To Go’ option at a lower price point for hectic lunch hours, dinner on the run or a quick bite at your desk. I think the fact that we listen to our customers’ needs and deliver what they want is a huge factor in how we’ve made it to the Dublin restaurant veteran list!

think it’s really nice to be transparent with our customers not only with open view kitchen but with exactly what they’re eating. Tell me about the partnership with Leinster Rugby. We’ve worked with Leinster Rugby for three years now and they have been incredible. Mao are the official food supplier for the team and being an Irish-owned company with all our dishes cooked fresh using top quality local produce, I think the partnership is a great fit. The lads love our food, their favourites have been shared with you on our menu. Look out for the rugby ball!

You are known for your fusion of Asian style – tell me about what goes into that blend of cooking styles? Our chefs are extremely dedicated to the art of Asian cuisine. Our menu is made up of dishes from all over Asia including Thai, Chinese and Indonesian dishes. All our dishes are cooked to order using only 100% Irish fillet beef and the freshest of ingredients. The presence of signature Mao classics such as the Malaysian Chicken, Nasi Goreng and Five Spice Chicken create a unique taste profile for Mao and I do believe it is what keeps our customers coming back year after year.

Do you have any plans for the Christmas period and for the new year ahead? Being in the city centre we are always buzzing for Christmas with parties, shoppers, family get togethers… you name it! This year we’ve added a glass of prosecco or mulled wine to our very popular Christmas menu which has added a nice festive touch. The restaurant always has an exceptionally warm and welcoming feel during the weeks leading up to Christmas which the team here love. As a team we are very much looking forward to 2016. Our plan is to continue satisfying our loyal and much loved customers.

What are some of your favourite items on the menu? I would have to say Malaysian Chicken, Nasi Goreng and Chilli Lime Beef are my top picks. I love how you can have really tasty dishes and not have to worry too much about your waistline! I

Mao, 2 Chatham Row, Dublin 2 www.mymao.ie

The Dublin Dining Guide Best Delivery

•

Delivers Wine

Saba To Go

•

Delivers Beer

•

13 Rathgar Road, Rathmines, D6, t: 01-4060200 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

Email booking

•

Phone booking

KANUM THAI

•

Vegetarian

•

Coeliac

•

Gluten Free

Rathgar 01 4062080 Ballsbridge 01 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-

••••••

able on APP store and Google play)

Michie Sushi Delivery

Mao At Home

www.michiesushi.com Ranelagh Dun Laoghaire Sandyford Avoca Rathcoole Avoca Kilmac

Ballinteer: 01 296 8702 Donnybrook: 01 207 1660 Stillorgan: 01 278 4370 Tallaght: 01 458 50 20 Dundrum: 01 296 2802

01-4976438 01-5389990 01-5550174 087-9933385 087-9933385

Michie Sushi delivers top quality Sushi and Japanese hot foods all over Dublin. We deliver to your home, office, wedding, party and events. Big or small your sushi order is hand made with love and dedication. All of our sushi and hot foods are made to order, our fish is handpicked and cut daily in our restaurants. We are proud to have been awarded the Best Sushi in Ireland for the past 5 years.

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

•••

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.

••••

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.

••••••

A taste of Pakistan at the award winning

Kinara Kitchen U P S TA I R S B A R & R O O F T E R R AC E

11 Upper Baggot St. D4

01 6687170

BLOOM CHRISTMAS DINNER PARTY NIGHTS

Check out our cocktails by Paul Lambert, Bar Manager

No. 17 Ranelagh Village, Dublin 6 T: 01 406 0066 @upstairsKK Email: upstairs@kinarakitchen.ie www.kinarakitchen.ie Sister Restaurant of Kinara, Clontarf and Kajjal, Malahide.

Complimentary Prosecco Reception for groups of 10 or more Mon - Wed in December

SUESEY

SUPPER MENU 2 Course €27 | 3 Course €33 TUESDAY - THURSDAY, ALL NIGHT FRIDAY & SATURDAY, 6 - 7PM NOW BOOKING FOR

CHRISTMAS We at Copper Alley Bistro strive to serve our guests with wholesome, home cooked Irish Cuisine with a twist within a well maintained and comfortable environment with a prompt and friendly service. All our food is sourced in Ireland and supplied by Irish suppliers to give you that authentic taste of Ireland. Our Bistro provides a warm and friendly atmosphere to unwind & relax in after a busy day in Dublin City. Our renowned selection of Steaks, Seafood, Chicken and Vegetarian dishes are delicious and appealing to all. Serving breakfast, lunch and evening meals, we hope to see you during your visit to Dublin. Three Course Christmas Menu €29.95 per person. Visit website to view full menu. Bookings now being taken. Contact Hagi on 01 677 0603 or info@copperalleybistro.ie

26 Fitzwilliam Place, D2 Tel: 01 669 4600 info@sueseystreet.ie www.sueseystreet.ie Opening Hours : Breakfast 7.30am – 11.45 noon • Lunch Menu 12 noon – 4pm • Evening Menu 4pm- 9.45pm No 2 Lord Edward Street, Dublin, City Centre South (beside Christchurch) • Ph: 01 677 0603 • www.copperalleybistro.ie | #SueseySt a x @sueseystreet SueseyStreet_TotallyDublin_REV2.indd 3

29/09/2015 14:03

PROUDLY SPONSORED BY

GASTRO words Aoife McElwain photos Mark Duggan

STARS OF THE SHOW

Restaurant Patrick Guilbaud Siobhán and I sit in a booth in a high-ceilinged, dome-shaped room in the depths of The Merrion Hotel. Our plates bear the insignia of Restaurant Patrick Guilbaud and the table’s linen is crisp. Our waiters perform synchronised swoops to dramatically unveil our lunch that awaits underneath the silver lids of the serving trays. A seared calf ’s liver tastes like butter, and the lyonnaise discs of fried potatoes sit alongside perfect halves of Brussels sprouts and crispy shards of bacon, a sauce diable (essentially an elegant onion gravy) bringing everything together. On my friend’s plate lies a generous portion of roasted slip sole, sprinkled with hazelnuts and brown shrimp, all dripping with delicious browned butter. You know the way in regular restaurants, the prongs of a fork point upwards towards the ceiling? Here at Guilbaud’s, they are placed with the prongs facing downwards towards the table. Presumably so you don’t even have to twist your wrist to eat; the fork is already facing the right direction when you pick it up. I suppose I should expect nothing less. After all, I’m having lunch in Ireland’s only restaurant with two Michelin stars. The team has clocked my friend and I as complete interlopers. We are not hard to spot; we are giggling like Benny and Eve from Circle of Friends for the entire lunch service. Guilbaud’s is so fancy that it makes us uncontrollably giddy, in a really fun way. I accidentally dip my hair in the truffled potato and leek soup, served in the most beautiful little soup bowl. We get a fright when the waiters perform their first swoop; we just weren’t expecting it. The charade of being Ladies Who Lunch hangs delicately in a balance that could be obliterated by a single dropped fork. Despite our shortcomings in knowing how to behave, however, we decide that we are our waiters’ favourites. One young, French waiter in particular revs his hammy French waiter act up to eleven for our benefit. His young, French colleague says to us, with a smile and the most graceful of eye-rolls, ‘Ee sinks ee iz a comic.’ In fact, all the waiters appear to be young and French. We wonder if it’s a rite of passage for a stream of young, French waiters in training to

come to Guilbaud’s. Presumably it’s a great place to learn the ropes of fine dining as well as an opportunity to learn English, and I’m guessing that lunchtime might be when the newbies get a chance to work on the floor. We are served by, literally, the most adorable trainee sommelier in the world. He can’t be more than 19, a golden bunch of grapes pinned proudly to the lapel of his impeccable black jacket. He looks like he might faint when my friend asks him should she go Sancerre or Chablis, but he finds his confidence and steers her towards the Chablis. Later, when she tells him how much she enjoyed the wine (€17 a glass – gulp) he tells us that we were his first table ever. We nearly applaud; I’m genuinely proud of him. My dessert of caramelised comice pear with discs of biscuity chocolate arlette pastry and bourbon vanilla ice cream is exorbitantly fanciful. There is a great ceremony over the cheese trolley, too. Our young, French waitress wheels over a sideboard heaving with cheeses ranging from delicately fragrant to full-blown stinkers. She helps us choose four types of cheeses, which she slices from the wheels and arranges on a slate platter. She gives us extra homemade crackers – I told you we were their favourites. The three course Table d’Hôte lunch menu

Restaurant Patrick Guilbaud 21 Upper Merrion Street, Dublin 2 01-6764192 restaurantpatrickguilbaud.ie

is €55 per person, and includes filter coffee and delightful petit fours. Our lunch bill, which includes a Margarita (€20), a grapefruit spritzer (€10) and a bottle of San Pellegrino (€6) comes to €163, without tip. I’m not trying to be precocious but I didn’t find the food at Guilbaud’s life-changing. My starter of cold pressed terrine of smoked eel feels old-fashioned rather than classic. I’m not entirely wooed by such a formal atmosphere, through no fault of the wonderful staff who make us feel endlessly welcome. I’m aware that it’s a very trendy thing to say, but I’m more excited by Nordic sparseness than the ceremonies of French fine dining. My lunch at Guilbaud’s was my first experience of a double starred level of restaurant, and I’m so glad I now have it in my memory bank forever. I loved the historic traditions of the over-the-top servitude, the gilded plates and silver cutlery. And, though I respect the craft and training that goes into this kind of restaurant, I think I’m too silly for its world. There is no doubt in my mind that my lunch at Guilbaud’s will prove to be one of the most memorable, for the experience if not the food. For a really special occasion, you can’t get fancier than Guilbaud’s.

PROUDLY SPONSORED BY

GASTRO words Aoife McElwain photos Mark Duggan

BEHIND THAT CLOSED DOOR Locks 1 Windsor Terrace

I’m late for lunch at Locks with my friend, who’s already been seated at our table. ‘Don’t worry,’ she texts. ‘It’s nice to be here, looking out rather than looking in.’ For those of you who spent your 20s hanging around in the flat-lands of Rathmines and Portobello surviving on chickpea stews and (very) cheap red wine, Locks might have a similar emotional pull for you as it does for me. It was a place I longed to have the money to go to; to sit in its beautiful front room and be spoiled. Ten years later, I’ve gone through a number of transformations, as has this restaurant. Back when I was outside looking in, its owners were Claire and Richard Douglas, and had been since the ’80s. Sébastien Masi and his partner Kirsten Batt took over in 2010 and rebranded as Locks Brasserie. In 2013, Head Chef Rory Carville helped steer the team towards receiving a Michelin Star. Carville left the restaurant in the summer of 2013 and the Brasserie lost the star in 2014. That incarnation of the restaurant closed its doors in July 2015. Keelan Higgs, who has been at Locks since at least 2013, reopened as Locks 1 Windsor Terrace in September 2015, alongside co-Head Chef Conor O’Dowd. The new Locks is smart-casual; the charming maître d’/waiter is decked out in jeans and a subtly crisp shirt. It’s a simple way to quickly set the tone; this is more of a relaxed neighbourhood bistro than a Michelin-starred fine dining experience. There’s a lot of dude bros in this restaurant; I spot at least one man-bun in the kitchen.

The food is a beautiful mix of unfussy and intricate, delivered via a pleasingly precise menu. Three courses are €28, with substantial supplements for the specials. The starter special of plump mackerel (an additional €6) is grilled until blistered and blackened, with charred cucumber, crab meat and blobs of avocado sauce. It’s delicate without being up its own arse. From the regular menu, baby beetroots are served salt-baked with their lovely long roots attached, sprinkled with matchsticks of apple and blobs of soft goat cheese. There are micro-greens and circular discs of sauce prettying up the plate. It looks really beautiful and, even though I’ve eaten a variation of this dish a million times before, this one tastes fresh and perfectly of the season. We can’t resist the chateaubriand sharing board special (€15 extra per person and it’s worth it). We get plates of slowly braised short rib and then a board of pink slices of the tenderloin fillet (aka the chateaubriand), topped with onion rings and golden, fluffy chips on the

Locks 1 Windsor Terrace launch their Christmas lunch menu on Wednesday 2nd December. Locks 1 Windsor Terrace 1 Windsor Terrace, Portobello, Dublin 8 01-4163655 locksrestaurant.ie

side. It’s truly divine. The meat is so exquisitely seasoned and delicious, that it demands all of my attention and focus. All of the week’s stresses melt away, much like the short rib. And isn’t the goal of all nurturing cooks to make food so absorbingly delicious and comforting that the eater forgets their worries, even temporarily? An apple tart on a crispy circle of puff pastry with salt caramel and praline ice cream stays true to its origins while delivering a flair of finesse. The elements in the chocolate tart with stout ice cream and a condensed plum sauce (adding another €4 to the menu) are too intense on their own but work really well as a mouthful. Our bill, which includes two bottles of still water and two macchiatos, comes to €104, excluding tip. This restaurant may have gone through a lot but it’s still a beautiful room over-looking the canal, with really lovely food and service. It doesn’t appear that this team is chasing a Michelin star. Nonetheless, it’s certainly still a treat to eat there.

PROUDLY PROUDLY SPONSORED SPONSORED BY BY

BITESIZE words Martina Murray

1. To Dine One Table at the Pepperpot We love the sound of One Table, the Pepper Pot Café’s innovative new series of themed food events set around a beautifully dressed, candle-lit table in the elegant surroundings of the 18th century Powerscourt Townhouse. The first installment unfolds on Wednesday 9th December with Julbord, a one-table, six-course Swedish Christmas feast showcasing traditional Scandinavian cooking methods. January’s event coincides with Nollaig na mBan (Women’s Christmas) and features an Edwardian one-table inspired by Joyce’s famous short story ‘The Dead’. Tickets for both events are available directly from the Pepperpot Café. For more see thepepperpot.ie

2. To Savour New flavours from Lismore Lovers of homemade biscuits are in for a real treat this Christmas courtesy of those crafty artisans at the Lismore Food Company. Inspired by the rich waters off the Irish coast they’ve cooked up a tasty brace of new flavours featuring caraway with Irish seaweed and an Irish digestive biscuit with Wild Atlantic sea salt. The biscuits come enveloped in colourful, eye-catching tubes and make an ideal stocking filler for those who fancy something a little more savoury over the festive season. See the full list of stockists at lismorefoodcompany.com

3. To Miso Mince Pies from Blazing Salads Nothing evokes the taste of the season quite like a mouthful of crisp mince pie bursting at the seams with juicy fruits and spices. For a yuletide treat with no added sugar it’s hard to beat the mince pies at Blazing Salads. Based on an old family recipe, their signature slow-cooked seasonal fruit mix is enriched with unpasteurised mugi barley miso overlain with mixed spice, cinnamon and nutmeg. Each pie is set on a base of organic wholemeal spelt flour and finished with an almond topping. Suitable for vegetarians and vegans, treat yourself to a wholefood sample at 42 Drury Street Dublin 2.

4. To Drink And Union And Union is a new craft bier [sic] range that is hitting Irish shelves in the next month. With a slogan of ‘Analog bier for a digital world’, And Union brew what they call modernist Bavarian craft bier. Since 2007, And Union have worked with a variety of brewmasters from small, regional, family-run Bavarian breweries, focusing on small-scale production and the simplest and most timetested brewing methods, the And Union range features Steph Weiss (a Bavarian wheat bear), Neu Blk (an unfiltered dark lager), Unflt Lager (an unfiltered Helles lager) and Brr Grr (an unfiltered English pale ale) and comes wrapped in deliciously stripped-back packaging. Find out more at en.andunion.de

5. To Gift Riot Rye Bakehouse & Bread School Looking for a last minute present for the foodie in your life? How about gifting a voucher for a bread baking course at Riot Rye Bakehouse and Bread School? Run by artisan breadmaker Joe Fitzmaurice and his wife Julie Lockett, the wood fired bakery is located in the heart of Cloughjordan Eco Village, offering an array of real bread and sourdough baking courses designed to cater for learners of all levels. Riot Rye’s special Christmas offer includes 10% off all baking course vouchers and courses booked from now until midday on Christmas Eve. For the full list of courses available visit riotrye.ie

Cavern A relaxed environment that’s perfect for after works drinks or catching up with friends. A wine-friendly food menu offering the best of Irish and international artisan produce. Regular wine and craft beer tastings, art exhibitions plus live music every Saturday.

Christmas bookings now beeing taken! rse including Christmas set menu is €30 pp for 3 cou Canape menu is Prosecco / Mulled Wine on arrival | The e on arrival. €15 pp including prosecco/mulled win 17 Upper Baggot Street, Dublin 4 Tel: (085) 808 8266 • cavern@baggotstreetwines.com Instagram/Twitter: @CavernBaggotSt

SUESEY

SUPPER MENU 2 Course €27 | 3 Course €33 TUESDAY - THURSDAY, ALL NIGHT FRIDAY & SATURDAY, 6 - 7PM NOW BOOKING FOR

CHRISTMAS

26 Fitzwilliam Place, D2 Tel: 01 669 4600 info@sueseystreet.ie www.sueseystreet.ie a x @sueseystreet | #SueseySt SueseyStreet_TotallyDublin_REV2.indd 3

29/09/2015 14:03

SOUNDBITE words Martina Murray photos Ove Grunnér

In the midst of a revival of interest in Irish whiskey A Glass Apart celebrates the culinary nature of the pure drop. We talked ancient grains with author Fionnán O’Connor. How did you become interested in whiskey? The early history of Irish whiskey is in part the story of grain that was grown to be bread but mischievously turned into hooch on the side. I became immersed in the subject when I was studying in San Francisco. I got a job with Diageo as a brand ambassador for the Bushmills Single Malt line and started teaching whiskey classes at Bourbon and Branch, an old established cocktail bar in San Francisco. This gave me a wide exposure to a lot of whiskey I couldn’t afford on a student budget. I also persuaded the UC Berkeley Celtic Languages Department to allow me to teach a class on the history of whiskey. My background was in medieval literature and I was used to looking at historical sources so it was great to be able to pull that into a love of whiskey. What’s so special about Irish pot still whiskey? In the late 1800s Irish pot still whiskey was regarded as the premier whiskey on the planet, the favourite drink of London aristocrats and New York property tycoons alike. It’s the one style of whiskey that’s not made anywhere else in the world. The combination of raw barley and the pot still process produces a very rich, oily spirit and the alcohol comes overloaded with other flavour compounds such as fruity esters and spicy aldehydes. A mixture of malt and a small amount of young, un-malted ‘green’ barley is thrown in with the malt to create a rich texture that’s denser, creamier and more viscous than other whiskeys. The raw barley also gives it a kind of bristly spiciness that lies somewhere between the taste of ginger and fern Christmas tree. At its height there were about 25 distilleries making it across Ireland, but due to a number of historical factors the industry was decimated. Those distilleries that survived did so by making significantly lighter ‘blended’ whiskeys that could be made at 20 times the speed, so a lot of the old oily pot still whiskeys disappeared. It came very close to extinction as a style, but for a long time its big mouth filling texture and spiciness were considered the calling cards of fine Irish distilling. What led you to write A Glass Apart? Now that Irish distilling is picking up again as a business, I wanted to ensure that its unique culinary heritage was similarly revived. Whiskey is essentially liquor made from grain and I was interested in the history of the liquid, its flavours and how they evolved depending on the different ‘mash bills’ or grain recipes that were used. The main Irish pot still mash bill was a mix of malt and raw barley. More raw barley gives more spice and texture, more malt means more depth and sweetness, and there were also other Irish mashes involving oats or wheat or portions of rye that simply don’t exist any more. Ireland is littered with the ruins of old single pot still distilleries, with their abandoned chimneys and in a few cases, the stills just sitting there. So I was going out to these places going through the excise records trying to preserve

CLASS IN A GLASS Fionnán O’Connor

the flavours of all these dead whiskeys by recording as much of the mash bill history as I could find. A lot of people in the Irish Whiskey Society came forward with old samples and now there are tasting notes for pretty much all the surviving examples and any of the dead ones that I could get my hands on. The book is really a love letter to the style, showing the whole reservoir of forgotten flavours that we can draw on in Irish distilling today. What advice would you offer to somebody coming to this style of whiskey for the first time? Single pot still whiskey is absolutely loaded with flavours and it wants you to physically remember that you have something in your mouth. It does demand a little something from you, but a wellmade pot still will reward you for your time and energy. The big difference between Irish pot still and other whiskeys is its thick, oily texture, almost like a thick, creamy winter soup, so what I’d say is take enough to feel that texture, a small bit more than a sip, but don’t gulp it. Give it time and look for that feel in the mouth, that bigness in the whiskey. A neat little trick is to breathe while you’re drinking it, keeping your mouth slightly open, and that will pump oxygen through to bring out more of the raw barley spice. Do you have a personal favourite? My ‘go-to’ pub whiskey if I’m out is Powers John’s Lane. It’s a commemoration of what used to be considered the Dublin style of Irish pot still, a very earthy, tobaccoey, leathery style of heavy whiskey.

A Glass Apart: Irish Single Pot Still Whiskey by Fionnán O’Connor, published by Images Publishing is available from all good bookstores as well as from the Celtic Whiskey Shop, Mitchell & Sons and behind the bar in places such as the Palace Bar, L Mulligan Grocer and the Dingle Whiskey Bar.

It’s exactly what old Irish whiskey ought to taste like, delicious and very affordable. If price isn’t an issue I’d say Green Spot 12 Year Old Cask Strength. Instead of playing into the advertising slogans of Irish whiskey being soft and accessible, it focused on what made Irish pot still different. It’s very electric, spicy and resinous and it’s become a cult item amongst whiskey lovers. Unfortunately there weren’t that many made, it’s something outrageous like €850 a bottle now, and every time someone drinks a bottle there’s one less in the world. All we can hope is, with the emerging renaissance, whiskeys like that become the expectation rather than the exception once again.

Welcome to Zaragoza, where you’ll find deliciously fresh Mediterranean tapas served with the warmest Irish welcome. A contemporary fusion of modern, authentic cuisine presented in a convivial atmosphere, Zaragoza is not just a place, it’s a destination.

South William Street, Dublin 2 Ph: 01 6794020 Opening hours: Monday - Sunday - 12noon - Midnight (last orders 11pm)

We at Copper Alley Bistro strive to serve our guests with wholesome, home cooked Irish Cuisine with a twist within a well maintained and comfortable environment with a prompt and friendly service. All our food is sourced in Ireland and supplied by Irish suppliers to give you that authentic taste of Ireland. Our Bistro provides a warm and friendly atmosphere to unwind & relax in after a busy day in Dublin City. Our renowned selection of Steaks, Seafood, Chicken and Vegetarian dishes are delicious and appealing to all. Serving breakfast, lunch and evening meals, we hope to see you during your visit to Dublin. Three Course Christmas Menu €29.95 per person. Visit website to view full menu. Bookings now being taken. Contact Hagi on 01 677 0603 or info@copperalleybistro.ie Opening Hours : Breakfast 7.30am – 11.45 noon • Lunch Menu 12 noon – 4pm • Evening Menu 4pm- 9.45pm No 2 Lord Edward Street, Dublin, City Centre South (beside Christchurch) • Ph: 01 677 0603 • www.copperalleybistro.ie

TXFM.ie

txfmdublin1o52

TXFMDUBLIN

TOTALLYCAFÉ

Dublin Barista School

•

Gourmet Coffee

•

Filter Coffee

• • Tea

Wifi

• • Treats

••••

Roasted Brown

••••••••

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 has long established itself as one of Dublin’s top coffee spots and one of the city’s nicest hangouts. Baristas Ferg Brown and Rob Lewis serve beautiful coffee using a variety of beans and brew methods, while Roasted Brown’s own roastery now supplies beans to a selection of the city’s most discerning cafés. But it doesn’t stop at coffee: all of Roasted Brown’s food is prepared on site, with gourmet sandwiches, organic soups and delicious sweet treats, and brunch at the weekends. Roasted Brown have now set up shop upstairs in the Project Arts Centre. Drop in and check out their new space.

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 39 Essex Street East, Temple Bar, D2 @RoastedBrown

Drury Street Car Park, Drury Street, Dublin 2 www.shpetite.ie t: (01) 672 9570 @SashaHouseDub

Clement & Pekoe

•••••

Science Gallery Café

•••••••

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.

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!)

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.

50 South William St, D2 and Indigo & Cloth, 9 Essex St East, D2 www.clementandpekoe.com @ClementandPekoe

Pearse Street, Trinity College, Dublin 2. t: 01 8964138 www.sciencegallery.com

••••••

•••••••

147 Parnell Street, Dublin 1 t: 01 872 8481 w: facebook.com/147deliparnell @147cafe

Lunch

•

Dinner

•

Outdoor Area

•

Wheelchair access

CAFÉ OF THE MONTH 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

TOTALLYCAFÉ 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

SPILL THE BEANS FERGUS BROWN AT ROASTED BROWN There’s been lots of changes at Roasted Brown since we last caught up with you. Tell us about your roastery first of all. Yeah, we finally have our roastery! It was a long time coming and traveling back and forth to London to roast was getting a bit much to say the least. And then of course, the unthinkable happened: our beautiful coffee roaster arrived damaged and that put a further delay on things. I’m delighted to say we’re up and running now and as the weeks pass we’re more and more happy with what we’re putting out there. I guess things are always harder than when you first think them up and the transition from London to Dublin was much more difficult than we expected. Even getting used to roasting on very different equipment was a bigger learning curve than we thought, but we’re making great progress now and we’ve put out some very tasty coffee over the last two months. The roastery itself is in Delgany near where I live, it’s a beautiful space designed by Rachel Delap. We looked at roasters around the world and most were either industrial or über-rustic and we wanted to make something beautiful and thanks to Rachel, that’s what we have. The roastery is a work space and a training space for our classes and schools and it’s such a lovely space to spend time in. Coffee roasting itself is a gorgeous craft to witness and the space really highlights it further. It’s been such a crazy journey to get here that I think I’m only realising now that we finally pulled it off. And where else can we try your beans apart from your own shop? We’ve a nice growing number of wholesale accounts around the city from Love Supreme up in Stoneybatter across to Grove Road in Rathmines. We’re also supplying Cocu in Hatch Street and Baggot Street and, more centrally, Industry Design on Drury Street, Camarino on Capel Street and De Selby’s on Camden Street. One of the quirkiest places we supply is a little drive-through coffee stop in Dundrum called Thru The Green. Kieryn has done a great job converting a shipping container into drivethrough coffee shop, and he’s doing a great job of the coffee too!

Il Fornaio

•••••••

The Punnet Food Emporium

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.

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'.

15 College Green, Dublin 2 t: (01) 6718960 facebook.com/ilfornaiocaffe

The café moved temporarily to Project Arts Centre during the summer but you are hoping to move back into Filmbase soon. What are the plans with that now? Yeah, it’s all been a bit crazy, it’s been a bit of a perfect storm in some regards with the roaster arriving damaged and the Council closing down Filmbase all in the same week! We’re just in the middle of fitting out Filmbase again. We’re changing the layout and the design a bit more this time and using it as an opportunity to give it a face lift. We’re also looking at focusing more on coffee and pulling back a little on the food end. We’ll still do lunches and sweet treats but it’ll be more simple and focused. We’ll also be focusing more on our ‘Taster + Makers’ classes and barista training. We have a solid coffee team so I figure best keep people busy on coffee related work rather than doing a bit of everything and not showcasing our coffee as well as we can. 2016 looks destined to be a big year for coffee, particularly specialty coffee, as Dublin hosts the World Barista Championships. What plans has Roasted Brown for 2016? The plan is simple really: we want to represent ourselves the best we know how. I’m not sure if that looks like competing for us, it hasn’t ever been a part of our recipe so far but we might. We’re very much open having our coffee represented by competitors and being a part of the buzz and the community. We’re really looking forward to it and I think Dublin coffee is going to do us proud on the world coffee stage. Finally, any gift suggestions for the coffee lover in our lives? Always an aeropress, hand grinder and a bag of Roasted Brown coffee beans. It’s my most used purchase and it comes everywhere with me!

Roasted Brown, Filmbase

Mexico K Chido

••••••• 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 18 Chancery St, Dublin 7 Email: kchidomexico@gmail.com @kchidomexico Facebook: Mexico K Chido

••••••

94/95 Lower Mount Street pfedublin@gmail.com www.thepunnet.ie @punnethealth

Doughboys 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

Base Coffee

•••••••

Cafe @indigoandcloth

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.

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

Head barista - Kieran O’Driscoll 18 Merrion Road, Ballsbridge t: 01 440 5100 @basewfp

••••••

9 Essex St East, Dublin 2 www.indigoandcloth.com/cafe www.clementandpekoe.com @indigoandcloth t: 01 670 6403

•

Gourmet Coffee

•

Filter Coffee

• • Tea

Wifi

• • Treats

Lunch

•

Dinner

•

Outdoor Area

•

Wheelchair access

Simon’s Place

•••••

The Bretzel Bakery

••••••

Eathos

•••••

Minetta

An arty Bohemian café long established on George’s St, 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 !

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

Eathos was born out of a love of food and healthy eating. Provenance and quality are really important to them, hence they have a long list of great Irish producers who supply them. Everything they serve is made in-house and is available to dine-in or take-away – which includes all of their salads, protein and patisserie as well as great coffee from 3fe. Plus, their menus cater for people with special dietary requirements. Open Mon-Fri 7am-5.30pm, Sat 8.30-4pm with our full menu available for take-away with Deliveroo.

This is no ordinary deli. Despite it’s 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 Hughes sisters make everything in-house daily, with a few well-considered exceptions from suppliers such as Tartine organic bakery, Nick’s locally roasted sweet espresso and Sprout cold-pressed juices. Their signature ‘pressed sandwich’ is Devilled Crab with Gruyere - it must be sampled to be believed! They’ve started opening 3 nights for BYOB and 7 days to satiate the growing numbers of Minetta junkies out there.

22 S Great George’s St, Dublin 2 Tel ; 016797821 www.facebook.com/simonsplacecafe

1A Lennox Street, Portobello, D8 t: 01-4759445 w: fb.com/the-bretzel-bakery

13A Upper Baggot Street eathosdublin.com @eathosdublin

•••••••

1 Sutton Cross, Sutton, D13 t: 01-8396344 w: www.minetta.ie Twitter: @minettadeli

Wall & Keogh Tea Lounge

••••••••

KC Peaches

•••••••

The Bird Cage Bakery

Grove Road 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

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

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.

21 Harcourt Rd, Dublin 2 t: 01 405 4890 w: facebook.com/BirdcageBakery

1 Lower Rathmines Road, Dublin 6 www.groveroadcafe.ie t: (01) 5446639 @GroveRoadCafe

45 Richmond Street South, Portobello, Dublin 6 t: 01-4759052 @wallandkeoghtea

54 Dame St., D2 t: 01-6455307 @kcpeaches

••••••

Caffe Amore opened in October 2015, but has been over twenty years in the making. It was always the dream of Luli Montana to have his very own restaurant. Now he brings the authentic taste of Naples to the streets of Dublin. Teaming up with Lino and Marino to create the shining light of Italian food in the capital. The ingredients and coffee come from the homeland and the excellent staff hail from all over Italy. Every Sunday the staff @ Caffe. Amore work together to organise the AperiCena… from 3pm Aperol Spritz,Peroni Spritz, Prosecco & Finger food, accompanied by live music played by the finest Dj’s In Town…. you can’t miss it! Caffe Amore, 59 South Great George’s Street, Dublin • Ph: 01 475 0505 www.caffeamore.ie facebook.com/Caffeamorebylulimontana/

••••••••

GAMES words Leo Devlin Aidan Wall

LIKE A The Knight

BOSS

Braid – PC, PS3, Xbox 360

Life is Strange Dontnod – PS3, PS4, Xbox 360, Xbox One, Windows

Time-manipulation powers are a relatively common game mechanic, but they’re usually implemented in service of swashbuckling adventurers and sneaky secret agents. Life is Strange, though, puts the ability to rewind time in the hands of someone to whom it can make a real difference: the perennially embarrassed high-school teenager. As Max Caulfield, scholarship student at the prestigious, artsfocused Blackwell Academy, players can use Max’s inexplicable gift to let her do better in class, shame bullies, and just generally ingratiate herself with friends and faculty. Of course, this supernatural power isn’t where the game’s pulp tendencies end. There’s also a mystery surrounding a missing girl; a suspicious campus security guard; and an outwardly sociopathic, gun-toting fellow pupil. These schlocky genre elements are usually unsubtle enough that players can just sort of laugh along with them, with the odd gasp of genuine disbelief giving the whole enterprise some actual stakes. More importantly, though, they don’t detract from the real heart of the story, which is Max’s set of relationships with those around her, particularly with her estranged former BFF Chloe. There’s a hint of romance to their sleuthing mini-escapades, but the story never gets into cheap will-they-won’t-they territory, instead opting for a more subtle ambiguity. But the writers do go to great pains to make Chloe appear achingly hip, and do hit a few bum notes in their efforts to appear ‘in touch’. For one, I’m not sure ‘poseur’ is quite as poisonously barbed an insult as the characters here believe. They do, however, sometimes forge improbable authenticity by using that most effective, if inelegant, of tools: continual reinforcement. The first time you hear Max utter in bewilderment, ‘Are you for cereal?!’, the serious/real portmanteau feels risible, but by the ninth time, it’s an oddly endearing character quirk. This more or less sums up the entirety of Life is Strange. The game doesn’t so much tread the line between sincerity and affectation as it does hop over and back between the two with abandon, but it’s still somewhat brilliant in its splendid incoherence. Trying so hard to be cool, amusingly over-emotional, and with no real idea of what it wants to be, this is certainly the most apt teenage fiction in a long while. LD

Nina Freeman In Cibele, Courtesy Nina Freeman

Braid’s time-bending is used more for puzzles than Life is Strange’s narrative implementation, but its final level uses temporal trickery for a gut-punch as emotional as any melodrama. Unfolding in reverse, it opens with the ostensibly villainous Knight character chasing a princess, while you pursue them at a remove, trying to save her. Halfway through, though, the entire scene plays itself back in reverse, painting rather a different picture of the encounter. The worst bosses, it turns out, end up making you the real bad guy. LD

Cibele Star Maid Games – PC

Over the past few years, Nina Freeman has made games ranging from inventive and unnerving text adventures about eating disorders (Mangia) to playful studies of sexual discovery (How Do You Do It?). Now, in collaboration with a team of four others working under the title Star Maid Games, Freeman introduces Cibele to the world. The format of Cibele is simple but interesting: it is an autobiographical short story about internet romance played out over the course of three vignettes which combine film, text, and gameplay. The gameplay exists in two planes: the traversable desktop space where we learn about Nina through blog entries and folders of images, and the fantasy surroundings of Valtameri, an online gamewithin-the-game where she interacts with a group of friends headed by the voiced male character Ichi. The most engaging parts of Cibele are where the player is allowed to

explore Nina’s virtual desktop to read her chat-logs and personal blog posts. Throughout the game, a sense of time is conveyed wonderfully as familiar folders migrate, stored in ever deeper layers of the desktop. The soundtrack is excellent and the Valtameri worlds are captivating spaces, but Ichi’s robotic AI disappointingly paces around in small radiuses which leave large segments of the map untraversed. Despite that, the clunky controls and repetitive gameplay of Valtameri is cleverly accurate of most MMO experiences. Following on from the example set by Twine games (see: Merritt Kopas’ Videogames for Humans published by Instar Books), Freeman’s hybrid film-game-textadventure is an exciting new proposal that proves there is room for interactive works with personal subject matters that can utilise game mechanics and just as easily choose to ignore them. AW

ARTSDESK words Aidan Wall

RE-APPROPRIATION RECOURSE

Clockwise from left: Gretchen Bender, Total Recall Emma Haugh, The Re-appropriation of Sensuality, curated by RGKSKSRG, NCAD Gallery, Dublin, 2015. Image courtesy of the artist Emma Haugh, Autoerotic architecture, 2014, colour photograph, in collaboration with Holly O’Brien & Aileen Murphy

Clockwise from main: Slide number 38 from Eminent Domain; Relocation II, Vent; Trautwine Street

First exhibited at The Kitchen in New York, Gretchen Bender’s celebrated 1987 multimedia installation piece Total Recall appears for its first time in Ireland at Project Arts Centre. Bender’s installation plays across 24 televisions and three projector screens whose tiered arrangement towers above the darkened gallery space. It is accompanied by a newly commissioned textile work by Oisín Byrne, Test Screen Divider. Total Recall appears initially to be one feed synced and spread across each of the glowing CRT television screens, until different scenes and images begin to emerge and flash in your peripheral vision. It begins with slow-motion footage of the inviting visual pastiches of daytime television – soap operas and baking advertisements – but slowly intensifies into an overwhelming barrage of corporate imagery interlaced with cosmopolitan crowd scenes and adverts depicting friendly American soldiers going about their work smiling. Bender had said of her work, that she wanted it to allow viewers to recognise a visual message’s propaganda value. Test Screen Divider by Byrne works as both a functional curtain to divide the gallery space from Project’s foyer as well as a metaphorical barrier between our lived world and Bender’s exaggerated world of televisual overload. Byrne’s screen printed and painted curtain makes patterns out of the borrowed-from-television static and early broadcast test cards. Byrne’s combination of techniques and textures leads to a gorgeous object which is unfortunately easy to overlook due to just how effectively it assimilates into the gallery’s architecture. Despite being nearly 30 years old, Total Recall remains relevant in today’s image saturated-world. Its resonance suggests that corporate and commercial image culture hasn’t fundamentally changed at all, rather only adapted technologically and aesthetically. Bender’s all-encompassing rows of televisions, though overwhelming in scale, sit quite comfortably in the context of contemporary television and the audience’s newly formed viewing habits: swapping between phone screen and television screen seems to have trained my eyes to quickly scan each new image as it crests out of each television’s CRT fuzz. Total Recall approaches its central ideas – broadcasting, power, and indoctrination – with an outlook and process way ahead of its time. It’s a spectacle of equal parts terror and entertainment and you shouldn’t pass up the opportunity to see it. The Re-appropriation of Sensuality is a long-term collaborative project by Emma Haugh. At the project’s centre is a question posed by Haugh: ‘How do we imagine a space dedicated to the manifestation of feminine desire?’ At NCAD Gallery, Haugh’s project takes on the form of a solo exhibition, performance, and a public programme, curated by RGKSKSRG. The show is prefaced by a text emblazoned next to the gallery’s entrance which questions the lack of space organised by and for queer women. In this vinyl wall text Haugh recalls a women’s sex club in Berlin which had been relegated to the Monday night slot at a sailor-themed male gay bar in Friedrichshain. The exhibition’s archival material of architectural plans, coupled with poetic text work and performance documentation, reveal the insightful theoretical and empiri-

cal research Haugh has gathered towards realising this speculative space. The exhibition consists of tapestry-like screens made from different amalgamations of latex, faux leather, scaffold netting and PVC. Their provisional hanging and collapsible nature gives them a sense of impermanence and portability, echoing Haugh’s Monday night sex club anecdote. Haugh’s tapestries of dyed fabrics and draped velvet work as functional display units – for the project’s archival items – as well as aesthetic objects, whose materiality alludes to forms and textures found in underground queer club culture: The faux leather and lacy scaffold netting recall the fetishistic and the sensual. The first fabric work by Haugh hangs just to the left of the gallery’s entrance. A luminous yellow rope descends from the ceiling attached to chains which hold up the long fabricated panel that rubs the ground gently, moving with the gallery’s draught. On each screen various photocopied archival materials from the project are attached. At the foot of each tapestry-panel is a small sculpture designed to hold stacks of zines and prints, like little altars. One of the zine altars features a leash-like chain, while another has thick, gloopy, fleshy pink paint hardened to its blunt corners. The materials from which these little oddities were made – particularly the concrete and chains– refer to the underground cave-inspired clubbing spaces that Haugh envisions in her texts and images. A transparent plastic sleeve is bound to the first screen’s surface by a strip of neon yellow tape. The plastic is coldly reflective and sewn with a zigzagging stitch into a functioning pouch holding a sheet of poetry recalling a bathroom affair: ‘now in a bathroom, always a bathroom somewhere.’ This ambiguous sentence, which could be read as either a reluctant moment of defeat or as a recounting of a fond ritual, sits interestingly in the context of the poem’s other lines which are soaked in a hopeful forward-looking nostalgia and attentive passion: ‘Your body’s dense accent broadening, deepening.’ This initial text lays the foundation for a series of interconnecting documents, photographs, and plans, all striving towards a dedicated space for female eroticism to exist concretely. Haugh’s text speaks of ‘a language of corners, of walls, of mouths’. The bodily experience of architecture and how it pertains to the body’s place in society is integral to the work, as are Haugh’s considerations about the private versus the public. The show’s provisional DIY aesthetic highlights the main problem that the project is addressing: there isn’t a space designed around queer women’s desires, and in cases where such spaces exist, they only exists in temporary and precarious formats. The exhibition’s take-home zines and posters offer optimistic proposals, imagining new personal visions on how architecture and sexuality might intertwine. Simultaneously, these ephemera serve as a permanent and persistent reminder of the important questions that Haugh is raising.

Gretchen Bender’s Total Recall is exhibited at Project Arts Centre until Wednesday 23rd December.

PRINT words Eliza A. Kalfa Roisin Kiberd Cristina Tomàs

City on Fire Garth Risk Hallberg [Vintage]

Expectations, perhaps, ran a bit too high for Garth Risk Hallberg’s much-anticipated novel, for which he is reported to have been paid an astonishing $2 million. Set in mid-1970s New York City, City on Fire is a maximalist account of the lives of characters – interconnected to varying degrees – against the backdrop of a New Year’s Eve shooting in Central Park. Hallberg shows signs of literary talent, and his novel’s murder mystery plot might have been expected to be enticing in the way that unsolved crime stories can be. Yet the author fails to do justice to his potential with this novel. He over-describes the slowly developing action and gives far too much background information for far too many characters, which ultimately detracts from the quality and overall legibility of this 944-page work. Narration clumsily switches from perspective to perspective and from moment to moment. This could have worked, had the device not been over-abused to the point of frustrating the reader with a plethora of sub-stories and characters that are all too similar despite their supposed diversity. Unfortunately, those who had hopes for a classic work will have to wait a bit longer for Hallberg to reach that standard. CT

Did You Ever Have a Family Bill Clegg [Jonathan Cape]

Did You Ever Have a Family is the kind of novel you want to love. Witness its beautifully illustrated cover depicting a flaming country house against a smoke-filled orange sky. Does it not appear stark and poignant, perhaps wistfully mournful? Notice the lack of a question mark in the title question. Does that not seem like the kind of bold, purposeful choice only an assured writer would make? Read the rave reviews describing it as ‘an elegiac study of small-town Connecticut life in the aftermath of tragedy’. Are you not expecting silently grieving mothers and satisfyingly melancholy, lyrical descriptions of a snowy New England town, just the thing for a cold winter evening? Well, be careful what you wish for. The novel is a little too cosily aligned with its readers’ expectations. When I say this is the kind of book literary magazines would call ‘quietly powerful’, I do not mean it in a kind way. In fact, one gets the impression that, as Clegg was putting pen to paper, he was already patting himself on the back, anticipating the words ‘quietly powerful’. The book centres on June Reid, who loses her entire family in a fire, but it also follows an array of townies whose relevance to the main plot ranges from tangential to nonexistent. Dialogue is sparse. Basically, the entire volume consists of sentences such as these: ‘She looked at the light brick buildings, the buses, the American flag dangling from a white pole. Nothing was familiar.’ and ‘The cool air against her neck feels good. She walks quickly and wipes the sweat from her forehead.’ Small, private epiphanies abound: ‘We never pay attention to the right things, she thinks.’ ‘I’m here, she thinks, and relaxes again into the mattress.’ ‘The birds see everything, she thinks.’ All the while, one frustrated reader cannot help but think that someone ought to stop thinking and instead say or do something in this novel, for crying out loud. EAK

Irish Bitches Be Crazy Emma Comerford [New Island]

There’s something very untimely about this book, a field guide to Irish women and their ‘crazy’ behaviour. Lately the Irish feminists are at the gates: they’re protesting, petitioning, threatening to derail 1916 commemorations with demands for more female writers. They’re driving crosscountry in an abortion pill bus. That shit cray, or so this book would claim. I realise I’m refusing to get the joke here. But this is a book which compares wool jumpers to burqas, and speaks of ‘the awkward progress of Irish women from extreme virginism to present day sluttishness’. The frame of reference is fecklessly broad, outlining a kind of feminine-neurosis-as-jingoism which we’re all apparently doomed to, along with a fetish for household cleaning. The author, Emma Comerford, can be apt and funny – many of us are neurotic and superstitious, scarred by the idea of Original Sin fed to us in school assemblies. But the guide turns irritatingly backward with Comerford’s depiction of the ‘Fabulous Irish Mammy’, a fretting, germphobic, son-loving creature. It’s hard to know which is more troubling: that this woman might exist, or that the author thought this grim, belittling caricature was funny. Irish Bitches reads half as a heartfelt training manual for future Irish mammies, and half as an extended off-colour Christmas dad joke. At one point Comerford notes that an Irish woman’s ‘favourite pastime is complete character assassination’: this is exactly what her book attempts (as does, unfortunately, this review). RK

PRINT words Gillian Moore John Patrick McHugh

The Best Small Fictions 2015 Ed. Robert Olen Butler, Tara L. Masih [Queens Ferry Press]

The Best Small Fictions 2015 is a collection of the best fiction – not stories – under 1,000 words. Pieces range from a couple of lines to those wrestling with the word count. To its credit, The Best Small Fictions’ fiction strays far from the conventional. We have stories of a transsexual love affair; a dead man who heads to the office unaware he is dead; a loved-up bird-thief. The fictions take all manner of forms: from first person to third person to monologues from 19th century duellists. Unfortunately, though the jaw-popping opening line – ‘It sounded like Nadal and Federer are fucking, very slowly, in the living room’ – and the compelling premise intrigue, many of these fictions lack moments of clarity and stirring climax. Instead, there are forced epiphanies, clumsy emotional hooks, and a lack of faith in ambiguity. Halfway through some pieces we can almost hear the author scrambling for that lock-click of a last sentence. If we write these off as the pitfalls of such a strict form, there are many witty, sharp, and moving pieces in this anthology. It’s just a shame that more don’t leave a sting. It’s a peculiar and difficult form, flash fiction. When it’s successful, as with David Mellerick Lynch’s ‘The Lunar Deep’, the reader wonders why we would ever need more than 1,000 words. However, all too often this anthology left me peckishly chewing on something undercooked. JPM

Public Library and other stories Ali Smith [Penguin]

Ali Smith has elsewhere called public libraries ‘division melting places’, and in Public Library and other stories she shows that the work of books, communities and shared civic spaces is to gleefully break down boundaries. With her stories – none actually named after or set in a public library – Smith draws an animated map of biographical fragments, writings and quotes ranging wildly across virtual and physical spaces, times and artefacts. In ‘The Beholders’, a charming tale of a woman who becomes fused with a tree-growth, the invented vocabulary of John Milton – fragrance, gloom, lovelorn, padlock – wars with the rushed sentiment of medical language: ‘Results, hospital, inconclusive, the voice said. Urgent, immediate, straight away.’ In ‘Good voice’, a chatty dead father insists that his daughter include her own childhood story in the conceptual, grandiose history she wants to tell about the First World War; the story is equally haunted by a photograph of a WWI execution squad and a volume of collected Wilfred Owen poetry. The remains of dead writers are continually bursting in throughout the text. Literary legacies are invoked alongside nosy biographical – and tangible – tidbits: we are left with speculations that DH Lawrence’s ashes may be floating anonymously around the sea, and that melted-down filmstrips of Katherine Mansfield may have been used to coat the wings of airplanes that fly above us. For the most part, the stories show Smith at her best: a healthy fascination with double-entendres, misunderstandings, doppelgängers and distant lives meets smart, sophisticated and kind narration. Interspersed between the stories, however, are short reflections by others (mainly writers, librarians) on the importance of the library system. These are motivated by a fierce defence of the written word. Yet the pieces frequently fall flat; the worst coming off as a well-meaning tally of important civic values reminiscent of a school project or funding application. Smith’s stories, in their imaginative fight against the limiting of language, are a far more compelling defence. GM

True Dublin Published by Mercier Press, True Dublin is a new work by Cormac McCanney – who you may also know under his musical pseudonym of Big Monster Love – that takes a look at our own fair city as the 19th century turned into the 20th. Delving into a time of massive social and political change in the city, the book compiles photographs, postcards and other rare documents as well as McCanney’s own research to tell the story of Dubliners rich and poor, rural and urban during these decade. The perfect Christmas gift for your nostalgia-loving mate.

FILM REVIEWS words Bernard O’Rourke Luke Maxwell Oisín Murphy-Hall

The Hunger Games: Mockingjay, Part 2

Director: Francis Lawrence Talent: Jennifer Lawrence, Josh Hutcherson, Liam Hemsworth, Donald Sutherland Released: 18th November The final instalment in The Hunger Games franchise bids farewell to Katniss Everdeen and co. with a bang… and then a prolonged and exhausting whimper. This lacklustre closer to the blockbuster film series sees its source material overstretched to breaking point. War has taken its toll in Mockingjay, Part 2, and everybody’s in a bad way. Katniss (Lawrence) is battered and bruised, her sister’s angry/bald, and on-again, off-again love interest Peeta (Hutcherson) is suffering from a bad case of shellshock. Katniss and the rebels look to end things once and for all with an assault on the capital and an attempt on the life of President Snow (Sutherland). The pivotal elements of the plot happen in quick succession over the course of about half an hour or so. The rest of the film spends a lot of time with its characters, stressing the horrors of war. However, whatever insight it may provide us with is lost in a series of shot/reverse-shot talking head sequences that drag on and on, as characters emote with all the liveliness of dour robots. There could, of course, be subtle acting stuff going on but it comes off more as the actors feeling fatigued by the weight of the franchise rather than the emotional weight of the screenplay. Explosions and CGI break-up the monotony of the film’s mostly grey interior and exterior sequences. There’s enough pyrotechnics present in the film to keep you from falling asleep but one really gets the sense that what story there is left to tell could be dealt with far quicker than it is. Then there’s the obligatory late plot twist, a weak attempt to hook the audience in for another 30 minutes. Just when you think you’re out, they pull you back in. Inconsequential. LM

Carol

Director: Todd Haynes Talent: Cate Blanchett, Rooney Mara, Kyle Chandler, Sarah Paulson Released: 27th November Isn’t it about time that we had a middle of the road, bourgeois Hollywood melodrama centred around the class-divided, power-imbalanced affair of two women, as opposed to the conventional, heterosexual pairings that occupy that particular generic landfill? Yes it is, and Todd Haynes’ expert direction elevates the material on offer in Carol, imbuing it with the familiar tragic sensibility of 2002’s Far From Heaven and consciously echoing David Lean’s Brief Encounter while still managing to render the romance between wealthy, soon to be divorced Carol (Blanchett) and shopgirl Therese (Mara) in a way that paradoxically draws a vitality from its suppression, in the milieu of 1950s New York. Particularly well-drawn is the quiet exhilaration of the beginning of their affair, felt from the virginal perspective of Therese. Clunky lines abound (e.g. Carol’s mid-coital ‘My angel, fallen out of heaven!’) and an emotional letterread-in-voice-over to close the second act jars but, however flawed, this is a story intelligently and compassionately told. OMH

The Perfect Guy

Director: David M. Rosenthal Talent: Michael Ealy, Kathryn Morris, Sanaa Latham, Morris Chestnuts Released: 20th November After a bad break-up, lovesick lobbyist Leah Vaughn (Lathan) is looking for the perfect guy. Enter Carter Duncan (Ealy), a charming security analyst who sweeps Leah off of her feet by giving up his place in a Starbucks line, wows her parents and friends and then beats a man half to death for looking at his car. In this Zaneesque erotic thriller everything is played serious even when it’s very silly. The movie doesn’t really build up Carter’s dark side, or signpost it for that matter; the move from boyfriend to stalker comes off as laughable. The film’s earnest dialogue doesn’t help matters with the script seemingly unaware of just how corny The Perfect Guy is. It’s nothing you haven’t seen on TV3 a million times and there’s no reason to pay for the privilege of seeing such a weak film on a big screen. Break your date with this picture. LM

Black Mass

Director: Scott Cooper Talent: Johnny Depp, Joel Edgerton, Benedict Cumberbatch, Dakota Johnson Released: 26th November This film is the story of Whitey Bulger (Depp), the notorious Boston-Irish crime lord who turned FBI informant as a means of driving out the Mafia from his city, along with guaranteeing himself a sort of de facto immunity. Depp imbues the role with a quiet menace, complete with a prosthetic T-zone that renders him quite monstrous. However his performance, and the film with it, ultimately lack the depth or nuance to be memorable or affecting in any real sense. Which is to say that this is one note stuff, charting a familiarly Scorsese-esque gangland rags to riches to comeuppance narrative trajectory without any of the wit or charm that made Casino or Goodfellas great. The casting of Benedict Cumberbatch as Whitey’s brother Billy is perhaps the most egregious symptom of the tin-eared production that plagues the film more generally. Watching him affect a Kennedy-style Bostonian drawl is a skin-crawling experience from which it is difficult to recover. OMH

Love

Director: Gaspar Noé Talent: Aomi Muyock, Karl Glusman, Klara Kristin, Juan Saavedra Released: 20th November Gaspar Noé, having tackled hatred (Seul Contre Tous), revenge (Irréversible) and death (Enter the Void), now turns his hand to sentimental love, and sex – as his in-film avatar and aspiring auteur, Murphy (Glusman), puts it – with Love, a chronology-hopping 3-D experience that, for the most part, eschews the familiar violence for a more sensitive and sincere approach. The film is told in memory by Murphy, after swallowing some opium once given to him as a gift by Electra (Muyock), his ex-girlfriend with whom he is still in love. However, he now has a baby son, and an unhappy relationship, with Omi (Kristin). A voicemail left by Electra’s mother announcing that she is missing spurs a painful reminiscence that goes back to the very first day they met. Love contains a lot of sex. It is also in 3-D, thus darker than a normal film, and predominantly statically-framed, lending a Renaissance painting vibe to some of its more tastefully lit scenes. Noé being Noé, there are no cuts, and everything is allowed to play itself out, both in terms of climaxes and, on a broader level, ideas. (The threesome, incidentally, is played over by one of the wackest, meandering guitar solos ever committed to celluloid.) But what is remarkable about this film, beyond its unsimulated scenes of intercourse, is the often painful honesty with which it depicts the other aspects of the semi-autobiographical romance at its heart: the achingly sincere ‘getting to know you’ stage, the arguments, the jealousy, the infidelity, the post-break-up insanity... it can be excruciating to watch. Having said that, it’s clear that Noé is having fun here. He even hilariously plays himself (sort of), as an effete, gallery-owning love rival. All told, Love is by no means a masterpiece, but it represents a brave and difficult emotional undertaking on the part of its director, that belies its ostensible, more erotic appeal. OMH

The Lady in the Van

Director: Nicholas Hytner Talent: Maggie Smith, Dominic Cooper, James Corden, Jim Broadbent Released: 13th November When a real life occurrence presents the material for the kind of film your mum would love if it starred Maggie Smith, it’d be a shame not to write it down. So that’s what playwright Alan Bennett did, with the true story of a homeless woman who spent 15 years living out of a van in Bennett’s Camden driveway. This film adaptation of Bennett’s own stage play certainly captures all the right tragic-yet-heartwarming notes typical of a film such as this, and gives Smith another instantly memorable role. But The Lady in the Van also manages to wring a little more depth out of this formula. Beneath the surface of a story of a mannered middle class faced with a peculiar intruder lies cutting commentary about class divisions, while Bennett’s deft script works in some subtle elements of post-modernist theatre, gently breaking the fourth wall and politely reminding the audience of the film’s status as a written text. BOR

Sunset Song

“Oh this fabric… this furniture!” – Carol’s Rooney Mara enjoys her suite at the Drake Hotel in Chicago.

Director: Terence Davies Talent: Agyness Deyn, Peter Mullan, Kevin Guthrie, Iain Pirie Released: 4th December There isn’t much to enjoy in Terence Davies’ film adaptation of Lewis Grassic Gribbon’s novel about a young Scottish woman, Christine (Deyn), having an absolutely miserable time of it in the Calvinist, patriarchal countryside of her family’s home. Perpetually subject to the interests of men, Christine enjoys a brief early-marital sojourn out of the frying pan of her father’s tyranny before landing into the fire, as her husband (Guthrie) is enlisted for WWI and returns a changed, wrathful man. Sunset Song plays out as a series of woeful cruelties and misfortunes, firstly within the family unit, lastly inflicted by the barbarism of capital’s Great War, but perpetually visited upon the lives of the women and children subjugated and marginalised by the system men nominally sought to defend. Unfortunately, Davies seldom moves beyond a banal, denotative filmic style, instead reclining into a grief that scarcely feels earned, lending proceedings an odd, bathetic tone. Lengthy and mediocre. OMH

SOUND words Seamas Oâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;Reilly photo Simon Fowler

ENYA FACE

Enya’s newest record doesn’t break much new territory but is a comforting soundtrack to a thousand dark nights.

Enya has had a fairly odd relationship with critics. When she first burst on to the scene as a twenty-something in the shadow of Clannad, one of the greatest traditional Irish bands of all time, her weird mix of neo-Celtic stylings and synth-slanted gravitas, marked her out as a novel new type of weirdo for the music press to pick apart and mythologise. But then, her unique brand of processed, expansive mambience – ambient music for mams – unexpectedly became a global smash, and young Eithne Ní Bhraonáin found herself clasped to the heaving, bead-wearing bosoms of a whole new audience. Having already been a hit within trad and folk circles, she was quickly embraced by the new age and mystical movements, the burgeoning easy listening and chill-out scenes, and the newly thirsty hordes of celtophiles among the world’s Irish diaspora, flush with cash and ravenous for her particular brand of gently absorbing synth-diddly. The cumulative effect of all this intrigue was massive, ludicrous, preposterous success, all of which culminated in a pale, stage-shy Gaeilgoir being the world’s best-selling recording artist in both 2001 and 2002. To be clear, there’s nothing wrong with liking Enya because of any of these background details, or because you find her a bit odd, or preposterous, or camp. I’m outright suspicious of anyone who doesn’t entertain idle daydreams of Enya the velvet-clad recluse, wandering through her castle blowing cobwebs off candelabras as she places them atop her favourite keyboards. There’s no shame in being enamoured with the insane, sitcom-style trappings of her origin story; the shy teen sister of Clannad, skulking offstage with her nose in a Moog manual, who went on to sell 80 million records via a genre of music no-one had previously heard of. This is a compelling narrative. A bit like if Janet Jackson had accidentally fumbled her way into her brothers’ spotlight, only to surpass them all via her passion for reggae metal. Having said all that, Enya’s albums live or die by the music therein, and any new album is an event. If we count the Christmas record, And Winter Came..., it’s been eight years since Enya last troubled the charts. If we go back to her last

common-or-garden studio album, Amarantine, then we’re at a full decade. Any fans anxious of a change in musical direction in that time should have their fears immediately assuaged; this is resolutely, and unmistakably, prime cut Enya. From the opening bars of The Humming, the listener slots straight into the comforting environs of Enya at her most atmospheric, a medieval tinge added by the harpsichord twang to the central melody. The words are yearning and mysterious in that crossword-clue fashion so irritating to her detractors, the type who wonder aloud whether her lyrics are written for, about or by people recovering from serious head injuries. This resolute commitment to Enya-ness continues on So I Could Find My Way, which borrows the slow fret march of O Holy Night but elevates that brazen lift with swoonsome

vocal layering and a truly off-the-dial reading on the sincere-o-meter. It’s a very pretty song and comprises a solid one-two opening punch. This decision to stick to the basics seems like even more of a master-stroke on Even In The Shadows and title track Dark Sky Island, both of which tuck so neatly into the Enya canon you can scarcely believe they weren’t present, notefor-note, on each of her previous albums. Even the song names themselves have a comfortingly samey feel; you can imagine each written on a scented candle in papyrus script, or as the web domain name for a wind-chime wholesaler. If one is to be critical, you could argue that lead single Echoes In Rain could probably survive without the hooky refrain of “Alleluia, allealle-alleluia-ah”. Enya’s chilly, Senior Prefect diction doesn’t lend itself to vocal playfulness, and attempts at jazzing up her austere delivery can leave her sounding like a nun gamely leading the chants at a rugby match, though thankfully some way short of the dreaded granny-rappingin-an-Adam-Sandler-movie. For the most part, however, the record plays it straight. Several listens later, it’s easy to mistake two, three, or even four songs on this record for each other, as a lot of separating detail gets lost amid the foamy wash of multi-layered vocals and angelic choir reverb. But these aren’t really flaws so much as tropes, the very factors which drive fans in their droves to record shops to buy her albums in the millions. While Sancta Maria and Astra et Luna are not exactly memorable, they have a character and style that grows with every listen, and which transport you back to that strange world Enya conjures in your ear. This sound is her USP, as carefully crafted and refined as any artist whose work is instantly recognisable. For all the sense that some of these sounds, tones and atmospheres have been visited before, there’s nothing here which feels thrown-together, cynical, or formulaic in design. It’s the sound of an artist perfecting her niche so completely that she takes a decade to recharge her batteries and dish out another helping of this strange, and strangely consistent, confection. Enya has expressed interest in touring with an orchestra for a live run-through of her greatest hits, a prospect which would render her wealthy enough to spend her remaining years on that Vietnamese island where Richard Branson and Marty Whelan hunt humans for sport. On the strength of Dark Sky Island, I hope she remains instead within her castle, perambulating through its corridors, hitching up the excessively long sleeves of a velvet cape, freeing her dainty digits to paw at that Roland Juno 60 once more. In a cobwebbed darkness, may she sing, hum and apply reverb to her many future records, lit only by the soft LED glow of the keyboard’s digital read-out and the faint, twinkly blinking of the 6,000 candles she no doubt keeps about the place.

Winter On The Canal For event listings & venue rental visit www.bellobardublin.com

Live Music at Portobello Harbour

BelloBar

Town

Rathmines

AUDIO REVIEWS words Tom Cahill Leo Devlin Daniel Gray Ian Lamont Danny Wilson

Oneohtrix Point Never Garden of Delete [Warp] Hieronymous Bosch’s nightmare triptych Garden of Earthly Delights was born out of tumult. Painted in a time when feudalism was breaking off into early capitalism, this painting captures the birth scream of an epoch of greater abstraction and alienation. Garden of Delete may or may not be a pun on Bosch’s painting, but it makes for a useful association. Oneohtrix (Daniel Lopatin) explains that his album is about puberty, a time when childhood idealism (sculpted by media and advertising) rubs up against the reality of the true chaos of the world, the friction of which creates upheaval of tectonic proportions. In the third panel of Earthly Delights, Bosch conjures up hell in a fashion that is still intuitive to us. Described through body dysmorphia, skewed sexuality and warps in perspective, we have experienced this version of hell already; it is the self-same puberty experience which OPN set out to capture on this album. Much is made of Lopatin’s shapeshifting nature as an artist. From the yuppie pastiche of his Games sideproject to the plastic tactility of previous album R Plus Seven, there has always been a sense of archness to his work. GoD eschews the ironic detachment for a more empathetic, open work – whether this is good or bad is entirely dependent on your disposition. Regardless, Lopatin’s mastery of atmospherics, whether in the hypnagogic, futurist or angsty, remains steadfast. GoD’s brew of screwed samples, black noise and lilting arpeggios blends together into an intoxicating sludge. DG Like this? Try these: Tim Hecker – Ravedeath, 1972 The Body – I Shall Die Here Holly Herndon – Platform

Beach Slang

Mark McGuire

The Things We Do To Find People Who Feel Like Us [Big Scary Monsters]

Beyond Belief [Dead Oceans]

Beach Slang burst open their debut album with all the raucous energy you’d expect of a new punk band trying to make their mark. But beneath the loud proclamations and practised blistering of guitars, they occasionally do something surprising: wallow. The notably understated Too Late to Die Young shows that they’re willing to live in the past as well as the present. It serves their otherwise exuberant sound well – life matters more when you’re building it on something. LD

Some might dismiss this collection as Sky Digital menu music for chin-strokers, but that misses the point. The sheen that permeates this record calls to mind the piped-in soundtrack for a lift slowly descending toward some unknown horror. This knowing subversion allows the more explicitly abrasive elements – police sirens, rumbling synth and skittering snares – to take on an almost comforting quality alongside the intentionally distancing slickness of the work. What we’re left with is a fascinatingly alien relaxation aid for those with a penchant for sonic self-flagellation. DW

Car Seat Headrest

EL VY

Teens of Style [Matador]

Return To The Moon [4AD]

Will Toledo self-released an endless stream of bedroom epics via Bandcamp and his unique patchwork of indie influences has finally caught the attention of a label. The background is not merely gimmickry. CSHR’s roots as a project unconcerned with widespread consumption is consistently throughout. In a moment of characteristic candour on album highlight Strangers, Toledo states how, as a child, he felt Michael Stipe was speaking directly to him. He’s brazenly unafraid to lay himself bare, and thankfully people are finally ready to listen. DW

Anyone familiar with Matt Berninger’s work with The National, and Brent Knopf’s with Menomena, won’t find any shocking twists from their collaboration as EL VY. Knopf’s sharp, sometimes angular instrumentation is draped with Berninger’s laidback, almost lounge-room vocals – an incongruous, but potentially enlightening mix. But what should be a nice Green & Black’s salted chocolate ends up feeling a bit like someone just tipped a sachet of salt into a bag of Buttons. Tasty in its own way, but... Well, why? LD

Homeshake Midnight Snack [Sinderlyn]

Jeffrey Lewis & Los Bolts Manhattan [Rough Trade]

Previously having showcased his own brand of lethargic, woozy guitar pop, Pete Sagar’s sound has evolved into one of the more satisfying examples of the currently en vogue fascination with the tropes of noughties R’n’B. Midnight Snack exudes a pockmarked, sunken-chested approximation of sex appeal, while the strength of the tunes themselves ensure the project never veers too close to becoming purely an exercise in dorking around. Sweet, salty and sticky, Midnight Snack is an after hours delight that leaves you wanting more. DW

The mournful, loping lilt of the fabulously titled opener Scowling Crackhead Ian that opens Manhattan is essential Jeffrey Lewis, placing both hilarity and a dark, nostalgic sadness in the everpresent setting of the titular borough. Surprisingly, Lewis doubles down on the sense of discomfort and doubt on much of the record, with Back to Manhattan slowly teasing out a defeated breakup over eight minutes. Lewis’ idiosyncratic lyrical wit is a sharp as ever if sourer than before on this excellent New York album. IL

Velvet Underground

Brad Mehldau

The Complete Matrix Tapes [Polydor]

10 Years Solo Live [Nonesuch]

The second VU box-set in as many months confirms that rock’n’roll was perfected as an artform in November 1969 in a small club called the Matrix in downtown San Francisco. Wonderfully, the club had a four-track recording set-up in-house meaning that these moments of rollicking abandon, perhaps best personified in an orgasmic nine-minute rendition of What Goes On, were recorded for posterity and now available to be feasted upon by us mere mortals. Blast this into space to let aliens know our real greatest achievements. IL

When Brad Mehldau first performed here at Trinity College back in the mid ’90s, he was a relative unknown but Dublin jazz lovers took him to their heart and now he regularly comes back to perform. He never gives a bad performance and this four disc boxset is perfect evidence of that fact. He is a master and it is a real treat to hear him live. You should run to buy tickets for his December gig! A personal favourite here is his rendition of the Beatles’ Blackbird. TC

Grimes Art Angels [4AD]

It’s not uncommon for an artist’s work to exhibit contradictory ambitions, but it’s another thing entirely to witness one at war with itself. Grimes’ new album is a battleground, no mistake, but it’s unclear for most of the running time who’ll be left standing. Early on, Grimes sets up the stakes. ‘Maybe I’ll drown/ In California,’ she sings, surrounded by self-consciously bubbly beats and sunshiney strumming. After the surprise crossover success of her last album, she seems understandably apprehensive about skirting closer to the mainstream. Unfortunately, it doesn’t take long for these fears to appear well-founded. Lead single Flesh Without Blood is an immaculately produced, utterly flavourless exhibition of modern pop’s ability to swallow even someone of Grimes’ force of personality. As cynical as it is catchy, it bodes ill for what’s to follow. What appears to be complete surrender turns out to be Grimes’ Trojan horse however. Not only does she stamp the rest of the album with her own indelible mark, she uses pop’s own weapons against it. The weightless guitar stings of Flesh Without Blood return on the eminently exciting Kill V. Maim, sounding punchier and more at home. The salvos keep coming. Pin takes that gentle sunshine and cranks it up to a blaze. ‘It was too good to be true,’ go the lyrics, but, really, fantasy isn’t a patch on Realiti. Any pop elements that do surface are ultimately captive to Grimes’ vision. In emerging victorious from such a bloodbath, she ends up more demon than angel, but a lot more formidable for it. LD Like this? Try these: tUnE-yArDs – nikki nack Chairlift – Something Lydia Ainsworth – Right from Real

listings

Jape Saturday 12 December | Vicar Street | 7.30pm, €18 How long does it take to get official National Treasure credentials? Surely Richie Egan must be well on his way, up there with David Norris and Dustin. Like so many Dubs, Egan is coming home for Christmas. Having called Sweden home for the last few years, he’s making the trip back for a special yuletide celebration in Vicar Street where the atmosphere will be electric. From his hardcore punk beginnings through his time in the seminal Redneck Manifesto up to today, Egan has remained a vital, energising voice in the domestic music scene; there’s a reason he’s the only two-time winner of the Choice Music Prize. This one sells itself, folks.

LIVE GIGS 7.30pm, €27.90 Wednesday 2 December Saturday 5 December Mumford & Sons w/ Jack Garratt Scuba 3 Arena Button Factory 7.30pm, €50.65 - €55.65 7.30pm, €15 Marina and the Diamonds André Rieu Academy 3 Arena 7.30pm, €27.90 6.30pm, €95 The Magic Numbers Hypnotic Brass Ensemble Whelan’s The Sugar Club 7.30pm, €21 7.30pm, €22.90 Thursday 3 December The Blades and September Girls Mumford & Sons Olympia Theatre Jack Garratt 7.30pm, €28-€33.50 3 Arena Dublin Declan O’Rourke 7.30pm, €50.65 - €55.65 Whelan’s Marina and the Diamonds 7.30pm, €25 Academy Leon Vynehall 7.30pm, €€27.90 District 8 Lianne La Havas 7.30pm, €15 Olympia Theatre Lethal Dialect 7.30pm, €25 Academy 2 Lissie 7.30pm, €12 Whelan’s Jerry Fish 7.30pm, €18 Vicar Street East India Youth 7.30pm, €26 Button Factory Night Trap, Galants and Hags 7.30pm, €15 Sweeney’s Hypnotic Brass Ensemble 7.30pm, €5 The Sugar Club Keith Burke & The Little Black 7.30pm, €22.90 Book La Maravillosa Orquesta del The Grand Social Alcohol 8pm, €10 The Workman’s Club Sunday 6 December 7.30pm, €15.50 Def Leppard, Whitesnake, Black Ye Vagabonds Star Riders, and Oui953 The Grand Social 3 Arena Dublin 8pm, €10 7.30pm, €59.50-€64.50 Friday 4 December Slade Gaz Coombes Vicar Street Whelan’s 7.30pm, €39.50 7.30pm, €23 One OK Rock + We Came As André Rieu Romans 3 Arena Academy 6.30pm, €95 7.30pm, €20 Hypnotic Brass Ensemble The Boomtown Rats The Sugar Club Olympia Theatre 7.30pm, €22.90 7.30pm, €40 LA Priest Hypnotic Brass Ensemble The Workman’s Club The Sugar Club 7.30pm, €16.50 7.30pm, €22.90 Ham Sandwich One OK Rock Christ Church Cathedral Academy 7.30pm, €22.50 7.30pm, €20 Stray from the Path Grace Academy 2 The Liquor Room 7.30pm, €15 7.30pm, €10 Little xs for Eyes + Color Canyon Monday 7 December The Grand Social Ane Brun 8pm, €10 Vicar Street Elevation Falls 7.30pm, €24 Sin É The Riptide Movement 7.30pm, €tbc Whelan’s Octave One 7.30pm, €22.90 District 8 Guy Garvey 7.30pm, €15 Olympia Theatre Hometown 7.30pm, €30.05-€49.65 Vicar Street 9482_BOXTY_TOTALLY_DUBLIN_XMAS_AD_V2.pdf 1

CMY

Tuesday 8 December The Vaccines Olympia Theatre 7.30pm, €23-€25 Boris Grebenshikov Vicar Street 7.30pm, €30 John Lennon 35th Anniversary Concert The Grand Social 8pm, €10 Wednesday 9 December Hudson Mohawke Academy 7.30pm, €27.90 Kate Voegele and Tyler Hilton Hangar 7.30pm, €20 Tom Robinson Whelan’s 7.30pm, €20 Hermitage Green The Sugar Club 7.30pm, €18 I Have A Tribe The Workman’s Club 7.30pm, €10 Xmas Ceilí The Grand Social 8pm, €8 Thursday 10 December Happy Mondays Vicar Street 7.30pm, €35 Fear Factory Academy 7.30pm, €26.50 Therapy? Button Factory 7.30pm, €28 Hermitage Green The Sugar Club 7.30pm, €18 Friday 11 December Kodaline 3 Arena Dublin 7.30pm, €39.05 Happy Mondays Vicar Street 7.30pm,€35 Therapy? Button Factory 7.30pm, €28 The Selecter and The Tuts Academy 7.30pm, €22.50 Adam Beyer Button Factory 7.30pm, €15 Bicep District 8 7.30pm, €18 Daithí The Workman’s Club 7.30pm, €15 The Riptide Movement Whelan’s 23/10/2015 14:42

7.30pm, €22.90 Sample Answer Academy 2 7.30pm, €12 Empire Circus The Grand Social 7.30pm, €10 Saturday 12 December José González Academy 7.30pm, €26 Kodaline 3 Arena Dublin 7.30pm, €39.05 Jape Vicar Street 7.30pm, €18 The Riptide Movement Whelan’s 7.30pm, €22.90 Overhead, the Albatross The Workman’s Club 7.30pm, €12 Saint Sister Upstairs at Whelan’s 7.30pm, €12 Doe Paoro Green Room, The Academy 7.30pm, €15 The Aristocrats The Grand Social 8pm, €23 Sunday 13 December EL VY Vicar Street 7.30pm, €22.90 The Riptide Movement Whelan’s 7.30pm, €22.90 Monday 14 December The Wailers Academy 7.30pm, €32.50 Gavin James Whelan’s 7.30pm, €22.90 Bay City Rollers Starring Les McKeown Vicar Street 7.30pm, €33 Tuesday 15 December Ash Asylums Olympia Theatre 7.30pm, €23.00 Phil Coulter National Concert Hall 7.30pm, €39.50 Keywest The Grand Social 7.30pm, €20 Bay City Rollers starring Les McKeown Vicar Street 7.30pm, €33 Wednesday 16 December Rae Sremmurd Vicar Street

7.30pm, €32.50 Keywest The Grand Social 7.30pm, €20 The Riptide Movement Whelan’s 7.30pm, €22.90 Thursday 17 December Ryan Sheridan Academy 7.30pm, €20 Colm Mac Con Iomaire Vicar Street 7.30pm, €25 Morrissey and Marshall The Workman’s Club 7.30pm, €12.50 Friday 18 December Booka Shade Button Factory 7.30pm, €15-€22.95 Howie Day Academy 2 7.30pm, €17.50 Damien Dempsey Vicar Street 7.30pm, €30 Enter Shikari Academy 7.30pm, €24 Keywest The Grand Social 7.30pm, €20 Smash Hits Academy 7.30pm, €22.90 Venus Sleeps and Raum Kingdom On the Rox 7.30pm, €5 Saturday 19 December Damien Dempsey Vicar Street 7.30pm, €30 Kila Button Factory 7.30pm, €15-€20 Raglans Hangar 7.30pm, €15 Keywest The Grand Social 7.30pm, €20 Spies The Workman’s Club 7.30pm, €12 The Winter Passing & Galants The Mezz 7.30pm, Free Sunday 20 December Glen Hansard Vicar Street 7.30pm, €30 Monday 21 December Glen Hansard Vicar Street 7.30pm, €30 Gavin James

Whelan’s 2pm, €15 & 8pm, €22.90 Jack Lukeman Unitarian Church, 7.30pm, €24.65 Tuesday 22 December Gavin James Whelan’s 7.30pm, €22.90 The Evertides Upstairs in Whelans 8pm, €10 Jack Lukeman Unitarian Church 7.30pm, €24.65 Wednesday 23 December Hozier, Little Green Cars, The Riptide Movement, Gavin James, Ryan Sheridan, and Hudson Taylor 3 Arena Dublin 7.30pm, €45 Gavin James Whelan’s 7.30pm, €22.90 Friday 25 December Bromance and Brodinski Academy 7.30pm, €10-€19.90 Saturday 26 December Dense & Pika Button Factory 7.30pm, €15 The Eskies Whelan’s 8pm, €12.50 Sunday 27 December Aslan Vicar Street 7.30pm, €33.50 Monday 28 December Bad Manners Academy 7.30pm, €25 Hudson Taylor Whelan’s 7.30pm, €20 The Dublin Legends Vicar Street 7.30pm, €36.50 Tuesday 29 December Something Happens Whelan’s 7.30pm, €22 The Complete Stone Roses Button Factory 7.30pm, €20.40 Nathan Carter Vicar Street 7.30pm, €30 Wednesday 30 December Nathan Carter Vicar Street 7.30pm, €30 Brian Kennedy Whelans 8pm, €20

CLASSICAL Thursday 3 December Ring Out Glad Bells with The Palestrina Choir NCH, Main Auditorium 8pm, €15-30 Friday 4 December DIT Chamber Choir Annual Christmas Concert John Field Room 1.05pm, €5/10 RTÉ NSO Beethoven NCH, Main Auditorium 8pm, €17-38 Saturday 5 December Christmas Family Concert - The Nutcracker NCH, John Field Room 12pm, €12.50 (Sold out!) Deck The Hall NCH, Main Auditorium 8pm, €10-30 Carols at Christmas Christchurch Cathedral 8pm, €20 with Chamber Choir Ireland Sunday 6 December Celine Byrne Christmas Gala

NCH, Main Auditorium 8pm, €15-42.50 Monday 7 December Culwick - The Coming of Christmas NCH, Main Auditorium 8pm, €11-25 Tuesday 8 December Christmas Lunchtime Concert NCH, Main Auditorium 1.05pm, €12 Sunday Miscellany Live at Christmas NCH, Main Auditorium 8pm, €12-39.50 in association with RTÉ Radio 1 Wednesday 9 December Handel’s Messiah NCH, Main Auditorium 8pm, €20-35 Thursday 10 December Christmas Lunchtime Concert NCH, Main Auditorium 1.05pm, €12 Handel’s Messiah NCH, Main Auditorium

8pm, €20-35 Friday 11 December Christmas with New Dublin Voices NCH, John Field Room 1.05pm, €16/12 IBO: Messiah Christchurch Cathedral 7.30pm, €30 Handel’s Messiah NCH, Main Auditorium 8pm, €20-35 Saturday 12 December Helsinki Philharmonic NCH, Main Auditorium 8pm, €47.50-75 John Sorgards, conductor; Guest violinst Sunday 13 December Christmas Family Gala NCH, Main Auditorium 3pm & 7pm, €20-30 Dublin County Choir Monday 14 December RTÉ Concert Orchestra: A Night in Vienna NCH, Main Auditorium 8pm, €15-39.50

Tuesday 15 December Christmas Lunchtime Concert NCH, Main Auditorium 1.05pm, €12 Christmas with Phil Coulter NCH, Main Auditorium 8pm, €25-39.50 The 50th Anniversary Concert Wednesday 16 December Perspectives 2015: Brad Mehldau: Solo Piano NCH, Main Auditorium 8pm, €29.50-39.50 Three Pieces for Piano After Bach Thursday 17 December RTÉ NSO Cara O’Sullivan Christmas Gala NCH, Main Auditorium 3.30pm & 8pm, €15-42.50 Friday 18 December The National Concert Hall Christmas Concert NCH, Main Auditorium 2.30pm & 5pm, €22/17 Featuring The Snowman Saturday 19 December The National Concert Hall Christ-

mas Concert NCH, Main Auditorium 12pm, 2.30pm, 5pm, 7pm, €22/17 Featuring The Snowman Sunday 20 December The National Concert Hall Christmas Concert NCH, Main Auditorium 12pm, 2.30pm, 5pm, 7pm, €22/17 Featuring The Snowman Monday 21 December Vladimir’s Viennese Christmas NCH, Main Auditorium 8pm, €28-39.50 Tuesday 22 December The Glory of Christmas NCH, Main Auditorium 3.15pm, 8pm, €25.50-45.50 Wednesday 23 December Carols by Candlelight NCH, Main Auditorium 3.15pm, 8pm, €25.50-45.50 Sunday 27 December Oliver! The Musical NCH, Main Auditorium 6pm, €29-36 Monday 28 December

Oliver! The Musical NCH, Main Auditorium 2pm & 6pm, €29-36 Tuesday 29 December Oliver! The Musical NCH, Main Auditorium 2pm & 6pm, €29-36 Wednesday 30 December Oliver! The Musical NCH, Main Auditorium 2pm & 6pm, €29-36 Thursday 31 December RTÉ CO New Year’s Eve Gala with Julian Ovenden NCH, Main Auditorium 10pm, €34.50-69.50 Friday 1 January RTÉ NSO New Year’s Day Celebration NCH, Main Auditorium 2.30pm & 6.30pm, € 20-40 Saturday 2 January Oliver! The Musical NCH, Main Auditorium 2pm & 6pm, €29-36

JAZZ

East India Youth Thursday 3 December | Button Factory | 7.30pm, €15 Sharply dressed synther-songwriter, William Doyle, better known under nom de plume, East India Youth, is bringing his much lauded live show to the Button Factory. Doyle accrued no small amount of buzz off the back of his Mercury Prize nominated debut album and has proceeded to further up the ante with the release of this year’s sophomore effort Culture of Volume. In the live environment, Doyle is a spectacle unlike most, flanked on all sides with synthesizers and a guitar draped over his shoulder, it’s remarkable to witness one man produce such lush sounding big-room floor fillers in such a rewardingly tactile fashion. This one promises to a treat for gear-nerds and disco-bunnies alike.

SUNDAY Stella Bass Cafe en Seine, Dawson St. D2 2.00pm, Free Jazz Session JJ Smyths, Aungier St. D2 4.30pm, €10 Jazz Session The Jazz Cafe, Asdills Row, Temple Bar, D2 6.00pm, Free Stella Bass Quintet Searsons, Upper Baggot St. D4 6.00pm, Free MONDAY Hot House Big Band Mercantile, Dame St. D2 8.45pm, €5 Essential Big Band Grainger’s, Malahide Rd. D3 9.30pm, €5 TUESDAY Phoenix Big Band Tara Towers Hotel, Merrion Rd, D4 9.00pm, Free Tom Harte Quintet Leeson Lounge, Upr Leeson St. D2 9.00pm, Free Jazz Session International Bar, Wicklow St. D2 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 Dec 3rd Andreas Varady Qrt.

Dec 10th John Moriarty/Louis Stewart Qrt. Dec 17th C.E.O. Experiment 8.30pm, €10/15 Jazz Session International Bar, Wicklow St. D2 9.30pm, €5 FRIDAY Jazz Session The Jazz Cafe, Asdills Row, Temple Bar, D2 8.00pm, Free SATURDAY Jazz Session The Jazz Cafe, Asdills Row, Temple Bar, D2 8.00pm, Free Jazz Session The Fitzwilliam Hotel, St. Stephen’s Green, D2 9.00pm, Free ONE OFF Sunday 6th December Louis Stewart Qrt. JJ Smyths, Aungier St. D2 4.30pm, €10 Sunday 13th December Hugh Buckley Group JJ Smyths, Aungier St. D2 4.30pm, €10 Saturday 19th December Nigel Mooney JJ Smyths, Aungier St. D2 9.00pm, €10 Sunday 20th December Richie Buckley Qrt. JJ Smyths, Aungier St. D2 4.30pm, €10

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

David O’Doherty Thursday 17 December – Sunday 10 January | Whelan’s | 8pm, €17 Dublin’s Lord Mayor of Mirth is celebrating the completion of another year with a run of shows in Whelan’s. Following yet another successful run in Edinburgh, D’OD will be giving his brand new hour, We Are All in the Gutter, But Some of Us Are Looking at David O’Doherty, a long anticipated domestic airing. Live, O’Doherty seamlessly moves between his trademark dinky keyboard musical numbers, inspired social commentary and scatter-brained off-the-cuff observation. In a comedic landscape cluttered with all to many crisp-shirt’d panel show shills, O’Doherty’s easy charm goes a long way and any opportunity to see the man do his thing in the flesh is to be jumped at. Performances on 17th, 18th, 19th & 20th December, 1st, 2nd, 3rd, 8th, 9th & 10th January.

COMEDY

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 Friday 4 & Saturday 5 December Willie White (Joy in the Hood, Savage Eye), Aaron Twitchen, John Mellor Chaplin’s Comedy Club 9pm, €10 Thursday 10 December Oliver Callan Olympia Theatre 7.30pm, €26 Friday 11 & Saturday 12 December Jimmy Carr Olympia Theatre 7.30pm, €36.50 / €38.50 Geared Farrelly, Johnny Candon & Ed Barton Chaplin’s Comedy Club 9pm, €10 Friday 11 December The Nualas Big Shiny Christmas Show Axis: Ballymun €14 / €18 Sunday 13 December Josh Widdicome Olympia Theatre 7.30pm, €28 The Splendid Lunatics Comedy Improv and Sketch Show! Civic Theatre €12 / €15 Damian Clark - Grand Theft Damo Whelans Upstairs €10 Tuesday 15 – Saturday 19 December How Now Mrs Brown Cow 3 Arena 7pm, €29.50 / €49.50

Thursday 17 – Sunday 20 December David O’Doherty Whelan’s 8pm (matinee Saturday 3pm), €17 Friday 18 & Saturday 19 December Chris Kent (The Blame Game, Second Republic), Peter Flanagan, Joanna McNally Chaplin’s Comedy Club 9pm, €10 Monday 21 December Panti Bliss - High Heels in Low Places Project Arts Centre 8pm, €30 Tuesday 29 December & Saturday 2 January Andrew Stanley, Emma Doran & Ruaidhrí Ward Chaplin’s Comedy Club 9pm, €10 Friday 1 – Sunday 3 & Friday 8 – Sunday 10 January David O’Doherty Whelan’s 8pm, €17

FESTIVALS

Simon House of Light Friday 10 - Sunday 12 December A series of events to raise money for the Simon Community this Christmas when they will be working to protect the most vulnerable people on our streets. Events take place between 5pm and 10pm each evening at Powerscourt Town Centre and on South William Street. For more see

www.dubsimon.ie Dublin New Year’s Festival Wednesday 30 December – Friday 1 January A whole gamut of events for a variety of age groups are part of the New Year’s celebrations including a Spoken Word Festival, NYF Food Village, Luminosity 3D visual projections as well as, of course, the large concert on New Year’s Eve itself. For moe see www.nyfdublin.com I Believe Christmas Village Until Wednesday 23 December Located on Custom House Quay, this Christmas village will feature food, drink, craft and horticulture in the 28 days leading up to Christmas, including lots of one-off pop-up shops. For more, see www.dublinatchristmas.ie

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 Who Lives Here? Creating Nests & Dens Until Saturday 16 January The Ark Temple Bar Exploring the home of the animal kingdom. Tuesday 1 & Tuesday 8 December, Saturday 9 & Saturday 16 January 10.15am & 11.45am, €11/€8 per child The Henry Girls: Tracks in the Snow Wednesday 2 - Sunday 20 December The Ark Temple Bar A fun Christmas performance. Each Saturday & Sunday, 2pm & 4pm (Public performances) Friday 4 & Friday 18 December, 6pm (Public performances) Wednesdays - Fridays, 10.15am & 12.15pm (School performances) Friday 11 December, 12.15pm (Autism friendly performance) €12/€9/€5 students

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 Kling Klang Wiley Fox Every second Wednesday, 8pm Krautrock, shoegaze, industrial, cosmic disco... Thursday Decades Club M, Bloom’s Hotel, Temple Bar FM 104’s Adrian Kennedy plays classics Free before midnight Boo! Wiley Fox Every third Thursday, 8pm Cold Wave, post punk, synth pop, deathrock 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 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 Thursday 3 December Big Daddy Kane Opium Rooms 7.30pm, €18/20/22 Friday 4 December Octave One District 8 11pm, €15 Saturday 5 December Leon Vynehall & Henry Wu District 8 11pm, €15-20 Sense with Scuba Button Factory 11pm, €12/15 Friday 11 December Hot Since 82 presents Knee Deep Pygmalion 10pm, €20-35 Bicep District 8 11pm, €15-20 Curve present Adam Beyer Button Factory 11pm, €15-20 Out To Lunch presents Mr. Ties (all Night Long) Bar Tengu 10pm, €10 Strictly Deep with Denney Hangar 10.30pm, €10/12/15 Defected In The House: Dublin The Wright Venue 10pm, €15/20 Saturday 12 December Dystopian Showcase: Rødhåd District 8 11pm, €15-20 Sense with Helena Hauff & Sunil Sharpe Button Factory 11pm, €8 Friday 18 December Curve present Booka Shade Button Factory

11pm, €20 Saturday 19 December Sense with Groove Armada Button Factory 11pm, €18 Chris Liberator, DDR & Tony D Turk’s Head Downstairs 10pm, €15 Saturday 26 December Dave Clarke Stephens Day Opium Rooms 10pm, €10-15 Mano Le Tough & The Drifter District 8 11pm, €15-20 Sense with Dense & Pika and Special Guest Button Factory 11pm, €10 Ejeca - Stephen’s Day / The Building Society & Strictly Deep Hangar 10pm, €17/20 Sunday 27 December Annie Mac District 8 7.30pm, €15-25 Monday 28 December Ben Klock District 8 11pm, €20 Thursday 31 December NYE Pygmalion 6pm, €20-30 Waze & Odyssey District 8 7.30pm, €tbc Space Ibiza on Tour Pygmalion 6pm, €15-€30 Krystal Klear & Gerd Janson Opium Rooms 10pm, €20-€25 Kormac’s Big Band Button Factory 10pm, €15

䐀䔀䌀䔀䴀䈀䔀刀䄀吀吀䠀䔀䈀唀吀吀伀一䘀䄀䌀吀伀刀夀匀愀琀甀爀搀愀礀㔀琀栀㨀匀挀甀戀愀嬀䠀漀琀昀氀甀猀栀崀䘀爀椀搀愀礀㄀㄀琀栀㨀䄀搀愀洀䈀攀礀攀爀嬀䐀爀甀洀挀漀搀攀崀匀愀琀甀爀搀愀礀㄀㈀琀栀㨀䠀攀氀攀渀愀䠀愀甀昀昀 ☀ 匀甀渀椀氀匀栀愀爀瀀攀圀攀搀渀攀猀搀愀礀㄀㘀琀栀㨀䈀樀愀爀欀椀䘀爀椀搀愀礀㄀㠀琀栀㨀䈀漀漀欀愀匀栀愀搀攀匀愀琀甀爀搀愀礀㄀㤀琀栀㨀䜀爀漀漀瘀攀䄀爀洀愀搀愀嬀䐀䨀匀攀琀崀匀愀琀甀爀搀愀礀㈀㘀琀栀㨀䐀攀渀猀攀 ☀ 倀椀欀愀 ⬀ 匀瀀攀挀椀愀氀䜀甀攀猀琀吀椀挀欀攀琀猀愀瘀椀愀氀愀戀氀攀瘀椀愀琀椀挀欀攀琀洀愀猀琀攀爀⸀椀攀⼀爀攀猀椀搀攀渀琀愀搀瘀椀猀漀爀⸀渀攀琀眀眀眀⸀戀甀琀琀漀渀昀愀挀琀漀爀礀⸀椀攀⼀眀眀眀⸀猀攀渀猀攀ⴀ氀椀瘀攀ⴀ洀甀猀椀挀⸀挀漀洀

CERVI FISH & CHIPS An unpretentious venue serving the best chips in the city Catherine Cleary, The Irish times

CAFÉ CASUAL SEAFOOD Super Miss Sue is the best restaurant in Dublin right now. Niall Harbison, Lovin Dublin

LUNA D O W N S TA I R S D I N I N G Luxurious and louche, it’s all low lights and New York in 1955. You feel like propping up the (spectacular) bar with a very dry martini in one hand and an untipped king size Chesterfield in the other. Tom Doorley, The Irish Daily Mail

Drury Street, Dublin 2 T: +353 (0)1 679 9009 | www.supermisssue.com

THEATRE Abbey Theatre You Never Can Tell A joyful and unpredictable battle of the sexes by one of Ireland’s greatest playwrights, Bernard Shaw, directed by Conall Morrison. Wednesday 2 December – Sunday 6 February 2016 Monday - Saturday 7.30pm, matinees Saturday 2.30pm, €13-€45 The Gate Theatre The Importance of Being Earnest Oscar Wilde’s brilliant comedy of manners is brought back to the stage of the Gate Theatre for the Christmas season, directed by Patrick Mason. Until Saturday 30 January 2016 7.30pm, matinees Saturday 2.30pm, €32-35 The Gaiety Theatre Little Red Riding Hood Panto season begins in earnest! Until Sunday 10 January 2016 Monday - Friday, 6.30pm; Saturday 1.30pm & 6.30pm; Sundays 1pm & 5pm. No performance 7 December. €19.50 The Bord Gáis Energy Theatre Mary Poppins Thursday 3 December - Saturday 8 January 2016

2.30pm & 7.30pm Wednesdays, Thursdays & Saturdays 2pm & 7pm Sundays. No shows Monday 7 & Monday 14 December €25-€68 Project Arts Centre Through a Glass Darkly Ingmar Bergman’s legendary film is adapted for stage by Jenny Worton and director Annie Ryan. Until Saturday 5 December 8pm, €12-€22 Christmas Pieces An evening of poetry and song from writer Seán Dennehy from County Clare that will shine a light into the darker corners of Christmas. Friday 11 & Saturday 12 December 8.15pm, €10 The Dead James Joyce’s spine tingling short story from Dubliners is brought to the stage in a new version directed by Jo Mangan and featuring a quartet of singers and a quartet of string players. Wednesday 16 – Saturday 19 December 8pm, €22/18 Catch Me Red Riding Hood gets transformed into an aerial balled by Fidget Feet Aerial Dance Theatre.

Wednesday 16 - Saturday 19 December €18/16 The New Theatre Snake Eaters A play about violence, love and the scars you cannot see. Monday 30 November - Saturday 19 December 7.30pm, €15/€12 The Pavilion Theatre, Dún Laoghaire Faulty Towers: The Dining Experience at Fitzpatrick Hotel Killiney Wednesday 2 & Thursday 3 December 7.30pm, €47.50, incl. 4 course meal. Snow Play A showdown between Winter and Spring over who gets to stay and who has to go. Sunday 6 December 2pm & 4pm, €6.50/€10 The Nutcracker A production of Tchaikovsky’s classic ballet by Irish National Youth Ballet. Friday 11 December (12pm & 8pm), Saturday 12 December (3pm & 8pm) and Sunday 13 December (2pm) December €8–€22 The Mill Theatre, Dundrum Many Happy Returns

Friday 1 – Tuesday 5 December 8pm, €16/€14 Stinky McRinky Steals Christmas! The title says it all. Written by Geoff O’Keeffe Friday 8 – Thursday 31 December Monday to Friday, 10am & 11.30am, €10 Weekend shows 12.30pm & 2.30pm, €10 Mermaid Arts Centre, Bray Alladin Trouble Performers Theatre School present a panto-tastic version of the tale of Aladdin. Friday 11 December (7pm) and Saturday 12 Dec (2pm), €15/12 Cinderella Bray School of Dance present a funfilled version of the classic children’s tale for their Christmas performance. Wednesday 16 - Saturday 19 December 7pm, €15/12 Coppélia Young lovers create comic chaos in this witty ballet written by Stella Feebly and performed by Ballet Ireland. Sunday 20 December 7pm, €22/20 Draíocht, Blanchardstown Snow Play A showdown between Winter and

Spring over who gets to stay and who has to go. Thursday 10 December (11am), Friday 11 December (10am/12pm) & Saturday 12 December (2pm/4pm) €7/5 ABBA Forever Thursday 10 December 8pm, €20/17 Grease Adamstown Community College are transformed into the 1959 class of Rydell High. Tuesday 15 - Wednesday 16 December 7.30pm, €10 Coppélia Young lovers create comic chaos in this witty ballet written by Stella Feebly and performed by Ballet Ireland. Friday 18 December 7pm, €20/16 Carols for Christmas New Dublin Voices perform Christmas Carols Saturday 19 December 3pm & 8pm, €15/12 Civic Theatre, Tallaght Coppélia Young lovers create comic chaos in this witty ballet written by Stella Feebly and performed by Ballet Ireland.

Thursday 3 - Saturday 5 December 8pm, matinee 3pm Sat, €20/16 Henry VI Part III Shakespeare’s historical play is performed by Liberties College, directed by Neville Style. Tuesday 8 - Saturday 12 December 7.30pm, €10 Enchantments Leotards and Monologues School of Ballet and the Performing Arts present a magical evening of song and dance. Saturday 12 December 3pm & 6.30pm, €10 Alladin The festive panto version of Aladdin. Sunday 20 December - Sunday 3 January 2016 Show times vary, €12 Axis: Ballymun Snow Play Saturday 5 December 2.30pm, €7/5 Elf Factory Wednesday 16 December 10am, 12pm & 6pm, €7/5 Believe in the Magic of Christmas Friday 18 & Saturday 19 December 8pm, mat 2pm Sat, €14/12

High Heels in Low Places Monday 21 December | Project Arts Centre | 8pm, €30 National Treasure alert! Pants Bliss, official confirmed as the Queen of Ireland, performs her last show for the year with a special gala Crimbo performance in association with Thisispopbaby that’s also serving as a fundraiser for Project Artists, an artist development initiative from Project Arts Centre. This once-off performance will be a fine way to kick of the Christmas week, with a night that promises wicked humour and tales of misadventure in the underbelly of fame.

Dublin's Best Pre Theatre

Only 5 Minutes from The Abbey & The Gate

Creative and contemporary. Delicious food, made fresh. Enjoy great food, friendly staff and a unique Dublin atmosphere in one of the city's oldest and most loved restaurants. 101 Talbot Street, Dublin 1 www.101talbot.ie +353 (0)1 8745011 Open Tuesday to Saturday. Lunch 12-3. Dinner 5-11.

DINNER & A SHOW €30pp BRUNCH & A SHOW €25pp

6pm December 15th, 16th, 21st & 22nd 1pm Sundays December 13th & 20th

8th-22nd December 7.30pm | Sat & Sun Matinee 2.30pm

Preview 7th Dec 7.30pm - €12 | Tickets €15 / Concessions €12 / Family of 4 €50

Smock Alley Theatre, Exchange St Lower, Dublin 8 01-6770014 | www.smockalley.com

Smock Alley Christmas Fayre December 5th & 6th | 11am-6pm

€50

Christmas Markets, Carols, Readings by Lamplight and much more!

FREE ADMISSION

Ireland’s largest dedicated QQI provider Over 100 fully accredited part-time courses.

Why study with us? •

No CAO Points required

•

Progression options to third level Universities using QQI Major Awards

•

We have the widest range of QQI / FETAC awards in Ireland

•

A Choice of Learning formats Including Distance Learning, Part-time Attendance, Evening Classes & Blended learning

•

You can study at your own pace and anywhere that suits you

•

Majority of our courses can be completed in less than 3 months

•

One to One support for all Learners by fully qualified and industry experienced tutors

•

You can continue to earn while you learn and gain Internationally recognised Qualifications

•

We offer high quality QQI / FETAC programmes at Market Leading Prices

•

Student fees for our Major Awards are fully protected

•

Transparent pricing - we publish our prices!

Courses available in: ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■

Your Success Starts Here!

■

Business Childcare Healthcare Special Needs Journalism Nursing Management Montessori Law Digital Media Sports & Exercise

THE OPEN COLLEGE Let us Help you Succeed

Come visit us Today www.theopencollege.com The Learning Centre, Dublin 18 Tel: 01 2061828 / 01 2061829 Email: info@theopencollege.com The Open College is a QQI/FETAC Registered Provider

Find us

ART Art Box James Joyce Street, D1 Emer O Boyle & Meadhbh O’Connor, 2039 An exhibition, commissioned by ArtBox in association with UCD Art in Science residency, which explores Cecilia Payne Gaposchkin’s PhD research on stellar spectra. Until Friday 20 November Cross Gallery 59 Francis Street, D8 Joe Vanek - Tom Vaughan Lawlor in the Rivals Until Saturday 7 November John Boyd Thursday 12 November - Saturday 5 December Douglas Hyde Gallery Nassau Street, D2 Chris Martin A notable figure in the New York art scene for his exuberant experimental painting, inspired by neighbourhood graffiti and featuring healthy dollops of glitter. Not shown in Ireland before. Until Monday 2 December Seanie Barron A stickmaker and seanchaí from Askeaton, Limerick, Seanie Barron has been honing his craft for decades. Until Monday 2 December Dublin City Gallery, The Hugh Lane Parnell Square, D1 Hugh Lane (1875-1915): Dublin’s Legacy and Loss Celebrating Hugh Percy Lane, the

philanthropist and art dealer who presented a priceless collection of artworks to Dublin to establish a Gallery of Modern Art in 1908 before he drowned on the Lusitania in 1915. Until January 2016 Gallery of Photography Meeting House Square, Temple Bar D2 Charles Haughey: Power, Politics and Public Image A collection of photography by Eamonn Farrell taken of Charlie Haughey, Ireland’s most controversial statesman, along with many of the FF lackeys he left in his legacy as the supporting cast. Gormley’s Fine Art Eileen Meagher, A Year in Connemara A collection of painted works of the west in the first solo exhibition from the artist since 2012. Until Saturday 7 November Lorcan Vallely, Solo Exhibition New works feature in this solo exhibition Until Thursday 19 November Irish Museum of Modern Art Miitary Road, D8 What We Call Love: From Surrealism to Now Featured Artists: Marina Abramović and ULAY, Sadie Benning, Louise Bourgeois, Constantin Brancusi, Brassaï, Victor Brauner, André Breton, Luis Buñuel, Cecily Brown, Miriam Cahn, Sophie Calle, Michele Ciacciofera,

Dorothy Cross, Attila Csörgö, Salvador Dalí, Annabel Daou, Vlasta Delimar and Jerman, Zackary Drucker and Rhys Ernst, Marcel Duchamp, Jean Dupuy, Elmgreen and Dragset, Max Ernst, VALIE EXPORT, Jean Genet, Jochen Gerz, Alberto Giacometti, Nan Goldin, Felix Gonzalez-Torres, Douglas Gordon, Mona Hatoum, Damien Hirst, Jim Hodges, Rebecca Horn, Jesper Just, Kapwani Kiwanga, Ange Leccia, Ghérasim Luca, Vlado Martek, André Masson, Annette Messager, Tracey Moffatt, Séamus Nolan, Nadja, Henrik Olesen, Yoko Ono, Meret Oppenheim, Ferhat Ozgür, Christodoulos Panayiotou, Nesa Paripovic, Garrett Phelan, Pablo Picasso, Man Ray, Carolee Schneemann, Rudolf Schwarzkogler, Paul Sharits, Jeremy Shaw, Wolfgang Tillmans, Andy Warhol, Cerith Wyn Evans, Jun Yang, Akram Zaatari. Until Monday 7 February 2016 Chloe Dewe Matthews, Shot at Dawn A new body of work from the British photographer that focuses on the sites of execution of British, French and Belgian soldiers for cowardice and desertion during WWI. Until Monday 7 February 2016 Kerlin Gallery Anne’s Lane, South Anne Street, D2 William McKeown, Cloud CuckooLand Cloud Cuckoo-Land sees the gallery transformed into an artificial domestic environment, the walls lined with

bright orange wallpaper of cuckoos and nooses. This oppressive interior is interrupted by McKeown’s contemplative Hope paintings, drawing the eye away from the visual noise of their surroundings to create a sense of openness and expansiveness, bringing indoors the sense of home the artist found within nature. Until Saturday 21 November Liliane Tomasko, Sense A collection of abstract works from Swiss artist Saturday 28 November - Saturday 9 January 2016 Mother’s Tankstation 41-43 Watling Street, Ushers Island, D8 Sebastian Lloyd Rees Friday 13 November - Saturday 19 December The National Gallery of Ireland Clare Street, D2 Jackie Nickerson, Uniform This display will comprise photographs selected from Jackie Nickerson’s series Terrain (2012-13) and paintings from several schools and periods from the National Gallery’s permanent collection. The photographs, taken in several southern African countries, are studies of individual agricultural workers and farmers carrying items associated with their work in a manner that in most cases obscures their faces and/ or alters their figurative outline. Many have a markedly abstract, distorted quality that eschews the fundamental character of the studies as portraits.

Until Sunday 10 January Olivier Cornet Gallery 3 Denmark Street, D1 In Their Element A group show of ceramics by gallery artist Annika Berglund and invited artists Sinéad Glynn, Lesley Kelly, and Freda Rupp. At the opening there will be a guest speech from Dr Eoin Grogan, landscape archaeologist. Sunday 15 November – Sunday 13 December Project Arts Centre 39 East Essex Street, Temple Bar, D2 Gretchen Bender, Total Recall A multiple screen presentation of the classic science fiction movie from the 1980s. Until Wednesday 23 December The Royal Hibernian Academy Ely Place, D2 Selection from the Waterford Municipal Collection Borrowing from the impressive Waterford City collection or contemporary art amassed between teh 1930s and the 1970s, this exhibition’s highlights include works from Jack Yeats, Louis Le Brocquy, Patrick Collins, Letitia Marion Hamilton, Evie Hone and Camille Souter. Until Sunday 20 December Taylor Galleries 16 Kildare Street, D2 David Quinn, SEAM Developed over the past two years, this new body of work was completed during the summer months in Callan,

Co. Kilkenny, while Quinn was the recipient of the Tony O’Malley Studio Residency Award 2015. The residency provided him with the opportunity to experiment with working on a larger scale, and also saw him introduce a variety of new materials to his subtle painted assemblages. SEAM is Quinn’s sixth solo exhibition with Taylor Galleries. Until Saturday 14 November Temple Bar Gallery and Studios Temple Bar, D2 Rhona Byrne, Huddle Tests Irish artist Rhona Byrne transforms the gallery into a testing ground for the exploration of social relations, group dynamics and associated anxieties. The installation, including sculpture, drawing and wearables, reflects on the desires and tensions experienced between private thought and public behaviour, feelings of isolation and belonging, connectivity and relating, distraction and attending and the fragile state between comfort and discomfort. Until Saturday 7 November Dublin Art Book Fair 2015 The latest in art, photography, zines, and related publications published internationally and in Ireland by small art-house and self-publishers, the Dublin Art Book Fair offers a succinct snapshot of the contemporary art publishing world, and is a good spot for buying nice gifts for your arty mates. Thursday 19 - Sunday 22 November

Liliane Tomasko, Sense Until Saturday 16 January | Kerlin Gallery Sense is a new exhibition by Swiss artist Liliane Tomasko that focuses on abstract painting. Tomasko’s recent work in this medium has been characterised by ghostly forms and subjects that are realised from the ‘inside out’, and Sense is a continued development of those ideals of abstraction, that realises the subjects in even more fluid forms and allows Tomasko to examine them in a deeper, almost metaphysical sense.

The Hideout Dublin’s best pool hall. Cues,Booze,Craic and tunes. B.Y.O.B Welcome with fridges to keep em cool! The Hideout - Dublin’s best kept secret!

Book Now! ph: (01) 537 5767

www.thehideout.ie 49 South William Street, Dublin 2, 01 537 5767

facebook.com/TheHideoutPool/

GEORGE’S STREET ARCADE

Ireland and Europe’s oldest running purpose-built shopping centre

Real Independent Shopping in the heart of Dublin City Lolly & Cooks

Body Station

Simon’s Place Coffee Shop

Unique Jewellery & Gifts

georgesstreetarcade.com Open 7-days a week

Retro

Barry Doyle Design

Stokes Books

Overhead, the Albatross Saturday 12 December | The Workman's Club | 7.30pm, €12 With the release of their long anticipated debut record looming, six piece post-rock troupe Overheard, the Albatross are gearing up for what we’ve been assure will be a very special gig in The Workman’s Club. Their brooding, brawny, cinematic brand of instrumental music has seen them favourably likened to luminaries of the genre like Explosions in the Sky and Mogwai. But Overhead, the Albatross routinely subvert the wellworn furrows of the sound to produce a uniquely rewarding, homegrown cacophony as wide in scope as the eponymous seabird is in wingspan. Support on the night comes from similarly bombastic and dexterous shredders, Race the Flux.

TOTALLYDUBLIN.IE

TD Xmas Flea AD 111x165mm.pdf

IMMA What We Call Love From Surrealism to Now Until 7 February 2016

Modern and contemporary masterworks from the world’s leading collections. C

CMY

IMAGE Wolfgang Tillmans / Central Nervous System, 2013 / Inkjet print on paper mounted on aluminium in artist’s frame / Frame: 97 x 82 cm / 38 ¼ x 32 ¼ in / Edition of 3 + 1 AP / Courtesy Maureen Paley, London. © Wolfgang Tillmans

Official Hotel Partner www.dylan.ie

13/11/2015

20:05

www.imma.ie

Admission: €8 / 5 concession

Dublin Flea Market Christmas Cracker 2015

December 11 - 13th Friday 12-7pm Sat & Sun 11-6pm

The city’s biggest indoor Christmas Market

Over 100 stalls of local design, art, craft, second-hand, vintage, collectables, music & food.

BRAND NEW VENUE John Player Factory, South Circular Road, Dublin 8.

For more details visit: DublinChristmasFlea.ie

BEST OF… DECEMBER

BEST DRINKS MENU

BEST THEATRE PRODUCTION

BEST GIFTS

CAFE EN SEINE

THE NEW THEATRE PRESENTS SNAKE EATERS

AT BEDFORD STUY BARBERS

In a visceral new play by Stewart Roche, Hillis, a US Marine, returns to Nebraska from a disastrous tour of Afghanistan that has left most of his platoon dead. He struggles to settle back into normal life in a town he barely recognizes, his psychological wounds preventing him from communicating with his father and old friends. A chance meeting with the spirited Ashley starts him on a slow road to recovery. But as Ashley has dangerous baggage all of her own, it is only a matter of time before Hillis is forced to confront his past and all the demons that lurk there. Directed by Caroline FitzGerald/ Produced by Anthony Fox

The perfect gift for that special man in your life this Christmas; An exclusive range of products available from Temple Bar’s number one barber shop Bedford Stuy. From Peppermint Oil Beard Balm to their popular Pomade, Paste and Clay from Dapper Dan, they have everything you need to ensure he scrubs up well this Christmas! Custom made gift sets are available at a range of different prices to suit all budgets. Pop in and say hi to one of the friendly team to find out more.

40 Dawson Street, Dublin 2 01 677 4567 bookings@cafeenseine.ie www.cafeenseine.ie

www.thenewtheatre.com December 1st -19th 2015 43 Essex Street, Temple Bar

BEST OF… JUN

Bedford Stuy Barbers 1 Cope Street Temple Bar Tel: 01 671 8442

BEST MEAL IN TOWN

BEST INTERNATIONAL BAR BEST STORE

Mao, Chatham Row

GENERATOR

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

Great grub, drink specials and a packed events schedule Tola Vintage is not your typical shop, it’s a li combine with a captive audience of tourists to give onevintage of boutique filled with a just selection the best international bars in the city. Located off theof treats and one-o from the U.S, Italy, UK this & Amsterdam that are unava Luas Redline in the exciting Smithfield District, bar is anywhere else“speaking in Ireland.foreign”. a winner for those looking to practice for their smartexperience re-works and stylish twists o An ever-changing crowd Famed guarantees a unique pieces, Tolaburger, Vintage was recently every time. Don’t miss out on the rumoured to bevoted number on store in Dublin by LovinDublin. Come and check o among the best in the city. new Summer collection now in store and online. Smithfield Market Fair, Generator Hostel Dublin, Smithfield Square, Smithfield, Dublin 7 10 Fownes St Upper, Temple Bar, Dublin

TOLA VINTAGE

ifestyle offs ailable

on retro ne vintage out the

BEST QUALITY FOODS

BEST FOOD DELIVERY

BEST BYOB

EATHOS

DELIVEROO

THE HIDEOUT

eathos was born out of a love of food and healthy eating and has been more than a year in the making. Their menu was devised after a year of testing hundreds of recipes and finding the best Irish produce, all of which goes into making eathos what it is. Provenance and quality are really important to them, hence they have a long list of great Irish producers who supply them. Open MondayFriday 7am-5.30pm and Saturday 8.30am-4.30 with full breakfast, lunch and patisserie with brunch all day Saturday, all also available for take out and through Deliveroo.

Deliveroo is an end-to-end food delivery service that brings high-quality local restaurant food to homes and offices through a proprietary technology and logistics platform. Simply enter your address on the homepage, and it will show you all the great restaurants that deliver to you. Choose your preferred restaurant, put together your order, enter your address and payment details, and your order is complete - your food will be delivered to you within 30 minutes. Deliveroo is live in Dublin, Cork and Galway.

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!

restaurants@deliveroo.ie www.deliveroo.ie

49 South William Street (01) 537 5767 thehideout.ie hello@thehideout.ie

13a upper Baggot Street eathosdublin.com eathosdublin on Facebook and Twitter

BEST BEST CINEMA MEAL INCLUB TOWN

BEST BREAKFAST

BEST RAINY DAY VISIT

CineCafé Club –Row Gabor Mao, Chatham

Bobo’s

The National Print Museum

Gabor is a documentary about what seems impossible: Treat your taste buds to delicious Asian food and sip a blind cinematographer who joins a film crew as the up Low Calorie, Classic and Dessert Cocktails shaken to director of photography. Gabor illustrates how the love for perfection while listening to funky tunes pumping by firstthe medium and a deep knowledge of the language makes class DJ’s from Musicmaker Dublin. This is the scene you’ll it possible to participate in the making of a new motion find Friday and Saturday nights at Mao Chatham Row. picture. Gabor is an insightful documentary filmed in the Savour the flavour with mouth-watering curries, a shared Bolivian high plateau which won’t leave you indifferent. platter, or a Mao classic for the full Thai experience. Then Winner of Best Director Award at the 2014 Malaga Intersip a CosMAOpolitan, Ginger Dragon or Toblerone national Film Festival and Best Documentary at the Canal+ to tame the flames! As an official Leinster Rugby food partAwards. Screening is December 17th, 6pm at Instituto ner check out healthy dishes as chosen by Leinster Rugby’s Cervantes - Café Literario nutritionist, just look for the little blue rugby balls on the menu. Call your besties, pick the perfect outfit, pack Lincoln House, Lincoln Place, Dublin 2 your selfie stick then drop in for a night you won’t forget. bookings.dublin@cervantes.es/ 01 631 15 33 Mao, 2 Chatham Row, Dublin 2 dublin.cervantes.es 01 670 4899

Bobo’s are a neighbourhood diner. Who aim to provide an Irish take on high-end fast food, delivering mouth-watering burgers made from top quality prime young heifer meat.Their all day breakfasts have recently been getting rave reviews, from Full Irish, to the French Toast, Bobo’s is definitely worth a visit to start the day.The food is fresh, locally sourced, served in generous portions, and freshly cooked to order - all in a fun friendly atmosphere, with a large dollop of nostalgia thrown in. 50-51 Dame St, Dublin 2 | ph: 01 672 2025 22 Wexford St, Dublin 2 | ph: 01 400 5750 info@bobos.ie Breakfast, 10am - 5pm

Buried away at the back of the old Beggers Bush Barracks in the gorgeous old Oratory Building is the National Print Museum. It’s a haven for geeks with a penchant for Heidelberg’s. There are weekly workshops, video documentary screenings and an opportunity to see some of these beautiful antique machines in action. Feats of engineering that made the newspaper possible and which created some of the most decisive documents in history are on display – while the museum is the home of the original Irish Proclamation until 2016.There is a mezzanine floor which acts as a gallery and a kiddie area, while the recently revamped Press Café has delicious sambos and goodies. A nice visit for all the family. Garrison Chapel, Beggars Bush Barracks, Haddington Rd, D4 +353 (0)16603770 www.nationalprintmuseum.ie