HAPPENINGS: A few things worth checking out this week

St Patrick’s Day Parade

Almost every Dubliner has fond memories of the St Patrick’s Day Parade, so why not create some more for this great national celebration that gets bigger and better every year.

‘Ireland You Are’ is the theme for the 2017 Festival Parade, which will weave its way through the heart of the capital in a flourish of colour, flair and great craic.

Ireland’s finest street-theatre companies will be swirling by with fantastical pageantry and raucous performances. 

Bands from Ireland will be joined by ones from America, France, Germany, Switzerland and the Bahamas, all delivering uplifting rhythms for the spectacular procession.

 

St Patrick’s Festival films

There are open air movies taking place in Swords and Blanchardstown as part of this year’s St Patrick’s Festival.

‘In America’ will be shown on a large screen at Swords Castle, Bridge Street, Townparks, in Swords on Thursday, March 16, at 7.30pm while ‘Sing Street’ will be screened at Blanchardstown Plaza on Saturday, March 18, at 7pm.

The events are being organised in association with Happenings and Fingal County Council. The screenings are free but ticked via stpatricksfestival.ie.

 

Guinness in the Liberties

Step back in time and take a guided tour through the Liberties Quarter in Dublin 8 on Thursday, March 16. 

Starting at St Patrick’s Cathedral the tour will weave its way along Thomas Street towards its final destination, the Guinness Storehouse. Here, guests will enjoy a private tour and tasting experience at the Home of Guinness.

Tours leave every 15 minutes from 6.30pm until 7.15pm and the cost is €5. Tickets via stpatricksfestival.ie.

 

New exhibition continues at NCAD  

The National College of Art and Design (NCAD), Dublin, recently launched the ‘Shape the Future’ exhibition, which provides a chance to see new work by 20 of Ireland’s most exciting and creative designer-makers. 

The exhibition, which explores how craft and design shape our cultural identity, runs until March 20.

The work covers a wide range of disciplines across fashion, jewellery, accessories, textiles, furniture, product design, glass, ceramics and leather.

The exhibition opening times are: Monday, March 6 to Monday, March 20, Monday-Friday, 1pm- 5pm. Admission is free and all are welcome. For more information, visit www.ncad.ie/about/gallery/

 

Coffee Morning

A Daffodil Day Coffee Morning in aid of the Irish Cancer Society will take place on Thursday, March 16 from 10am to 2pm in Nautilus Restaurant in Malahide. 

Whether you pop in for a coffee or volunteer your time on the morning, your continued support will be greatly appreciated.

For more information, contact Sheila Morris on 086-8889552.

  

Irish war dead exhibition

Naming the dead has a powerful resonance for those left behind; we put names on gravestones and monuments, in death notices and on memorial cards. 

Now Dubliners can visit a moving work remembering and listing the names of all of the Irish war dead who fell on Belgium soil in the First World War. 

A large memorial book, Assembly, records 174,000 soldiers’ names and forms the central part of a new exhibit from the In Flanders Fields Museum in Belgium, now on display in Ireland for the first time.

The exhibit will be on view in Dublin over the next three months at three different locations – Dublin City Library and Archive, Pearse Street, City Hall, Dame Street, and Richmond Barracks, Inchicore.

The full programme is available on www.dublincitypubliclibraries.ie

 

Humans need not apply

In an automated world, is it nearly time to put humans out to pasture? Does the future resemble a leisure-time utopia or a robot-tended human-zoo? Will the notion of work become a thing of the past if machines really can do everything better, faster and for longer?

This new exhibition in Science Gallery Dublin tries to answer these questions and looks at the movement of artificial intelligence and cognitive computing into the professional workforce, and what that means whether you’re a lawyer, a surgeon or a taxi driver.

The exhibition runs until May 14.

  

Real Bodies

This powerful exhibition explores life by displaying real, 14 perfectly preserved human bodies and more than 200 anatomical specimens. 

Real Bodies is designed to connect audiences to a deeper sense of what it means to be alive.

Founded on anatomical, cultural, and emotional narratives, the exhibition transforms the way we view the mysterious organism we all share – the human body – and reminds us of all the complexity and magic within us that we often take for  granted.

It’s happening at the Ambassador Theatre from Friday, March 10, for a limited time only.