Come Here To Me!

Apparently, Don Conroy is doing a night in The Bernard Shaw soon, which is bloody bizarre. I met Don when I was a youngster and he was a really nice bloke, I’ve all the books somewhere but my artistic ability was always poor at best.

When Don arrives he will be drawing with us and telling us stories about his time on the Den with the gang.
Expect OWLS.

Afterwards you can meet the man himself, get your Draw with Don books signed if you’ve managed to hang onto them, and maybe if you’re lucky he’ll have some time for some photos.

I have no opinion on all this, I just think it’s mad. It’s akin to someone from The X-Factor playing in your local. Nostalgic to say the least, fair play to him.

It’s not Don’s first run-in with hipsterism. Here is a video about his ‘perfect day’ set to music from The Postal Service.

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The grave of Vonolel, the famous horse of Field-Marshal Earl Roberts buried in the grounds of the Royal Hospital.

Yes, this is now a weekly thing.

Saint Patrick’s week. A good week for the soul, a bad week for the wallet.

My absolute failure to stay in over the weekend and save money (Saturday morning in The Chancery waiting for an 8:30am pint is the ultimate ‘quiet weekend’ failure surely?) gives way to a week I always love.

The highlight for me revolves around another Saint Patrick’s, in the form of the Dublin derby on Friday night between Shamrock Rovers and Saint Patrick’s Athletic at Tallaght Stadium. An 8pm kick off is a godsend, as the day after Patrick’s Day is always a bit 28 Days Later in terms of zombie people. Plenty of time to come back around.

I intend to continue to get as much as possible out of my IFI membership, and Between The Canals opens at the IFI on March 18th. I’ve seen the film, but really enjoyed it and I think I may take the chance to see it on a big screen. A second trip is likely, to catch Norwegian Wood. There was a time when I never went to the cinema, I now think it’s addictive.

At some stage, I’d love to pop up to Mitsuba, the new Japanese restaurant on Parnell Street. I’m in love with Parnell Street, a great mix of ethnic restaurants are to be found there including Come Here To Me favourite The Hop House. Mitsuba’s write-up in the Indo last week was promising:

It’s a long time since I’ve said I’m going to work my way through any menu, but I can’t wait to go back.

On Wednesday, I’ll be down at the Criminal Courts of Justice on Parkgate Street for a protest. Gerard Mc Donnell is a 63 year old family man facing 3 serious charges under the maritime safety act and a fine of up to €250,000 for his role in the ‘floating picket’ during the MTL dockers strike in 2009. There will be a protest outside the courts from 10am.

Paddys Day itself is a funny one. I always go along and catch the parade, and love the buzz of it. the further into adulthood I go, the more I think I enjoy the thing more now than I did as a child. The Bernard Shaw gets my shout for post parade pints.

I’m hoping to get up to the Phil Lynott exhibition at the top of the Stephen’s Green Shopping Centre at some point. On the subject of exhibitions, it really is the last chance to catch The Moderns at the IMMA. From Synge to Yeats (Jack B. that is….) and right the way up until the 1970s, the exhibition is a look at the history of the arts in Ireland from 1900 on. Any visit to the IMMA offers the chance to walk around the wonderful grounds, and I might even pay a visit to my friend Vonolel who is buried there.

I’m going to avail of my quiet week and get up to the Natural History Museum for a proper looksie, it’s been a while.

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The Trinity Secondhand Booksale 2011 will be held in the Exam Hall from Thursday 10 March (opening 5.30pm)until Saturday 12 March (closing 2.00pm). Auction of rare books on Thursday evening.

Popped into this Thursday evening, a pretty heavy bag of books for a tenner is a good deal. There were some excellent books on offer for a quid or fifty cent a pop, and some great oddities in the mix too. Pop in for a look.

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Irish Womens Workers Union- Liberty Hall.

I did one of these posters last week and decided to do it again. I’m mad like that.

Tuesday marks International Womens Day. There are plenty of great events planned nationwide to mark the day, and indeed the week around it.

Personally, I’ll be getting along to the ‘Hannah and her Sisters’ exhibition in the ILAC.

On the subject of Mná na hÉireann, the Alice Milligan exhibition in the National Library is something I intend to pop back to.

This iconic and fascinating journalist, political activist, feminist and human rights campaigner was one of 13 children born in 1866 into a middle class Protestant Unionist family living in Co Tyrone. She studied history and literature at King’s College London; taught herself Irish; became a staunch Irish nationalist and supporter of the 1916 Rising; was hailed as the ‘infant nurse’ of the biggest Irish political movement in the 1920s, and was a tireless human rights campaigner as well as an organiser of the Irish language movement in Ulster.

At some point this week, I will get back to Against The Grain. It’s 2 for 1 dinner special on a Tuesday night looks appealing, but the foreign beer even more so.

If I can skip out of college a bit early Wednesday, I’ll get along to the screening of ‘So Hot Right Now’ at NCAD. More than anything, I’m curious.

Somewhere? at The Workmans Wednesday night is a tempter too. Basically, picture our ska night upstairs and imagine the very opposite of it. Indie floor fillers and three quid cocktails, there’s no pride in being assisted into a taxi. Who could ever accuse this blog of glorifying alcohol?

On Thursday, I want to see what Ticket Thursday is all about. Can I actually get a good deal off the back of my pre-paid bus ticket? I’ll tell you on Thursday night.

On Friday night, I’ll be in Inchicore (Inchie, Inchie, Inchicoreeee) for the League of Ireland clash between Saint Patrick’s Athletic and the Almost-In-Dublin Bray Wanderers. You know how the League works, it needs money and local support and no matter what corner of the city you inhabit we’d encourage you to get down to your local side.

At some point during the week, I will hopefully get down to the Dublin Eye to see if it is as crap as it looks.

It looks really, really crap in fairness:

Throughout the week, I’ll be ringing the Dublin City Council like an old man giving out about Fianna Fail/Fine Gael/dodgy independents posters that haven’t been removed yet. You should too. Hit ’em in the pocket.

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‘So Hot Right Now’ will be shown this Wednesday, at 6pm up at the canteen of NCAD on Thomas Street. I don’t know much about graffiti, beyond knowing I prefer painted walls (with something to say…) to blank ones and Dublin is certainly a colourful city.

So Hot Right Now hasn’t been available since 2006, and the footage in the documentary was taken over 3 years.

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Ronnie Drew- Johnny McGory (featured in film)

I really enjoyed the film Between The Canals, it arrived last year for the Jameson festival but seemed to have gone into hiding then. At long last, it’s getting a run at the IFI, with tickets available over here. the influence of films like Le Haine is clear, but Between The Canals has that great Dublin wit at its heart and is right up there with Intermission in my eyes in terms of presenting a Dublin that exists below the surface.

On March 19th, there will be a discussion on the film at the IFI, which is free to attend.

Director of Between the Canals Mark O’Connor and actor Peter Coonan will join Tony Tracy (NUIG) at the IFI on March 19th at 12.00 to discuss the trials of shooting a micro-budget feature in Dublin’s inner city over 12 days with a largely non-acting cast. This event is FREE but ticketed so please call IFI Box Office on 01 679 3477 to reserve your seat.

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The Battleship Potemkin (1925) is one of my favourite films and undoubtedly one of the most inspiring films of all time, not least for that scene at the Odessa Steps. The film will be shown on March 5th (5pm) at the Irish Film Institute in Temple Bar, as part of of the Dublin Festival of Russian Culture. Interestingly, it will be re-released in April.

Eisenstein’s influential masterpiece about the navy mutiny that sparked off the Russian Revolution has been newly restored by the Deutsche Kinemathek. Edmund Meisel’s original score is played by the 55-piece Deutsches Filmorchester Babelsberg, conducted by Helmut Imig [more].

Battleship Potemkin is showing as part of Dublin’s Festival of Russian Culture and will be re-released in April. Preview courtesy of the British Film Institute.

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