Things To Do: Celebrate the horse, hold frame, reminisce about a chipper

Our Picks

Our recommendations – no sponsored content, or adverts, just stuff we like.

Earth, Solace and Blight

This evening, painter John Noel Smith will be launching Earth, Solace and Blight, his new exhibition in the LAB Gallery on Foley Street.

Smith, the non-figurative contemporary artist and member of Aosdána, continues his exploration of “personal memory, cultural history and the formal language of abstraction” in Earth, Solace and Blight, which is described as a collection of works that “speak of the persistence of conflict and global challenges”.

Curated by Margarita Cappock, the exhibition will be launched by Róisín Kennedy, associate professor and head of the School of Art History and Cultural Policy at UCD.

It opens at 6pm this evening, and will run until 19 September.

On 10 September, Smith will be in the gallery to discuss the exhibition with art critic Aidan Dunne at 1pm. For more information, visit the LAB Gallery website here.

Shakalak

One of the summer’s standout singles was an ode to Dublin’s chip shops which came courtesy of five-piece psychedelic hip-hop group Shakalak.

Simply titled "Chipper", the single was musically reminiscent of the acid house-influenced indie of Happy Mondays and the Stone Roses, while lyrically it brings to life the contrasting innocence of kids skipping out of school during lunch to grab a bag of chips and the indulgence of late-night clientele drunkenly scuffling over a bottle of ketchup.

The track comes from the group’s forthcoming album Kulture Bikki, described by the artists as a “global, local, lyrical, musical, rhythmic trip”. On Friday night, the band will be launching the record in the Grand Social.

The gig starts at 8pm, and tickets are available here. You can also stream and pick up copies of the LP over on the group’s Bandcamp here.

A Celebration of the Horse in Dublin and the Evidence Left Behind

On Saturday morning, historian Cathy Scuffil will be giving a talk on inner-city horses at the Central Library.

A Celebration of the Horse in Dublin and the Evidence Left Behind is Scuffil’s exploration of the social history behind the city’s horses and their owners.

Looking at the care and welfare of these animals, as well as their role in various trades and industries, the talk seeks to highlight how our equine friends helped to shape Dublin today.

Scuffil’s talk starts at 11.30am. Admission is free, but places are limited, and can be reserved here.

Holding Frame

Out in Howth, artist Tallon McGinn will be unveiling his new solo exhibition on Saturday in the College Lane Gallery.

Anyone who attended the most recent Art Riddler group exhibition in late May might be familiar with the work of McGinn, also known mononymously as Tallon.

His portrait of a young boxer, "All the Prayer Beads in the World" was among the standout entries in this year’s competition. Echoing the beautiful brutality of the artwork that adorned the covers of various Smiths singles and albums and resembling a more urban grounded version of Francis Bacon, McGinn’s painting was a compelling juxtaposition of intimacy and aggression.

Now, this weekend, the Louth artist will be launching Holding Frame, his first solo exhibition in Dublin since his BFA graduate showcase at the National College of Art and Design in 2022.

Holding Frame is the end-product of a year-long residency at College Lane Studios, and is described by the artist as “part of an ongoing exploration of edges, ends and our limitations”, in which he investigates “surface and depth”, “agency and impotence”, and “the materials themselves and the space they occupy”.

The exhibition opens at 4pm on Saturday, and will run until late September.

For more information, follow College Lane Gallery on Instagram here for updates.

Amanda

On Wednesday evening, the Irish Film Institution will be hosting a special screening of the documentary Amanda as part of its ongoing Irish Focus series.

Directed by José Miguel Jiménez, the 2025 film takes as its subject the artist Amanda Cullen who has been painting in isolation for years, using art as both an expression and refuge. Cullen had been institutionalised in her teens with her body of work intended to reclaim that story and evoke the chaos of her experience growing up.

Jiménez followed Cullen as she prepared for Alchemist Dreaming, her first retrospective which opened in the Complex during 2024, and focused on her work over a 10-year period. As the day of the opening draws closer, her story is featured in national newspapers, and she navigates the vulnerability of sharing both her art and truth.

Amanda will be showing at 6:30pm on Wednesday evening, and will be followed by a Q&A with Jiménez and Cullen.

Tickets are available here.

Brigid Mae Power

Back in July, Hen’s Teeth brought back their live music and conversation series 6 Tracks, in which a different musician sits down to talk through – as the event name strongly implies – six tracks of theirs.

Hosted by DJs Sally Cinnamon and Laura Twagirayezu, otherwise known as Big Cheeks, the first installation in this latest edition featured songwriter Sorcha Richardson. Next up on Thursday, 27 August, is Brigid Mae Power whose most recent record, 2025’s Song For You is a minimalist, atmospheric covers album that is dedicated to her father, and features reinterpretations of artists including Neil Young, Roy Orbison, Cass McCombs and the band Television.

6 Tracks will be held monthly in Hen’s Teeth until November with Efé and Saoirse Miller among the guests on the bill between now and then.

For more information and to secure tickets for the Brigid Mae Power session, visit the 6 Tracks event page here.

Noticeboard

Listings of events submitted by readers – you can submit yours for next week's newsletter, via this form.

Oliver Bond 90th Anniversary

On Sunday, 23 August,the residents of Oliver Bond will be celebrating the flats’ 90th anniversary.

Beginning at 12pm, the day will include afternoon tea at 3 Usher Street, activities for the younger community and live music at Oliver Bond.

Admission is free, and the event will run until 4pm.

Dublin Maker 2026

This weekend, Dublin Maker, Ireland’s annual celebration of the maker movement returns to Leopardstown Racecourse.

On Saturday, 22 and Sunday 23 August, makers, inventors, artists and technology enthusiasts from all walks of life will convene at the festival to showcase their projects.

Over the course of the weekend, there will be workshops, over 90 exhibitors, 75 maker stands, 15 outdoor exhibits, food vendors and a repair café, giving broken and much-loved items a second life.

Admission is free. For more information, visit the Dublin Maker website here.