Things To Do: Go to school or listen to a lot of new music. A lot.

Our Picks

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

We’ve Only Just Begun

Over in Whelan's this evening, the We’ve Only Just Begun music festival is set to kick start. Now in its fifth year, the three-day event promotes female and non-binary musicians, with its latest line-up offering more than a few exciting acts on the up at the moment.

If you can make it down this evening, the proceedings start at 20.00. It would be worth pencilling in the bands Hotgirl and Theatre, as well as R ‘n’ B and electro pop songwriter Kayleigh Noble. Also on the bill are Annika Kilkenny, For Nina, $ONA BLU€ and Anna Leah.

On Friday, one I’d strongly recommend, having just seen them recently, is the group Negro Impacto. Alongside them, there is Winemom, Sarah Brooki, Sammy Copley, Delivery Service, Becky McNiece, Hannahbella and All Thumbs.

Finally, on Saturday, my picks are the wonky pop group Telekura and the Cork-based alt-rock band I Dreamed I Dream. They’ll be playing along with Florence Road, EFÉ, Sarah Crean, Babyrat, Essiray, Shmoneydoll and Sjaney.

Tickets are on sale here, and for more information on stage times, visit the festival’s Instagram page here.

Conor Walsh: Selected Piano Works

If you, like me, discovered pianist Conor Walsh through his 2019 album The Lucid, the feeling of awe at hearing his minimalist, heartfelt compositions was likely underpinned by a very real sense of loss.

Walsh had only released a single EP, 2015’s The Front, before he passed away the very next year at the age of 36, with The Lucid then compiled by friends and family in the years that followed.

Back in June, filmmaker Keith Walsh released his documentary on Walsh’s life, Conor Walsh: Selected Piano Works, and on Friday evening at 18.30, it will be screened in the Lighthouse cinema.

Described as a celebration of the work Walsh left behind before he died of a heart attack, the film delves into the Mayo-born pianists influences; like the River Moy, his hometown Swinford and the migratory movement of swallows.

After the screening, Walsh will be giving a Q&A with Siobhan Kane, and if you want to get a ticket, you can purchase it here.

CATU Housing Justice Summer School

Starting on Friday, CATU Ireland will be hosting a Housing Justice Summer School at its head offices in Tailor’s Hall, Dublin 8.

Over the course of three days, the union will be organising talks on the subjects like the global housing movement and the financialisation of housing. Attendees will also be able to learn about archiving, direct action and community organising through a series of workshops each day.

The summer school will run until Sunday, 10 August. To reserve a spot, visit their Eventbrite page here.

For Those I Love

When David Balfe put out his debut album under the moniker of For Those I Love in April 2021, he seemed to capture the mood of the city as it was struggling through the pandemic.

It came out in the aftermath of the second, and particularly gruelling, nationwide lockdown. And as a reflection on the agony of losing his friend, the poet and musician Paul Curran, Balfe spoke to the collective sense of grief and loss that was being felt in that moment.

All of this culminated in a sold-out show in the Olympia that November, the euphoria of which rightfully earned it praise as the year’s best gig. Yet, in the aftermath, it seemed difficult to imagine whether Balfe would want to keep this particular project going, given the sheer leve of energy and emotion he spent writing the album, nevermind performing it.

So it came as a welcoming surprise when Balfe recently announced Carving the Stone, his follow up album, which is described as a “grappling with the pressures of working-class survival, the erosion of home, and the passage of time.”

The album hits the shelves tomorrow, Friday, 8 August, and to promote its release, Balfe will be discussing the record and performing a few tracks from it over the course of the weekend. First up on Friday, Balfe will be in Spindizzy Records, George’s Street Arcade, at 17.00, to play some of the new songs. Then, on Sunday, he’ll be over at Tower Records where he will be in conversation with No Encore podcast host Dave Hanratty, also at 17.00.

Visit For Those I Love’s site here for more information on how to book tickets.

Unstitched

On Tuesday, artist Leia Mocan will be launching her solo exhibition, Unstitched: Breaking the Patterns of Shame over at GalleryX on Hume Street.

Looking at the “dominant societal perceptions of the female body,” through Unstitched, Mocan wants to invite viewers to reflect on their own relationships with intimacy, shame and identity, while also confronting inherited taboos.

Mocan developed the work in partnership with volunteers from the Moon Mná Women’s Celtic Circle, and it will also feature a sound collaboration with audio artist Ain Soph.

Unstitched opens at 18.00 on Tuesday, 12 August.

For more information, visit GalleryX’s website here, or follow Mocan on Instagram here.

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Mizen to Malin: Fundraiser for Gaza Sunbirds

Molly Gray and her friend Ellie set off on a 1,000 kilometre cycle from Mizen Head in Cork to Malin Head in Donegal to raise funds for the Gaza Sunbirds, a para-cycling team founded in the Gaza Strip by Alaa al-Dali, a Palestinian cyclist and Olympic hopeful.

The pair began their fundraising cycle on 28 July, and as of Thursday, 7 August, were just over halfway through the journey, in which they are aiming to raise €1 for every kilometre cycled.

For more information or to give a donation, visit their fundraiser page here.

We Act Campaign

We Act Campaign is calling on charities and community groups to celebrate Culture Night on Friday, 19 September.

If they have a historic building people would love to see, service users or youth bands who would like to perform, the campaign is encouraging them to get in touch.

Charities and community groups can also collaborate with other local organisations to bring in guest speakers, tour guides or performers. All activities are offered to the public free of charge.

For more information, get in touch with We Act by emailing claire@wheel.ie.

Yard Party DDR

After last month’s yard party at Chatham Row, Dublin Digital Radio is doing it all again this month too.

On 23 August, DDR will be throwing its second party outside Flux Dublin between 12.00 and 20.00, with the costs being covered by subscription fees to the online radio station.

For more information, and to keep track of which resident DJ’s will be performing, give DDR a follow on Instagram here.

Sculpture in Context

Ireland’s largest and longest-running sculpture exhibition, Sculpture in Contet is returning to the National Botanic Gardens this September.

To celebrate its 40th anniversary, the exhibition will be welcoming several distinguished invited artists, including Eilis O’Connell, Alison Kaye, Ken Drew, Ana Duncan, Penny Lacey, Michelle Maher, and Richard Healy.

Sculpture in Context will run from 4 September to 10 October; is free to visit and all are welcome.

For more information, visit its website here.

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