Things To Do: Unpack the Fingal seaweed war, debate the golden age of the Irish short story, swim operatically

Our Picks

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

The Swimming Diaries

This evening at 6:15pm, the Irish Film Institute will be holding a special screening of the experimental documentary The Swimming Diaries.

Showing as part of the cinema’s Irish Focus series, the documentary is an adaptation of director Susan Thomson’s memoir of the same title. The book, penned during the month when Thomson’s mother was dying, is a reflection on grief and swimming, and the cinematic re-imagination brings those pages to life through musical theatre, opera and the video archive of musicals directed by Thomson’s mother.

The IFI has described it as “a feminist exploration of matrilineal creativity” which traces one’s journey from life to death. To offer further insight, Thomson will be in attendance to discuss the work with Daniel Fitzpatrick, director and co-founder of the experimental film platform aemi.

Tickets are available here.

Silent Light

Also this evening, the Olivier Cornet Gallery on Denmark Street is launching Silent Light, the new exhibition by artist Conrad Frankel.

Frankel’s fifth solo show, Silent Light is the culmination of five months that the artist spent in two “north-lit rooms”, one in Italy, the other in Ireland, where he observed and painted objects mostly in the afternoon and evening time. 3pm tended to be the best time for concentrating in a more restful way, Frankel writes in his artistic statement. “Somehow, the light has matured and muted after lunch, and I can relax into a long painting session.”

The works on show are about the paint, the brushes and the surfaces, as much as they are about looking. They don’t have any meaning, he says. “They are only there to be enjoyed, for people to rest their eyes on, as I have been doing during the process of creation.”

If you’re up for simply enjoying art that is inspired by good lighting and a solid daily routine, then your best bet is to head on over at 6pm.

The exhibition will be introduced by Irish Times critic Max McGuinness.

Silent Light runs from Thursday 21 May until Sunday 14 June.

W(o)ar

Out in Loughshinny’s boathouse on Saturday, multidisciplinary artist Maria McSweeney will be opening her studio to the public from 12pm.

W(o)ar is an open studio event, in which McSweeney will be presenting works that explore the cultural history and speculative futures of seaweed in Fingal, referencing the seaweed wars of the 1800s and contemporary seaweed aquaculture.

If it is news to you that there was a seaweed war in Fingal, don’t fret. Even this reporter – a Fingal correspondent no less – has only just learned of this historic event. According to Rush Tourism, in 1878, farmers in Rush travelled to Skerries to get seaweed, known locally as “woar”, to fertilise their crops but a local landlord, Ian Hamilton, tried to stop them, thus kick-starting a 20-year legal battle.

As part of the open day, Lorraine Bull, Fingal’s biodiversity officer, will be hosting a walking tour, starting at 12pm.

W(o)ar will continue until 5pm.

For more information, follow McSweeney on her Instagram page here.

333 at the Devlin

Way out in Ranelagh, the music and food festival 333 is returning to the Devlin Hotel this Saturday.

From the basement to the roof, there will be film screenings, talks, DJs and live performances between 3pm and midnight, at which point the people who booked rooms will regrettably need to be prioritised once again.

Among the highlights on this year’s bill are live sets from electronic artist Pippa Moloney and sound artist Brian Dillon, otherwise known as The Line; a talk featuring producer Rory Sweeney, rapper Denise Chaila, DJ and artist Aidan Kelly, and DJ Aoife Nic Canna; DJ sets from Andy Bell of shoegaze pioneers Ride and Bohemian FC sponsor Oasis, Alexis Taylor of Hot Chip, Billy Scurry, Emmy Shigeta, Nic Canna and Nialler9.

There are still a few tickets left. You may book them here.

Is this a Golden Age for Irish short stories?

On Sunday, the International Literature Festival in Merrion Square will be wrapping up, and one event that may be worth checking out on the final day is the panel discussion: “Is this the golden age of the Irish short story?”

Presumably the answer is “yes”. But the real thrill is in hearing the panel elaborate on this statement in a detailed and eloquent fashion.

Authors Lucy Sweeney Byrne, Eoin McNamee and Lucy Caldwell will be speaking with Seamus Heaney Professor of Irish Writing Christopher Morash on whether or not this is the short story’s apex, and they will be reflecting on why the short has outlived predictions of its demise.

That is at 1pm, and you can book your tickets here.

Then, if you return to the square at 7pm, Colm Tóibín will be speaking with journalist Alex Clark on the subject of his latest collection of short stories, The News from Dublin.

The News from Dublin explores the lives of characters living far from their homes: an Irishman seeking anonymity in Barcelona, haunted by the crimes he has committed; a young man who travels from Dublin to Enniscorthy to ask the Minister of Health for a special favour; an undocumented worker in San Francisco; and many more.

You’ll be able to quiz Tóibín on the book and the status of the Irish short story during the Q&A session at the end of his conversation with Clark. And remember; all questions should be short, punctuated with a question mark, and should not contain an extended extract from your own autobiography.

Tickets are available here.

Celebrating Bealtaine

Finally, on Tuesday, the North Central area’s historian-in-residence Elizabeth Kehoe will be giving a talk in Coolock library as part of the Bealtaine Festival.

The talk, which starts at 2pm, will see Kehoe explore the myths and legends that surround the festival, as well as its pagan heritage.

Places for the talk are limited, and booking is required. Reserve a seat here.

Noticeboard

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

Aungier Street Community Focus Group

On Friday 22 May from 11am to 1pm, the YMCA Dublin would like to invite local residents in the D2 and D8 area to chat about the strengths, struggles and future possibilities of community-led services in the South Inner City.

The event will take place in the hall on the second floor of the YMCA.

For more information and to reserve a spot, visit the event’s page here.

Lord Arthur Savile's Crime

Dublin Shakespeare Society will be putting on a production of Oscar Wilde’s Lord Arthur Savile's Crime at The Teacher's Club on Parnell Square in Dublin 1 next week.

Opening night is Tuesday 26 May, and the dark comedy will run nightly at 7pm and 9pm in the club until Saturday 30 May.

Tickets are available here.

Luke Kelly Festival in Smithfield this weekend

This weekend, Smithfield Square will come alive as Dublin City Council brings back its Like Kelly Festival for a fourth year.

Beginning at 12pm on Saturday 23 May, the two-day event has a programme of live music, storytelling, film, arts, and family-friendly entertainment, including performances from Gemma Dunleavy, A Lazarus Soul, Muireann Bradley and the Dubliners Encore.

For more information, visit the festival’s page here.