The Five Lamps Arts Festival Dublin

The Five Lamps Arts Festival in Dublin’s North Inner City takes place from the 7th-11th of March. A celebration of community and culture, there is a fantastic variety of events planned. We’re going to share a few of our highlights from the programme. But first….
 

‘Do you know the Five Lamps?’

 
If you’re from Dublin, you’ve probably heard this question before.  The answer will tell you more about  Dublin’s wit then it’s heritage.  The Five Lamps sit on a traffic island at the junction of five streets: Portland Row, North Strand Road, Seville Place, Amiens Street and Killarney Street. This is the heart of Dublin’s North Strand Area.  The ornate lamps  were created around 1880 as a memorial to Lieutenant-General Henry Hall, a soldier from Athenry. Today they serve as a focal point for the wonderful Five Lamps Arts Festival.
 

All together at the Five Lamps

 
The best days are the ones where we have meaningful interactions with others. Strangers or friends, neighbours or visitors, these events are all about being sociable!
 

• Conversation Salons is a wonderful initiative that has been encouraging people to engage in uplifting conversations on lots of different topics since 2014.  They are hosting A Feast of Strangers  in the Cloud Café on Saturday 10th.  Discover the joy of talking to like-minded strangers in a relaxed and fun evening.

 

 

• On Saturday 10th there will be a Market And Picnic At Mud Island. The Mud Island Community Garden Group is hosting this fantastic event. With lots of stalls selling all sorts of treasures, mooch around and see if you can grab a bargain.  You can bring some food to share for the picnic.  Or perhaps even pick up some delicious treats at one of the artisan food stalls.

 

• All aboard Jenny Wren’s barge for a Royal Canal Day Out. On Saturday 10th there will be music, poetry and craic on the beautiful vessel. In addition the Inland Waterways Association will run trips on the canal on their boat and Adventure Sports and East Wall Water Sports will have displays on the canal throughout the day.

 

Literary Delights at the Five Lamps

 

• Surely one of the most important life skills you can learn is How To Be Massive And How To Deal With Poxes On A Daily Basis. Aoife Dooley, writer and comedian will be reading from her hilarious book on Thursday 8th in Charleville Mall Library. She’ll be delighted to answer any questions from the audience. (If you have to ask, ya big lick ya…)

 

• Later that afternoon Eileen Battersby will read from her first novel, Teethmarks on My Tongue. Eileen is the chief book critic for The Irish Times, so there isn’t much she doesn’t know about literature. Definitely a perfect afternoon for bookworms.

 

Music and Dance at the Five Lamps

 

• On Wednesday 7th you can bust some moves at the Multicultural Dance Workshop And Performance With Clinton Smyth. Hip Hop, funk and breakdancing – this fusion of different genres will appeal to all ages.

 

• Or perhaps you’d like to try something completely new? The Butoh Workshop on Friday 9th will give an introduction to this fascinating form of Japanese dance theatre.

 

• On Saturday 10th,  dancers Sibéal Davitt and Millie Daniel-Dempsey will be performing Freight and Passenger. Created by Emily Kilkenny Roddy this dance piece takes place outside at the lock gates located at Newcomen Bridge.

 

 

• Don Baker & Rob Strong Band take to the stage of Belvedere house on Thursday 8th. This is a brilliant chance to see two of Ireland’s best known rock/blues musicians. An evening not to be missed.

 

• Thursday 8th also happens to be International Women’s Day.  The organisers of the Five Lamps Arts Festival are celebrating it in style. The Rock Hard Women Concert will be a female led event. The night will showcase some of the most interesting groups on the music and dance scene today.

 

• Philip Lonergan and friends will perform an explosive mix of traditional music and blues like you have never heard before on Sunday 11th. A fantastic way to round out a brilliant Festival.

 

Heritage at the Five Lamps

 

• Take A Walk Back In Time with Terry Fagan of the North Inner City Folklore Project on Thursday 8th. He will regale you with stories from the olden days around Dublin’s famous red-light district known as Monto

 

• Or stroll down memory lane with Mapping The North Wall.on Friday 9th. This walking tour will bring you through the history of the dockland area, its hidden relics, and the modern future being developed in the area today.

 
 

 

• Your Sunday afternoon walk could be a bit more interesting than usual on 11th March. The Walking Tour By Hugo McGuinness – A Day In The Life Of The Five Lamps is a walking tour with a difference. Combining folk traditions, unpublished documents and diaries, with other material, this tour will uncover the relatively unknown story of a day during the 1916 Rising as it unfolded for those in the streets, houses, and laneways around the Five Lamps. Those of limited mobility are especially welcome.

 

• For a more sedate way to get your history fix, the film Proclaim is showing at the Odeon Cinema in the Point Village. This movie is based on the actual characters & events surrounding the secret printing of the first Irish Proclamation.

 
For lots of children’s activities, find more information here
 
If you love poetry, theatre, film or heritage the Five Lamps Arts Festival has something for you.
This is only a tiny selection of the fantastic events happening over five fun filled days.  We have them all listed on InspireMe.ie or check out www.fivelampsarts.ie for more information.
 
some of the images used are from gallery of The Five Lamps Arts Festival (cristianeschmidt.com.br)