A round up of today's other stories in brief
West Cork Ukulele Orchestra in the wonderful setting that is Charles Fort; our favourite 3epkano band providing the a soundtrack for a showing of Diary of a Lost Girl; Horse “one of the funniest shows you will see”; and Conor Horgan’s All This and a Hill of Beans . . . that’s just a taster of Kinsale Arts Week, which runs from today until July 17th, with a surprise-laden programme drawn up by a regular contributor to this Magazine, Gemma Tipton. Oh we do like to be beside the seaside . . .
Shakers and movers
Ballinspittle is of course renowned for its moving statues – but Ballinspittle sourdough? The town now rejoices in having a shakin’ bakery where you’ll find artisan breads, hand-rolled croissants, and a tempting list of novelties including moon pies, nanimo bars and Chinese whisper cake. There is a cafe attached, too, with new fare every night, including handmade ravioli filled with prawns, cream cheese and spring onions with a ginger sauce, or black sole with a brown butter caper sauce – in other words, not your standard fare. It’s a good out-of-town place to know about if you are down Kinsale way during the arts festival or other summer frivolities. It’s called the Diva Boutique Cafe and Bakery and is run by Shannen Keane, who hails from Seattle. divaboutiquebakery.blogspot.com
Patsey Murphy
TEMPLE BAR: alcohol-free zone
It’s a door like any other in Temple Bar, off one of its many cobbled laneways, but behind here you’ll find a space that is unlike perhaps any other in the area. Twenty years ago, Temple Bar’s regeneration as a centre for urban living and culture began, but the prevailing culture in Temple Bar these days is alcohol and hedonism.
Not, though, at 1a Temple Lane where the area’s (and perhaps the country’s) first alcohol-free night club opens tonight. Dancewave at the Green Temple will be a full-on club with banging tunes, a revolving roster of DJs, late-night hours – but not a drop of alcohol behind the bar.
The two men behind it, Peter O’Brien and Jamie Webster, reckon the time has come for this type of venture.“The idea came from the likes of the Funky Seomra and Being Human, which was in Cultivate,” says O’Brien. “I love an alternative on a Saturday night. I generally go to the Funky Seomra because I know I’m going to wake up feeling great, knowing I’ve had a great night out, and having met people. You meet people; you don’t actually fall into them, talk a load of nonsense and then forget the next day what happened.”
O’Brien and Webster both drink, and their approach is not anti-alcohol; rather it is about providing an alternative that many of our European neighbours have enjoyed for years. “Not everyone wants to drink four Saturdays in a row so for one you can come here,” says Webster.
“My interest in these things is what it can do for the big picture,” says O’Brien. “Temple Bar is full of Spaniards, Germans , Italians and they are used to having different places and things to do. It’s not just about going and having a heap of pints.”
Most people go out to meet other people, and very often rely on a bit of Dutch courage to make that connection. But O’Brien reckons this is a hindrance rather than a help. “It’s deep in the Irish culture to believe that is what you do. It leads to many people getting disappointed in their 30s with that model of trying to meet people, especially now that people don’t settle until much later.”
Alcohol might not be on offer, but the bar will be serving healthier alternatives, from soft drinks, smoothies and chai teas to small snacks, such as fruit, raw chocolate and other tasty bites – and if you arrive at the door “a bit merry” from being elsewhere, no harm.
For the moment, the club will operate on Friday and Saturday nights, but the pair hope to develop the building further, by filling its five floors with either more club nights or using the space for any event that fits their sustainable, green community ethos.
Dancewave at the Green Temple opens tonight, and runs every Friday and Saturday after that. 1a Temple Lane, Temple Bar, Dublin 2, €10
Laurence Mackin
Finger on the pulse
Julie Connellan, who has just completed her MA in design at NCAD Dublin, having trained in Germany, will be showing her cutting-edge, sculptural jewellery in the pop-up shop at the RHA Gallery in Ely Place, Dublin, from today until July 15th. She’s a delight to meet and produces original work to commission. Pictured below are some of her pieces.
The pop-up shop in Ely Place is worth adding to any stroll-about-town you might happen to plan, and has provided a great boost for the young artists who have been chosen to exhibit there. Connellan will be showing her work alongside that of Theresa Burger, who recently won the Craft Council’s jewellery design award.
Patsey Murphy
Moorish Moore Street eats
As well as its traditional traders, Dublin’s Moore Street now features some of the city’s most intriguing cafes and restaurants. The street is the place to go for enticing food from all over the world, most of which is incredibly good value. Fans of authentic Indian cuisine should try the fantastic Delhi O’Deli, which sells what it calls Indian street food, made with freshly ground spices and cooked in sunflower and olive oil. They sell delicious little servings of pakora (some of the best I’ve ever tasted), spiced paneer, the pizza-like uttappam and a variety of Indian breakfast dishes. Everything on the extensive menu is vegetarian, no individual dish costs more than €5.95 (most are about €2.95), and every day the cafe offers the Daily Fiver, where you can fill your plate with an assorted five dishes for just €5. Don’t be fooled by the low prices, servings are generous. Delhi O’Deli, 12 Moore Street, Dublin 1, delhiodeli.com, 01-8729129.
Anna Carey
We’re delighted to see one of our favourite pop-up restaurants hasn’t fully flown the coop. Crackbird, specialising in fried chicken, is back . . . and it has added some feathers to its cap. A larger menu, and a larger venue at 34-35 South William Street, Dublin. And you can still eat for free with their Tweetseats offer – see twitter.com/crackbirddublin
Rachel Collins
Find the silver lining
Silversmith Brian Clarke, whose work can be seen in Collins Barracks in Dublin, has been teaching his craft for 14 years, mostly attracting enthusiasts from across the Atlantic to his two-week residential courses in Wicklow. More recently, however, he has drawn keen locals and serious hobbyists to his four consecutive Saturday silversmithing workshops at an old schoolhouse in Ballinaclash, Co Wicklow. The first Saturday introduces beginners to the techniques of cutting, filing and forming and they will make a copper pendant. The second week, they make a copper and brass bead, the third a silver ring and the fourth Saturday, a silver spoon. The days run from 10am to 6pm and cost €70 each. This summer, for the second year running, on September 5th and 12th, he will also be conducting two week-long courses in the south of France, in the pretty village of Autignac near Béziers. Further details can be found on his site silversmithingworkshop.com
Deirdre McQuillan
Index
WHAT’S HOT
ManklesUber-cool guys who wear cropped trousers, all the better to display sockless naked ankles. Whatever turns you on
Walk the High LineNew York City's elevated park on the old railway line is the grooviest thing, and in Poughkeepsie, New York, they have turned an old railway bridge that crosses the Hudson river into a pedestrian way. Surely we have an old bridge or aqueduct to reinvent. Suggestions, anyone?
Spotted pigletsAwww (or ugh, state your preference). The babes (pictured left) are on view at Airfield in Dublin 14
Seamus KellyButcher extraordinaire at Lower Market Street in Clifden has organic beef, lamb, pork and speciality sausages.
We cooked a Paul Flynn recipe published recently in this Magazine using Kelly’s rack of pork – result!
Ulster MuseumDiscover the Irish wolf, last seen in Co Carlow. Or was it Fermanagh? The museum is newly refurbished and worth a visit
Coconutterly ice creamThis is a wow: chocolate with crunchy caramel bits and a light hint of coconut from Ben Jerry (€2.49 a tub, compared to more than €7 for the same size Häagen-Dazs with Baileys in it)
KinsaleIf you are too old for Oxegen, Kinsale Arts Week is the place to be this weekend
KaftansQuick apology for wearing a bikini
WHAT’S NOT
DisconnectionsThe Galway-Dublin train leaves at 15.05. The Bus Éireann service from Clifden arrives in Galway at 15.05 – too late to make the connection. Would joined-up thinking be too much to ask?
Car hire firms copying RyanairThe earlier you book, the cheaper it is. Don't leave it until the last minute
New parcel-collection officesThe package can end up miles from where you live if you're not in when the postman calls
Dior without GallianoDior's latest collection is "a disaster" say the critics – meanwhile he's been quite happily working on Kate Moss's much lauded wedding dress
Shane Warren's botoxWhat has Liz Hurley done to that man?
Word on the street: webtrovert
What it means: They're the life and soul of the party, funny, entertaining, whip-smart, always ready with a killer wisecrack and always up for the craic. Well, at least that's how they come across on Facebook. Meet them in person and it's a completely different story. They are shy, introverted, lacking in social graces and have nothing interesting to say. They are the webtroverts, the ones who come out of their shells online only. They seem so self-assured and in control of
their lives, you feel inadequate in their online presence. But once the netglow has worn off, they're just ordinary, insecure
bundles of human software like you and me.
Where it comes from: All the web's a stage and we are all just role-players. The internet is just one giant, worldwide
holodeck in which everybody can pick and choose their persona – and, of course, everyone wants to be James Bond or Lara Croft. Scroll through the latest tweets – notice how smug and self-satisfied they are? Or check people's Facebook
profiles – any cooler and your computer screen would freeze over. No one wants to post something online that makes
them look sad or boring, which is why everyone on Facebook and other social media seems to be having a ridiculously exciting and fabulous life.
How to say it: There's a message from Wild'n'Crazy Totally Out-There Party Dude – webtrovert alert!
Kevin Courtney