ART:If Dublin's larger public galleries don't sate your appetite, there are achingly cool hotspots, such as Monster Truck Gallery (monstertruck.ie), waiting to dazzle you. The Project Arts Centre runs a small gallery downstairs and has an ongoing timetable of talks and events.
Online, Synth Eastwood (syntheastwood.com) is a music, art and technology collective that has shown in Dublin and Berlin. If you're feeling confident, you can even submit your own work.
Finally, some of the best and most affordable artwork in Ireland is shown every June at the summer college art shows. If you want some affordable work, this is the best place to start.
Other links:
ncad.ie
iadt.ie
adp.dit.ie
g126.eu (Galway's not-for-profit gallery, run by artists)
crawfordartgallery.ie
cit.ie (new and emerging artists)
FILM
Going to the movies is one of those activities that has been getting more and more expensive for years. The cinema chains may yet cut their prices, but in the meantime here are a few tips: tickets are cheaper in the mornings, particularly Sunday mornings, and as there are fewer people in the audience, you can almost guarantee you'll get the best seats in the house.
Some smaller independent cinemas, such as the Ormonde in Stillorgan, also offer Reel Parentsprogrammes, early-morning screenings for parents with infants, who wouldn't otherwise be able to catch the blockbusters.
The Irish Film Institute (ifi.ie) offers reductions for members, access to the Irish Film Archive and a year-round calendar of events and education opportunities for young and old. Its offshoot, Reel Ireland, tours the country with Irish-made features, shorts and documentaries.
If even the Irish Film Instituteis too mainstream for you, drop into Seomra Spraoi(seomraspraoi.org), off Mountjoy Square, for Volta Cinema (with apologies to Mr J Joyce), its Tuesday-night movie club, or try the Experimental Film Club(experimentalfilmclub.blogspot.com) at the Ha'penny Bridge Inn, for monthly screenings and discussions of alternative cinema.
Other links:
galwayfilmcentre.ie
galwayfilmfleadh.com
LITERATURE
You've heard of libraries? Us too. But did you know that they offer more than a waiting list for the latest John Grisham? Free broadband and wi-fi access is available in libraries in Dublin city and in counties Mayo, Clare, Meath, Kildare, Sligo and many others (library.ie or nli.ie). Writing and reading groups, workshops and art classes for children are only the tip of the iceberg when it comes to this most underrated of resources. The range of activities and services on offer vary, but if you are looking for an example of taxes well spent, pop into your local library.
If you're feeling the ache of that unwritten novel, you could try Fighting Words, in Dublin 1 (fightingwords.ie). Based on the successful 826 similar centres in the US, Fighting Words offers storytelling workshops, seminars and courses for all ages. Roddy Doyle, one of the founders, is among the famous writers teaching courses, which, predictably, are selling out as word gets around. Start writing now.
The Dublin Writers Festival 2009(dublinwritersfestival.com) runs from June 2nd to 7th, and will once again involve famous names from home and abroad. Seamus Heaney, Peter Murphy, Zoë Heller, Simon Schama and Claire Kilroy are among those giving readings and participating in discussions.
Outside the capital, the internationally renowned F rank O'Connor Short Story Festivalwill once again run in September, while the Kilkenny Arts Festival (kilkennyarts.ie, August 7th to 16th) takes in literature, music, visual art and more.
Other link:
munsterlit.ie (literary events in Munster)
MUSEUMS
If you really have no money at all, go to a museum. The National Museum(museum.ie), incorporating Collins Barracks, the much-missed Natural History Museum and Turlough Park, are all free, as are the Irish Museum of Modern Art (imma.ie), the National Gallery (nationalgallery.ie), the Chester Beatty Library (cbl.ie), the Hugh Lane and the Science Gallery (sciencegallery.com). The exhibitions are only part of the story, as each offers a wealth of extra cultural activities. There are Sunday concertsat the Hugh Lane, lunchtime poetry readingsat the National Gallery and an ongoing lecture seriesat the National Museum on Kildare Street, not to mention the many family-based offerings.
There is also no shortage of options outside the capital. For example, Birr Castle (birrcastle.com), home to the famous telescope, has a full calendar of events, featuring many family activities, theatre shows and festivals, all for reasonable prices. Many of the great houses offer fabulous tours and exhibitions, a standout being the Famine Museum at Strokestown Park House (strokestownpark.ie/museum.html) in Co Roscommon.
Other link:
irishmuseums.org (a directory of Ireland's museums and galleries)
THEATRE
Live performance is a wonderful thing, but in our most famous venues, it doesn't come cheap. Concessions notwithstanding, most tickets are on the more painful side of €20, unless you are a child or a student. If you must, go during preview weeks, when tickets are discounted.
But if you really want to see new theatre, start hanging around the nearest university. Macbeth, Disco Pigs, A Midsummer Night's Dreamand The Little Shop of Horrorsare among recent and upcoming productions at third-level institutionsaround the country. As with any theatre company, there will be hits and misses, but given the price of the tickets, you can afford to risk it. Most of the illustrious names treading Irish boards came up through these dramatic societies, so here's an investment tip: bring your autograph book in case you spot a future Liam Neeson.
Other links:
galwayartscentre.ie (incorporating a gallery on Dominick Street and the 80-seat Nun's Island Theatre, as well as being home to Galway Youth Theatre and other practitioners)
project.ie
players.netsoc.tcd.ie (Trinity College Dublin)
ucd.ie/dramsoc
dit.ie/conservatory/events
