TheCity

Author: Ben Finnegan

  • 50,000 soccer fans set to face dry Good Friday

    50,000 soccer fans set to face dry Good Friday

    The Licensed Vinters Association (LVA) say that alcohol licensing laws must be changed ahead of the Ireland versus Switzerland soccer international to be held on Good Friday.

    The association which represents Dublin publicans has renewed its call for the Minister for Justice and the Government to introduce legislation to permit trading for all licensed premises on Good Friday as a matter of urgency.

    The call follows the announcement that Ireland will play Switzerland in a friendly soccer international at the Aviva Stadium on Good Friday, which falls on the 25th March next year.

    The Licensed Vintners Association, which represents 600 Dublin publicans, welcomed the announcement of the soccer friendly and said it will add hugely to the colour of the Easter holiday.

    However, the Chief Executive of the LVA, Donall O’Keeffe, described the current situation regarding licensing laws on Good Friday as ludicrous and called on the Government to remove the law immediately.

    “Every Good Friday we have tens of thousands of tourists wandering around Dublin asking why they can’t go into a pub for a drink. Now we are going to have up to 50,000 soccer fans facing the same problem. Not to mention the tens of thousands who will want to watch the match in their local pub.

    “There is less than four months to go to Easter, there is no real opposition to this measure and we have the Easter 2016 celebrations. It looks like a no brainer, but to date the Government has been dragging its heels on the issue,” he said.

    O’Keeffe said the current law amounted to discrimination against the licensed trade and made no financial sense. He said the government had previously indicated that Good Friday trading would be considered in the context of the Sale of Alcohol Bill, but so far nothing has happened.

    Earlier this year the LVA made representations to the Government on this very issue in light of the fact that the Ireland 2016 celebrations would have a particular focus on Easter weekend and that it would be hugely embarrassing if this law was still in place for such an important event.

    “The Easter 2016 celebrations – and now this soccer international – provide a terrific opportunity to showcase our capital city and it would be ridiculous if the entire hospitality sector was again forced to close on Good Friday.

    “It’s estimated that up to a quarter of a million people will pass through Dublin Airport that weekend. Once again they will be faced with locked doors on Good Friday unless the Minister takes action now,” O’Keeffe concluded.

  • Irish film to premiere at Sundance Film Festival

    Irish film to premiere at Sundance Film Festival

    A new Irish feature film ‘Mammal’ starring Academy Award nominated and Golden Globe winning actress Rachel Griffiths is to premiere at the Sundance Film Festival next month.

    The Sundance Film Festival which takes place in Park City, Utah is one of the world’s most prestigious places in which to debut new independent films.

    Over the course of its more than 30-year history it has launched films such as Whiplash, Boyhood, Little Miss Sunshine, Reservoir Dogs, Napoleon Dynamite, Brooklyn and The Guard.

    Mammal which co-stars Michael McElhatton (‘Game of Thrones’) and Johnny Ward (‘Love/Hate’) is the compelling story of a woman who has lost her son and develops an unorthodox relationship with a homeless youth.

    Their tentative trust is threatened by his involvement with a violent gang and the escalation of her ex-husband’s grieving rage.

    Mammal

    Speaking about the official selection of Mammal, director Rebecca Daly said, “It’s such an honour and a fantastic start for Mammal. I know how much US audiences love Rachel and am really excited to see what the audience at Sundance make of the film and a very different performance from her.”

    Written by Daly and Glenn Montgomery, Mammal was selected as part of the first Berlinale Residency, a programme organised by the Berlin International Film Festival to support writer/directors in developing their new projects.

    Daly’s debut feature The Other Side of Sleep premiered at the prestigious Cannes Film Festival Directors Fortnight.

    The Irish co-produced documentary The Land of the Enlightened will also have its world premiere at the renowned North American festival in the International Documentary strand.

    Both films will be distributed by Wildcard Distribution and are set for Irish cinema releases in 2016.

  • Top three for free

    Feel like the world is constantly asking you for something? We sure do and this is why we’ve put together this new feature of exciting things to do and see in our fair city. A breath of fresh air in the age of commodification of almost everything. Enjoy!

    Montpelier Hill

    On top of Montpelier Hill overlooking Junction 12 of the M50 is the Hell Fire Club, a derelict building. The Hell Fire Club was originally built in 1725 by William ‘Speaker’ Conolly as a hunting lodge. There are a long list of ghost stories associated with the building: including that stone from a nearby burial ground was used to build the roof but it was soon blown away – and thought to be the work of the devil.

    Paranormal activity has traditionally been linked with the house. When Conolly died, the Irish Hell Fire Club was started and the house was used as the meeting point – and at each meeting the members would leave a vacant chair in the room, supposedly for the devil. Other tall tales recount numerous drinking sessions and black masses at which animal sacrifices, and on one occasion, the sacrifice of a dwarf took place.

    Outside of the building is a spectacular panoramic view of Dublin stretching from Tallaght in the west, to Howth in the north and all the way to Killiney in the south of the county.

    Find directions to Montpelier Hill here.

    Tour of Aras an Uachtarain

    Tours of the President’s residence are open to the public and take place every Saturday throughout the year. The tours are organised by the Office of Public Works (OPW). The tours take about an hour and best of all, are completely free! Click here for more information.

    The building, which has ninety-five rooms, was designed by Nathaniel Clements and completed in 1751. It was formerly the Viceregal lodge until 1937 when with the establishment of the office of the President of the Republic of Ireland, it became the official presidential residence.

    National Museum of Ireland

    The National Museum of Ireland is open Tuesday to Saturday from 10am to 5pm, and on Sunday it is open from 2pm to 5pm. The museum has a collection of over four million artifacts. There are three different campuses across Dublin city:

    Archaeology – Kildare Street.
    Decorative Arts and History – Collins Barracks (Museum Luas stop).
    Natural History – Merrion Street.