Ho, ho, ho, Merry Christmas! Well, almost. This week will bring us to the 22nd, and we’ll all be running around like mad people, but there should still be time for a couple of events around the city, and there’s a few gems to choose from. There’s a number of good Irish bands returning to play these shores, including the Villagers, Bell X1, Jerry Fish etc. There’s also a large variety of Christmas movies and a few fun sounding Christmas plays!
Theatre
History starts at the Project Arts Centre and Mirror, Mirror off the wall at the New Theatre.
The Abbey – Previews of The Risen People continues until Feb 1st.
The Gate – Previews of Pride and Prejudice continues until Jan 18th.
History and Pony Pants start at the Project Arts Centre.
It’s quiet at Smock Alley.
No Smoke without Fire is at the Viking Theatre in Clontarf, until Dec 21st.
Mirror, Mirror, Off the Wall is at the New Theatre until Dec 21st.
Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs is at the Gaiety Theatre.
Red Riding Hood is at the Civic Theatre (from Dec 23rd)
The Yule Tide Tales – (a cycle of new plays based on classic Christmas tales, set against the backdrop of a modern day Dublin) is at Theatre Upstairs from Dec 3rd to 21st.
Orson Welles’ Christmas Carol: A Live Radio Play – Is at the Powerscourt Theeatre (Dec 20th to 22nd). Tickets and info here
Movies
Christmas Crackers at the IFI with Its a Wonderful Life, Gremlins AND Trading Places (wow!)
Bruce Dern season at the IFI, with Nebraska and The King of Marvin Gardens this week.
Naught or Nice season at the Lighthouse has It’s a Wonderful Life, Gremlins, Bad Santa, Little Women etc.
Scrooged is on the 16th and Die Hard on the 19th – Sugar Club
Gigs
This is the week of the home coming, where a lot of the bigger Irish bands play around Dublin, which is always a treat.
Mon 16 Dec
Christy Moore – Vicar Street
Young Woods – Grand Social
Tue 17 Dec
Josh Ritter – Pavillion, Dun Laoghaire
Villagers – Vicar Street
Tenacious D – The Academy
The Line-Up – The Sugar Club
James Walsh – The Workman’s Club
Wed 18 Dec
Villagers – Vicar Street
The Game – The Academy
Windings – The Button Factory
The Soulful – The Sugar Club
Kila – Whelan’s
Caruso – Odessa
Thu 19 Dec
Jack Lukeman – The Unitarian Church
Tiesto and Calvin Harris – The O2
Richard Buckner – Whelans
Damo Suzuki – The Workman’s Club
Bleeding Heart Pigeons – Whelan’s
Fri 20 Dec
Bell X1 – Vicar Street
Fight Like Apes – Whelans
The Beat – The Academy
The Goods vs Soulpower – The Button Factory
Gangs – The Grand Social
Ultan Conlon – Chancery Lane Theatre
Clouds – The Academy 2
Sat 21 Dec
Bell X1 – Vicar Street
Delorentos – The Unitarian Church
Allusive – The Academy 2
Fresh Ré – The Academy 2
Daithí – The Academy
The Swing Cats – The Button Factory
Delorentos – Whelan’s
I Am the Cosmos – The Twisted Pepper
Big September – The Academy
Morrissey & Marshall – The Workman’s Club
Pia Dunne and The Eleusians – Whelans
Kodakid – Gypsy Rose
Sun 22 Dec
Christy Moore – Vicar Street
The Dublin Blues Cartel – Whelans
Kammerpop – Whelans
Jerry Fish – Whelans
McMahon – The Workmans Club
Talks/ Lectures
Banter: Review of the year – Eamon Dunphy, Aine Lawlor, Alison Curtis and Ciaran Walsh.Monday December 16, 6.30pm (doors open 6pm), Twisted Pepper, Middle Abbey St., Dublin 1.
The Theatre of Memory Symposium is at the Abbey – 16th – 18th Dec
Man, Woman and Child Concert – National Library of Ireland – 18th Dec, Lecture on the 19th.
A quiet week at the – Science Gallery
Christmas Carrols on the square – Merrion Square – Mon 16th
Art –
IMMA – Leonora Carrington: The Celtic Surrealist – until 26th Jan
– Eileen Gray – IMMA Kilmainham – until Jan 19th
RHA Gallery – Tony O’Malley, Joanna Kidney – until Dec 20th
Douglas Hyde –From 15th November until 15th January 2014
Gallery 1 – George Shaw – Neither My Arse Nor My Elbow
Gallery 2 – Paloma Varga Weisz – Krummer Hund
Dublin Divided is at the Hugh Lane Gallery until 2nd Feb.
General Exhibition at the National Gallery
General Exhibition at the Chester Beatty
Tom Wood – Men and Women – Gallery of Photography
Private Galleries:
Kerlin – Paul Winstanley – until 7th Jan
Oliver Sears – Hughie O’Donoghue: GORT RUA
Kevin Kavanagh Gallery – Enigma – Roxana Manouchehri
Cross Gallery -Winter Show – Until 30th Jan
No More Workhorse 