The festival itself seems very well organised; lots of friendly staff ready to help on arrival at…read morethe lighthouse cinema- a spectacularly wonderful venue with bars, bean bags and fairy lights everywhere- a very relaxed vibe and definitely somewhere I will return to. The film I saw was called 'The Tribe'; set in a Ukranian deaf boarding school there is no spoken dialogue and no subtitles- the characters communicate only in Ukranian sign language meaning that all(or certainly the vast majority) of the audience relies only on visuals to understand the storyline. You do forget this as the film progresses and become accustomed to it in the same way you might when watching a foreign language film, reminded only when the cast are having longer conversations that you actually don't know what's being said- does make you think about what it might be like to be deaf in a hearing environment. The storyline was pretty shocking, some very graphic scenes depicting the lives of a group of teenagers encompassing teen sex, rape, abortion, prostitution and trafficking- I was left feeling pretty battered. It's brutal and gritty and makes for quite uncomfortable viewing, but you get the impression that that's sort of the point. Some long 'hand-held' style shots and some great moments that I personally thought 'surely you'd hear them coming' before catching myself and realising that of course they don't. Certainly interesting, if pretty dark.

The Dark Horse, based on true events in the life of Genesis Potini, is a hugely evocative and…read moreultimately uplifting piece of film-making, given the often incredibly dark subject matter. Upon being released from a psychiatric hospital into the care of his estranged older brother, Genesis finds himself in the center of an intimidating world of crime and gangs. A former chess genius, and desperate for stability and focus, Genesis joins the local childrens chess club that ultimately becomes his and their redemption. It's not hard to see why Cliff Curtis' performance as Genesis picked up the Best Actor award at the New Zealand Film Awards, as well as the films number of other well deserved accolades at home and internationally. Thoroughly enjoyable, if somewhat clichéd in parts, (see violent beatings as eerie music box music plays), this film made for an excellent evenings viewing and enjoyment soaking up the Jameson film festival atmosphere.

I was super excited to this event. I have been to some fitness days before and knew what to expect…read more I knew that Wellfest would start at about 9 am but I had walked for about 5 hours in the previous evening because of Dublin's Culture night so I was tired and needed to sleep in a little, arriving there at about 11.30 am. I could hear the loud music pumping and I could not wait really. I passed the entrance with no hassle as my name was noted in the Yelp list. Turning to the entrance's corner I saw Emily and Kate in the "Yelp desk" teaching many people how to upload the app and check in to get some freebies. I was a bit disappointed because there were no Yelp special goodies bags anymore and I thought there would be a few saved for the Yelp reporters (but it was my fault as I did not know they would be available for a certain number of people who checked in first) but there was none left so I grabbed a few things that were available and I was told I needed to upload a picture to get the stylized water bottle (which looked all red and pretty amazing). The internet sign was not so good in the park and it took me some time to be able to upload one so by the time I went back there was nothing left. I decided to go around to see what was happening and went right away to the well being tent to try some stretches. I was impressed by the amount of people that were there and I can see the health industry is getting big in Dublin as probably many people were there really because it seemed pretty hype and cool. I thought that for the price people would get some sort of Wellfest bag with samples (because that is what sponsors do in such events) and that yoga mattresses would be provided not to keep but only to use in there when needed but I did not see any, only a few people that seemed a bit lost like me (doing planks in the grass, but this was not such an issue) wondering where was that info that we should have brought our own and then I saw it was being sold in there. Some things were very well organized as the well kept toilets, a station with drinkable water and another one for cleaning up the hands with sanitizer. There were lots of food sellers and the main stage was the one that seemed the most energetic. The set up was basically 2 well being tents (one for walk-ins and the other one for very similar workshops that had to be booked online and had a huge waiting list so I preferred to go to the first tent instead; a spinning tent with lessons that also needed to be booked and were paid; a TRX exercise station with interesting looking machinery; a tent for talks and a cooking show and the biggest tent of the whole festival only had the purpose of selling healthy foods such as active almonds, raw coconut, protein bites, essential oils and so on. Also there were a few bean bags on the grass to relax (but only to the lucky few who managed to catch them!). I decided to browse everywhere then I watched the Happy Pear chefs cooking veggie pad thai and banana bread, did a full on aerobics Viking method of squats/jumping/plank/kicks for 45 mins, relaxed with yoga and meditation for beginners and had some protein balls (because the queues were insane in the stalls). The main thing is that for the price of 35 euros I felt that most people were flogged lots of products that are part of diet fads and it seemed absurd to have to pay extra for a particular workshop. Also, the tent for talks did not have so many interesting topics even though the chefs were indeed funny and charming all the way. Dublin has so much to offer and there are several classes of yoga/pilates/meditation done in parks for free of for a fiver and I did not see anything that was very impressive to be worthy the entrance. Also, being very used to exercises and gym I knew most of the techniques and there are many videos in Youtube which can be followed in your home to do the same thing. For me it was an overall "meh" experience unfortunately even though I still loved to have the opportunity to check it out (thanks you guys!)

There is a LOT to like about Ireland's first fitness & wellbeing festival, most of all is the fact…read morethat there's never really been something like this in Ireland. Held in the completely transformed Herbert Park, there was a feeling in the air that, yes this is strange and unusual, but that it was also the beginning of something that feels perfectly on point for modern day Ireland. First off, congratulations to the organisers for putting together something like this in IRELAND. The weather was completely fine but the gamble these guys were taking was pretty intense. With normal, boozed fuelled music festivals, if it starts raining then you just lash on more booze and numb your way out of the weather. This wouldn't have been an option at Wellfest with the strongest substance going being coffee or some healthy red bull alternatives, not quite enough to make you forget about any rain that could have happened. Thankfully the weather produced the goods. A full range of workshops from yoga to TRX training awaits anyone brave enough to get sporty in front of hundreds of others, and surprisingly everyone was totally jumping in. It was actually a really cool experience watching so many people just forget themselves a little and start joining in on workshops with complete strangers. The TRX training was unlike anything I would normally do but I'm thankful I got to try it out (my body isn't so thankful). There was an all too short meditation section that MANY people seemed interested in, and I really think the organisers should give this a bit more focus next year just by the huge number of people that were interested in it. Some great talks on nutrition (sugar, never again) and mental health by Bressie and others were some of the highlights for me. In fact, just like with meditation, I think even more could be done in these areas next year with maybe some interaction for people to make it more fun and to get people to open up a bit more. People rarely put themselves out there when it comes to expressing themselves and when attending an event like this with an open mind, this really could be capitalised on to bring the most out of people artistically and emotionally. The fact that Bressie talking about mental health was the most attended of the events (as far as I could see) really shows that people are very curious about mental health, and their curiosity could be rewarded more. A special shout-out to the range of amazing foods & drinks provided by some really awesome small businesses. This was suppose to be an event about fitness but the amount I ate would say otherwise. All in all, this event is what I want to see more of. Fitness, mental health, nutrition & openness are some real things that Ireland could pioneer in for the future and it's events like Wellfest that will lead the vanguard in these areas. Sign me up for round 2.

As a Yelp Elite member, I was invited to attend a headline performance of MythFest 2014, "The…read moreSorrows." As I walked through the main gates of Trinity College, I was reminded of the last time I attended a theatrical performance there. It was 25 years ago when I enjoyed a summer program at Trinity. One afternoon, I noticed that a student production that was just about to start. When I entered the small theater's foyer, there were slabs of rustic bread slathered with butter and sprinkled with grated cheese served with, of course, mugs of steaming tea. As I settled into the intimate seating area, I thought how very inviting it was to have a treat allowed in the theater. The plot was based on an Irish tale about Dierdre and Naoise, with just two cast members who wore historic-looking dress and acted out a plot that called to mind Romeo and Juliette. I never forgot those names: Dierdre and Naoise, and I never forgot that experience, either. Therefore, I was happy to return to Trinity to see what was on the theatrical menu for this evening. As the cast came out and spoke to the audience about the play, the name "Dierdre" was mentioned. It gave me a bit of a start, but it took a few minutes before I understood that the subject of "The Sorrows" was, in fact, a contemporary adaptation of Dierdre's story with Naoise. What a strange coincidence. For me, the play emphasized those 25 years that have passed, but certainly not in a negative way. After this lengthy background/context to my review, I begin properly with this evening's production: I firmly believe that much of one's experience of a cultural event is based on the total experience - the setting, interactions with staff, the seating, refreshments, and yes, even the bathrooms. There is something very special about walking through the gates of Trinity College, like walking down an ancient Babylonian Processional Way. If you allow it, it shifts your mindset away from the bustle of the city streets beyond. As another counterpoint, the outdoor Rose Garden theater setting itself felt drenched in nature, with leafy trees and rich green grass composing the "set." Props were actually hung in trees. It felt like the right setting for a mythological exploration. The script and production, however, questioned and re-contextualized myth today. The Deirdre myth(s) took on a hip, fun, and iterative quality as the notion of "myth" breathed fresh air through imagining it as set at a Trinity Ball in 2014. One of the qualities of myths is that they do not have a single meaning nor interpretation, and so the dialog offered multiple perspectives, interpretations, and beliefs about exactly what happened, with the seven cast members acting almost like seven witnesses to a crime, where each one saw or thought something completely different. It came across as a post modern or deconstructavist take on an ancient myth that can be seen as an experience today. Playfully, the three men and four women each were Deirdre and each were Naoise, and all played witnesses to the events that took place between those two protagonists and also with Connor, who in this context was a Trinity Lecturer and romantic interest for Deirdre. Does it sound a bit confusing? During the 45-minute performance, it was actually quite easy to follow the story (kudos to the writers, Shaun Dunne and Claire O'Reilly, and the Director, Patrick Culhane), but at the beginning, this multiple-storytelling did take a little while to get through the introduction of the characters and initial plot. Also, it came across as a little too self-referential to set the story at Trinity, feature student-aged characters who plot-wise attended the Trinity Ball, and to also stage the play at Trinity. This may have an exclusionary affect (though I'm sure this is not the desire) upon the intended audience outside of Trinity College students or parents of Trinity College students. Still, this production sparkled with liveliness, which seems to be one of the goals: to feel the breathing relevance of mythology today. The cast glowed with youth and vigor as they sang (not too much, but yes, sang), chorused, dashed about, and otherwise delivered performances with an ease and precision that reflected the intentional stylization of the play. In the end, "The Sorrows" was serious in its purpose to revisit mythology and to ask the audience to recognize myth's relevance today, it was lighthearted and contemporary in some of its dialog and musical choices, and it was quite satisfying, actually. Even in my own, very personal experience, thinking about my first introduction to Deirdre and Naoise at Trinity 25 years ago to my re-introduction in a very different way tonight, I feel privileged to have been given the opportunity to think about this particular myth as it has been part of my memory and my experience of Ireland over time.

Wow. Clever,…read morehilarious, enthralling, and surprisingly for a re-telling of an old myth, unpredictable. I won't go into details of what happens when, but suffice to say that there is an ongoing tangle between past and present in a way I don't recall ever seeing before. The venue too lends a real air of mysticism and history; and beauty too - I'm making a note to go back to the Rose Garden someday on my own and chill within it's gorgeous walls, underneath the huge sprawling tree. There's one night left at the time of writing this review, and I would encourage anyone who has the hour to spare to go check out the inspiring future of theatre in Ireland.

Great all round food festival. First of all, they do it twice a year, so they can make sure they…read moreget the latest round of newly opened restaurants on board. Let's face it, there are so many superb places opening up around town, it's hard to keep track. We need more food festivals that harness these new businesses and show them off to the public. A favourite of this year's programme was a meal in one of the Luas trams. What a deadly idea. More of this please. The five stars are reserved for when they get bigger and better, which I really hope happens.

From the owner: Dine in Dublin 2015 - Restaurant Week from Feb 23rd to March 1st…read more Mark your calendar and start saving room for dessert as we prepare to embark on yet another culinary adventure! Dine in Dublin returns from February 23rd through March 1st 2015 to tantalise your taste buds! Throughout the week, Dublin city centre's electric atmosphere will be highlighted and with a broad selection of well-known chefs and restaurants on board. See participating restaurants, bars and cafés offering special menus, events and activities throughout the week. Watch out for brand new features such as, our on-street Dine Pavilion, with top chefs and food tastings.

This review is for 'Centre Of The Universe'…read more Phew. I feel physically exhausted from watching John Doran bounce and lurch and jump and slither and slouch and bound around that stage. His energy is palpable, and it's infectious. The audience was in stitches half the time, and so enthralled you could hear a pin drop the rest of the time. Doran plays many different characters, all of which you will no doubt come across at some stage in your life. Some likable, some not so likable, but all of them tag along the same journey with you, developing as they go, and adding depth, familiarity and hilarity to the plot line. This was one of the most enjoyable lunchtimes I've spent in quite some time. I'm reticent to say anything else about it lest I give away any of what awaits you. As he says about cults: "They're awful things. Demanding, isolating, costly and generally kind of dumb. Accept this one. This is a good cult. A cult you want to be in". Let him show you why. You'll be glad you did.

The review is for "CHAROLAIS"…read more I really don't want to give any details about the plot here,so no spoilers. At first, when I came to the theatre room, took my seat and saw this minimalistic stage decor, composed of table, lettuce and a bowl, I thought to myself: "oh boy, it will be a long hour".My first impression was very wrong.This turnout to be an intense emotional roller coaster - exactly what you expect from the play. Noni Stapleton delivers an excellent performance making you laugh, cringe, cry and laugh while you crying. The tiny Bewley's Cafe Theatre makes perfect intimate venue for it. I felt fully engaged with the story from the beginning till the end, like when you reading a book and all surrounding world disappears. Full marks for the performance, I really liked it and would see it again! One small tip, get yourself a beer for the show to complement the bitterness.

As a volunteer for the booth benefiting Irish Guide Dogs for the Blind, Dublin, I attended the…read morefirst "Paws in the Park" dog event held at the National Show Centre, Cloughran, Co. Dublin, which ran 28-29 June 2014. This was a family and community centered weekend, and it welcomed people of every age and their doggie friends to enjoy a wide range of events, training sessions, and demonstrations/performances that ranged from agility, obedience, games, "doggie dancing," drill teams, sled dogs, and fun competitions. Embedded within all the fun was an emphasis on safe and responsible pet ownership. Outside areas featured booths (where I was stationed) of interest to pet owners and enthusiasts, but there was also plenty of room to walk around with your dog, meet other people, and if you brought small children, allow them to take a turn in a bouncy castle. It was a relaxed atmosphere that was perfect for a family outing or just a couple of hours on one's own to learn a few tips to improve owner-pet relationships. Overall, it was a fantastic event, and with more exposure, I am sure that Paws in the Park will continue to thrive and attract even more visitors in years to come. Pricing for 2014 was as follows, and again demonstrates that Paws in the Park was dedicated to making this a fun and affordable day for all: (prices are listed for at the gate/advanced booking) Adult €10.00/€8.50 Senior €7.00/€5.00 Child (3-15 years) €7.00/€5.00 Family (2 adults + 2 children) €30.00/€25.00 Family (2 adults + 3 children) €35.00/€28.00

Having briefly sampled Taste of Dublin, I'd recommend giving it a miss…read more Let's say 2 adults are going to this event on a Saturday, including booking fees, the basic cost of entrance will be €50. This only gets you in the door - it doesn't even get you any food or goodie bags.Once you in, you have to buy food tokens- Florins, whereby 1 Florin = 1 EUR. Drinks range from 4 - 7 Florins per glass/pint or 15 - 20 Florins for a bottle (wine etc). Food is between 5 - 8 Florins, coffee 3 Florins, cakes between 1-5 Florins.Entrance plus food vouchers - let's say food voucher of 20 Florins per person, rounds up to the ridiculous cost of 90 EUR. The food portions are very small, you eat off a paper plate and you're not guaranteed a seat. I reckon, there are way better ways to spend your money if you're looking for a Saturday afternoon out. The idea of paying businesses to basically promote their own food is very odd.

One of the highlights of my culinary and (perhaps sadly) social year is the annual outing to the…read morelovely Iveagh gardens (http://www.yelp.ie/biz/the-iveagh-gardens-dublin) for the Taste of Dublin event. It is a gathering of the great and the good of the local restaurant trade in a nicely ordered 'village' where each offers 3 signature dishes - usually a starter, main and dessert. They are of course not life-sized portions but tasters, something to give you a flavour of what the eatery can offer. Be warned, this is not a particularly cheap day / eve out. There is a charge at the door and each dish you sample will cost you between 4 and 8ish florins (each florin costs you a euro!). So, you have to buy into the experience and go in knowing it is going to cost a bit, it is however well worth it and lots of fun. If you can try to arrive early so you can bag a table - it is much easier if you can set up a base camp from which to go, explore and return. We have 4 friends we regularly go to Taste with and a group is definitely the way to go!

A great event for anyone even remotely interested in whiskey and a min of 10 euro towards charity…read more A varied selection of Irish, scotch and world whiskey and some food pairing. Teeling Distillery made an extra effort handing out goodie bags. I will make this an annual event.