7 things to do this week
TODAY Lots of good rock'n'roll all over the country tonight. Morrissey is playing the first of two sold-out shows at the Olympia, but if you don't have tickets, Thomas Reads on Parliament Street are spinning Smiths and Moz classics after tomorrow's concert. Admission free. Van Morrison is playing a rare provincial gig in Killarney at the National Event Centre at 8pm, (€44.50, 064-71555) while The Chalets, fresh from touring with Kaiser Chiefs, are at Dolan's in Limerick at 9pm (€12, 061-314483).
TOMORROW After the egg hunt, and before the 1916 commemoration parade, redeem yourself at an Easter service. As part of their Mozart 250 Series, the Lassus Scholars and Piccolo Lasso singers, with the Orlando Chamber Orchestra, will perform Mozart's Missa Brevis DK 194 at 11.30am at Adam & Eve Church on Merchant Quay, Dublin.
MONDAY Holy Siegfried and Gotterdammerung! This is your chance to hear Wagner's complete Ring Cycle in just one day instead of the usual six . . . tune in to BBC Radio 3 at 8am and see if, 15 hours later, you are still alive and kicking. The version to be broadcast was recorded by Daniel Barenboim in the early 1990s. Those not glued to the old wireless might follow the Irish Grand National at Fairyhouse.
TUESDAY On The View tonight, Seamus Heaney reads from his new collection, District and Circle, and talks to John Kelly about growing up in wartime Derry, and the obligations of having an international reputation. RTÉ1 at 11.20pm
WEDNESDAY A good week to visit the Chester Beatty Library in Dublin Castle, where 120 prints by Albrecht Dürer are on display alongside the permanent collection. The self-service cafe has a Middle Eastern flavour and is a fine place to bring kids, with a good park for a picnic outside it. Great roof garden, too.
THURSDAY Canada has produced some of the best women singer-songwriters, most recently Emm Gryner, who appears tonight at Whelans (€12, 01-4780766). Her first album was a collection of cover versions of Irish rock songs; her new album, predicts Tony Clayton-Lea, heralds an international success. So it's definitely got an appropriate title, then: The Summer of High Hopes.
FRIDAY The traditional farm at Newbridge House near Donabate, north Co Dublin is a great place to bring children during the Easter break; they might get lucky and see a chick emerging as they hover over the egg hatcher. The house is worth a visit, too, and the grounds are perfect for a stroll. Bring the frisbee. (Open from 10am to 5pm, 01-8436534.)
daytrippers@irish-times.ie