On The Town/Catherine Foley:Dubliners, as the fairy godmother said to Cinderella, you shall go to Culture Night.
An invitation to enjoy a night on the town in Dublin on Friday, September 22nd, was issued to young and old at an event in the city centre this week. And, like Cinderella, if you go, you will have to be gone by midnight, or earlier in some cases.
"I hope a very large number of people living here in Dublin will make a date to explore some of the cultural richness that awaits them right here on their doorstep," said John O'Donoghue, the Minister for Arts, Sport and Tourism.
A series of free events, including film screenings, talks, exhibitions, demonstrations, parties and tours (as well as shuttle buses to the different venues), will be on offer in the inaugural event to encourage members of the public to learn about culture in their capital city. The party has been titled Dublin Culture Night 2006.
"What I see this doing is making people in Dublin more aware of what's in Dublin," said Frank Magee, chief executive of Dulbin Tourism.
Culture Night was the brainchild of Gráinne Millar, head of cultural development at Temple Bar Cultural Trust. To date, she said, more than 40 cultural institutions, from theatres to art galleries, had made plans to extend their opening hours to welcome in members of the public, with more institutions coming on board all the time.
"I got the idea when I was in Copenhagen, where it's been running for 15 years," said Millar. There, with up to 300 venues, including museums, gardens, churches and public squares, the night attracts up to 500,000 people into the city for one night. Generally, they close their doors at midnight.
Some of the institutions taking part in Dublin were represented at the event's launch party in the Temple Bar Information Centre. In attendance were Ann Daly, of the National Museum, Collins Barracks; Eve O'Kelly, of the Contemporary Music Centre; Georgina Jackson, of the Dublin City
Gallery, the Hugh Lane; Iseult Dunne, of the Rubicon Gallery; Eina McHugh and Roise Goan, of the Ark Cultural Centre for Children;
Síle Boylan, Barry Carroll and Orla O'Brien, of the National Gallery; and artist Donna Cooney, of the Crowe Gallery.
,
Barry Carroll
and
Orla O'Brien
, of the National Gallery; and artist
Donna Cooney
, of the Crowe Gallery.