Jimmy Deenihan TD Minister for Arts, Heritage and the Gaeltacht will this evening (Friday 23
rd September, 2011) visit a range of venues that have opened their doors to the public to celebrate Culture Night 2011 in Dublin.
From live performances, workshops and gallery tours to talks, drama, dance and a whole range of other creative activities, Culture Night offers a cultural form to appeal to all tastes.
Dublin Culture Night 2011 provides a unique opportunity for Dubliners and visitors to the Capital to experience an enjoyable visit to Museums, Galleries, Churches, historic houses, artists’ studios and cultural centres.
Minister Deenihan will start his visits in the Revenue Museum where he will see the first set of accounts compiled by the Revenue Commissioners under the first independent Irish Government of 1922. He will also see, the skin of a Mongolian Wolf, a toy horse covered in the skin of a rare goat, a baby cobra in a bottle, the shells of endangered conchs (sea snails), all examples of items made from ivory and turtle shell – all seized by Revenue.
Minister Deenihan will then visit the Chester Beatty Library (CBL) to view again the Matisse Exhibition and also view a new addition to the permanent collection at the CBL of ‘Dragon robes’ which were the formal silk robes worn by the Emperor of China, the imperial family and court officials for ceremonial functions. En route to Temple Bar area Minister Deenihan will visit Dublin City Hall. City Hall, is an outstanding example of the Georgian architecture for which Dublin is world-renowned.
In Temple Bar Minister Deenihan will pay a brief visit to The Ark – A cultural centre for children, where dazzling fiddle player and violinist Zoë Conway and guitar player John McIntyre will be entertaining the audiences. This will be followed by a call to Gaelchultúr Filmbase Building where an Irish cultural workshop in sean-nós singing and dancing will be available.
The Minister will then travel to IMMA in Kilmainham where he will launch two publications in the IMMA Series, Anne Madden: Painting and Reality and Barry Flanagan: Poet of the Building Site,the most recent in a distinctive strand of artists’ books based on the IMMA Collection.
The Minister’s final stop will be to a venue where he himself is no stranger – Croke Park. Croke Park is Ireland’s largest and most iconic sporting arena and is the third largest in Europe. "However, since my playing days in the 70’s and early 80’s much has changed there, and I look forward to taking a stadium tour and looking at the pitch from a different perspective" said the Minister.
Looking forward to the all the events ahead Minister Deenihan added "Opening late into Friday night is a wonderful way of capturing a new audience who will sample some of the various cultural activities which abound in Dublin and no doubt will return again during the year for further visits. I would strongly encourage everyone to select a few venues close together where they can maximise their time and really benefit from Culture Night."