7 Things to do this week...
1JULIET, NAKED: There will be a Valentine’s Day Screening of the film ‘Juliet, Naked’ at Mermaid Arts Centre on Thursday, February 14, at 8 p.m. Tickets are €8 or €6.50 concession at mermaidsartscentre.ie. Duncan (Chris O’Dowd) is the no. 1 fan of 90s singer-songwriter, Tucker Crowe, who mysteriously disappeared from public life at the height of his fame. Duncan operates a fan site dedicated to the mysterious musician. Annie (Rose Byrne) is Duncan’s long-suffering girlfriend for whom the legend of Tucker Crowe is mostly just a drag. Their little life together in a picturesque seaside village seems depressingly settled until, in a twist of internet fate, Annie connects with the actual Tucker Crowe (Ethan Hawke). Working from Nick Hornby’s novel, director Jesse Peretz (Girls, GLOW) has made the kind of shaggy, low-key comedy whose modesty is half its charm. Chris O’Dowd will be known from Graham Linehan’s ‘The IT Crowd’ in which he played a basement IT engineer alonside Richard Ayodae and Katherine Parkinson.
2PLAY: ‘Bat the Father, Rabbit the Son’ comes to the Courthouse Arts Centre, Tinahely, on Friday, February 22, starring renowned Irish actor Donal O’Kelly. Set in 1980s Dublin the story follows self-made haulage magnate Rabbit who cuts a deal with his underling Keogh to help him find his lost moorings. The quest is hampered by his dead father Bat, Citizen Army volunteer and pawn shop assistant, bubbling up. The struggle between father and son, past and present, imagination and reality, spans Dublin. Their voyage builds to a climax described as ‘one of the strongest dramatic conclusions I’ve ever seen’. Doors open at 8 p.m. Tickets are €16/14.
3BLIND DATE: Love will be in the air this St Valentine’s Day as Blessington Library hosts a novel ‘Blind Date with a Movie’ event. The library will open its doors for a Valentine’s Movie Night. This is a free event which takes place in the community room at 7 p.m. The alternative date night movie to be screened is top secret for now but is aimed at teens and adults. All are welcome and guests can feel free to bring along some treats to enjoy.
4HISTORY LECTURE: The next lecture hosted by Wicklow Historical Society will be by Arklow historian Chris Power and will focus on 1798 and the Battle of Arklow. Chris is the son of noted historian Pat Power and his talk will take place on Monday, February 18, at 8 p.m. in the De La Salle Pastoral Centre in Wicklow town. Chris will discuss the Battle of Arklow and its background. He also recently published a book on the subject. Admission on the night is free.
5WICKLOW COUNTY BIRD RACE: Birders from throughout the county and from further afield will participate in the annual Wicklow County Bird Race taking place on Saturday. February 16, which is hosted by the local branch of BirdWatch Ireland. The meeting point is at 7 a.m. for team registration at the car park at the southern end of Bray seafront. The race finishes at 6.45 p.m. at The Beehive Inn, off the N11 near Rathnew. The objective is to record as many species of birds as possible. Teams of three to four people per car can enter at a cost of €5 each.
6COMEDY FESTIVAL: ‘Born in Bray’ will be one of the opening events in this year’s Bray Comedy Festival starting on Wednesday, February 13, and running to Sunday. Acts include ‘Best New Act’ Competition winner, Bray’s own Sean Begley, ‘Ireland’s Funniest Joke’ winners Paul Marsh (Laughter Lounge) and Sean Hegarty (Ireland’s Got Talent) and more familiar faces guaranteed to craic you up. Tickets are €6 at Braycomedyfest.ie. Meanwhile, the opening gala in the Martello features Kevin McGahern, Barry Murphy and Karl Spain.
7CELLO IRELAND: Cello Ireland and the Hugh Buckley Jazz Quintet will perform at Whale Theatre in Greystones on Saturday, February 16, at 7 p.m. Tickets are €25 and available at whaletheatre.ie. The blend of the rich sonorous sounds of the cello ensemble and the soaring improvisations of the jazz ensemble is both unique and mesmerising. Cello Ireland played a truly memorable concert in The Whale earlier this year in collaboration with several singer/cellists, including Liam O Maonlai and Vyvienne Long, in CelloVoce. This is another opportunity to see them in another wonderful collaboration with Hugh Buckley, one of Ireland’s finest guitarists and his ensemble of Ireland’s finest jazz musicians.