Weekend Guide: From exhibition openings to music festivals, here’s what’s on

Clifden Trad Fest 2023

13-16 April, Clifden, Connemara, Galway

https://www.instagram.com/p/CokMrZ0sUNx

Now in its 12th year, the Clifden Trad Festival has gone from strength to strength, and across the weekend, there’s set to be a focus on youth engagement, plenty of instrumental workshops, and a pub session trail that will be sure to have all guests in great spirits. As well as all that, there’s going to be a busking competition, and an open air headline concert with special guests, Tyrone’s Blackwater Ceili Band.

studio | b Spring Fair

15 April, Smock Alley Theatre, Dublin

This high-end female-focussed spring fair will bring together a number of predominantly female-founded Irish brands in the affordable luxury space to give shoppers the opportunity to experience these brands, which are typically only available online, in person. Created by women, for women, this is the ultimate girls’ day out. Plus, there’s a goodie bag worth €30, and a chance to win over €400 worth of products on the day!

An Evening With Fran Lebowitz

15 April, National Concert Hall

In a cultural landscape filled with endless pundits and talking heads, Fran Lebowitz stands out as one of our most insightful social commentators. For a limited run of dates, Lebowitz will be live in conversation, sharing her invariably cutting take on anything and everything; from growing up in New Jersey and being expelled from her high school for being a bad influence on her peers, to moving to New York City in the 70’s, and writing a column for Andy Warhol’s Interview magazine. She’ll offer insights on such timely issues as gender, race, gay rights, and the media, as well as on her own pet peeves—including celebrity culture, tourists, and baby strollers.

Safe Harbour exhibition

Running until 7 May, Olivier Cornet Gallery, 3 Great Denmark Street, Dublin

In collaboration with Robert Russell, Nickie Hayden’s Safe Harbour exhibition is the culmination of four years of collaborative work on the theme of sanctuary focussing on guidance to a safe place. These paintings explore the idea of guidance in its purest form. Like the building of a lighthouse, guidance should be a benevolent and altruistic act offering clarity and illumination. Sometimes people are our beacons, and their guidance is enough to bring us safely to port.

Greater Than exhibition by The Louth Craftmark Designers Network

Until 15 April, The Basement Gallery, An Táin Arts Centre, Dundalk

This group exhibition from renowned visual arts collective, Louth Craftmark, will see each artist interpret the theme ‘Greater Than >’ in their own unique way, traversing areas that include inequality, gender, and school days gone by. The exhibition will feature 29 members from the extensive Louth Craftmark Designers Network, with a broad range of artistic disciplines on show including ceramics, glass, jewellery, painting, print, mixed media, textiles, and sculpture.

Last chance to win training with a symphonic orchestra in Dubai

Competition closes Monday 19 April

BMW is giving away a once in a lifetime opportunity for classical musicians to join a symphonic orchestra and perform at internationally acclaimed festival Tomorrowland this summer, and you’ve still got time to enter. The lucky Irish winner will have the opportunity to attend a training camp in Dubai in May and perform at the Festival in Belgium in July. To enter, submit a video of your musical skills via the Tomorrowland website.

Feature image via Kilyan Sockalingum on Unsplash.