Greetings from 1691
Packed week ahead as usual. Amble sold out the Docklands twice and then added a third night, which also sold out. Check waiting list and resale options. I saw them support Dermot Kennedy recently and they were excellent!
Stiff Little Fingers are at Dolans Warehouse on Thursday. K-Pop All Stars open the week at the University Concert Hall, the Hunt Museum has thrown its doors open for Heritage Week with free workshops and sensory tours, and on Sunday the whole thing ends at Limerick Racecourse with fifteen thousand people and a dog show.
This is our pick of what's on this week. As always for a full event list check out the link at the bottom of the email.
Let's dive in 👇
EVENT HIGHLIGHTS
Amble
Thursday 20, Friday 21 and Saturday 22 August · 19:00 · Live at the Docklands
Two nights went so fast that Dolans put a third on sale, and that one went too. Robbie Cunningham, Ross McNerney and Oisín McCaffrey were working ordinary jobs in rural Ireland a few years ago and are now past a hundred million streams with a number one debut behind them, which is a rise that hasn't happened to an Irish folk act at this speed in a long time. Niall McCabe supports all three nights. Nothing left at the box office, but returns appear, and the Docklands site is worth walking past on the night either way.
Stiff Little Fingers
Thursday 20 August · 20:00 · Dolans Warehouse
Formed in Belfast in 1977 alongside The Clash and the Pistols, and the only difference is that Jake Burns never stopped. Inflammable Material is still the record that proved a punk band could chart without a major label behind it, and the live show has never been an exercise in nostalgia. The Warehouse is the right size for this, which is to say slightly too small. Doors at eight, over-18s only.
The Limerick Show
Sunday 23 August · Gates 09:00 · Limerick Racecourse, Patrickswell
Fifteen thousand people, a thousand competitors and a hundred and fifty trade stands, which makes this the largest single-day gathering in the county. Show jumping, horse and pony classes, a dog show, horticulture, a food village and a free kids zone, plus the best dressed lady competition judged by Celia Holman Lee. Gates open at nine and the serious livestock judging happens early, so the morning is the better half if you actually want to see the animals. Buy online for the fast-track gate.
K-Pop All Stars
Tuesday 18 August · 19:30 · University Concert Hall
An hours-long run through Blackpink, BTS, NewJeans, Stray Kids and Katseye, performed live with full choreography, plus a set of numbers built from the K-Pop Demon Hunters soundtrack, which is the bit the under-twelves are actually coming for. UCH has it marked as selling fast. All ages, so it's a workable Tuesday if there's a teenager in the house who has opinions about Stray Kids.
Sensory Tour of the Hunt Collection
Wednesday 19 August · 11:30 and Saturday 22 August · 14:00 · Hunt Museum
The Hunt has built a tour around touching, hearing and smelling the collection rather than reading labels at it, using tactile resources, audio recordings and scent. It sounds like a concession to accessibility and it's actually just a better way to look at objects. Two slots this week as part of Heritage Week, both free, both small.
Clay Vessels Workshop
Thursday 20 August · 14:00 · Hunt Museum
The Hunt owns a set of majolica pharmacy jugs, and this workshop has you coil-build your own version, taking the decoration from still-life arrangements and living specimens out of the museum garden. Coil-building is the oldest way of making a pot and requires no wheel and no prior skill. Adults only, free, and places are limited enough that turning up on spec won't work.
Art Workshop for Children
Tuesday 18 August · 10:00 · Limerick City
Drawing, painting and mixed media for children, in a small group with someone else doing the clean-up. Two hours of the summer holidays accounted for on a Tuesday morning. Venue is confirmed on booking.
Summer Arts and Crafts Session
Thursday 20 August · 14:30 · Limerick City Library
The City Library's summer craft afternoon, free, with materials supplied. Library craft sessions are consistently the best value hour in any Irish city and consistently the first thing to book out. Ring ahead.
Tales from Acorn Wood
Saturday 22 August · 11:00 and 14:00 · University Concert Hall
Julia Donaldson and Axel Scheffler's lift-the-flap books turned into a stage show with puppets, songs and enough audience participation to keep three-year-olds in their seats. Two performances on Saturday, so the eleven o'clock is the one to take if naps are still a factor. Runs under an hour, which is the correct length.
Free Meditation and Yoga
Tuesday 18 August · 18:00 · City Library
A weekly open session at the City Library, no charge and no experience needed. It's an unglamorous room and that turns out not to matter. Turn up at six.
For a full overview of all events on this week in Limerick check out our event listings page
UNTIL NEXT WEEK
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