After a very successful outing at Dublin Castle in April, we’re back in the big gaff in the heart of the capital on Saturday June 30 for another event.
As the hugely successful Coming Home: Art and the Great Hungerexhibition draws to a close at Dublin Castle, this discussion will look at the dark art around tragedies and disaster. How does art capture the horror of these situations? Is the role of the artist to document what has occurred or produce another perspective? How does the work impact not just on the audience but the artist as well?
The panel:Niamh O’Sullivan (Professor Emeritus at National College of Art and Design and curator of Coming Home: Art and the Great Hunger), Gillian O’Brien (historian at Liverpool John Moores University and dark tourism specialist), Brian Maguire (artist whose work is featured in the exhibition) and guests
The details: this discussion will take place at Dublin Castle on Saturday June 30 at noon. Tickets are now available here.
What does Dublin Castle mean to you? Is it the big gaff in the middle of the city that houses tribunals and the like? Is it somewhere with a history which you don’t really know that much about? Is it the place you recommend to visiting pals but which you never visits yourself?
As the Making Majesty exhibition comes to a close, it’s an apt time to consider Dublin Castle’s position in terms of history, politics and society. While Dublin Castle itself is often viewed as a bastion of British rule for hundreds of years, the exhibition focused on the motivations behind the building’s grand regal designs, something we often forget about today.
Given the current focus on independence-related events from a century ago and Brexit-related events right now, this Banter discussion will look at the responsiblities and challenges of dealing with Dublin Castle’s past in 2018.
The details: Banter on Dublin Castle then and now will take place at the State Apartments, Dublin Castle on Saturday April 21st at 3pm. Tickets are available here.
In the wake of Weinstein, Nassar, #MeToo and much more, society is scrutinising sexual harassment in the workplace like never before. Whereas slow erosions on inequalities are often the norm, this movement gained much momentum suddenly and demanded a sea-change.
What we wants to know is: how did we find ourselves here? How can this fervour be sustained? And what can be done to crystalise this zero tolerance into something that works for workers, but also attains the buy-in of business?
The details: A Culture of Sexual Harassment: From #MeToo to What Now? takes place at The Liquor Rooms, Wellington Quay, Dublin 2 on Wednesday March 28. Doors open at 6pm and we start at 6.30pm. Tickets are available here and all proceeds from the event go to Women’s Aid.
Everyone is giving out. Cyclists complain about wheel-grabbing Luas tracks, rough road surfaces, daydreaming pedestrians, careless drivers, car-friendly media and unhelpful gardaí. Meanwhile, pedestrians and drivers complain about cyclists, especially the red-light breakers, the pedestrian-crossing blankers and the pavement dashers.
Is the problem just bad behaviour by individual road users? Is poor urban design pitting people against each other in a fight for scarce street space? And what can be done to bring peace and safety to our streets?
At this event organised by Banter and Dublin Inquirer, we’ll tackle these issues and try not to either get trapped in the Luas tracks or break any red lights.
On the evening of Wednesday, 21 March, from 6:30pm to about 8:30pm, Dublin Inquirer and Banter will present a panel discussion of these issues.
The panel: Claudine Chen (cycling advocate and a member of the Dublin Cycling Campaign), Jason Taylor (principal author of the Design Manual for Urban Roads and Streets, the government handbook on how to encourage sustainable travel in urban areas) and Jim Waldron from the National Private Hire & Taxi Association
The details: the event will be held at the Robert Emmet Community Development Project, (3-8 Usher Street, Dublin 8) on Wednesday March 21 at 6.30pm. Admission is free, but tickets must be booked in advance here.
Early bird tickets were available exclusively for Dublin Inquirer subscribers – you can subscribe and support the best publication about living and working in the capital here.
It gives us great pleasure to welcome the good people from the Media + Entertainment Psychology Lab back to Banter. They’ve joined us at Banteryard at The Beatyard festival in Dun Laoghaire 2016 and 2017 so we thought it was high time for them to take over a regular night and show their wares.
First things first: who are the Media + Entertainment Psychology Lab? Based out of the UCD School of Psychology, the Lab are a group of people who looks at how our engagement with immersive media and the boundary of perceived reality and entertainment can be harnessed to bring about positive change in people’s lives. It’s about the science of improving user experience, enjoyment, learning, physical and mental health.
For this event about “media is everywhere, but what do we get out of it?”, we’ll be joined by the following Lab members:
Claire Howlin – why the benefits of music listening on smart devices is more important than screen time risks
Brendan Rooney – separating the people from the devices, where do we draw the line
Nicola Fox Hamilton – the role of online platforms in dating and match making
Darragh Lynch – data mining and retrieving your media footprint from online dating websites
The details: Banter with the Media + Entertainment Psychology Lab takes place at The Liquor Rooms (Wellington Quay, Dublin 2) on Wednesday April 25 (reschedule from February 28). Doors open at 6pm and the event begins at 6.30pm-ish. Tickets are now available here and all proceeds will go to Chronic Pain Ireland.
Tá Bliain na Gaeilge faoi lán tseoil, bíodh sé go bhfuil muid tógtha leis an gcoincheap nó nach bhfuil. Bíonn an teanga go minic ina cnámh spairne i measc Bhéarlóirí agus airíonn pobal na Gaeilge gur dóibh í a chosaint. Tabharfaidh an painéal faoina bhfuil le plé eadrainn féin mar phobal, comhráite míchompordacha san áireamh!
Beidh an ócáid ar siúl in The Liquor Rooms (Cé Wellington, BÁC 2- in aice óstán Clarence) ar an gCéadaoin, 31 Eanáir. Osclóidh na doirsie ag 6 i.n., tosóidh an plé ag 6.30 i.n. agus tá na ticéid ar fáil anseo anois. Rachaidh an t-airgead a bhailítear óna ticéid chuig An Simon Community.
Bliain na Gaeilge is upon us, whether we like the concept or not. Irish is often a bone of contention amongst those who don’t speak it resulting in the Irish language community stepping into protective mode. The panel will look at the conversations we’re often uncomfortable having, even amongst ourselves.
The panel: Cilian Fennell, Director of Stillwater Communications, Hannah Ní Bhaoill, Organiser of Féile na Gealaí, Osgur Ó Ciardha, co-founder of the Pop Up Gaeltacht and Sinéad Ní Uallacháin, Broadcaster with RTÉ Raidió na Gaeltachta will share their opinions in an informal atmosphere. Áine Ní Bhreisleáin, broadcaster with RTÉ Raidió na Gaeltachta, will host this event, presented by Banter in association with RTÉ.
The event will take place at The Liquor Rooms (Wellington Quay, Dublin 2 – next to the Clarence Hotel) on Wednesday January 31. Doors open at 6pm, the discussion kicks off at 6.30pm and tickets are now available here. All proceeds raised will go to the Simon Community
Please note that this event will be held through Irish.
Indeed, the author himself has suffered from depression since he was a child. He was told by doctors that his problems were caused by a chemical imbalance in his brain and started taking chemical antidepressants at 18. Yet, like so many others, he remained depressed. The proportion of people on antidepressants who continue to be depressed is found to be between 65 and 80 percent.
Hari thought he was unusual for remaining depressed while taking a chemical treatment – but it turned out he was typical. Using his training as a social scientist at Cambridge University, Hari began to investigate the causes of depression and anxiety – and discovered the cutting edge science that shows there is strong evidence they are not caused by a spontaneous chemical imbalance in our brains.
He discovered that, in reality, depression and anxiety are caused largely by crucial changes in the way we are living. If the problem isn’t mainly in our brains but in our lives, a whole different set of paths out of depression and anxiety open up. This led him to discover the evidence for seven new paths out of depression and anxiety – ones that are very different to the paths we have been offered up to now.
Lost Connections: Uncovering the Real Causes of Depression—and the Unexpected Solutions is the story of Hari’s three-year journey into this evidence, and gives rise to a radically new way of thinking about depression. It is based on three years of detailed research covering over 30,000 miles. Hari conducted over 200 interviews, ranging from the world’s leading scientists, to an Amish village, to an uprising in Berlin, to a series of remarkable experiments in Baltimore. Using vivid human stories and the best social science, he explains the evidence for seven crucial changes that are making us depressed and anxious, along with two biological causes that interact with them.
Hari is the New York Times bestselling author of Chasing the Scream, which is currently being made into a Hollywood film. Since he stopped being a columnist for the Independent in 2011, he has written for the New York Times, the Los Angeles Times, the Guardian, Le Monde, the Spectator, Politico, Salon and many others.
The details: Banter’s conversation with Johann Hari takes place at The Workman’s Club (Wellington Quay, Dublin 2) on Tuesday January 23. Doors open at 6pm, the event begins at 6.30pm and will include an audience Q&A and book signing. Tickets are now available here.
For the fifth January in a row, we’re very pleased to be involved in the First Fortnight mental health arts festival. It’s a fantastic initiative as it puts the focus firmly on challenging mental health prejudice through arts and cultural action at the very start of the year.
This year, we’re joined by Barry Hyde, a musician and performer who first found success as the frontman with The Futureheads when he was 19 years old. That was was also the year he had his first manic episode. For Banter at First Fortnight, Hyde will join us to talk about his life, music and how solo album “Maldoy” played a big part in his recovery. He will also perform songs from the album.
The details: an evening with Barry Hyde will take place at The Workman’s Club, Dublin on Tuesday January 9 at 6.45pm and tickets are available here.
On the night, we will be joined by Brian Deady and Sonya Kelly to talk about what Christmas means to them. What are the Christmas traditions, rituals, songs, notions, records, TV shows, food and what-have-you which means Christmas to them?
Aside from Christmas & Me, there’s a huge bill of fare on the night (see poster below). It all happens at the Gloucester Street Sports Hall (21 Gloucester Street South, Dublin 2 – off Townsend Street) on Saturday next, December 9. Doors open at 7pm and admission is €15 in advance or €22 on the door. All proceeds, as always, will support work of the Simon Community.
It’s that time of the year again. As we’ve down annually since 2012, Banter heads to the Kingdom for Other Voices and takes over the back-room of Foxy John’s in downtown Dingle for the weekend where we are joined by a fine cast of talkers, makers, do-ers and players for some conversations and music by the fire. We’ll be open for business next Saturday and Sunday, December 2 and 3, from 2pm to 6pm and admission is free. Please note that capacity is limited so get there early if you want a seat or standing room.
Enda Walsh
We’ve been trying to bring Enda to Dingle since we started this odyssey and, joy of joys, he’s finally not got stuff to do in Luxembourg, Hong Kong, London or New York. The playwright talks shop, collaborations and stagecraft.
Geoff Travis & Jeannette Lee
A total honour to welcome the pair behind the legendary Rough Trade Records to Dingle.
A welcome return to Banter for The Observer editor, John has spent much of 2017 as Acting Editor of The Guardian US so he’s ideally placed to let us know what the hell is actually happening across the Atlantic right now with yer man Trump.
A deep dive with the chair of biochemistry at Trinity College Dublin and one of the world’s leading immunologists in what the world of science is doing for us all.
What it says on the can: the year in film, theatre, music, books, TV and whatever else comes to mind as narrated by Banter’s most popular repeat visitor. Unmissable. She’d better big up The Florida Project….
What’s the state of traditional music in 2017? Concertina player Caitlín and fiddler Ciarán join us in Foxy’s to go through this and other topics, plus some tunes from the duo
Massive thanks to my Banter OV co-consipirator Molly King (this is a CarrollKing Production), Banter producer Jack Gibson, Banter at Foxy John’s Head Of Design Mary Ni Lochlainn, the good folks at Other Voices, our patient and savvy soundman Stephen Andreucetti and the people at Foxy John’s for putting up with us and our antics for six years in a row,
It’s nearly time to say goodbye to 2017 but, before we go, how about a recap on a year of Hurricane Ophelia, the Paradise Papers, Harvey Weinstein, Leo Varadkar, more tracker mortgage scandals, more Garda scandals, more Brexit, the National Maternity Hospital mess, the Citizen’s Assembly, Leo Varadkar’s socks, Donal Trump in the White House, the Russians in the White House, Ireland not qualifying for the World Cup in Russia, Leo Varadkar’s tweets and Ireland not getting to host the Rugby World Cup in 2023? And trust us, there’s more – much more.
As we’ve done in 2009, 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014, 2015 and 2016, Banter will be bringing together a panel of news makers and news observers to talk about the stories of the last 12 months which have resonated with them.
The now annual Banter Review of the Year is always one of the highlights of our year, chiefly because it’s a night which reminds us of stuff that happened which we’d forgotten all about and casts new light on some of the stories which dominated the news cycle for so long.
The panel: Oonagh Murphy (theatre director, Tribes at The Gate), Catherine Sanz (reporter at The Times Ireland Edition) and Gavin Sheridan (CEO Vizlegal and former Innovation Director at Storyful)
The details: Banter’s Review of the Year takes place at The Liquor Rooms, Wellington Quay, Dublin 2 on Wednesday December 6. Doors open at 6pm and we start at 6.30pm. Tickets are available here and all proceeds from the event go to the Peter McVerry Trust.
What’s the solution to the affordable housing shortage in Dublin? What role should social housing play in solving this crisis?
At this event organised by Banter and Dublin Inquirer, a panel of experts will discuss the history and role of social housing in Ireland, the Part V provision, how these fare in 2017, what their roles are in the current crisis, and where could we go from here.
The panel: Debbie Mulhall (Community Development Worker in Dolphin House), Michelle Norris (Head of the School of the School of Social Policy, Social Work and Social Justice at UCD), Ali Grehan (City Architect, Dublin City Council) and Hugh Brennan (CEO, Ó Cualann Cohousing Alliance)
The details: the event will be held at the Robert Emmet Community Development Project, (3-8 Usher Street, Dublin 8) on Wednesday December 13 at 6.30pm. Admission is free, but tickets must be booked in advance here.
Early bird tickets were available exclusively for Dublin Inquirer subscribers – you can subscribe and support the best publication about living and working in the capital here.
Ever have that lingering sense that you’re not cut out for something? Or that pit-of-the-stomach feeling when you suspect you’re going to be caught out as less able than you are, even when you know you’re more than capable of the task at hand? You might have imposter syndrome.
Join Nathalie Marquez Courtney,Aoife McElwain, Dean Van Nguyen and Dr Sandra McNulty as they talk to Banter guest host Aoife Barry about what imposter syndrome is, and isn’t: whether we need to pay any heed to it, how gender and race could determine how badly imposter syndrome might affect us, and how we can start to give those feelings of inferiority the old heave-ho.
Banter on how to beat imposter syndrome in the workplace takes place at The Liquour Rooms, Wellington Quay, Dublin 2 on Wednesday November 29. Doors open at 6pm and the discussion starts at 6.30pm. Tickets can be obtained here and all proceeds from the event go to Rape Crisis Network Ireland.
People within the sport say that far from being a brawler, MMA requires you to be an athlete in prime condition with a strategic thought process, and participants are experts in many forms of martial arts including karate, jiu-jitsu, wrestling, boxing and kickboxing.
So what makes MMA so appealing and the focus of so much media attention? We’ll discuss this and more with MMA fighters Leah McCourt (IMMAF European & World Champion), Phil Campbell and Danny Corr (MMA World Governing Body Coaching Committee, chairman Ulster Amateur MMA and founder of MMA Youth Development programmes).
MMA fighter Leah McCourt
The details: Banter on MMA takes place at the Bullitt Hotel, Belfast on Wednesday November 1 at 6.30pm. Tickets can be booked here.
(1) A shout out for dogged music journalism and a reminder that those who call themselves music journalists should actually do more than review new releases or docile Q&A interviews with pop stars. Superb profile of Chicago writer Jim De Rogatis, the man who made it his business to dig into the R. Kelly story and investigate allegations of sexual abuse against the r’n’b performer. Real music journalism work.
(5) If you’re one of those people who walk through airports and wonder about the amount of people rocking those travel pillows with them, this is for you. TL:DR? Yep, they’re useless
(6) Banter podcast: an encounter with the one and only Fachtna O Ceallaigh, the straight-shooting music manager. There’s lots to dig into here, from his days writing about music for The Evening Press to managing acts like Clannad, the Boomtown Rats, Bananarama, the Bothy Band, Donal Lunny, Morrissey (for seven eventful weeks), Eamon, Ricky Gervais (when he was in Seona Dancing), Dread Broadcasting Corporation and, currently, Hare Squead.
(7) John Jeremiah Sullivan is one of our favourite writers because his work is also so detailed and colourful. In new essay The Curses, he writes about the history of what may be the first blues song ever written, an 1887 sheet-music hit titled “The Curse” by composer Paul Dresser.
(8) 30 new songs every Monday: the science behind Spotify’s Discover Weekly.
(9) Time to go back to Detroit: the story of how techno was born, developed and continues to thrive amidst the city’s financial and social strife.
Blasphemy. Divorce. Abortion. A women’s place in the home. Directly-elected mayors. Divorce. Voting rights. Extra powers for Oireachtas Committees.
These are the seven issues that we, the people, will be asked to decide upon in a slew of forthcoming referendums. Before we get the posters printed and bash out the principles involved in issues of such social and democratic importance, Banter wants to ask a question: is there a better way?
At eighty years of age, our Constitution has had a good run – should we be putting our elderly and highest law through bruising and potentially transformative trials, and repeatedly polarising the electorate with ultimatums?Or is it time to start anew?How has it fared so far and what would the drafters make of its current state? What sort of constitutional scene could safeguard and futureproof the principles of the Irish people for the next eighty years?Could we do without one?
Our panel to deal with these issues and more: the Honourable Ms. Justice Marie Baker (The High Court), Dr David Kenny (Professor of Constitutional Law at Trinity College Dublin) and Ruadhán Mac Cormaic (author of The Supreme Court and Irish Times Foreign Affairs Correspondent).
The details: Banter on The Constitution at 80 takes place on Wednesday October 25at The Liquor Rooms, Wellington Quay, Dublin 2. Doors open at 6pm and the event kicks off at 6.30pm. Tickets can be booked here, including a limited number of early bird tickets. Proceeds from the event will go to the FLAC (Free Legal Advice Centres).
One of Banter’s favourite Irish events is Limerick’s Make A Move festival and, as has been the case since 2012, we’re are as proud as punch to be part of this year’s happenings as well. The festival kicks off on Friday October 6 and they have some pretty awesome stuff going on over the weekend, including screenings, workshops, performances, poetry jams and much more.
This year, we’re looking at the politics of culture and the way in which popular culture and activism have begun to come together with the likes of grime4corbyn, Black Lives Matter and other movements. It’s certainly not a new phenomenon by any means – the current Soul Of A Nation exhibition at the Tate in London demonstrates that – but it shows that there is a role for art and culture in raising awareness, bringing people together and creating an effective catalyst for change.
The talkers: we’ll be joined by Sahar Ali (poet, actor and performer), Dr Eileen Hogan (lecturer in social policy at University College Cork) and Executive Steve (Dubs Against Racism and Raidió Na Life DJ) to take in all of this.
The details: Banter at Make A Move takes place at Ormston House, Limerick on Saturday October 7 at 2pm. Admission is free.
Make sure to check out the full Make A Move programme here. Big up to Shane and all the Make A Move team for inviting us along and taking good care of us.
It’s a question for the times we’re in. From the publication of hate speech and the promotion of hot-air controversialists, to the use of technology and social media to draw us into an addictive diet of endless news consumption, are news organisations actually hurting their readers?
What readers consume – and how they consume it – can have tangible effects on their well-being. This discussion looks at how the media affects readers’ mental health, what responsibility news organisations and journalists need to take for that and what we might need to change.
The panelists: Peter Feeney (Press Ombudsman of Ireland and formerly head of broadcast compliance at RTÉ and editor of current affairs television at RTÉ), Sahar Ali (spoken-word poet and comedian whose recent Dublin Fringe Show, Saharcasm, explored Irishish, Arabism and racism in contemporary Ireland), Diarmaid Mac Aonghusa (managing director of web and app development company Fusio), Paloma Viejo Otero (PhD student at Dublin City University researching hate speech and social media) and Lois Kapila (founder and managing editor of Dublin Inquirer)
The details: this event takes place at DIT, Aungier St., Dublin 2 on Thursday October 19 at 6.30pm Admission is free but spaces are limited and tickets should to be reserved in advance via this link.
This event is presented by Dublin Inquirer and Banter in association with the Centre for Critical Media Literacy at DIT. Early bird tickets were available exclusively for Dublin Inquirer subscribers – you can subscribe and support the best publication about living and working in the capital here.
(1) We may well have come across the tune of the year. Rostam’s gorgeous “Bike Dream” is an absolute peach of a track, something which makes you realise that the former Vampire Weekend lad and accomplice for the likes of Frank Ocean and Solange is one heck of a talent. Check him out on a recent episode of Song Exploder where he talks about how the song came about. His new album “Half-Light” is quite marvellous and colourful so check that out too.
(3) Why the iPhone camera rocks: “what Apple’s doing is using its software to light a photo as a lighting person might and, more broadly, taking away the complexity of how the fancy cameras you’d typically need to do that stuff work.”
(4) So punk rock: Year Zero is a symposium to mark 40 years since The Clash played in Trinity College which takes place in that august venue on October 21. You’ve got readings, screenings, discussions and the first ever performance in Dublin by legendary Clash associate, DJ and film-maker Don Letts. Another 40th year bash is Punk DIY 40 from Hope Collective to mark the 40 years since the release of the Radiators From Space “TV Tube Heart”. This takes place on October 1 at Dublin’s Grand Social.
(6) Long read of the week: an excerpt from Finn Murphy’s The Long Haul: A Trucker’s Tales of Life On the Road. “I can feel the sweat running down my arms, can feel my hands shaking, can taste the bile rising in my throat from the greasy burger I ate at the Idaho Springs Carl’s Jr. (It was the only place with truck parking.) I’ve got 8.6 miles of 6.7 percent downhill grade ahead of me that has taken more trucks and lives than I care to think about. The road surface is a mix of rain, slush, and (probably) ice. I’m one blown air hose away from oblivion, but I’m not ready to peg out in a ball of flame or take out a family in a four-wheeler coming to the Rocky Mountains to see the sights.”
Culture & Me will see 10 people from various backgrounds talking about the role of arts and culture in their lives and work. It could be a book, a film, an album, a piece of visual art or all of the above: we want to know about the art which turns them on – and why.
The Culture & Me cast is as follows
Paschal Donohoe – Minister for Finance and Public Expenditure
Culture & Me takes place in The Coach House in Dublin Castle between 7 and 9pm. Admission is free and limited tickets can be booked in advance here. Thanks to Rachel Breslin and her team at RTE and Banter producer Jack Gibson for their help with this event.
