For anyone who took advantage of the plethora of events that took place on Culture Night on 21st September and are wondering why things like that don’t happen more often, we have good news.
Culture Night was started by the Temple Bar Cultural Trust in 2006 and grew from the idea that people perhaps weren’t aware of how many exciting and interesting places and venues might be located close to them.
Set up in 1991, the Temple Bar Cultural Trust is a not-for-profit organisation which strives to bring the best in local culture to the attention of the masses.
Culture Night is their yearly showpiece, shining a light across the country and enticing people out of their homes and offices to experience what it is they might be missing about their area.
From free concerts to gallery showings, church events, historic houses, artist’s studios and cultural centres, the entire Culture Night programme goes from strength to strength with each passing year. But that’s not where it stops.
“Culture Night is one night of the year, but the message is that these venues and spaces are there all year round and we hope that we encourage people to take advantage of them regularly,” Lorraine Maye of the Temple Bar Cultural Trust told NewsFour.
“We’ve had other events grow out of Culture Night and that’s really what we hoped for in the beginning; that it would grow and expand in other areas. We now have a regular event called First Thursdays where on the first Thursday of every month venues and galleries around Dublin stay open late so people who wouldn’t normally get the time to experience these places get the chance.”
With initiatives such as the No Grants Gallery (where artists at any stage of their career can find space to display their work) and accessible programmes for both young and old in The Ark, Temple Bar Cultural Trust endeavour to provide something for everyone.
More info can be found at: www.templebar.ie
By Joe McKenna
