Tag Archives: Dublin CIty Council

Opera in Merrion Square Park in June

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As part of its on-going success in outdoor opera, Dublin City Council is introducing a new series of operatic performances for the month of June in Merrion Square Park.  ‘Opera in the Park’ will showcase 4 fantastic concerts, with performances taking  place  at 1:00 pm each Friday in June starting on the 7 June 2013 with La Bohéme. On Friday 21 June the performance will take place at 8:00 pm to celebrate Midsummer.

‘Opera in the Park’ is an initiative of Dublin City Council as part of its remit to animate the city with the best of art and culture.  These performances are also supported by Failte Ireland to promote the cultural interests in this part of Georgian Dublin to visitors.

 

Speaking on the performances, Ray Yeates, Arts Officer with Dublin City Council said “Dublin City Council’s Opera in the Open performances over the last few years have become a fixture in the Dublin’s cultural calendar   This year, throughout the month of June we are proud to announce a new series of ‘Opera in the Park’ performances in Merrion Square featuring three lunch time concerts and one evening concert focusing on Midsummer.  Our usual annual ‘Opera in the Open’ will of course return for the month of August.   All Welcome!.”

 

Admission is free and booking is not necessary.

 

For full program details see: http://bit.ly/11rmGKJ

 

Details correct at time of print, programme subject to change.

Save Water in Dublin this weekend

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Nightly Water Restrictions to apply to all areas of Dublin City this Weekend

Dublin City Council is urging consumers all over the City to conserve water this weekend, to restore levels in the treated water reservoirs to normal. Nightly restrictions will be put in place from 10.00pm to 7am or 9.00am each night, from Thursday 28 March to Tuesday 2 April 2013. This will assist the council in replenishing treated drinking water levels to a normal level. A review of levels will be conducted again on Tuesday next, to determine if the reservoirs are full enough to allow the restrictions to be lifted.

The reason for the restrictions is twofold. Water demand is currently running at a higher than average due to the unseasonably cold weather which has caused an increase in leakage. The council’s crews are repairing any breaks to the public mains as they arise. To help them in this regard they are asking people to report any location where they see water rising or running over the ground.

They can do so by using the Emergency Telephone Number 01-6796186 outside office hours. Coupled with the cold weather, a minor production issue at the Roundwood Water Treatment Plant has also caused a reduction in supply, further reducing water levels. It should be stressed that there is no problem with the quality of treated drinking water or with storage levels of untreated/raw water.

In an effort to maintain storage at a sustainable level, the council is asking consumers to help us in restoring adequate water supplies by restricting their use of water as much as possible. They are asking people to visit www.taptips.ie for easy water saving tips. They will be reducing pressures throughout the system over the weekend in order to conserve supplies.

The council say:-“While we will make every effort possible to maintain pressures during peak demand periods, but pressures will be reduced during the times indicated above. This will result in lower pressuresand in some cases possible loss of supply. People may notice reductions in pressure or loss of supply throughout the entire city.

Dublin City Council apologises for any inconvenience caused by these restrictions and will do everything possible to minimise their scale and duration. We are asking consumers bear with us while we work to restore the water supply to normal.

Water is precious. Let’s conserve it.”

Architectural awards for the city council

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Dublin City Council Claims International Accolades in Architecture and Design

Dublin City Council has received two major accolades at the highly prestigious 2013 Annual Awards of the U.K. Civic Trust, at a recent award ceremony in Cardiff.

McKee Court, Blackhorse Avenue, a Senior Citizens complex of 38 apartments and a community room received an award in the International Projects category. The award jury said, “the scheme is a positive development in this part of Dublin and ensures that there is a mix of age groups within the area, whilst giving the residents the security of their own community”. The scheme, designed by the Council’s City Architects Division was among two others awarded in this category; the Arts Campus at Umea University, Sweden and the urban space at Superkilen, Copenhagen.

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Sean Treacy House, Buckingham Street, a Regeneration Project designed by Paul Keogh Architects, received a commendation in that category also. The scheme consists of 53 apartments, duplexes and a community room. The award jury particularly noted the success of the scheme’s street façade, and its use of materials and colour to create a sense of unity with the adjoining Georgian terrace. Only one other scheme received a commendation in this category, a student residence in Paris.

Dublin City Architect Ali Grehan said, “We are delighted to be honoured in such distinguished company. It is wonderful that an international jury recognises the importance of designing high quality social housing for families and the elderly”.

McKee Court and Sean Treacy House were both funded by the Department of Environment, Community and Local Government.

Other projects along with the Dublin City Councils schemes to receive awards were the Peace Bridge Northern Ireland (National Panel special award), and the London 2012 Olympic Velodrome.

Photo Credits:

McKee Park- Donal Murphy Photography

Sean Treacy House-Peter Cook Photography

Dublin has free wifi!

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The Lord Mayor of Dublin, Naoise Ó Muirí is launching Dublin Free WiFi today at 11am at Barnardo’s Square, Dublin 2 (beside City Hall Dame Street). This new service will offer both Dubliners and visitors to the city access to free WiFi, 24/7, at key locations around the city. The rollout of free public WiFi contributes to the Digital infrastructure in the city.

Uniquely the WiFi hotspots will be identified by wall mosaics which will feature “digidub” characters, modern and historical. Fourteen different characters will be rolled out , with a Viking, a street cleaner, a tourist, a rockabilly girl and pyjama girl being visible on 31st January.  These signs are a fun and attractive way to advertise the city’s WiFi hotspots and Dubliners will be invited to suggest additional characters.

“Our future economic success, our ability to attract talent and investment and our competitive branding internationally means we have to use and apply digital technologies now.  I am delighted to be here today to launch Dublin Free WiFi. This project is one of the milestones that will deliver on our Digital Dublin Initiative. By June of this year Dublin will have a Digital Masterplan.   The aim of the plan is to develop Dublin as a world centre of digital excellence” said the Lord Mayor of Dublin.                                                 

In launching Dublin Free WiFi the Lord Mayor has thrown down a challenge. “I am asking Dubliners to identify and suggest different uses which can be made of the availability of free wifi in terms of developing services, encouraging people connecting, and making the city more attractive.”

To mark the launch the public is invited to take part in Dublin Free WiFi Day from 11am to 5pm, at Barnardo’s Square.

Free WiFi is an initiative of Dublin City Council. It is provided, at no cost to the Council, by  Gowex, a Spanish company that has provided similar services globally.

The service is free and provides a download speed of 512Kbps and an upload speed of 128Kbps. Users also have the option to purchase a higher download speed of up to 6 Mbps if required. Once registered, the user will have access to all Dublin city hotspots and other Gowex networks in cities like Madrid, Barcelona, Seville, Malaga, Paris and Buenos Aires. To celebrate the launch of this initiative, Dublin Free WiFi will be upgraded from 512Kbps to 1Mbps for 2 months from today.

“We are very proud to be working in Dublin alongside the City Council to offer free WiFi to all Dubliners and to all visitors. We think that Dublin is the European technological capital and having free WiFi in its streets will be a new attractive aspect for the City” said Jenaro García, CEO at Gowex. Thanks to this WiFi service, Dublin City Council is laying the foundations for the deployment of a Wireless Smart City, providing infrastructure for the future delivery of smart municipal services.

From Thursday the service will be available at the Civic Offices Amphitheatre, Wood Quay, St Patrick’s Park and Barnardo’s Square. The service will be rolled out over the coming weeks to other key city centre locations including Smithfield Square, Grafton Street, Henry Street, O’Connell Street and Temple Bar Square.

You can view the full set of “digidub” characters and find out where you can go digital at www.dublingowexfreewifi.ie

St Clare’s win The Dublin City Neighbourhoods School Awards 2012

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St. Clare’s Primary School, Harold’s Cross, are the proud winners of The Dublin City Neighbourhoods School Awards 2012 for their effort in striving to promote a green environment and healthy lifestyle.

The Lord Mayor Naoise Ó Muirí presented the award to St. Clare’s at the Mansion House, Dublin, this morning.

Primary and Secondary Schools around Dublin were invited to enter this competition and are judged on various environmental elements. From waste management initiatives and water conservation efforts, to the landscaping of their school grounds and absence of litter and graffiti. All efforts to work towards a greener environment are taken into consideration.

The pupils and staff of St. Clare’s Primary School actively reduced the cost energy in their school over the past 3 years from €22,000 to €17,000. The Green Energy Guzzler of the Sustainable Energy Authority of Ireland (SEAI) was so impressed with the efforts of the school that St. Clare’s were chosen to make a promotional DVD on reducing energy in schools. This DVD is currently being rolled out to all schools in Ireland.

The Lord Mayor said:- “Congratulations to the pupils and teachers of St. Clare’s Primary School on their win in the Dublin City Neighbourhood Schools Awards 2012. A reduction of €5,000 in energy costs over 3 years is really impressive.  They have participated in the City Neighbourhoods Awards, Green Flag Award and Green Home Programme with great enthusiasm and have been rewarded for thinking globally and acting locally!”

St. Clare’s Primary School is a Green school and has achieved all seven green flags receiving their first European Green Flag in 2001. They are currently striving to obtain the Active School Award.