Dublin Decoded: Talks, Tours & Treasure Hunts of Dublin

13/12/2024

4 reasons to join the best Art Appreciation talks online - https://mailchi.mp/f7d7c1e006d0/4-reasons-to-join-our-winter-art-talks

09/12/2024

very much looking forward to this talk tomorrow evening, at the Irish Georgian Society HQ on South William Street.

This "Bird's Eye Views" talk is an IGS event, of course (not a Dublin Decoded event)
But I understand there are still tickets available for the online listeners/ viewers.

And even a few available if people wish to attend live, for the in-person talk instead, at the lovely City Assembly House.

In my experience, these talks are always lovely, deeply convivial events.
Join us if you can.

Ticket link in the post below.

05/12/2024

our last two tours of 2024....

tomorrow, FRI 6 Dec (2PM)
"How to Read a Painting"
our much-loved Art tour, teaching you how to recognize Saints, and Symbols, at the National Gallery of Ireland.

WEDNESDAY, 18th Dec (2PM)
Tour of the Dargan Wing: explore Irish, French & Italian painting at the NGI

Info/Tix

Public Walking Tours, Art Tours and other events in November and December, 2024. There are just two remaining

28/11/2024

Here's a very nice tour that I'm leading soon - on Wednesday 11th December- for the Irish Georgian Society (IGS)
although all are very welcome, IGS members and non-members alike.

The Chester Beatty is a collection that many of us know well of course.

But it's a subtly different, and very rewarding experience to visit here with a group, and being invited, through commentary and discussion, to focus on different aspects of this genuinely world-class collection of unique, and exquisite art treasures.

Remaining Tickets on the link below,
or search "Events" on the Irish Georgian Society website.

The tour will meet at 11.20AM, and the tour finishes just before lunchtime.

Please join us if you're free.

You can never visit the Chester Beatty Library too often.

24/11/2024

on Tuesday the 7th of January, we begin the 5th series of our annual, online Art Talks.

It's always a busy but exciting time of year, but I am particularly excited this time around, to be presenting our 8-week course this year on the Art of Rome.

It's a city I was obsessed with as a boy; and that- later in life, after University- I used to live in;
and that in many ways, still lives on in me.

So in a sense these 8 talks - on art, history, archaeology, painting and sculpture - are the product of a 35 year+ love affair!

Accordingly, this will be very much a personal selection of Art Treasures, including both world-famous masterpieces from ancient Renaissance and Baroque Rome,
but also tiny, telling details, tucked in the darker corners, crypts and side chapels of some of the Eternal City's lesser- known Early Christian and medieval churches.

Every talk is available both live and recorded.

For fuller details and ticket options, please visit our usual website dublindecoded.com
then please navigate-
on the menu there - to Winter Art Talks.

If you have family or friends, these talks should also make a wonderful gift.
There is a gifting option, available during the online purchase stage.

Tickets are now live + there is also time-limited Early Bird offer on, right now.

Join us. All are welcome.
And please spread the word if you can.

24/10/2024

two Art visits; plus Academy Dawson St - https://mailchi.mp/cb64d83b7042/two-art-visits-plus-academy-dawson-st

30/09/2024

Learn about Dublin, like never before.

Just 24 hours left to book this series of significant, beautifully-illustrated talks at the wonderful Irish Georgian Society

Online or in-person tickets still available.

The online version is also watchable live or (Hallelujah) recorded!

Either way, these will be epic.
Don't miss them.

24/09/2024

The Irish Georgian Society, in partnership with Dublin city Council's Heritage office, are running a series of 10 brilliant talks,
starting Very soon now: next TUES, the 1st of October.

The talks all deal in different ways, with how Dublin has been depicted through time in different historic sources, ranging from old maps from the 16- and 1700s, to old paintings and engravings, to vintage photography.

I am delighted to be involved.

Speakers overall include Dr Joseph Brady, Paul Ferguson, Dr Orla FitzPatrick, Rob Goodbody, Arran Henderson, Graham Hickey, William Laffan, Professor Colm Lennon, Dr Kathryn Milligan and Dr John Montague.

Topics include everything from the original maps of the Commissioners for Wide and Convenient Streets, to the 1840s OS series, to the legendary prints of Georgian Dublin created by James Malton.

Personally I will be tackling four fascinating 19th century artists - H.W Brewer, James Mahony, John Smith and Daniel Heffernan - who all depicted Dublin from above, in a series of wonderful but very diverse "Bird's- Eye View" images.

The image featured in my picture here) is a small area of detail taken from H.W. Brewer's wonderful "Bird's Eye View of Dublin" created for "the London Graphic" newspaper in 1890.

The whole image is a heady mix of virtuoso draftsmanship, combined with some truly outrageous artistic license!

I'll be discussing all that in more detail on the night.

The talks, starting 6.30PM each early Tuesday evening, can be attended in-person, at the beautiful IGS headquarters on South William Street, or online, whether live, or recorded, or both.

All further details, and the all-important tickets are on the website (the Events Page) of the Irish Georgian Society.

See you there, or online.
But don't miss this wonderful series.

13/09/2024

People who come on our tours might have intuited just how much work we put in to them: research, thinking, planning.

Most of the effort is spent trying to make it look effortless of course!

On a series note though, it's always nice to get a bit recognition or a pat on the back.
(One of my guests bought me lunch yesterday! Although in fairness, it is very rarely i would have time to do that myself :)

This award is a another type of nice feather in our cap. Because it is purely driven by strong reviews on TripAdvisor. (TA)

We don't always remember to ask people to review the tours on TA. I sometimes hate to impose, the grubby real world on people, (just after we have all been happily drinking at the font of culture together)

But we always hugely, hugely appreciate it when people do review the tours.

A small independent firm like mine doesn't really have the money to invest in high SEO visibility and a high search ranking, on Google or whatnot.
So a good ranking on TripAdvisor is one of the few ways we can beat the big boys, and get seen by potential American guests, particularly the more independent types, who like to plan their own travel.

So, if you posted a review, of any of our tours in 2023 or 2024, then I guess all of this is a very long-winded way of saying Thank you.
It mattered.
So thank you.

13/09/2024

This looks like a gorgeous exhibition, in one of our favourite Dublin galleries.

13/09/2024

Would so love to visit Doneraile Court. Can not believe I have never been! Much tougher these days, with the two small crazy kids. Anyhow, (sigh.. ) one day soon!

13/09/2024

yet another wonderful, deeply instructional post, by St. Audoen's Church Visitor Centre I remember when researching our Venice talks year before last, looking into the different types of arches, and learning about the ways masons used their compass and string, to chalk out guide lines on the stone prior to carving. Arches are surprisingly addictive!

09/09/2024

Last chance to book and attend tomorrow's wonderful "How to Read a Painting" tour
at the National Gallery of Ireland,
2PM, this Tuesday 10th Sept !

Join this fun and famous workshop "Dublin Decoded' has run at the National Gallery of Ireland for over 10 years: an enjoyable hour and half of fun that helps you learn many of the symbols and clues that old master artists used to tell stories and to help us identify characters in those stories.

Dates: Tuesday 10th Sept 2PM
or Friday 20th Sept at 2.30PM:
and
please note:
all our tours meet at the old MERRION Square entrance (inside the foyer area please)
(So NOT at the Clare St entrance or anywhere in the Millennium Wing)
Further ticket information: the Friday 20th Sept date is selling out fast,
but if it still has 2-3 spots left (which i think it does) these will be on the website.
There is still much better, very reasonable availability, as I write at least for TOMORROW, Tuesday the 10th Sept.
(Starting at the slightly earlier time of 2PM, Tuesday 10th)

All info, and tickets, on our website dublindecoded.com
Link https://dublindecoded.com/

or there is a direct link to just this tour, via our ticketing system, here...
https://fareharbor.com/embeds/book/dublindecoded/items/197564/?full-items=yes&flow=301832


images: Man Writing a Letter, and Woman Reading a Letter, both by Gabriel Metsu, (detail) Paintings collection of the National Gallery of Ireland. Photos of artworks, and of my tour groups, all ©Arran Henderson.

06/09/2024

absolutely delighted to be taking part in this terrific series of talks - at the Irish Georgian Society - available both in-person and online, alongside a superb, very strong roster of speakers, and I'm also excited to say, speaking on a subject very close to my heart!