First day at New Internship

So after the disaster that was my first internship I got myself a position at the Icon Factory. This place is awesome! They did a project in Temple Bar on the Lanes to promote art and irish cultural icons. Now the factory gives free exhibition space in exchange for design of an icon that is sold on bags, mugs, and shirts, prints and originals that goes to keep the lanes clean and pay for the space.

The concept is amazing and there is a lot for me to do. I have 4 or 5 projects to work on, Aga my boss and the manager of the project and Factory is so nice and flexible and open to my ideas. I know that I will look forward to working with her for my remaining 6 weeks here in Ireland!

Its a really small space but we might be expanding while I am here into the next space over so that would be exciting. I am also getting to know about grant writing and helping to create a form that can be submitted each time for many grants not having to do it over and over each time.

This is the front of the gallery. Very small but it gets a facelift every so often from artists so it changes.  Here are some of the artists I met today standing out in front.

So this is the inside, right now we don't have a show up so its mostly stuff for sale but we did leave a lot of the last show up it was all pen paper drawings that a writer had done while working on his book. Its all very neat and everything has some text to go accompany the drawing. I'm really looking forward to helping with additional shows and for helping set up the competition. 

I suppose the place before was a learning experience of what not to do and to not be afraid to say that something is wrong. I hope the Icon Factory continues to be so awesome!

PS I totally wore my chaco's to work and they were epic! Still getting used to them a bit but my feet over all were far les sore than before!

cheers!

Awesome Weekend in Dublin Part 3

 Sunday was a lazy wake up day. Slept in a little and then got ready to go shopping. Not much is open early so there was no need to hurry. We were kinda on a mission for Chaco's. These babies cost 100 bucks in the states and TK Maxx the same thing as TJ Maxx in the states had a few pairs. Two stores later and about an hour or strap adjusting we both (Jessie and I) had pink ones! Heres are multi strap with a toe loop mine are the Z1 with no toe thing. After this ordeal was a lunch in the mall then a 30ish walk north to Croke Park for the Semi Finals of Hurling. It was two games the first Kildare vs Meath.

Kildare were in green and yellow and they were kicking Meaths butts!

Took a bit to figure out how to follow the game and while not sure on the rules it was super fun to watch! Meath kept making tons of substitutions!  No surprise but the winner of this match was Kildare!

Next was Dublin V Wexford. We had a nice song and the National Anthem with the Marching Band. No marching really more band playing center field.

We had AMAZING seats in the lowest level and only about 18 rows up from the field and pretty much center.

Dublin were the blue and light blue while wexford were purple and yellow. 

They packed it in and there was tons of BLUE in the stands!

 

Lastly as shot on the way out of Croke Park! It was quite an adventure and Dublin won! 

Awesome Weekend in Dublin Part 2

So next on saturday we made the long journey to the Kilmainham Gaol. Its the old prison that housed many during the famine and then man people during the the many conflicts for Irish independence on all sides. It took us a bit of a ride on the tram ie the Luas red line to get there and then a walk north via a really residential area that was adorable!

This is the register for the prisoners many were children too. The youngest 5 years old. The infractions ranged from theft to murder, all genders and ages. This was in the museum attached to the Gaol. We had plenty of time to look as you have to take a guided tour and they can fill up fast!

The many locks and the main gate key.

Mug shot camera for record keeping and recording of features. 

a loo down at some of the oldest cells.

These are the some of the more famous cells including the leaders of the rebellion for Independence. Also very old.

Keyhole pick to the inside of a locked cell. This part of the gaol is old and the floors of the cells rotting so we could not go in.

This is the newer wing of the prison where less guards were required to watch many cells.

This guy was our guide and he did a bang up job of clarifying the complicated history up.

me in one of the open cells. Many movies have been shot here.

The yard where prisoners would get exercise by walking in a circle with heads down. The children also had their own yard.  

The door to the outside. Some prisoners did make it out this door by using a smuggled bolt cutters.

The front of the gaol. Hard to see but there are two filled in holes, These used to have wooden beams in them and were for hanging.

This tour was really cool! At the end we got back on the Luas and headed to a gallery opening where a coworker and my new boss would have work up. It was at the White Lady. The place was awesome!

The stuff was very trippy and all of it well done. The two pieces that are small and under two other pieces are my friends.

They had awesome drinks for free or donation for a euro... We donated cause hey cheapest drinks in town! also super yummy cider from sweden! also very alcoholic! 

Drinking meant a trip or two to the lou.. also covered in great stuff. I love the saying "Drop your knickers and put up your stickers!"

So with drinking came the need for dinner! We ate at The Brazen head ie the oldest pub in Dublin. I had the beef and Guinness Stew. It was so good! A bit pricy at 13.50 euro but good.

We took pictures outside the pub after eating and then walked home. It was still pretty early but it was a long day of fun. Also we planed shopping and a sports event on sunday so sleep was in order. 

Stay tuned for sundays trip to the Hurling matches! 

Awesome Weekend in Dublin! Part 1

So this weekend was epic! I did the Book of Kells at Trinity College and looked around the campus and the old library! It was so pretty! The book was amazing! I took tons of pictures below are just a small fraction of it.

Main Gate of Trinity College

Walking on to the college...

The amazing green and arch stay off the grass here!

I went on saturday and go there nearly 30 min before opening at 9:30am I got in line around  9:15 and this was the line!

The library was amazing! No pictures in the actual room with the Book of Kells but the Library was allowed for photos.

Me out ide the gates waiting for Jessie to come so we could do stuff together!

Next Jessie met me and we went for tea and scones! The Queen of Tarts is so good. I got a chocolate scone and some yummy tea with cream and brown sugar! 

Me outside with what would become a useless umbrella! The rain was gone by the time Jessie got to me.

 So off to Dublin Castle! Actually it was across the street from this place.

Inside the courtyard

indside

Beautiful tapestries 

Detail... they were in such good condition!

The wonderful archways 

Throne...

The only original tower left and attached to it is the chapel.

Chapel entrance 

Amazing inside of chapel

pretty stained glass

just amazing insides!

The best part of the Dublin Castle was getting to go underground to see the excavation of one of the towers and the remaining walls to the city and castle.

Powder Tower 

This would have been a back entrance on the mote where goods would have been moved into the castle

part of the walls left over

After the Castle we walked around and found an amazing exhibit of Chihuly blown glass made for Dublin using James Joyce Characters..

This is not by Chihuly but by his friend and is a watercolor... they had several and all were so well done.

Next to the Castle and across the courtyard from this was the Chester Beatty Library. No pictures were allowed of the work but we did get some of the building and of Beatty himself...

This last pictures was of the back of Dublin Castle and from the top of the Beatty Library. It just made for such a good view.

Come back for parts 2 and 3 soon!