13 Cultural Things To Do Online
Ireland is known for its culture. From food and drink to music and The Arts. We’re a beautiful Island with a creative soul. And even when we can’t be there in person to soak in the experience of our favourite cultural things to do, we have the opportunity to be there in a virtual sense. It might not be the same but it’ll help you feel closer to the things that make your heart sing a little louder. And importantly it shows support for your favourite cultural things to do, until our ‘What’s On‘ guides are brimming with live events again. So what are your favourite cultural things to do? Here’s a list of thirteen things you can do.
1. Awaken Your Artist Side
- Learn to Draw Crawford Art Gallery – For children, teens and adults, from colouring downloaded masterpieces to exploring tone values. There are numerous videos to watch, and even groups to join. Visit the Crawford Art Gallery Learn and Explore page here.
- National Gallery at Home Hub – Explore and learn about art, from children’s drawing activities and colouring to podcasts and the National Gallery on Youtube. Discover it all on their site here.
- Learn to Draw with Don Conroy – When it comes to cultural things to do, the gift of art and expression is high on the list. Learning to draw with Don isn’t just for the littles, it’s for not so littles who want to brush up on their drawing skills. It’s for quality time together expressing your artistic skills, or lack of. It’s for fun. Visit Don’s Youtube page here.
- Find your local Artist – An example is Fiona’s Art Classes. These usually take place in person in Terenure, Dublin, but adapting our need for cultural things to do at home, you can now take part in her ‘Draw and Paint along with Fiona Series’ live on Facebook. Find all the details on her website here.
2. Make Music
- Learn to Play Piano with The Piano Academy of Ireland – Yes virtual piano lessons are possible and The Piano Academy of Ireland specialise in them. You can visit their site here to find out more.
- Learn to Play Traditional Irish Music with the Online Academy of Irish Music – You’ll find the OAIM website here. But be sure to check in with their Facebook page where you’ll witness tutorials and trad sessions. The latter of which had musicians come together online from around the world!
3. Learn a Language
- Learn Irish with Conradh na Gaeilge – You might miss out on Irish college this summer but a new Gaeltacht summer course is online to see you through. You can find all the details on the Coláiste na Físe here.
- Learn another Language with LearnLanguages24.com – With 79 languages to choose from, LearnLanguages24 provide lifetime access to all their language courses. They have a 60% discount at the moment and are offering The Life of Stuff readers a 2 for the price of 1 special offer. This means you can either learn two new languages or keep one and gift one. To avail of this simply purchase a course from learnlanguages24.com then send an email to info@learnlanguages24.com mentioning The Life of Stuff and the course, plus the course you would like for free. Easy!
7. Love Literature
- Museum of Literature Ireland’s Lockdown Literature – The Museum of Literature Ireland has a new on-demand section to its popular digital radio station, RadioMoLI. This new feature allows visitors to stream podcasts, lectures, interviews and readings from the Museum’s digital archive.
Authors like Marian Keyes, Mark O’Connell, Anne Enright, Roddy Doyle, Christine Dwyer Hickey as well as leading literary academics and poetry readings. To get your fix visit the MoLI website here and add it to your cultural things to do this summer.
- Join Your Local Library – Just because you can’t be there in person doesn’t mean you can’t become a member. There are a number of things you can do online from ebooks to emagazines! Plus if you check in with your local library on their social pages you’ll find they share lots of cultural things to do at home too. Find your local library here.
11. Get your Film Fix
- Irish and International Films and Documentaries at Home – When it comes to cultural things to do, film is high on the list. A couple of the top places to get your cultural film fix are:
- Irish Film Institute – From films and documentaries to advertisements. The IFI has a wealth of film on Irish history, culture and entertainment. You can access these via their IFI Player here.
- Volta – Offering the best in brand new Irish cinema including recent releases and the best of The Lighthouse Cinema. Visit their video on demand site here.
- ‘1844 Times Projects’ More than a Barbershop – More than a barbershop is an award-winning short documentary that captures a small and special corner of Dublin. Based on the barber shop Abner Brown in Rathmines, the film tells how a passion for music turned a local barbershop into a music scene icon.
Abner Brown has played host to hundreds of acts over the years from Mundy to Michael Stipe. The later a visitor to the last time he was in Dublin. Launched in 2016, the film has showed at 22 film festivals around the world and won numerous awards. Directed by Xandru Fernández Ramírez and Fernando Otero Perandones, More Than A Barbershop is available to watch here on vimeo. Be sure to add this short docufilm to your cultural things to do list.
13. Discover Some New Irish Music
Music is one of the most important cultural things to do, in Ireland, in the world. It brings us together, you can enjoy it anywhere. And musicians in Ireland and around the world are online and awaiting your support. There may not be music festivals or live gigs in the usual sense for some time but we’re adapting. Here are a couple of examples how:
- Live Streaming – Along with purchasing albums and songs online, showing support can be as simple as being part of an online audience through live streaming or videos. Follow on your preferred music site, from Bandcamp to Spotify, or take it a step further and watch your favourite acts perform online via live streams and videos on Facebook, Instagram and Youtube.
- Drive in Gigs – Yes they’ve arrived in Ireland, with the first of the gigs taking place Limerick, Cork, Waterford and Kilkenny. For more information visit liveatthedrivein.ie.
- Discover New Music – And here to help you, have a read of our Listen of Week articles and The Life of Stuff Music Series.
8. Irish Food Culture is Alive – Support Irish Food Producers
Food culture is important and one of my favourite cultural things to do when I travel, but it’s important to start that habit at home. And aren’t we the lucky ones to call Ireland home – we’ve got some of the best quality food in the world!
- Food Shop at Neighbourfood.ie – If you haven’t already started growing your own food, there’s always time. But in the meantime let the professionals guide on on great tasting, seasonal produce, and all from your locality. From cheese, to chicken, fish to flowers – you’ll be well fed and have your home looking pretty in no time! Simply find a market near you, shop online for what you want, pay online and then pick up your purchases from your chosen market. Basically click and collect. Find your market on the Neighbourfood site here.
- Buy Takeaways and Food Boxes from Your Favourite Places – From veg boxes to four course meals, there are even options to get a cocktail or pint delivered to your door. Whatever your fancy, remember that many of your favourite cafés, restaurants, hotels and food producers have adapted. Order online, on the phone, over social pages – then collect or get your favourite dish delivered.
4. Talk about Whiskey
Irish Independent Off-Licences and Wine Stores aren’t just “brick-and-mortar” businesses nowadays, many if not most have their doors open online too. Show support by purchasing from your favourites or discover new ones, they’ll be happy of your support. And always drink responsibly. For something different here are two online offerings:
- Virtual Whiskey Tastings with The Irish Whiskey Museum – The Irish Whiskey Museum now host The Whiskey Lock-In every Friday night from May 29th from 8-9pm. Available to Dublin residents only for the moment. The live premium whiskey tastings will include four carefully curated and ‘delivered to your door’ miniature whiskeys. So not only are you supporting the Irish Whiskey Museum, an Irish owned company, but you’re also given the chance to learn more about whiskey, and have a bit of craic! Sure there’s a number of very cultural things to do. To book visit their website here.
5. Irish Craft Beers – Support Your Local Brewery
We continually show our support of the Irish Drinks Industry here on The Life of Stuff – from beers to spirits, you’ll find plenty of inspiration on Patrick’s Bevvy of the Week page. Many Independent Irish breweries have adapted to an online way of life and have made their beers available to browse and purchase online. Be sure to check in with them individually, keep an eye out for their brews at your local Off-Licence. Or use the following services:
- The Beer Club – an online craft and specialty beer store, stocking over 400 beers from Ireland and around the world. They also specialise in craft beer hampers! You can visit their The Beer Club site here.
- Beer Cloud – giving you the opportunity to support local breweries. You can shop direct from the Beer Cloud site here.
6. Look into The Universe
- Invisible Exhibition Online at Science Gallery Dublin – Science Gallery Dublin is a special place that delves into science and art, hosting some of the most interesting exhibitions and discussing the hottest topics when it comes to world we live in and those who live in it.
The Invisible Exhibition explores the universe around us. How much we know and how little. And the roles of science, art and philosophy ‘in imagining the unseen and questioning the invisible‘. You might not be at the exhibition in person but you can delve into black holes, and dark matter by means of video on the Science Gallery site here.
9. Take a Virtual Tour
- I could list about 30 different virtual tours around Ireland of places that are very much cultural things to do in real life. And perhaps I will one day but for now here are seven to get you started. Keep an eye out for Bród or perhaps it’s Síoda …
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- Ollie’s Tours of Ennis – olliestours.com
- Colleen Joyce Tours of Galway – colleenirishtravel.com
- Epic Museum Dublin Virtual Tour – dublin.epicchq.com
- National Gallery of Ireland Virtual Tour – nationalgallery.ie
- Natural History Museum 3D Virtual Visit – museum.ie
- Cliffs of Moher Virtual Tour – cliffsofmoher.ie
- Áras an Uachtaráin – president.ie
10. Celebrate Bloomsday before and on June 16th
- If one of your cultural things to do this year was to read Ulysses and celebrate Bloomsday by visiting some of its historic Dublin landmarks, then all I can say is, let’s do it next year. But in the meantime Bloomsday Festival has you covered for your James Joyce fix.
- Online readings organised by the volunteers at Sweny’s Pharmacy. Check.
- Listening to Ulysses read aloud. Check.
- Well-known Joyce experts and fans giving intros to chapters of Ulysses. Check.
- Readings & Song event hosted by Senator David Norris on June 16th. Check.
- Blooms & Barnacles Podcast on all things Joyce and Ulysses. Check.
Visit bloomsdayfestival.ie for more information.
12. Enjoy an Arts Festival at Home
- Carlow Arts Festival Presents ‘Slices’ – Looking for some cultural things to do over the next few months then look to the Carlow Arts Festival special online and digital ‘Festival Edition’. Sliced into seven, the festival will celebrate the festival from May to the end of the summer.
SLICE #1 – TechCity Connect can be listened by means of a podcast. Slice #2 will be an hour long performance in Circus, Opera, New writing, Dance, Comedy, Theatre and Music. It takes place on June 6th at 8pm and can be live streamed on Youtube and Facebook. Slice #3 through to Slice #7 will include an interactive experience, virtual reality cinema, online artworks and live performances. For more information visit carlowartsfestival.com.
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