9/11 EXHIBITION COMES TO DUBLIN'S RDS

Irish audiences are in for a real treat this September with the arrival of Nicola McClean's Ground Zero 360 Exhibition to the RDS.
The 11th of September 2001 will always be remembered as the day that two jet liners crashed into the World Trade Centre in New York. The world was reviled, shocked, distraught and then enthralled by the heroism of the people of New York.
American based photographer McClean responded in the only way she knew how; she picked up her camera and took to the streets to try and capture the confusion and panic that surrounded her.
This September Irish audiences will get the opportunity to get a first hand account of the day that literally shook the world.
Through harrowing visuals, chilling audio clips and a unique panoramic installation, Ground Zero 360° invites you to step into the past and feel what eight million New Yorkers were feeling in the days that followed the attacks. The spectator will be able to discover, through Nicola’s eyes, the startling aftermath of one of the most tragic events in American history – seeing what she saw, hearing the stories she heard and meeting the people she met, particularly the heroic men and women of the New York City Emergency Services.
The city of New York continues to evolve and change, but the memory of those extraordinary days and weeks will always remain with us. Ground Zero 360° allows the onlooker to experience the enduring events of September 11th and celebrate the tremendous courage and dignity of a nation under fire.
The show runs in the RDS in Dublin 4 from the 1st of September through to the 30th...and it is free to the public.
Don't miss this opportunity to see one of the most stunning exhibitions likely to visit Dublin for some time.

BT YOUNG SCIENTIST COMPETITION EXHIBITION

This week sees the return of the BT Young Scientist and Techology Exhibition to the RDS from the 12th to the 15th of January.

The exhibition, in it's 47th year, is the final stage of a nationwide science competition which is open to all second level students both north and south of the border.

The first competition was held in 1965 in the Round Room of the Mansion House in Dublin and attracted 230 entries. The first ever winner, John Monaghan, has recently retired as Chief Executive Officer of Avigen, a US Biotech company. The success of the first year was such that the exhibition moved to the much larger venue of the RDS in year two and it has remained there ever since.

Students pick from four Project Categories including Social Behavioral Science and Technology. The winner of the competition goes on to represent Ireland in a European competition, which was won by Donal Keane from Abbey Grammer School, Newry, in 1993.

The competition can act as springboard to much greater things for the participants. Indeed Patrick Collinson from Castletroy College, Limerick, who won for his Croma - "A New Dialect of Lisp" in 2005 went on to study in MIT Boston and founded a company called Auctomatic which was subsequently sold for $5 million.

Entries into this year's BT Young Scientist and Technology Exhibition include "Ultraviolet Perception of Colours by Birds" by St Aloysius College, Cork; "Can fuel tax replace road tax" by Mary Immaculate Secondary School, Lisdoonvarna, Co Clare and "A walking aid for the visually impaired" by Abbey Christian Brothers School, Co Down.

Richard O’Shea, 18 year old sixth year student from Scoil Mhuire Gan Smal, Blarney, Co Cork was the winner of the BT Young Scientist & Technology Exhibition 2010 with his project entitled, “A biomass fired cooking stove for developing countries”.

See listed below all the awards that will be made at the BT Young Scientist & Technology Exhibition 2011:
BT Young Scientist(s) of the Year 2011 Individual or Group
• BT Young Scientist(s) of the Year Trophy (perpetual).
• Cheque for €5,000 / £4,500.
• The chance to represent Ireland at the European Union Contest for Young Scientists.
Best Individual or Best Group.
• BT Trophy (perpetual).
• Cheque for €2,400 / £2,160.
Runner-up Individual and Runners-up Group
• BT Trophy (perpetual).
• Cheque for €1,200 / £1,080.

Special rates available at the Grand Canal Hotel are as follows:

Single Room €59.00 incl. Full Irish Breakfast
Twin Room €72.00 incl. Full Irish Breakfast
Triple Room €99.00 incl. Full Irish Breakfast.

Contact 01-6461000 to book.

Good luck to everyone involved.

DM.

THE RDS

The RDS is one of Dublin's most iconic venues and home to the majority of the large exhibitions which take place in Ireland each year...not to mention the fantastic Failte Ireland Horse Show.
So we've (after coming across some leaflets on the venue) decided to fill you all in on a bit of history on the old venue.
A Short History of the RDS:

IN 1713 fourteen Irishmen came together in Dublin united by a common aim - to improve the poor economic conditions of the country by promoting agriculture, arts, industry and science in Ireland. This objective, they believed, could be achieved by dissemination of knowledge and new ideas.
The Society draws its strength from its independence from impartiality; it relies on its own resources to fund its activities, and on the voluntary input and support of its Members who give their time and expertise to serve on its Council and Comittees.

Some Major Milestones;
In 1750 the Dublin Society set up and managed its own Drawing School. In 1877 this was transferred to government and became the Metropolitan School of Art and Design, later the National College of Art and Design.

The Veterinary College was opened by the Society in 1800 and remained the only body engaged in veterinary education in Ireland until 1895.

From 1815 until 1922 the Society was based in Leinster House, now the home of the Oireachtas, the Irish Parliament. The Society sold its Headquarter to the new Irish government in 1922 and the RDS Lecture Theatre is now the Dáil Chamber.

While based in Leinster House, the SOciety built an art school in 1827 and the Natural History Museum in 1856.

The first Horse Show was held in 1868 on Leinster Lawn, it was moved to the Society's new Showgrounds in Ballsbridge in 1881.

The term "electron" was introduced to the English language in an article published in the Transactions of the Royal Dublin Society, written in 1891 by George Johnstone Stoney (1826-1911), the first recipient of the Society's Boyle Medal.

In 1914 the RDS purchased a stock of radium bromide for medical research purposes and later established the Radium Institute. The Institute was active in treatment of cancer for 38 years; the radium was then transfered to the new Cancer Association of Ireland, now known as St Luke's Hospital.

As early as 1882 the Society accepted a few small commercial bookings from respectable outside bodies.

The commercial arm of the RDS developed from these shows. This now contributes to the funding the Foundation aims in agriculture, arts, science and industry. The Society is therefore largely independent of external funding for its work.

Leinster play Racing Metro in the RDS on Saturday at 1.30. Tickets still available.
The Pregnancy and Baby Fair takes place on the 9th and 10th of October.
The Over 50's Show takes place in the RDS on October 12th - 14th.

WEDDING FAIR COMES TO TOWN

The Wedding and Honeymoon Show kick off in the RDS this weekend September 4th and 5th.

Now we at the Grand Canal Hotel know as well as anyone else that it is a very tough time financially for everybody but it is hard to stand in the way of love and believe it or not people are still getting married.

We should know. The hotel recently completed a refurbishment of the Epic Restaurant with hosting weddings as the main concept. This and the fact that we are located just a short stroll from the Registry Office in Dublin 2 means that things have been rather busy for us on the wedding front.

Budget is a big concern for people these days. We have taken this on board and now offer a range of options from just €20 per head right up to the more expensive options.

So while it is easy for us to gauge the health of weddings these days due to the fact that we are a popular venue...don't take our word for it. The Wedding and Honeymoon Show regularly attracts 10s of thousands of people to the RDS and they are not expecting this year to be any different.

Everything is covered on the day from florists, bands, cakes, planners and even salsa dancing while it will be possible to quench your thirst on a cocktail...if it takes your fancy. So why not park up in the Grand Canal Hotel, have a bit of lunch and then stoll down (takes 10 minutes) to the RDS and see if anything can help you on the road to your big day.

Check out our website for information on weddings or give us a shout on 01-6461000. It would be our pleasure to give you a show around.

DUBLIN HORSE SHOW

Dublin Horse Show, RDS, 04 August 2010 - 08 August 2010

Apparently Irish people are horsey mad!!! We'll in August we certainly go wild for the horses especially as The Failte Dublin Horse Show kicks off.

From August 4-8 the Dublin Horse Show takes over the entire RDS complex in the heart of Dublin. This year they are celebrating 137 years of the Dublin Horse Show, Ireland’s top equestrian event, which offers a great day out for horse enthusiasts and families alike.

Highlights of the Show include, the drama of the Land Rover Puissance featuring the famous ‘Wall’, the Longines International Grand Prix, the Aga Khan Challenge Trophy, the Longines Press Award for Elegance and over 100 national showing and show jumping classes.

Experience live music, visit the ultimate kids’ and nature zones, marvel at the fashion of Blossom Hill Ladies’ Day, wander through the art and crafts exhibition, and shop at over 300 trade stands! Join us at the RDS this August… there is something for everyone! Tickets for the 2010 Dublin Horse Show are on sale now!

Click here for the full programme of events.

BUSY COUPLE OF WEEKS AHEAD

Hello all!!! Just thought we'd give you an update on what is going on around the country over the next couple of weeks...and it is a busy time with the opening of the Aviva Stadium being the stand out event for us at the Grand Canal Hotel.

After four years of waiting, the 31st of July sees the first game take place at the 50,000 seater stadium. A litttle bridie informed us that the Aviva Stadium is the most modern of its kind in the world. A third generation stadium we believe it is called. The opening match might only be a dry run for bigger days but for €10 it is possible to be one of the first in through the turnstiles. Ulster/Leinster play Munster/Connacht on July 31st.

It's only taken almost 4 years since Derry City beat St Patrick's Athletic in the final game played at the old stadium...and we felt every second. Rugby and Soccer left us for that period, plying their trade across the city in the impressive Croke Park. As much as we loved visiting the Croker we are delighted to see the sports return to their official home. The first games kicks off this Saturday. As we said it may only be a clash of potential young stars but at €10 entry it is well worth the visit...sure a tour of the Aviva Stadium would cost nearly the same. The game kicks off at 2.30 on Saturday July 31st. The Grand Canal Hotel are offering overnight packages with ticket, dinner and breakfast for just €89pps.

For music fans, Rod Steward returns to Dublin for the second time this year when he takes to The O2 on the 31st of July. We are a bit partial to "Wake Up Maggie" Scottish star who obviously shares our love for Dublin considering the amount of times he performs in the capital. The Grand Canal Hotel are offering pre-show meal, return O2 shuttle, night's accommodation and full Irish Breakfast for just €79pps. Rod plays The O2 this Saturday.

We have to admit that we've never been huge fans of heavy metal but we can appreciate that there is a market for it. The big indicator for us is the amount of people booked on our O2 Package for this Friday's Iron Maiden show in The O2. Forgive our ignorance on the genre but apparently these lads have sold over 12 million albums...not to be sniffed at.

We have to give a mention to legendary Dublin soccer club Shamrock Rovers who welcome the mighty Juventus to their Tallaght Stadium this Thursday for their Europa League clash. History, budgets, bookies and pundits may all point towards a handy victory for the Italian giants but we at the Grand Canal Hotel are going to take a romantic view and dream for a Rovers victory. The game has already sold out but you can see it on RTE 2, kick off 7.45pm.

Gaze - Dublin Lesbian and Gay Festival kicks off this Friday for a five day cinematic showcase of Irish and international. The Lesbian and Gay Film Festival offers an exciting programme, packed with premiers, new independent features, documentaries, shorts award winners and experimental films over the August bank holiday weekend.

It may not be kicking off for another week but the ultra popular Failte Ireland Horse Show takes place from the 4th - the 8th of August in the nearby RDS. The Dublin Horse Show is a Dublin Institution. A celebration of Ireland's affinity with the horse, from the best show horses to the best international show jumpers. It is one of Ireland's largest events, a highlight of the summer, each year welcoming close to 80,000 people from Ireland and all over the world. The Grand Canal Hotel are offering 2 day packages including dinner and breakfast from just €189pps. Check out www.grandcanalhotel.com.

And finally, the Grand Canal Theatre have announced that the Westend musical Scrooge is coming to Dublin for Christmas. Now not too long ago the guys at the Theatre put a poll out to their Facebook fans wondering what show they would like to see play at the venue. Well we punted for Scrooge...so it looks like our wish has come through. And of course we are going to be offering packages to the show. Keep an eye on www.grandcanalhotel.com for details. The show will run from December 7th - January 2nd.

So there it is. I'm sure we missed out on one or two events but this at least gives you a taster of what is going on.