Old City New Dreams

This will be worth attending…. I was at a previous year’s. Interesting new venue too, should allow for many more than Ron Blacks.

Old City, New Dreams 2007

Each year we produce a week of debates, lectures and performances, loosely themed around life in the city.

It’s an opportunity for our readers to meet some of the more entertaining and original thinkers in the land… and it’s all completely free.

This year, Old City, New Dreams – which is sponsored by Dundrum Town Centre, with support from BT Ireland and Diageo – is being held in the Mill Theatre, Dundrum Town Centre, from June 25-29.

Each event lasts about an hour, and there is a free Smirnoff cocktail reception between 8 and 9pm each evening. You are welcome to come to the reception before or after the event you are coming to see.

Monday June 25

7pm Are Dublin’s Best Days Over?

A town-hall style debate on the impact of change in Dublin over the last 30 years, and the possible effect of future developments. Speakers include Senator David Norris, writer Mannix Flynn, DCU president Ferdinand Von Prondzynski and the Independent’s Ian O’Doherty.

9pm Behind the Seams

High end versus high street? The end of haute couture? Fashion designers in the home… And what is Boho Luxe? Robert O’Byrne moderates an insider’s guide to the world of fashion, with speakers including designer Helen James and stylist Helen Cody.

Tuesday June 26

7pm Models Bite!

A panel discussion – moderated by PJ Gibbons, Editor of Social and Personal – on the life and times of the Irish Model, featuring Derek Daniels, Katie French and Glenda Gilson. A rare and fascinating opportunity for the public to meet the women who have launched a thousand brands.

9pm Ross O’Carroll Kelly’s Guide to South Dublin

An exclusive audience with the creator of Ross O’Carroll Kelly, to celebrate the launch of his brilliant new guide to South Dublin.

Wednesday June 27

7pm Old City, New Dreams: The Main Event
We invite luminaries from many different walks of life to present their own radical solutions for improving the Quality of Life in Dublin. Following on from our successful cover story on the subject of ‘How to Save Dublin’, this event pits the public against the self-styled experts – including the Daily Mail’s Paul Drury, Irish Times columnist Roisin Ingle, world music DJ and promoter Gerry Godley and Dundrum’s very own Don Nugent – in a bid to find some consensus on the challenges facing the city. Knockout format in which the audience eliminates the least popular proposals as the evening goes on.

9pm Nuclear Power is the only way to go

Join a host of heavyweight industry figures in an explosive debate about the future of Ireland’s energy supply: can we afford to ignore nuclear energy? Or is it just too dangerous to contemplate? Participants include Davie Phillip of Temple Bar’s Cultivate Centre and the editor of Business and Finance, Constantin Gurdgiev.

Thursday June 28

7pm There is no such thing as Irish cooking
A panel discussion, chaired by Trevor White, on Ireland’s so-called culinary heritage. Speakers include Ernie Whalley, ex-editor of Food and Wine, Helen Lucy Burke and Eoin Higgins of the Sunday Tribune.

9pm The Best of Irish Comedy

David McSavage is the only comedian in Dublin who can start busking on a street corner, insult everyone who passes by, and still get an adoring crowd of 150 clapping along, before he has finished his first song. Following his sell-out gigs in Vicar Street, McSavage heads the bill, with support from Pauline Curtin (Funny Women, 2006/2007) and George Fox (Winner, Battle of the Axe 2007). Join MC Abie Philbin Bowman, fresh from performing Jesus: The Guantanamo Years in the West End.