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Adult Learners’ Festival 2026 at TOG: Spring Into Learning (Tuesday 3 March)

For Adult Learners’ Festival 2026 (2–6 March), TOG is turning our normal Tuesday Open Night on 3rd March into a festival-friendly, drop-in evening as part of #SpringIntoLearning #ALF26.

When

Tuesday 3rd March, 7:00 pm – 9:30 pm
Free, no booking required — just drop in.

What’s happening?

A relaxed, welcoming intro to the hackerspace:

  • Pop in for a tour and a chat
  • See what members are building, fixing, or learning
  • Bring a question or a small project and we’ll help you figure out next steps

TOG as informal adult education

TOG is a great place for learning by doing. Across our group nights and workshops, you’ll find people picking up practical skills like:

  • Electronics (soldering, debugging, sensors)
  • Making and fabrication (3D printing, laser cutting, prototyping)
  • Repair and reuse (fixing everyday items, sharing tools and know-how)
  • Radio and comms projects (antennas, digital modes, getting started)

More festival events

See what else is on during the festival: https://www.adultlearnersfestival.ie/events/

Come along on Tuesday 3rd March and Spring Into Learning with us.

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Repair Cafe for Trinity’s Green Week!

We’re teaming up with Unit 18 (Trinity in the Community) to run a special Repair Café as part of Trinity’s Green Week. It’s a smaller Repair Café than our usual big TOG events, but it’ll still have all the best bits: friendly fixers, practical repairs, and plenty of good chats.

Got something broken? Bring along your small household items, small furniture, or electrical bits that have stopped working, and we’ll do our best to help you repair them while you wait. Expect a bit of hands-on problem solving, a cup of tea, and a nice lunchtime vibe.

When: Friday, 13 March 2026 — 12:30–2:30pm
Where: Unit 18, Trinity in the Community (Trinity College Dublin)
Cost: Free / all welcome
Tickets: Booking required — very limited places

👉 Full details + booking link:

https://www.tcd.ie/sustainability/event/?trumbaEmbed=eventid%3D197629508%26seotitle%3DGreen-Week-Repair-Caf%26view%3Devent%26-childview%3D%26returnUrl%3Dhttps%253A%252F%252Fwww.tcd.ie%252Fsustainability%252Fevents-listing%252F

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DMR Demonstration Evening

If you’ve been DMR-curious for a while (or you’ve a radio sitting there with a half-finished codeplug), this is a great chance to see a full setup done properly, step-by-step.

On Tuesday, 24th March 2026, South Dublin Radio Club, in collaboration with TOG Hackerspace, will host a DMR Demonstration Evening at the club in Rathfarnham.

What’s happening on the night

Jeffrey Roe (EI7IRB) will give a practical demonstration covering:

  • Setting up a DMR hotspot
  • Creating and programming a codeplug
  • Tips and lessons learned during setup (the bits that aren’t obvious until you’ve tried it)

This session will suit:

  • Anyone new to DMR who wants the “what talks to what?” overview
  • Anyone with an existing setup who wants to tidy it up, improve it, or avoid common pitfalls

Want to contribute?

Members who’d like to give a short demo or presentation on other parts of DMR are very welcome to get involved — different radios, different workflows, different approaches all help.

Event details

  • Date: Tuesday, 24th March 2026
  • Free: No Booking Required,
  • Time: 19:30 – 21:30
  • Venue: South Dublin Radio Club, Ballyroan Community Centre, Rathfarnham, Dublin 14

We’re looking forward to a good evening of radio chat, practical demos, and plenty of Q&A. See you there!

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New power tools added to “Repair Café in a Box”

We’re delighted to share an upgrade to our Repair Café in a Box programme: we’ve added a range of power tools to the equipment kit that community groups can borrow to help run repair events.

This work is funded by the Community Climate Action Programme (Round 1) under the Government’s Climate Action Fund. It builds on our 2024 funding and helps us expand what we can offer through our Repair Café rental programme, making it easier for more groups across the Dublin region to host repairs safely and confidently.

What’s included?

Alongside the usual Repair Café essentials, we now have a suite of power tools and related kit available to loan. The goal is simple: help fix more things, reduce waste, and keep useful items in service for longer.

Borrow the kit for your Repair Café (free)

Since 2024, this programme has supported Repair Cafés and community events all over the place — including plenty hosted by ourselves at TOG. If you’re organising a Repair Café (or planning one) and you’d like to borrow the equipment at no cost, just get in touch and we’ll help you figure out what you need.

Thanks

This project is made possible with support from Dublin City Council, in partnership with the Department of Environment, Climate and Communications.

Continue reading “New power tools added to “Repair Café in a Box””
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TOG Hackerspace at the Phoenix ARC “Coolmine” Radio Rally 2026

Last year we packed up a few projects, a pile of flyers, and the usual “sure we’ll only be there an hour” optimism… and had a brilliant day out at the Phoenix Amateur Radio Club annual rally in Coolmine.

Good news: it’s on again this year, and we’ll be back along representing TOG — EI0TOG — for a chat, a catch-up, and a bit of radio craic.

Radio rallies are for everyone

If you’ve never been to a radio rally, don’t let the name put you off. They’re not just for licensed amateurs or hardcore collectors — they’re for anyone who likes electronics, making, fixing, DIY, audio gear, test equipment, and learning how things work.

You’ll see traders with radios and antennas, boxes of components, the “maybe I’ll need that someday” adapters, and plenty of people happy to help you figure out what you’re looking at (or what you accidentally bought!).

The details

Date: Sunday 15th February 2026
Event: 2026 Phoenix Amateur Radio Club “Coolmine” Rally
Venue: Coolmine Community School, Dublin, D15 FW97
Doors open: 10:00

Say hello to TOG (EI0TOG)

Drop over and say hi at the TOG table. Whether you’re curious about getting started in radio, want to know what a hackerspace is like, or you’re deep into a project and looking for a nudge in the right direction — we’re always up for a chat.

And if you’re already on the air, give us a wave — it’s always great to meet radio friends in person as well as over the bands.

Photos from last year

Want a taste of what the Coolmine Rally is like? Here’s our gallery from last year’s visit — stalls, treasures, and the general rally buzz:

https://www.tog.ie/gallery/nggallery/all/phoenix-amateur-radio-club-annual-radio-rally-2025

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Eat the Streets Ballyfermot Community Festival!

We’re delighted to be taking part in Eat the Streets, a family-friendly festival celebrating food, community, and sustainability in Ballyfermot.

The idea is simple (and right up our alley): grow, cook, create, and discover together — bringing families, urban growers, and chefs straight from the streets to the table.

TOG workshop: Learn to wire a plug (with Jeffrey Roe)

As part of the festival, our own Jeffrey Roe will be running a hands-on “learn to wire a plug” skills workshop.

If you’ve ever looked at a plug and thought, “I should really know how to do this properly” — this is your chance. It’s a practical, confidence-boosting skill, and we’ll keep it friendly and beginner-friendly.

(Some festival workshops have limited capacity and may require free tickets — if you’re planning to do a few sessions, it’s worth checking the bookings.)

Can’t make it on the day?

No stress — if you miss Jeffrey’s learn to wire a plug workshop at the festival, we’re running the same workshop again in March as part of Engineers Week at TOG Hackerspace.

You’ll get the same practical, step-by-step guidance (and the confidence to do it safely at home).

Full details and booking info are on the TOG site:
https://www.tog.ie/2026/02/learn-to-wire-a-plug-engineers-week-edition-workshop-at-tog/

What else is on?

There’s loads happening across the afternoon, including:

  • Cooking demos: Batch Cooking, FakeAways, and Empty Your Fridge
  • Workshops: Grow it Yourself, Natural Remedies, Fun Tie-Dye and more
  • Information stalls
  • Family fun: Free face painting and children’s entertainment

Event details

  • Location: Ballyfermot Community Civic Centre
  • Date: Saturday, 14th February 2026
  • Time: 12pm – 4pm
  • Cost: Free

Come eat, learn, share, and connect

Pop down, bring the family, meet local growers and community groups, pick up a few ideas for reducing food waste, and come chat to us at TOG while you’re at it.

More info (and tickets where needed): eatthestreets.ie/festival

#EatTheStreetsFestival #SustainableFood #CommunityEvent #UrbanGrowing #FoodCulture #Ballyfermot #FamilyFriendly