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SHOW HISTORY

The Dublin Tattoo Convention is under new Management. One of the tattoo worlds favourite magazines, Total Tattoo Magazine is taking the lead in partnership with team members behind the Tattoo Tea Party, Big North Tattoo Show, Goa Tattoo Festival and the Galway Tattoo Show. 

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The originator and 20 year custodian of the Dublin Tattoo Convention, Paddy, has left to embark on new challenges. 

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The very first tattoo convention in Dublin was organised by Paddy and hosted some of the best tattooers in history. Paul Booth, Chris Garver and Marco Bratt  being just some of the great names that have graced the show in a variety of venues across the years.  

 

Growing from an alternative niche event, frowned upon by a still very conservative Irish society, the convention became part of a network of tattoo events across Europe that helped push the art form and popularity of tattooing slowly, but surely, into today's mainstream art consciousness. It also perhaps helped shape more tolerant, liberal views in the Irish capital and beyond.

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Those early tattoo convention organisers were pioneers, building up international networks of tattoo enthusiasts through hand written letters. phone calls, and travelling to studios abroad. They broke the mould of society norms in a time that many in today's tattoo community can't even imagine (but we are talking about the times when artists still mixed their own inks) - so putting on and growing any kind of International tattoo event, was no mean feat. 

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In later years Paddy's partnership with Dolores of Wildcat saw the show form into it's large scale modern day version and found a rightful home at the amazing RDS venue, and it is at this point, with the revelations, realisations, that Covid brought to bear, it was decided, a new chapter would be written with a new team and a new passion.

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We wish Paddy and the all his team and past partners well in all their future endeavors and they will always be welcome at the show.

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As a new team, we build on firm foundations going forward, to bring Dublin a fresh, dynamic international tattoo art convention, featuring the best tattooers from home and abroad and a venue to celebrate alternative culture in all it's forms..

The first ever Dublin Tattoo Convention Poster - signed by all the attending artists

Dublin Tattoo Convention 1st poster.jpg
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