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Events
in Ireland
The
Irish are renowned for their seemingly innate knowledge of how to
throw a party and they only need the slightest of excuses. Ireland
offers something all year round, Seamus O'Murchu outlines
some of the events and festivals throughout the country.
One
of the things that makes Ireland such a great place to visit is
that the Irish certainly know how to have a good time. So much so
that they even have their own name for it, with the word ‘craic'.
Despite or perhaps because of Ireland's history of poverty
and oppression, the Irish have always known how to look on the bright
side of life and enjoy every moment.
Throughout
the country the Irish calendar is filled with these moments to enjoy,
from national feast days, to regional festivals and small rural
celebrations, from the extravagant to the bizarre, from quaffing
oysters in Galway to crowning goats in Killorglin. Whether you're
in one of the cities of Dublin, Cork or Belfast or just driving
out in the country you could easily find yourself running into a
festival of some sorts, so here is a brief overview of Ireland's
annual events.
Ireland's
cultural year begins in earnest on the 17th March, when the whole
country goes green for Saint
Patrick's Day, the feast day ofIreland's Patron
Saint. Saint Patrick's Day is a national holiday in Ireland
and each city and town holds parades and carnivals of all sizes,
Dublin's Saint Patrick's Day Parade is the biggest,
but even in the smallest towns and villages there will be something
going on and people celebrating by painting the town, well green!
Throughout
spring you'll find a number of events from specialist national
programmes such as the Punchestown National Hunt Festival, one of
the most important meetings in the Horse Racing calendar and the
Irish National Surfing Championships to low key local affairs like
the Bantry Bay Mussel Fair, celebrating West Cork's mussel
harvest with music, mussels and Guinness. Spring is also Feis time
- the old Irish word for Festival, when across the country
school children perform traditional Irish songs and dances, but
for the more advanced level stuff, the Fleadh Nua in Ennis is famed
for its showcase of talented traditional Irish musicians.
Summertime
is when Ireland really comes to life, particularly in the countryside,
when people come from all over Ireland and the world to escape from
the hustle of the city and enjoy a slower pace of life. Around the
coasts you'll find regattas and sailing competitions in almost
every little port town and you certainly don't have to sail
to celebrate! While in rural areas you'll find country fetes
and festivals of all kinds.
Some
of Ireland best and most renowned festivals fall in the summer season.
On 16th June, Dubliners celebrate Bloomsday a day commemorating
James' Joyce's archetypal novel Ulysses, with street
theatre acting out scenes from the book outlining a day in the life
of the chief character Leopold Bloom. In Kilkenny in June you'll
come across the best comedy festival in Ireland with the Cat Laughs,
gathering international acts and audiences alike. In August the
nation's attention is on Ireland's biggest beauty festival
the Rose of Tralee, with a five-day festival of music and events
in the County town of Kerry. From the 10th to the 12th of August,
Tralee's smaller neighbouring town Killorglin, host one of
Ireland's oldest and strangest festivals; Puck
Fair. The festival sees the crowning of a goat as king of the
town as the townsfolk parade around their King Puck, trade horses
and enjoy the ‘craic agus ceol' for three days non-stop.
In County Clare, you'll find the world famous Lisdoonvarna
Match Making Festival where wealthy Americans come to find a local
lovely - or is that the other way around?!
In
Autumn the sporting season of Ireland's traditional games
of Hurling and Football come to a spectacular end, with the all
Ireland finals pitting two of the best counties together at Croke
Park in Dublin. And more often than not Co. Kerry winning the football
trophy! One of the biggest events at this time of the year is the
Galway
International Oyster Festival where the crowds gather to consume
the fruits of some of Ireland's finest oyster beds and wash
them down with a fair few pints of Guinness.
The
winter time sees Ireland quietening down, the nights grow longer
and colder, the fire's glow and the best thing to drink is
a hot whiskey! This time is well out of the traditional tourist
season and for that reason is often when you'll see a more
authentic Ireland. Christmas time is very family orientated in Ireland
and each town is lit up with decorations. Christmas Day is a public
holiday and you'll find everywhere closed, though the following
day St Stephen's Day, the pubs are open and full, and New
Year's Eve and New Year's Day are as lively as you'd
expect. The Christmas season closes with a day for the ladies, Nollaig
na mBan or ‘Women's Little Christmas' Ireland's
own 12th Day Celebration and a day where traditionally women relax
after the chores of Christmas and let their hair down, while the
men have to do all the house work.
Check
out the 1 2 Travel web site for an extensive guide to what's
on in Ireland.
Seamus
O'Murchú
until
this time next month...
Best Wishes,
Conor B & Seamus.
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