Left:Take to the streets and bag a bargain. Below:Horseracing at The Curragh.
Below lower: Ireland has many award-winning spas and luxury hotels in which to pamper yourself.
To name but a few venues where racing is held in season
over the year, here’s the Big Three. Fairyhouse, ten miles (18km) north of Dublin, stages the Irish Grand National among many races. Punchestown, in the county Kildare, is one of the premier jump racing and horse show centers. And the Curragh, also in Kildare, is where the best flat horses in Europe compete at the the Guineas Festival in May, the Derby at the end of June, the Oaks in July and the Irish St. Leger and National Stakes in September. Given our relatively mild climate, you could play a round of
golf on the morning of St. Stephen’s Day (the day after Christmas Day), and then head for Leopardstown race course in Dublin, or the Limerick race track, for an afternoon of high octane racing. Full information at
www.discoverireland.com Not surprisingly, the biggest wave of festivals washes over
the country during St. Patrick’s Week in March, which is also a good time to hit a ball or two at any of our 400-plus golf clubs. Some of the biggest festivals at other times of the year
include the Dublin Theater Festival (September-October); the Fleadh Cheoil in August/September, a massive coming together of Irish traditional song, dance and storytelling; the Rose of Tralee in August, when beauty rules the Kingdom of Kerry; the Wexford Festival Opera in October; the Galway Oyster Festival (September); and the Sligo Choral Festival (October). There are also many more idiosyncratic events which might
catch your imagination, if time permits. There’s the Dingle Film Festival, located in a beautiful setting, home to the Gregory Peck Award for Excellence in the Art of Film. If music be the food of love, try the Cork International Choral Festival, when up to 5,000 singers from all over the world participate in almost 100 festival events, including spectacular gala concerts, lunchtime concerts and informal public performances which see choirs popping up in wide range of unusual locations during festival week. Bloom, in the Phoenix Park in Dublin, is Ireland’s premier
gardening event, featuring stunning show gardens, magnificent flower and plant displays, live music, artisan food, Irish crafts, fun and entertainment for all ages. And if you
believe that laughter is the best medicine, head for Kilkenny City, and the Cat Laughs Comedy Festival, which is an internationally acclaimed event showcasing the very best in Irish and international comedy acts, in the atmospheric setting of this charming medieval city. The Galway Arts Festival is super selection of dance,
spectacle, visual art and music in a huge range of venues. It’s an immersive experience in a city renowned for its party spirit, and it’s followed by the Galway Summer Races, which is a carnival event of great fun and great horseracing, over seven days and seven nights – so be warned, don’t plan on getting too much sleep! On a more bucolic note, it is a felicitous coincidence that
we have many fine rivers within easy access of our golf courses, where you can swing a rod as well as a club, and cast around for a fine salmon. Our location on the unspoilt edge of Europe means Ireland receives prolific runs of the much prized Atlantic salmon, and our marvelous variety of lakes, rivers and streams also offer every test to the skill and ingenuity of the trout angler. If you’re not of a fishing cast of mind, but enjoy being on the water, then a relaxing trip on the majestic River Shannon in a modern cruiser is a fine way to spend a couple of days. And if you’re really addicted to the pursuit of the little white ball, you can always stop off at a golf course or two along the way!
Access to the specific details of all of the above can be found on
www.discoverireland.com if you live outside Ireland, or
www.discoverireland.ie if you live in Ireland. If you don’t have internet access while in Ireland, we have many tourist information offices all round the country, where you’ll get all the help you need.
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