Larry's guide to the craic
Fun things to do in Ireland
Sep 2nd
It’s that time of the week where we let you know what’s coming up around Ireland. So get your diaries out and get bookmarking or writing whichever you prefer!
In Dublin’s Bewley’s Cafe the Volta Film Club returns on the 7th of September. For more details check out www.BewleysCafeTheatre.com. The New Volta Film Club is a monthly exhibition of new short film and animation in the heart of Dublin City. Screenings take place on the first Tuesday of every month in Bewley’s Cafe Theatre on Grafton Street. The aim of the night is to provide filmmakers and animators with a place to meet, interact, and find an audience to show new work. They invite anybody who’d like to screen their short film/ animation/ music video/ documentary/ experimental piece/ visual art to get in touch and get their work seen. You can contact them at www.newvolta.blogspot.com
Also on the 7th of September but this time in Cork there’s a great night brewing.It’s going to be held at Blackrock Castle from 6.45 to 8.45pm
Tim Adams, owner and winemaker of Tim Adams wines is giving a tour of of Australia’s most famous wine regions called Clare Valley. With over thirty years experience of growing and making wine in the valley, there is no better man to take us on a tour of his Clare. For more information on Tim and his wines logon to Tim Adams Wines website .
Other wineries to be featured include Wakefield, Mount Horricks, O’Leary Walker, and Knappstein.
Booking Details: Cost is €20 per person and a place can be reserved by contacting us on 065-707-7264 or emailing ireland@wineaustralia.com
Thanks to Paul for spreading the good news of such a great event. Here’s his blog.
Then at the weekend – The Temple House festival is coming up in Ballymote, Co. Sligo. It’s on from the 10th to the 12th of September. It promises to be a little bit different and provide an unforgettable experience for festival goers. It will have a diverse line-up of music and entertainment featuring a host of Irish and international acts including live music from Howard Jones - The Undertones - Reef - The Wailers – The Stunning – Damien Dempsey – New Young Pony Club – The Saw Doctors - Terry Hall (DJ) – Peter Hook (DJ) - Donal Dineen - RSAG - O Emperor – The 202s -Ronan O’Snodaigh - Miracle Bell – The Whiteliars - My Evil X – Sive – Twin Kranes – Davide Swarup - Beat Poets - The Aftermath - Relief - The Aftermath – Paddy Usher Band – The Chapters – Jezzebelle – Hamlet Sweeney – Carosel - John Conneely - Jackk and Jones – Noise Control - Society X – The Bubba - Oddsocks Revival and much more. You can buy your tickets at www.tickets.ie. They are 79 euro. For more information go to www.templehousefestival.com
In Galway every September since 1954, they come together to celebrate the Oyster Festival in Clarinbridge. With the Oyster at its centre, they run a festival of food, of entertainment, of music, of dancing and most of all a festival of fun.They say ‘The oysters are harvested from the surrounding shallow seas, protected from the worst winter storms and worked on by the Oystermen with generations of expertise. Our festival marks the beginning of the new Oyster season and we invite you to join in the fun, participate in the energy and above all savour the famous Clarenbridge Oyster – a tradition in existence since 1954 when the great Paddy Burke hosted the first Clarenbridge Oyster Festival. A lot has changed since the first festival but the philosophy remains the same.’
It also runs from the 10th to the 12th of September so if you’d rather go with the foodie option then this is the thing to do for you. For more infomation check out their informative website.
Latest News and Reviews
Aug 30th
With over 560 members our social club is growing. So thanks to everyone for joining and making the events so much fun. We really appreciate your support. We’ve put together a quick round up of what we’ve been up to and where we’ve been Having the Craic. We’ve also found more websites and interesting things so that we can find more craic for you to have. See what I did there 
We were at the Dogs recently with the Have the Craic members. It was a great night out. I got my picture taken with the backdrop of Shelbourne Park and of course Landsdowne or Aviva stadium depending on your stance towards sponsorship vs tradtionalism I wish I’d taken photos of the food but it was so good that I didn’t give myself the time to do so. The Dogs is a fantastic fun. You can make it as cheap or as expensive as you like. And to be honest it’s hard to make it an expensive night out. If you want to skip dinner and just stick to the betting then you can get in for 10 euro. On a nice night it’s great craic to go down to the racetrack side and check out the totes and get close to the action. For those of you who prefer comfort then Dobbins Restaurant is great.
One of the girls had an amazing streak of good luck. She bet on number 3 each time and that trap must have been quicker to open than the rest because the dog in it won at least 6 races. I think she covered the cost of her dinner and her drinks! And when we all jumped on the bandwagon we did pretty okay out of it too. I don’t think any of us were big spenders though.
Our golf lessons have also kicked off in the last couple of weeks so we have some new emerging talent coming from Have the Craic. Some of the members have come back to do Improvers Golf lessons following their Beginners Course that they loved. Many of us have become enthralled by the sport and are planning a golf weekend away for new golfers. Make sure to let us know if you’d like to come along. We’ll be organising it in October. If you haven’t managed to catch our golf lessons yet then there are some more starting at the end of September. They will be for Beginners. We run them with PGA instructor Ciaran Carroll at Bray Golf Club. Members have come from far and wide to attend them and I can’t blame them.
Just in case you’d like to know more about the future lessons he’s some further details – Ciaran’s teaching method is fun and easy to get to grips with.
- Each lesson is an hour long.
- We meet at 11am in front of the Pro Shop on a Saturday.
- You share the lesson with at most 3 or 4 other people so you get a lot of personal attention.
- The first lesson focuses on getting you to hit the ball. I have seen people who say that there is no way that they will be able to play golf hitting the ball for 100 metres after an hour with Ciaran.
- Each lesson after that focuses on improving different elements of the game.
- Grip, swing, movement, chipping, putting are all covered.
- There are five lessons and the last one is a game of pitch and putt with tips from your instructor.
- All for 100 euro. If you’d like to book them then click here.
We were at the Brownbread Mixtape last week – we are officially addicted. Who can blame us? Such great talent and FREE. I mean really it’s just ridiculous. The guys are so media saavy that they stream the show live, they have their own YouTube channel, Facebook page and Twitter account. The talent they attract is really diverse and interesting. Each month they have bands, poets, comedians and of course they have great sketches. Anyone who is this passionate about what they do deserve to be rewarded so make sure to check them out and spread the word. So check them out – at a guess I would say that the next one will be on the 29th of September. And we’ll be there!
Make sure that you keep us posted on anything else that you’d like us to organise for you. As we come into Autumn we’re looking into some indoor events. Make sure to Have the Craic and thanks again for joining the club.
Markets around Ireland
Aug 26th
I don’t know about you but I love to potter around a market, the knick knacks that I don’t need but love to look at, the smell of the food, the people just looking all relaxed and hanging out. It’s great craic. So for me farmers markets are a great way to relax and eat cheaply! They are to be found the length and breadth of Ireland. We know where our local one is. It’s in the People’s Park in Dun Laoghaire each Sunday. And I’m just thinking about what I’m going to eat there on Sunday while I write this. Mmmmmm kebab! Or maybe savoury crepe. Definitely some home-made icecream. Sorry…. back to the blog…
We were thinking if we wanted to go away for the weekend it might be nice to know where we can stop off and take a breather at a local market. Thankfully there are a few websites with great information about this. And you know us – we’re givers, sharers. So check them out and have the craic.
A great site that we’ve come across is www.eventsmarketsireland.com It’s great for researching different kinds of markets around the country. So perhaps you can visit markets on your holidays or just find out where the nearest one is to you in your locality.
Another site that we’ve found on our search for markets is the Irish Farmers markets. Here’s their site: www.irishfarmersmarkets.ie and also the Bord Bia site www.bordbia.ie/aboutfood/farmersmarkets .
In West Cork they’re finalising their food festival programme. Check out their website. www.atasteofwestcork.comWest Cork is home to a unique collection of weekly Farmers’ Markets – held in town and villages from Schull in the far South-West to Bandon in the East.
Over the past few years, Skibbereen’s own Farmers’ Market (www.skibbereenmarket.com) has grown from its roots in the Slow Food movement, so that it now boasts probably the widest selection of any local market – with more than 100 stalls trading each Saturday. The market is run by a committee of local volunteers drawn from the stallholders, and is a non-profit-making organisation, supporting traders of all sizes, from the home-baker with a few scones right up to internationally-recognised local producers. Check it out in the Fairfield in the centre of Skibbereen from 9:30 to 2pm every Saturday – or, if you’re from elsewhere in West Cork – check out your local Markets at www.westcorkmarkets.com
If you run a market and it’s not listed on any of these sites then please let us know – we’d love to visit. And pictures are good – especially if they’re of food!
How to make new friends
Aug 23rd
Gone are the days when you just go up to another kid in the playground and ask them to play with you. Try that these days in an adult situation and you could come away with a stinging face. The vast majority of the members of Have the Craic that I have met have an abundance of friends but for one reason or another they need more. There’s loads of reasons for that. So I’m writing this blog so that all of you realise that it’s completely normal and that you’re not alone. Simple enough right?
In general these days we work longer hours and have longer commutes to work. Therefore we spend more time with our close friends. When they start to settle down sometimes you realise that you’ve spent more time on your mates couches catching up than out and about in town. And sometimes you need more friends or different friends to go out. People to meet for lunch, for dinner, to go and catch a play or to play sports with.
For some of you the pub has just got boring or you just feel like trying something new. For others you want to meet a new group of friends who’ll go back to the pub, new people to meet for a drink or go dancing with.
Unlike our parents, who were more involved in the community or their club or the local church, we are more alone today with virtual communication and communities taking precedence over real community. If like other members of Have the Craic you don’t feel like investing in a club membership before you’ve decided what sport or activity that you want to try out then you could always go to some of the pre-organised events that we organise.
Step one to finding a new set of friends or just building on your existing network is figuring out how on earth you met people in the first place. And for some of you it will be as far back as primary school.
An easy way to look at how you’ve met people before is to do this exercise suggested by author Andrew G. Marshall.
- Go through your address book and make a note of your friends, family and aquaintences on a Post it note.
- Get a large piece of cardboard or paper stuck together will do.
- Write your own name in the middle of the board and then put the post its with your closest friend or friends names nearest to you.
- If you met someone because of these friends put them with him or her but further from you. Continue this until you have all your friends on the board.
- If you met someone through a club or society then put them and the people that you met through that club or them on a different colour post it and follow the instructions from before.
- In the end you should have all the names on the board or wall. You should have your closest friends at the centre and your distant aquaintances at the edge.
When you’re finished you should have an interesting map of your friendships and how you got them in the first place.
- So do you have more close friends than aquaintences?
- Do you have one friend or more who has connected you to many others?
- Are the people that you know all from the same kind of background?
- Are their friends that you met through an experience or class or club that you gave up?
Now you need to think about the things that interest you in your current life. Do you go out with work? Do you need a break from the pub? If you’ve joined a gym then perhaps you can join more classes to meet people. Go to social nights out organised in the gym. Or try a bootcamp? A walking club?
Some things to do are more social than others. Going to a comedy night is fun but you spend the evening watching someone entertain you rather than talking to other people. Having said that it might be the perfect way to ease yourself into meeting others. Because if you go to a pre-organised comedy event on your own then you know you only have to talk to other people for 15 minutes beforehand and then afterwards.
Think about it and keep an eye on the Forum and also the list of events and activities that we organise and take the first step in having more fun in your life. You won’t look back.
Things to do in Ireland
Aug 19th
There are so many things to do in Ireland. Between festivals, concerts, theatre and just great ways to explore the countryside. And we’ll make sure that we find you something that you can do using your own resources each week so that you don’t always have to dig up a crock of gold to have the craic.
Heritage Week starts on the 21st of August and runs through until the 29th of August. There are events up and down the county so check out their informative website. Some of the events taking place caught our eye so we’d love to give them a bit of a plug.
One such event is a BAT WALK. It’s on the 26th of August from 9pm to 10.30pm. It’s Free. The Bat walk runs along the River Fergus, Where you will be watching and listening to the Bats of Ennis.
Event Organiser/Organisation: Clare Bat Group
Venue: Ennis Pedestrian Bridge Abbey Street Car Park, Ennis, Clare
This event is being planned to coincide with National Heritage Week but could occur at another time of year
Organiser Name: David Lyons
Contact Address: NPWS, Francis St. Ennis, Co. Clare
Email: clarebatgroup@gmail.com
Telephone: 087 2867079
On the 28th of August Cork City is opening up over 35 buildings not usually open to the public. It will allow entry to all free of charge. If you want some more information then you can contact the Heritage officer at the below email address.
GO CORK!
Contact Address: City Hall Cork
Email: heritage@corkcity.ie
Telephone: 021 4924757
In Offaly the Tullamore Dew Heritage Centre are giving a special deal to anyone who mentions the Heritage Week.
Admission: 2 for 1 admission when Heritage week is mentioned. Self guided – Adults 6 euro Senior 5 euro Child 3.50 euro Student over 18 – 5 eeuro
Event Description: Tours of the heritage centre all day, includes audiovisuals and recreated work stations. Multi languages available. Whiskey tasting after tours. 2 for price of 1 offer when Heritage Week is mentioned.
Mmmm Whiskey! They have a great website with all the information that you would need so check it out. Click here.
Also at the end of August – the annual Dunmore East Bluegrass Festival is on. Here are the details for you to go and check it out.
Dunmore East Bluegrass Festival
Tel: +353 51 878832
Mobile: +353 87 2562899
Fax: +353 51 844643
Email: bluegrass@eircom.net
27th, 28th & 29th August, 2010.
And as the local tourist board says ‘Once a year in August music pilgrims come from all over the world to the Dunmore East Bluegrass Festival to listen to authentic bluegrass music. Bands play to ecstatic crowds, spread out comfortably at 6 venues, both indoors and outdoors. There also fine dining, sunbathing, swimming, dancing and jamming all day and night – a Bluegrass picker’s paradise’.
Sounds like great craic to us. A full programme will be available at the pubs and hotels prior to the start of the festival. There is no entry fee and each of the groups play at all of the venues throughout the weekend – and from as early as 12 noon on the Saturday and Sunday.
The confirmed line-up to date for 2010:
2. Knotty Pine
3. Wookalily
10. TXUTXUKAN
11. Southern Welfare
12. Woodbine
12. Woodbine
Although this activity does not take place until the 18th of September you will need to get moving to participate. If you feel like you’d like to end the summer with some training why not sign up for the last National Series Triathlon of the year, The Gateway Blacksod Point Challenge 2010. It’s set in one of the most spectacular and rugged rural landscapes in all of Ireland on the Mullet Peninsula in north County Mayo.
Registration on is Friday 17th September, in Belmullet at Gateway Leisure, situated on the approach road to Belmullet Town.
There still are some places available if you would like to compete. If you want further information please contact the guys on (087) 6147073 or kilmoretri@gmail.com. You can also follow them on Facebook or register on their website at www.kilmoretriathlonclub.com.
Things to do in Dublin
Aug 16th
What’s going on in Dublin this week? Loads! If you want to go and do something yourself or join in a pre-organised event with Have the Craic there are loads of options.
Have the Craic are getting together at Shelbourne Park this Wednesday 18th of August to go to the races.
Doors open 6.30pm, The first race is 7.50pm.
We’re going to meet at front gate at 6.45pm
Dinner is at 7pm
Then it’s on like Donkey Kong as the racing begins!
First Race: 7.55pm and the Last Race: 10.15pm.
Stadium Closes: 1 Hour after last scheduled race
The night out includes:
- Admission and race programme, a four course dinner in grandstand restaurant offering a panoramic view of all the racing action, Bar and Tote Service to your table while you dine (so bring a few euro to place a bet) AND Great craic with new friends
You can book it here
On Wednesday night Anseo on Camden St are holding their comedy night as per usual. It’s a snip at 7 euro entry fee. We went last week and it w
as great craic. There’s a mixture of different acts so you’re bound to find something to suit your taste. Apart from anything else Anseo is a great bar to hang out in so definitely check it out.
Check out who’s going to be on at www.laughoutloud.ie
Feel like singing your heart out but wanna practise with your friends before you hit the stage? Why not go to Ukiyo Bar on Exchequer St in Dublin. Ukiyo Bar has over 30,000 songs in six languages 4 rooms with a maximum capacity of 10 people per room, there is air conditioning in each room and a phone to order drinks directly to your room. They charge 25euro per hour per room. The rooms are available to book until 2.30 am at the weekend. Parties of more than ten people must book multiple rooms but it’s not something to be overly concerned about as the extra rooms provide a refuge from the less-well vocally endowed! And if you’re pekish they do yummy food too. We enjoyed a Bento Box last week for 10 euro. It’s a great deal. It’s available Monday to Friday before 7pm. So check it out. Here’s their website for more details.
If it’s beer that you’re after then check out the Lughnasa Bottled Beer Festival on Friday.
Venue: The Pod Complex, Harcourt St. Dublin
Date: August 20TH, 2010.
Time : 5pm – 10pm
It’s a ticket only event
Ticket Price : €20.00 (includes 5 x ”Beer Punts”, glass and booklet on arrival) tickets available to purchase through Deveney’s of Dundrum, via Paypal
on the Deveney’s Blog http://deveneysbeer.blogspot.com, via Event Elephant or through selected specialist retailers – Redmond’s of Ranelagh, Sweeney’s of Phibsboro, The Vintry of Rathgar, Deveney’s of Rathmines and Jus de Vin, Portmarnock.
Finally after such a busy week you might want to get out there and blow away the cobwebs. And what better way to do it other than on the seven seas. Or at least on the Irish sea. Well Dun Laoghaire Harbour to be exact.
Have the Craic is going sailing with the INSS. They’re giving us their sports yachts and also skippers for each boat to make sure that everyone gets to enjoy the experience, to learn as much as you’d like and still feel safe and sound in the hands of great sailers.
Book it now by clicking here.
How to meet people
Aug 13th
While Have the Craic is not a dating site many of you who are members of our social club are single and do want to meet someone to sweep you off your feet. And this is one leprechaun who is not going to stand in the way of true love. So I’ve taken some tips from a dating expert at www.howsitgoing.ie and I’m also going to give you some tips on how to mix and mingle more effectively on our website www.havethecraic.com.
Firstly in terms of meeting someone online:
- Make sure that you fill out your profile properly.
- Put a photo up it will increase your chances of contac.
- Make sure it’s a good but honest and recent representation of what you look like now.
- Otherwise your date or new friend might pass you by when you meet in real life.
- When you arrange to meet in person make sure it’s somewhere that you are comfortable with.
- I recommend reading ‘Hide the Crazy’ for some advice on how to handle the first date
There are loads of dating sites to choose from – www.match.com , www.anotherfriend.com, www.themeetingpoint.ie
The list is endless – so check them out. If you want to make new friends in a non dating atmosphere then try www.havethecraic.com but make sure to have a decent profile.
If you’d rather meet people face to face in a more normalised environment when you’re participating in an activity then that’s where Have the Craic comes in. We run a range of activities where people can meet and network. There are singles and people in relationships so you can make new acquintances and you never know how you will meet that special person. Most people meet their significant others through a mutual friend. So it makes sense to focus more on having fun in your everyday life and meeting lots of people to lead you to that special someone.
But if you are determined that you just want to focus on meeting single people then you can still do this through activities. You don’t have to visit your local bar you can take up a sport or you can participate in events and activities that are specifically organised for singles. Why not give one of them a go?
Walking is a fantastic way to meet new people in a more relaxed and enjoyable environment. And loads of companies run organised walks. You could join a walking club if you were interested in picking up a hobby. And you know that I always recommend pursuing something that you feel passionate about in order to feel happier about yourself and therefore be more attractive to everyone.
But that aside there are also companies that organise singles walking days out. One of those is Hilltop Treks. And they have a singles walk running on the 11th of September. They are organising a guided walk in the stunning area of Avoca in County Wicklow followed by some live music, dancing and a meal in the highly-recommended Mickey’s Finns Pub..
They will meet @ 2pm in Fitzgerald’s Pub of the “BallyKissangel” Fame which is situated in the heart of the town of Avoca just over the bridge.
What to expect:
2:30: A guided walk near the scenic town of Avoca in the heart of County Wicklow. Some time to freshen up after the walk. There may be time to visit the meetings of the Waters which is very close by.
6:30pm: Meet backup in Mickey Finn’s.
7pm: Enjoy a Traditional Irish Home-made meal in the Restaurant.
8pm: Private Irish Dancing Lessons with a local Irish Dancing Teacher, where aided by some Dancers you’ll be taught some of Ireland’s most popular jigs and reels.
9pm: Then it’s time to retire to the Bar, where you’ll be given the opportunity to pull yourself a glass of Guinness and absorb a real Irish Session with Traditional Musicians. Now if you wish, you can use your newly acquired skills in Irish Dancing and join in with the Dancers on the floor.
Price Includes:
- Guided walk with qualified guide
- Packed Lunch for walk
- Irish Dancing lessons
- Evening Meal in Mickey Finn’s with some live music.
Drinks not included in the price.
About the walk
The walk will last approximately 2 – 3 hours and will be taken at an easy pace. There are plenty of stops and photo opportunities along the way. No previous walking experience required.
What to bring:
- Plenty of water
- Waterproof clothing, walking boots / shoes.
- Spare fleece for extra warmth.
- Hot drink in a thermos as well.
- A change of clothes for the evening plus cash for drinks
To book this singles walk click here.
Outdoors Ireland organises adventure singles weekends.
As they say in their blog they ‘create a fantastic opportunity to meet similar-minded people in a relaxed and fun setting, while hiking Kerry hills, kayaking across lakes, climbing sandstone cliffs, experiencing a night walk and plenty of other surprises!
Don’t worry if it all sounds too strenuous… This weekend will be suitable for all levels, from beginner upwards. There will also be plenty of relaxing; healthy food and the occasional pint, plus a chance to experience Killarney’s pubs and music.
Saturday and Sunday you will spend hill walking, kayaking, rock climbing and tackling team challenges, working together in small teams!
Saturday evening will be spent relaxing and chatting over dinner, before exploring Killarney. The weekend will finish on Sunday afternoon at approx 4.30pm.’
They are running their next singles weekend on the following dates:
Dates:
11th & 12th Sept
16th & 17th Oct
4th & 5th Dec
To book or to talk to them about any further details just click here.
If you’re not the active type but want to try out something like speed dating then why not join Get Out.ie
They specialise in speed dating nights and single events. So while it’s more of a high-pressure environment at least you know that everyone in the room is interested in dating specifically which can be a good thing. To book one of their many activities. click here
So there you go – some advice on how to meet people. As usual my biggest advice to you is to Have the Craic doing it. Enjoy life whether you’re in a relationship or single. And if you find something or someone interesting make sure you let me know. It’ll make me as happy as Larry. Badoom Tish!
Things to do in Temple Bar Dublin
Aug 9th
There’s some interesting things to do in Temple Bar over the next few weeks. We found this poster advertising great things to do when we were on a Historical Walking Tour on Saturday with Have the Craic. So if you’re looking for something to do in Dublin you should check some of them out.
If you want to find out more about the history of Dublin city then we recommend that you try out one of the walking tours. The one that we went on was brilliant. The guide – Gavin was friendly and informative.
It was interesting and well worth checking out if you want to find out more about Dublin city. As we mentioned the guide was excellent and everyone mixed together when we stopped for coffee in Temple Bar and of course along the way. It was yet another great way to meet people. Contrary to popular opinion there was a mixture of tourists and Irish people wanting to find out more about where they live.
If you want to do it yourself then you just turn up outside the front gate of Trinity at 11am and 3pm at the weekend during the summer. It takes just over two hours. They run weekday tours too. For more information check out their website. www.historicalinsights.ie
We have a lot more events organised for you to check out. So why not join our website if you haven’t already and try out one of the fun things to do.
Some members also organise their own events for example this week Phantom FM are running their monthly table quiz in the Sugar Club on Wednesday night. One of the guys from Have the Craic is putting a table together so if you’re interested in going to their table quiz and helping out a charitable cause you should check out our forum. Here’s the link Table Quiz
So keep your suggestions for events coming. I keep asking for suggestions from Cork and Galway so I’m dying to hear more from our fantastic fans there. Look out for our newsletter tomorrow.
Things to do in Ireland
Aug 6th
There’s loads on this weekend. And despite the cloudy miserable look of the sky it’s supposed to be quite nice from a weather perspective too!
So let’s give you a quick Craic Forecast for the weekend… and beyond
In the west we have the Feakle Trad Music Festival. Feakle is only a hop skip and a jump from Doolin. The festival celebraes the best of the Irish traditional music especially the distinctive style of east Clare with traditional music, song, dance and theatre with workshops, lectures, concerts, ceili’s, set dancing, sessions and open-air events. They’ve a simple but great website full of information on how to get there, where to stay and what the programme is for the weekend so check it out. www.feaklefestival.ie/
Also in the West this weekend is the Westport Music Festival. Rattle and Hum are playing tomorrow night (Saturday). Check out their website for more information. www.westportmusicfestival.com
Further South we have the Dingle Races, and then in Cork in Clonakilty they are holding the Waterfront Festival. They’re holding the battle of the bands tonight so make sure to get there to check it out if you’re in the area. There’s a great line up Mundy is playing tonight, as are the Heathers. Tomorrow night there’s a mixture of local DJs and Jenny Greene and there’ll be a Farmers market on Sunday to allow you soak up any damage you may have done on Saturday night. Check out their site for futher details: www.clonfest.ie
In South Leinster the Kilkenny Arts Festival has kicked off and will be buzzing this weekend. It runs until the 15th of August so if you don’t make it down at the weekend you’ll still have time next week to check it out. There’s something for everyone at the Festival, theatre, street performers, music there’s even a festival mass. Check out their website for more information. www.kilkennyarts.ie
In Fenagh, Carlow Indie’Go World Music Festival will present two stages of music this weekend. It will showcase an eclectic mix of world music, indie, pop and traditional acts. Performances will include artists from Ireland, Brazil, Columbia, Argentina, Africa, UK and many more.Theire website isn’t the best but buy the tickets go along enjoy the experience that’s all that matters right? Here’s the link to it though (you’ll never find it otherwise) so that you can do that. Book here.
If you want to forget about music and fancy watching something a little bit different then off to New Ross Co. Wexford with ya on Sunday for the Irish Tug of War Championship. Ireland’s top teams battle it out at the home of the famous Boley club for the right to represent Ireland at 640kilo at September’s World Tug of War Championship in South Africa. Up and coming teams will also fight for the title of national champions in the 680kilo novice event. Approximately 30 clubs will compete on the day in the various competitions – senior, novice, youth and ladies. They’ve a great website. http://irishtugofwar.com/
Up North the Killybegs Summer Festival is happening this weekend. They’ve lots of different events to suit every age group including a Queen of the Fleet dance. Check out their informative site. www.killybegsfestival.com
Which do you choose? There’s so much to do - maybe I can clone myself. I think I’ve tormented myself with enough choice for this weekend. I hope I’ve given you some places to go and visit for the weekend.
Next weekend…. there’s lots to do again…
Coming up in Cavan is the Fleadh next weekend from the 15th of August. Make sure to get organised and book your accommodation for next weekend for this. They’re a fantastic range of sites for you to gather all you need to know about the festival. Facebook, Twitter and their own website www.fleadh2010.ie
Make sure to let me know about anything happening in your area. We love to hear about it
Things to do in Dublin
Aug 4th
In the next couple of weeks there are some great events to check out in Dublin. Some are one offs and some happen on a regular basis so pen and paper at the ready please…
This Saturday the 7th of August Have the Craic is joining a Failte Ireland award winning tour guide. They’ll explore the main features of Irish history – Dublin’s development, the influence of the American and French Revolutions, the Potato Famine 1845-49, the 1916 Rising, the War of Independence, partition – and concludes with the Northern Ireland peace process and Ireland today.
I wonder what they’ll have to say about leprechauns… don’t worry I’ll ask them! You’ll visit Trinity College, Old Parliament House, Temple Bar, City Hall, Dublin Castle, Wood Quay, Christ Church Cathedral, Four Courts.
Meeting Point: Trinity College Front Gate
At 3pm
Something different to do:
Mad Art Dublin are holding their Picnic with short movie next Thursday 12th August.
MadArt studio is located on 56 Lower Gardiner Street, Dublin 1.
It’s close to ‘Busaras’ LUAS stop and also convenient to ‘Tara Street’ and ‘Conolly’ DART stations.
Check out their Facebook page here for more details.
Another Fun Have the Craic Event:
On Thursday the 18th of August Have the Craic is going to go to Shelbourne Park for a Night at the dogs. Something fun to try out with new friends.
Doors open 6.30pm – The first race is 7.50pm
The night out includes:
- Admission and race programme
- Superb four course dinner in grandstand restaurant offering a panoramic view of all the racing action
- Bar and Tote Service to your table while you dine (so bring a few euro to place a bet)
- Great craic with new friends
Beer Tasting Event:
Finally if you’ve been living on planet Zog and haven’t heard about this then it’s your only excuse
Deveney’s of Dundrum are holding their Lughnasa Bottled Beer Festival at the Pod Complex, Harcourt St. Dublin
Date: August 20th, 2010.
Time : 5pm – 10pm
It’s a ticket only event. The ticket price is €20 it includes 5 x ”Beer Punts”, glass and booklet on arrival.
You can buy them at Deveney’s of Dundrum, via Paypal on the Deveney’s Blog http://deveneysbeer.blogspot.com, via Event
Elephant or through selected specialist retailers – Redmond’s of Ranelagh, Sweeney’s of Phibsboro, The Vintry of Rathgar, Deveney’s of Rathmines and Jus de Vin, Portmarnock.
See the Festival on Facebook
Festival Format:
This event brings 200 bottled beers from around the World to one venue. So you’ll be able to experience real beers. The aim of the event is to educate people about beer through tasting and informal beer advice from some of the best brewers and beer specialists from all over Europe. So it sounds like an interesting event to us. It’s certainly something different to do. Proving that there’s always something interesting to do in your area if you look for it. Just as well we do that for you so that you don’t have to!
The currency of the Beer Festival is the ”Beer Punt’‘. Now while we’re never a fan of this because we think it makes people spend more money than they need to. But it hopefully will make the experience of getting the beer easier which is more than likely the reason that they did it.
5 x complimentary ”Beer Punts” are included in ticket price.
1x”Beer Punt”= 1x140ml serve
*Additional ”Beer Punts” are available to purchase through the ”Beer Bank” @ €1.50 each*
Entertainment by ‘‘Prison Love” – Irish Bluegrass Band and Suzanne Purcell. They have told us that Beer Food vendors will be on site to enhance the authentic Beer Festival atmosphere. So hopefully you’ll be as Happy as Larry too! For more information go to http://deveneysbeer.blogspot.com.
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