Riverdance

Artisan Photography

The Bloomsday Festival returns to Dublin once again from 11 - 16 June, celebrating the life and work of James Joyce.

The wake of the Abbey Theatre

During the Middle Ages the first thing conquerors did when they won a territory was to build a strong castle to defend their newly acquired land. The Normans, and later the English, when they began their gradual annexation of Ireland from the late 12th century, were no different. Castles, both large and small were thrown up all over Ireland with many still existing on the Irish landscape.

Composed by Bill Whelan, produced by Moya Doherty and directed by John McColgan, Riverdance has come a long way since it started out as an interval act during the 1994 Eurovision Song Contest.

On Easter Monday, 1916, a group of Irish people rebelled against the British government, in order to create an independent republic. As we know, that rebellion was repressed after a week of violence and fights. The 14 leaders of the insurrection were judged and executed at Kilmainham Gaol and their bodies were brought to Arbour Hill prison, where they were buried in a corner of the yard. Among the famous leaders were Padraig (Patrick) Pearse and James Connolly.

There will be fun for all the family at the 10th annual Shandon Street Festival. This free family fun day will take place around Church Street, in the shadow of the Shandon Bells in Cork on 18 June and there really is something for everyone to enjoy at this one day extravaganza.

From humble beginnings, Dingle Crystal have established themselves on the world stage thanks to their commitment to producing mouth-blown, hand-cut crystal. In an era when many other brands have gone down the wholesale route, this family-run company still proudly produce unique, hand crafted pieces that can be found in the collections of the President of Ireland and Bono to name but two.

Blarney Castle was built nearly six hundred years ago by one of Ireland’s greatest chieftains, Cormac MacCarthy, and has been attracting visitors to Munster ever since. People come from all over the world to kiss the Blarney Stone, only to leave with miraculous powers of eloquence.

Sitting at the mouth of the River Bandon, just thirty minutes from Cork Airport, the beautiful harbour town of Kinsale is just waiting to be explored.

Great Irish Writers

The beautiful twin towns of Killaloe and Ballina will become a hive of activity from 30 June until 3 July as they celebrate their most famous son at the 23rd annual Féile Brian Ború Festival. There will be fun for the whole family in the East Clare and North Tipperary towns as they celebrate the legacy of the most famous High King of Ireland.

When you visit Down County Museum next to Down Cathedral in Downpatrick, you will find modern galleries telling the stories of the area, great temporary exhibitions and the brand new Cathedral View Tearoom. However, the museum has a unique and fascinating history all of its own and has recently been used as a filming location for ITV’s The Frankenstein Chronicles, starring Sean Bean.