Ireland

The Wexford Opera Festival takes place annually at the end of October and has developed, as one reviewer put it, into ‘Ireland’s Opera Flagship’. The very first festival – then known as the Festival of Music and Arts – was held in 1951, following a visit to this corner of south-east Ireland by the famous music lover (and writer of Whiskey Galore), Sir Compton Mackenzie. He had expressed the opinion that the town’s Theatre Royal was the perfect venue for staging opera. So successful did the Wexford Opera Festival become that the Theatre Royal was its permanent home until it was demolished to make way for the purpose-built Wexford Opera House.

Opened on October 16th, 2008, by the Irish Taoiseach Brian Cowen, the 771 seat O’Reilly Theatre – an increase of more than one third over the Theatre Royal – is supplemented by the versatile space of the Jerome Hynes Studio Theatre, which holds up to 176 in the audience.

Although the three main operas each season are staged in the O’Reilly Theatre, various productions can be found at the Jerome Hynes, the Dun Mhuire Theatre on South Main Street and several of the historic churches nearby. These will include items such as choral and instrumental lunchtime recitals, concerts and ‘fringe’ events. The evening productions of the major operas have a recommended dress code of evening dress and black tie, although most of the others are more informal.

The Wexford Opera Festival has developed a reputation for staging first class productions of lesser-known or long abandoned works. This tradition began at the first festival in 1951 when Michael Balfe’s The Rose of Castile was produced. It has additionally become known as a place where promising young international opera singers can help cement their growing reputations. Luminaries such as Janet Baker, Sergei Leiferkus and Geraint Evans have all featured at Wexford.

Wexford, located as it is on the very south eastern tip of Ireland and close to the ferry port of Rosslare has often been the first port of call for many English visitors to the country. Unfortunately for the area itself, most have tended to rush off north towards Dublin or take the road to the west with its popular tourist destinations. Nowadays, Wexford itself is managing to persuade many of them to stay awhile. With miles of wonderfully safe and sandy beaches in close proximity; with the charms of the Irish National Heritage Park and the country’s oldest working lighthouse at nearby Hook as well as the delights of the old town of Wexford itself, it makes a perfect place to begin a holiday in Ireland. The added October attraction of the Wexford Opera Festival has now made it a venue to consider at a slightly later time of the year.

Full details about the programme of the Wexford Opera Festival and ticket availability can be found on the official opera festival website.

The Galway International Oyster Festival has come to symbolise four days and nights of the ultimate experience in gourmet sea food, Guinness and live music in Ireland’s exciting west coast tourist city. Visitors from all over the world descend on this beautiful corner of ‘the Emerald Isle’ to participate in this glorious extravaganza. Held at the end of September each year, the festival has been taking place since 1953, when it was originally the brainchild of the manager of the Great Southern Hotel, who successfully discovered a way of extending his tourist season by celebrating the start of the region’s oyster season! From these comparatively humble beginnings, a prestigious international event has developed.

The Galway International Oyster Festival usually officially opens at noon on the Saturday with a massive free public event in Eyre Square. There will be a host of musicians and street entertainers and then the recently crowned Galway Oyster Pearl presents the first oyster of the Festival to the city’s mayor. The Oyster Pearl competition has been taking place since 1954 – to decide who becomes the official ‘face’ of the festival for the coming year – in addition to winning some rather handsome prizes.

The Opening Ceremony is followed by a fun-filled street parade of musicians, dancers, vintage vehicles, the Oyster Pearl and various dignitaries. For those with the energy, there is an all-night disco as well.

The other major official events of the festival are the Guinness Irish Oyster Opening Championship and the World Oyster Opening Championship when contestants from all over the world participate and, again, there is an accompanying programme of high quality Irish music and dance.

Each year the Festival has its own magnificent Mardi Gras Party, Festival Gala Ball and Fairwell Party as well as associated events such as the Elegant Lady Competition. For many people, however, it is in the streets of Galway itself that the Oyster Festival really excels – they are packed full of visitors and locals all enjoying the special Irish ‘craic’ that brings people back year after year.

Galway is home, not only to the oyster, but to some of the finest seafood restaurants you could wish to find anywhere. The mussels and the crabs are especially enticing but, if it’s fish or seafood you’re after, then you’ll find nowhere better.

As a city of just about 75,000, Galway is easily negotiated on foot and visitors soon discover why it has the reputation, even in a country as hospitable as Ireland, of being one of the friendliest around. Although it appears to be geographically isolated on Ireland’s western coastline it is easily reachable – with its own airport and others, such as Shannon and Knock, only just over 50 miles away. It takes two and a half hours to travel by train across the country from Dublin, and there are plenty of regular rail services, and nowadays the ferry ports on the east coast are all only half a day’s drive away at the most.

There are some excellent hotels in the city – although if you want to stay in The Radisson you really will have to book early as it hosts some of the Festival’s premier events. The Sleepzone Hostel, quite close to Eyre Square, has had fine reviews and was, in fact, considered to be Ireland’s finest in 2006. Of course, this is a particularly beautiful part of the world so there are some excellent hotels quite near to the city as well. There is a lot of information on the Discover Ireland website.

The Galway International Oyster Festival is not just about food – sensational though it is. It is an opportunity to visit a wonderful city at a time of the year when it has four days of fun-packed activity, great music, good Guinness – and the best oysters in the world! Further information can be found on the Galway Oyster and Seafood Festival Website.

Puck Fair is perhaps Ireland’s oldest street festival – it’s certainly one of the most unusual. Held every year on the 10th, 11th and 12th of August, the Puck Fair takes place in one of the most breathtakingly beautiful areas of Ireland – the Ring of Kerry. The small market town of Killorglin is right at the heart of Kerry, at the foot of the wonderfully named McGillycuddy Reeks, and it is here that 100,000 people meet for a festival that is absolutely like no other.

‘Puck’, or to be more precise, King Puck is the focus of the attention for this wildly exuberant three day fair. And to those not in the know, King Puck just happens to be a goat. A wild goat. A wild goat snatched from the aforementioned McGillycuddy Reeks and crowned king for three glorious days of misrule.

The origins of all this frolicking have long been the cause of debate. The festival can definitely be traced as far back as 1603 when James I bestowed a charter on Killorglin legalising the existing fair. Some claim it was a pre-Christian fertility celebration of the harvest; others suggest it was to commemorate a goat ‘warning’ the town of the impending arrival of Oliver Cromwell’s Roundhead army; or it’s even declared to have been a scheme dreamed up by a young Daniel O’Connell to thwart the British tax authorities in Dublin. Nobody really knows. And, to be honest, few people really care now. All that matters is that, for whatever reason, the Puck fair exists and will exuberantly continue to do so.

The three days of Puck Fair each have a distinct ceremonial function. The first day, 10th August, is Gathering Day when the goat is paraded through the streets of the small town and then officially crowned as King Puck, on his elevated throne. A truly impressive Horse Fair, with travellers coming from all over Ireland, is traditionally held on this first day.

The second day, Fair Day, brings a huge fun fair and a cattle market, as well as an Irish singing contest. On the final day, Scattering Day, the King is ceremonially dethroned and released, probably very confused by all the adulation of the public, back into the mountains where he can regale his disbelieving friends with stories of when he ruled the world.

As well as the pubs being open until at least 3 in the morning each day of the Fair, there are many organised events taking place during the three days. The streets are full of entertainers, face painters, musicians, dancers and fancy dress costumes and there are numerous competitions from bonny babies to Irish dancing. And, everywhere, there is wonderful Irish music; from traditional to contemporary; in pubs, on street corners or in concerts. The music and the merrymaking never stop.

So how do 100,000 get to Killorglin each year? Well, surprisingly it’s not that complicated. The town is on the scenically stupendous Ring of Kerry road – if you’re coming from Killarney it’s via the N72 and from Tralee take the N70. The ferry ports of Cork and Rosslare are not too far away, although Dublin is a longer drive. Killarney Railway Station is just 20 kilometres (12 miles). The nearest airports are Kerry (20 kilometres), Cork (117 kilometres/73 miles) and Shannon (143 kilometres/89 miles). All distances worth travelling for such a wildly inventive, family-orientated festival.

More details about the Puck Fair are available on the festival’s official website.

The great celebration of Irish traditional music, Fleadh Cheoil has developed into Ireland’s premier traditional festival, attracting over a quarter of a million visitors each year – as well as the 11,000 or more participants. Ever since its relatively small beginnings in Mullingar in 1951, Fleadh Cheoil – literally, the Festival of Music – has sought to establish the highest standards in Irish traditional music by organising competitions. These have continued right through to today, but Fleadh Cheoil doesn’t stop there by any means; concerts, parades, pageants, ceildhs and impromptu singalongs make sure that the week in the middle of August absolutely flies by.

During the course of each year, qualifying competitions are held throughout Ireland to select the musicians to play in the Fleadh Cheoil competitions. There are solo competitions for a host of different instruments – including such traditional Irish ones as the bodhrán, the flue, the uilleann pipes, the fiddle and many, many more. Singing, in Irish and English, and whistling also form the basis of some competitions. When you take into account the fact that there are age-range categories of Under12, 12 to 15, 15 to 18 and Seniors, you begin to have some kind of idea just how much competition takes place at this festival. Even the finals of the All Ireland Annual Irish Language Conversation Competition take place here.

The events surrounding Fleadh Cheoil itself have developed substantially during recent years. For example, on the Sunday there is likely to be a Family Fun day, Fun sa Pháirc, with face painting, music, craft workshops, stalls and plenty of free activities. Young people are catered for by the Club Éigse – the largest indoor session for young people anywhere in the country – which gives them a wonderful opportunity to join in the musical jamboree. Every night, additionally, visitors can go along to the Singing Club – to join in or just to listen.

Although ‘the Fleadh’ developed mainly as a competitive event, its aim has always been to establish the highest possible standards in Irish traditional music and this is also reflected in the number and quality of the concerts held throughout the week. As with all festivals such as this, however, many people derive just as much enjoyment from the impromptu sessions that carry on into the small hours, involving people from all over the world.

Delightfully, this is one festival where there really are no boundaries between the generations. Young and old alike can be seen enjoying the experience of carrying on the great traditions of Irish culture – cherishing the songs, tunes, steps and rhythms of this always welcoming country.

The Fleadh Cheoil is organised annually by Comhaltas ceoltóirí Eirann, who are responsible for many other regional events and concerts during the year. There are always excellent camp site facilities associated with the Fleadh, many of which can be pre-booked. The organisers always work closely with bus and train companies, for those wishing to attend by public transport.

Traditionally, the Fleadh has not had a permanent home – the organisers preferring instead to visit all corners of the country. The event usually takes place in August. Confirmed details will be announced on the Comhaltas website once the decision has been announced.

Seven consecutive days of some of the best quality horse racing, in one of the world’s friendliest cities; that’s the Galway Races. Although there are meetings at other times of the year, to many people, the Galway Races means the summer festival of racing that starts on the final Monday of July each year at the historic Ballybrit Racecourse just 5 kilometres from the city of Galway itself.

There are historical records showing horse racing in the Galway area as long ago as the middle of the thirteenth century but the first festival at the current course dates back to August, 1869. Since then, both the course and the Festival, have developed enormously. The race course itself, with its famous last two fences being the closest together of any course in the world, has a famous finishing dip – and an equally famous finishing ‘roar’ from the Galway crowd. Within the past ten years, two superb new grandstands have been opened – The Millennium Stand in 1999 and the Killanin in 2007 – making sure that the facilities at Ballybrit are equal to anywhere else in the world. The only downside to this development for some fans was that the old much-loved Corrib Stand was demolished – along with its bar, the longest in the world.

The only week long meeting in the United Kingdom or Ireland, the Galway Races attract thousands of spectators from across the globe – especially on Wednesday,the day of the Galway Plate, and Thursday, when the Galway Hurdle is contested. Additionally, the Thursday of the meeting has become famous for being Ladies’ Day, when elegance and sophistication is the order of the day.

This western Ireland city has long been famous for the warmth of its hospitality and this is abundantly true of the Galway Races. The gates open about two and a half hours before the first race and the atmosphere is immediately welcoming. The food and drink outlets of the course help in this aspect – there is a wealth of choice for race goers from places such as Racers Fast Food Restaurant to the Guinness and Oyster Bar and the Hot Beef Hut. There are also two Champagne Tents and numerous other restaurants serving everything from full meals to quick snacks. The picturesque Mayor’s Garden area has some delightful picnic spots. For those searching for the ultimate racing experience, the Plate Hospitality Suite and the Hurdle Hospitality Suite – both in the Killanin Stand – offer fabulous views across the course amid luxurious surroundings.

Ticket information for the Galway Race Festival, at the end of every July, can be found on their official website.

The racecourse at Galway is only 3 kilometres from Galway Airport and many visitors arrive directly by plane. The airports at Knock and Shannon are respectively only two and one and a half hours away by road but the road journey from Dublin is nearer to three hours.

With so many visitors to the Festival it’s no surprise that most of the hotels in Galway itself book up well in advance of the meeting. Many frequent visitors reserve their accommodation for the following year when they leave after the races so be sure to plan ahead with regard to finding somewhere to stay. There are, additionally, two highly recommended hostels in Galway – Barnacles and Sleepzone; the former right in the centre of the city close to the action.

Whether you are an experienced race goer or someone who wants to combine a visit to the beautiful west of Ireland with a trip to the races, you’ll get a typically warm welcome when you visit the wonderful Galway Races.

The Galway Arts Festival is a wonderful excuse to spend a few says in one of Ireland’s most charming cities. With a population of only 75,000, the university city of Galway is always a vibrant, friendly place – it’s considered to be the ‘safest’ city in Ireland and, was recently voted one of the world’s sexiest cities – but at Arts Festival time it really does become extra-special. The people along Shop Street and in the plazas at Eyre Square and Spanish Parade can enjoy lively, creative street entertainment and then go along to one of the city’s 51 different venues for more organised events later in the day.

In 2008, the Festival Big Top Arena was introduced and became an immediate success but there are also many smaller, more intimate performance venues – and quite a number of free events. It is little wonder that now more than 150,000 visitors decide to visit the festival during the last two weeks of July every year.

The Galway Arts Festival has been Ireland’s prime arts festival almost since its beginnings in 1978. It has become two weeks of wonderful dancing, street theatre, art, music, comedy, music, literature and children’s events to rival any summer festival anywhere in Europe. Indeed, famed Guardian theatre critic Michael Billington, writing of the 2008 Festival, compared it favourably with its Edinburgh counterpart because of its more ‘human and manageable scale’ and because it was, being in Ireland, a far more relaxed environment.

The Festival is, of course, a showcase for Irish artists and performers and has initiated and commissioned much new work. Furthermore, though, it is also now a firmly established international venue, having attracted overseas names as diverse as Chicago’s Steppenwolf Theatre, the Royal Court Theatre, London, Joni Mitchell, Blondie, David Gray and the Brodsky String Quartet. One of the great strengths and delights of the Galway Arts Festival is the breadth and depth of its programme – it just cannot be pigeon-holed in any way. It can simply be described as a stunning two weeks of high quality, varied cultural happenings, taking place in a city by the sea with winding, medieval streets and lots of good food and drink.

For a city situated on the west coast of Ireland, Galway is surprisingly reachable. As well as its own airport, it is only 55 miles from Shannon International and 53 miles from Ireland West Airport at Knock, so there are many incoming flights. Additionally, there are 7 trains to and from Dublin each day, with a journey time of 2 and a half hours across some of Ireland’s most scenic countryside. The ferry ports of Dublin, Cork and Rosslare are, respectively, 3, 3.5 and 4 hours away from Galway by road. There is just no excuse for not getting there!

The accommodation available for visitors to the city is as varied as might be expected. There are a number of good quality hotels and some very fine hostels. The city additionally has a number of self-catering centres and, as this is in a part of Ireland popular with campers, there are very many camp sites within a few miles. Because of the numbers of visitors expected, however, it is best to reserve your accommodation as far in advance as possible.

Tickets for the festival can be ordered via the official website and picked up in person from the Festival Box Office.

St Patrick’s Day must surely be one of the most celebrated patron saints’ days all around the world. But, make no mistake, it is, quite rightly, in Ireland where March 17th is truly the most important day of the year. Saint Paddy’s Day – the day of the wearing of the green and the shamrock – has been celebrated for over three hundred years, commemorating Ireland’s patron saint who, along with Saints Colomb and Bridget, is recognised as bringing Christianity to the island.

Although most people automatically will associate Ireland’s capital with the major St Patrick’s Day celebrations, in fact Dublin is only one of countless towns and cities where official events will be held so, before concentrating on Dublin, let’s look at some other well-known venues.

One of the most significant places to hold St Patrick’s Day events is the county town of Down, Downpatrick, about 20 miles south of Dublin. Although with only 10,000 inhabitants, many more than that number will head to the cathedral here, which is the site of the saint’s burial. After a thanksgiving service and wreath laying ceremony, a colourful carnival parade takes to the streets and there are concerts, ceilidhs, fun runs, cycle rides and cultural happenings taking place all day.

Other cities renown for their parades and parties are Limerick – where the International Band festival is often held in conjunction with the St Patrick’s Day activities, Galway, Waterford, Killarney, Kerry, Kilkenny, Derry, Sligo, Cork and even Belfast city.

It is, though, Dublin which has the highest profile when it comes to partying in Ireland and it’s no surprise to learn that nearly three quarters of a million people throng to the streets for the annual Paddy’s Day Parade, leaving Parnell Square at noon. The parade, which takes three hours to pass you, not only has Irish marching bands but it also has international bands, street performers, ceremonial groups and thousands of dancers in their own shamrock-inspired costumes.

This is more than just a parade, however. There are many other regular annual events that attract both locals and visitors in their thousands. For example, the ceilidh known as Céilí Mór turns Earlsfoot Terrace into an outdoor dance floor and there is a superbly organised city treasure hunt. The Big Day Out is a free event for families that has got music, clowns, street performers and just about everything else to keep the kids wondrously entertained.

For more adult tastes, the famous Laughter Lounge, Ireland’s foremost comedy club, always puts on special nights during the week.

The days leading up to the 17th march provide a feast of music, dance, film, comedy, exhibitions, and family fun – all culminating in a dazzling firework display over the city centre. If you’ve never experienced an Irish party, then this would be one sensational way to start.

Dublin has, in recent years, become much more of a tourist venue for people from Britain and Europe. Consequently, there are many hotels to cater for visitors. However, with so many people coming for St Patrick’s Day events, it is absolutely essential to reserve your accommodation as early as possible.

Ryanair will, of course, operate many additional flights in and out of Ireland at this time of the year and there is also the ferry to consider – boats sail from Holyhead, Liverpool and Douglas to the port of Dublin itself but there are also regular crossings to Rosslare, Belfast, Dun Laoghaire and Cork.

Once you’ve arrived in Dublin, special transport timetables are put into place to encourage everyone to ‘leave your cars at home’ to avoid congestion in the centre of the city, where many of the streets will be closed. Dublinbus, and the Dart and Luas train systems all operate special services.

So, if you’re up for ‘the craic’ and a few pints of the ‘black stuff’, then there are few better places to find both than at Irish St Patrick’s Day celebrations.

People from all over the world like to go to festivals in Ireland because they know that, especially at festival time, Ireland is one of the friendliest countries you could ever wish to spend time in. Let’s face it, Ireland is renown as being a truly beautiful country with incredibly hospitable people; people who know how to party. The genuine sense of fun and fellowship that the Irish possess means that they have concocted festivals to cover just about any circumstance – and they like nothing better than to have others share the ‘craic’ with them.

So, festivals that have been flourishing for many years have now become a vital part of Irish cultural tourism, giving visitors – as well as locals – the chance to experience the magic of Irish life. With its fascinating history, beguiling mythology, powerful traditions and vibrant contemporary culture, Ireland can provide festivals of music, dance, arts and theatre that will entice and entertain travellers no matter what time of the year they decide to pay a visit to ‘the Emerald Isle’.

Many people, of course, enjoy visiting Ireland in the middle of March to enable them to enjoy the St Patrick’s Day celebrations on the 17th of that month. Dublin has inevitably been the centre of these festivities but St Patrick’s Day celebrations are amongst the biggest in the year for many other cities throughout the country.

Ireland is universally known for the appealing quality of its traditional music and dance and, throughout the year, you’ll be able to find hundreds of opportunities of enjoying these at festivals across the country. The culmination of these long established local contests is the August Fleadh Cheoil, a gathering that annually attracts around a quarter of a million visitors to see singing, dancing, playing, parades and some of the very best ceildhs you could ever contemplate.

Lovers of more international music are catered for in some of the country’s regional capitals – with festivals devoted to opera, dance and, now one of the largest pop and rock festivals in Europe, the Oxegen festival at Punchestown Racecourse.

The captivating city of Galway, on Ireland’s west coast, is an alluring venue for visitors, with some fine restaurants, historic locations and incredible coastal and mountain scenery all easily within reach. It is fast becoming Ireland’s cultural jewel, with a number of exceptionally welcoming festivals such as the Arts Festival and the International Oyster Festival. The legendary Galway Races can provide you with another excellent excuse to take a trip to this beguilingly beautiful region.

Every corner of Ireland will hold some hidden festival to surprise and delight visitors to the country. They might not all be as crazily eccentric as the completely unique Puck Fair, but there are hundreds from which to choose and they all perfectly illustrate why festivals in Ireland are such a compelling prospect.