March

St. Patrick’s Festival
Where: Dublin
When: March 15 to 19, 2007

Let the mayhem begin! This the first excuse for a decent hooley each year and no self-respecting Irish man or woman can resist. It is their patriotic duty it seems to go out, get laughing drunk and have a good time. St Patrick’s Day has now officially become a five day festival in Dublin but in reality the insanity is still mainly confined to March 17. The parade has become a monstrous spectacle that is not to be missed. This is followed by an open air ceile (dance), live music, street theatre and happy throngs everywhere on the streets. Many pubs also have live music and this is usually where the real craic is to be had. Authentic tip: go out early and come home early. Pubs get very packed and there can be a lot of messy drunkenness after about 10pm.

For a less frantic, more cultured Paddy’s Day we recommend Achill, Doolin, Dingle, Ennis, Galway, Kenmare, Kinsale, Westport or practically any village with a good pub on the west coast of Ireland.

Official website: http://www.stpatricksday.ie/

May

Cat Laughs Comedy Festival
Where: Kilkenny City
When: May 31 to June 4, 2007

Forget Edinburgh, Kilkenny is where it’s at when it comes to stand-up comedy. Hundreds of comedians spend five whole days doing their utmost to crack you up. And crack you will. There are upwards of 40 shows each night at venues across this small city in cafes, restaurants, pubs and theatres. Then there are the impromptu routines on street corners, at bus stops and basically anywhere two or more gather to listen and laugh. What makes the Cat Laughs so good is that it is the comedians’ festival of choice. The reason? There is no competition and there are no prizes. This makes it much more relaxed for the performers. They are here to have a good time as much as the punters and it shows. Authentic tip: the festival line-up is announced each April and tickets to the big name comedians go very fast. Be ready.

Official website: http://www.thecatlaughs.com/

July

Willie Clancy Summer School
Where: Milltown Malbay, Co. Clare
When: July 7 to 15, 2007

Our favourite trad music festival of the year. Located in the almost seaside village of Milltown Malbay on the wild west coast of County Clare, this festival brings top musicians from all over the country and further a field to teach music and show off their talents at sessions in Milltown’s many pubs. What makes the festival so special is the friendly atmosphere that pervades Milltown for the duration of ‘Willie Week’. Everyone from locals in their 80s to Japanese teenagers is there for love of the music. A small festival when compared to some of the others on this list, but all the better for it. Willie Clancy is always enjoyable. Friends will be made along with arrangements to return the following year. A must for traditional music lovers.

Recent newsletter feature on the festival:
http://www.authenticireland.com/newsletter/articles/clancy.htm

Official website: http://www.setdancingnews.net/wcss/

Galway Arts Festival
Where: Galway City
When: July 16 to 29, 2007

Galway City on the west coast has to be Ireland’s festival capital. During the summer months from June to September one festival rolls into another which makes one alternatively envy and pity the locals. How do they do it? Galway City itself is the perfect host being a nice tidy size with colourful, atmospheric streets and equipped as it is with lots of great bars and clubs. The Arts Festival is the first big one of the summer and it attracts huge crowds for a combination of live music and visual and performing arts. Much of the theatre takes place on the streets and is free. This makes the Galway Arts Festival great for kids who will love the parades and outrageous costumes on display. Authentic tip: the biggest problem at the Arts Festival is securing accommodation. Book early if possible.

Official website: http://www.galwayartsfestival.com/

Galway Races
Where: Galway City
When: July 30 to August 5, 2007

Right on the heels of the Arts Festival come the Galway Races, the biggest and certainly the greatest of Irish Horse Racing Festivals. Think Kentucky Derby in the West of Ireland. Every year at the start of August the whole of the Irish Government abandons Dublin for a week at the Races in Galway. They are joined by everybody in Ireland who thinks they are somebody and luckily, many who are happy just being themselves. Everyone is there for the craic (fun), the horses, a bit of gambling, the gossip, the fashion and partying long into the night. The Galway Races is quite simply the biggest party of the year. Authentic tip: devotees of the Races tend to book their accommodation each year for the following year (it is that good!) so book early and be prepared to stay outside the city. Tickets to the Races can be purchased on the day.

Official website: http://www.galwayraces.com/

August

Puck Fair
Where: Kilorglin, Co. Kerry
When: August 10 to 12, 2007

The Puck Fair is one of Ireland’s oldest festivals and definitely the most unusual. On the 10th of August each year the inhabitants of Kilorglin pluck a wild mountain goat from obscurity and name him King Puck. He is duly crowned and paraded through town before ascending to his ‘throne’ in the town square where he happily presides over three days of ‘celebrations’ in his honour. This includes a traditional horse fair, live music, street entertainment, open air dances, various sports and competitions, all finished off with a dethronement party and fireworks display. The official pub closing time is 3am each morning, but I am reliably informed this is purely aspirational. Authentic tip: not having attended Puck Fair myself I can only tell you what a friend who lived in Kilorglin for three years told me: its crazy man, absolutely crazy.

Official website: http://www.puckfair.ie/

Fleadh Ceol na hEireann (Festival of Music in Ireland)
Where: changes every year, 2007: Tullamore, Co. Offaly
When: August 19 to 26, 2007

The Fleadh Cheoil was started in 1951. Its stated aim was to establish standards in Irish traditional music through competition. Every year since Fleadh Cheoil take place in every county with competition winners advancing to regional and provincial finals with the cream of the crop going forward to the All-Ireland Finals. This year the Finals are being held in Tullamore. The nature of the festival ensures that the standard of musicianship on display is first class. The competition spills over into local pubs where impromptu sessions take place throughout the week. This is by far the biggest trad music festival held in the country each year.

Official website: http://www.fleadh2007.com/

September:

Lisdoonvarna Matchmaking Festival
Where: Lisdoonvarna, Co Clare
When: August 31 to October 7, 2007

The Lisdoonvarna Matchmaking Festival is really a dancing festival. It goes on for over a month but is mainly concentrated at the weekends. The music kicks off at 6pm each Friday evening in all venues around the town and continues until 4am Saturday morning. After a few hours sleep and a good hearty breakfast music commences again at the Spa Wells and all the other venues at 10am and again goes around the clock until 4am on Sunday morning. If you are still fit for more, Sunday's music starts again at 10am until the small hours of Monday morning. As you can see the idea behind this festival is that if you do enough dancing you will eventually meet your perfect match. The festival is unique in the broad age range it attracts and how well everyone mixes. Everyone is there for the fun, the music, the dancing and maybe, just maybe to meet to man or woman of their dreams. It happens more often than you think.

Official website: http://www.matchmakerireland.com/

Electric Picnic
Where: Stradbally, Co. Laois
When: August 31 to September 2, 2007

For those who prefer electric guitars and drums to fiddles and bodhrans there is the Electric Picnic, Ireland’s best annual rock festival. The action takes place over three days on Stradbally Estate and is a camping only affair so this will not be for everyone. However those willing to sacrifice three days of home comforts will be richly rewarded. Hundreds of acts perform over the weekend to a friendly, enthusiastic crowd of approximately 35,000. Past acts have included Massive Attack, the Flaming Lips, Kraftwerk and Arcade Fire. The line-up is eclectic enough to have something for everyone. You will not be disappointed. If it’s a rock music festival you are after, the Electric Picnic is the one.

Official website: http://www.electricpicnic.ie/

October

Cork Jazz Festival
Where: Cork City
When: October 26 to 29, 2007

For many, jazz is an acquired taste, you either get it or you don’t. For four days every year Cork brings great joy to those that do and convinces many who don’t of the error of their ways. The great thing about this festival is that it is not just for aficionados - though they are well catered for by the many jazz legends that breeze through town – it is also for those with only a passing interest. ‘Serious’ jazz concerts take place in many theatres around the city while the rest of the pubs form a Jazz Trail where everything from blues to dixieland is played by a bewildering array of live bands. Jazz is everywhere and no matter how you resist it will eventually get under your skin. By Sunday you will be tapping to a different beat, swinging to a different rhythm. Authentic tip: festival central for the weekend is the Metropole Hotel which has live jazz all day in 7 or 8 different venues. It is free up to 6pm but tickets are required thereafter. These usually sell out so book a few days in advance if possible. For serious sit down jazz concerts, the Everyman Palace is the place.

Official website: http://www.corkjazzfestival.com/

November

Ennis Trad Festival
Where: Ennis, Co. Clare
When: November 8 to 12, 2007

During the otherwise bleak month of November the Ennis Trad Festival is a beacon of light, hope and great music. This is the one the musicians look forward to. Winter hibernation is postponed for a few more days and all head for Ennis, Ireland’s trad music capital. Sessions are held in numerous pubs throughout the town, the number of musicians often swelling to 20 or more. Not to be missed are the late night amplified concerts held at the Auburn Lodge where well-known trad music bands take to the stage. And whatever you do be sure not to leave Ennis without experiencing the unique and soon to be famous Trad Disco. You read it here first!

Official website: http://www.ennistradfestival.com/

SPECIFIC INTEREST FESTIVALS

Celtic Cultural Holidays: Walking the Ancient Way
Where: Aran Islands (Inis Mor)
When: Three each summer: May 13 to 20, July 22 to 29, September 2 to 9, 2007

Learn about Celtic heritage: holy places, ancient rituals, old myths and legends, early Celtic church etc. with recognized scholars on Celtic heritage.

http://www.irish-culture.ch/

Listowel Writers’ Week
Where: Listowel, Co. Kerry
When: May 30 to June 3, 2007

Writers' Week is first and foremost a festival / institution devoted to the cause of the writer. It essentially aims to guide, direct and enthuse the emerging writer, to befriend the established writer and provide a practical platform for their artistic output. This ideal is achieved through competitions, publication of authors’ work, workshops, seminars, lectures, readings etc.

http://www.writersweek.ie/

Bloom’s Day
Where: Dublin
When: June 16 every year

Bloomsday - June 16 th - is an annual celebration among Joyce fans throughout the world, from Fort Lauderdale to Melbourne. It is celebrated in at least sixty countries worldwide, but nowhere so imaginatively, of course, as in Dublin. There the events of Leopold Bloom's day are reenacted by anyone who cares to participate, and his itinerary is followed all across Dublin. At lunchtime it's traditional to stop off for a glass of burgundy and a Gorgonzola sandwich at Davy Byrne's Pub on Duke Street, just as Bloom did. In the afternoon the Ormond Hotel is the spot for an afternoon pint, where Bloom was tempted by the barmaids in the Sirens chapter. Bloomsday celebrations also feature readings of Ulysses, James Joyce lookalike contests, various other semi-literary activities, and a good excuse for hoisting a few Guinnesses. In the eyes of many, it's easier and a lot more fun than trying to work your way through Ulysses.

Dublin Theatre Festival
Where: Dublin
When: September 27 to October 13, 2007

Each year, the Dublin Theatre Festival brings the best of Irish and international theatre to the Dublin stage. The Festival’s policy is to bring the best available international theatre to Dublin and to balance the programme with Irish productions, especially new plays. Many premieres of plays by leading Irish writers such as Brian Friel, Tom Murphy, Hugh Leonard and Frank McGuinness, have been presented by the Festival in the past.

http://www.dublintheatrefestival.com/