Festivals and Events in Ireland

“Not a shred of evidence exists in favor of the idea that life is serious.” – Brendan Gill

It may make sense to plan your trip around a particular festival or event that excites you.

Below is a partial calendar of events, and of course it can only be partial.  Ireland is a country that loves to celebrate!  And, there’s always the spontaneous wonder of a small Gypsy circus come to town, or an outdoor music festival that begins inside a pub, and spills out onto the surrounding streets on a fine, sunny day.

Each year there are between 650 – 700 Festivals and Events in Ireland, held in every part of the country.  The themes of these festivals, and the number of them, are:

General Festivals (80)
Angling Festivals (18)
Arts Festivals (109)
Book Festivals (5)
Celtic Festivals (10)
Children’s Festivals (75)
Clan Rallies (3)
Comedy Festivals (8)
Craft & Food Fairs (31)
Drama/theater Festivals (22)
Fairs (29)
Film Festivals (16)
Floral Festivals (4)
General Festivities (256)
Gourmet Festivals (18)
Heritage Festivals (24)
Jazz & Bluegrass Festivals (43)
Opera Festivals (3)
Parades (54)
Poetry and Writing Festivals (34)
Traditional Festivals (29)
Walking Festival (21)


Here’s a sampling of a few of our favorite festivals:

• Lisdoonvarna Matchmaking Festival:   Sept. – Oct.
• Dublin Fringe Festival:  16 days and nights of art and music!  Sept.
• International Puppet Festival Ireland:  Monkstown,  Sept.
• Summer in Temple Bar:  Outdoor events in Temple Bar from June – Sept.
• Westport International Sea Angling Festival:  June. Over 50 years, this festival is a one-day shore event, and a 3-day boat event.  The longest running sea-angling event in Europe.
• Autumn Music in Castleconnell:  Concerts.  Aug – Dec.

Again, these are just a few of our favorites.  After all, there are another 640 festivities to choose from!  Tell us your interests and delights. If there’s a festival happening during your visit, we’ll make the arrangements for you!