"Not a shred of evidence exists in favor of the idea that life is serious." - Brendan GillIt 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!