There’s lots happening this Easter in Ireland. If you’re in the Emerald Isle for your Easter break, why not join in the celebrations - check out our top 5 events taking place this Easter.
Easter is a fantastic time to be in Ireland and especially this year as St. Patrick’s Day and Easter fall within a few days of each other, so you can kick off the week with some fantastic Paddy’s Day celebrations. Read St. Patrick’s Day in Ireland - festivals and events for 2008 to find out what’s happening around the country.
Here are just some of the events taking place throughout Ireland this Easter:
· Galway Comedy Festival
The 3rd annual Galway Comedy Festival will be taking place this Easter from 20th March - 24th March. If you’re up for a laugh, then this is definitely the place to be. Comedians like PJ Gallagher, Andrew Maxwell, Ed Byrne, Colin Murphy and Neil Delamere will have you splitting your sides laughing!
Gigs will take place all over the city in venues like the Roisin Dubh , the Town Hall Theatre and the Kings Head.
This festival is sure to draw large crowds from all over, so if you’re heading to Galway this Easter, book your Galway accommodation now.
Check out the Galway Comedy Festival website for more
· Fairyhouse Racing Festival
The Easter Racing Festival at Fairyhouse takes place from the 22nd March to 25th March. Easter Sunday is the Power’s Gold Cup day and also a family fun day out with the Easter Bunny making an appearance! They’ll also be a bouncing castle, face painting, an easter egg giveaway and a magic show.
Easter Monday is the biggest day of the festival with the Irish Grand National taking place - this is the most prestigious steeplechase in Ireland.
Check out the Fairyhouse Racecourse website for more
· Samhlaíocht Easter Arts & Bumble Bee Festival
This festival takes place in the town of Tralee in County Kerry and runs from Friday 21st March to Monday 24th March.
This is a festival for all the family and is a celebration of the arts, crafts, music, culture and literature. It features guided walks, a comedy club, a street theatre, a carnival, a street market and workshops.
Check out the Samhlaíocht website for more
· Olde Machinary Rally
This very popular event takes place in the picturesque town of Killarney in County Kerry and draws thousands of spectators every year. It’s an open air museum of lovingly restored and preserved vintage machinery and cars. You really could stumble upon anything here with lots of antique and bric a brac stalls. Whether you come to buy or to browse, you’re sure to be fascinated at what you see.
This event takes place on Easter Sunday March 23rd.
· Beer Fest
The Beer Fest takes place in Cork City in County Cork on the 22nd and 23rd of March. Cork city has it’s very own Beer Fest so if you’re partial to a few pints of beer or maybe some German, Polish or Russian bottled beers, then get yourself down to the Rebel city.
The ‘fest’ takes place at the Franciscan Well Brewery on North Mall in the city. The best thing about having a drink here is that it’s believed that the water from the well (upon which the brewery is built), is thought to have “miraculous and curative properties”! And on top of that, all the beers made here are from natural ingredients, so you can enjoy your fill of this craft brewed beer and not feel too guilty!
These are just some of the major festivals that are taking place around Ireland this Easter. If you know of any more festivals or events, please let us know - just pop it into the comment box below.
