Ireland Travel Guide

Festivals and events
Ireland has a plethora of annual festivals, ranging from small local affairs to major international occasions (see also "Festive Ireland") significant events in the sporting calendar and there is a host of opportunities for enjoyment.

Major annual events and festivals
St Patrick's Day
March 17; www.stpatricksday.ie.

Almost every Irish town and village commemorates the national patron saint's day, though the most significant celebration is the week-long festival held in Dublin.

Irish Grand National
late March or early April; www.fairyhouseracecourse.ie.

National Hunt horse racing at Fairyhouse, Co. Meath.

Wicklow Gardens Festival
May to mid-Aug; www.wicklow.ie/tourism.

A host of gardens, both large and small, on view across County Wicklow.

Cork International Choral Festival
early May; www.corkchoral.ie.

Featuring many choirs and the Fleischmann International Trophy competition.

North West 200
mid-May; www.northwest200.fm.

Major international motorcycle road-racing event held in Portstewart, Co. Derry.

Irish Open Golf Championship
late May; www.nissan-irishopen.ie.

Traditionally the major golf tournament.

Fleadh Nua
late May; www.comhaltas.com.

One of the country's biggest traditional music festivals, held in Ennis, Co. Clare.

The Cat Laughs
early June; www.thecatlaughs.com.

Five-day fun-fest featuring an array of renowned and lesser-known comedians, held in Kilkenny.

Irish Derby
late June; www.curragh.ie.

The major event in the Irish flat-racing season, held at the Curragh, Co. Kildare.

Willie Clancy Summer School
early July.

Hugely popular traditional music event with a host of pub sessions and several concerts, held in Miltown Malbay, Co. Clare.

Bloomsday
mid-July; www.jamesjoyce.ie.

A week of James Joyce-related events leading up to July 16, the day on which his masterwork Ulysses is set.

Galway Film Fleadh
early July; www.galwayfilmfleadh.com.

New Irish and international releases.

Orange Order Parades
July 12.

Unionists and Loyalists commemorate the Battle of the Boyne and close down much of Northern Ireland in the process.

Galway International Arts Festival
mid-July; www.galwayartsfestival.com.

Massive festival of music, drama and general revelry.

Boyle Arts Festival
end of July; www.boylearts.com.

Smaller but popular version of the Galway festival, held in Co. Roscommon.

Mary from Dungloe
End of July; www.maryfromdungloe.info.

Ten days of entertainment in Co. Donegal, usually featuring Daniel O'Donnell and culminating in a beauty contest (where one of the prizes is normally a date with the man himself).

Galway Races
July/Aug; www.galwayraces.com.

The west of Ireland's biggest horseracing event, long celebrated in the song of the same name.

Yeats International Summer School
mid-Aug; www.yeats-sligo.com.

Literary festival focusing on the life of the poet.

Kilkenny Arts Festival
mid-Aug; www.kilkennyarts.ie.

All manner of musical and literary events, recitals and exhibitions.

Puck Fair
mid-Aug; www.puckfair.ie.

Three days of mayhem in Killorglin, Co. Kerry, culminating in the crowning of a goat as King Puck.

Rose of Tralee International Festival
late Aug; www.roseoftralee.ie.

Tremendously popular event, focused on a beauty contest, but offering an enormous range of other entertainment.

Fleadh Cheoil na hÉireann
late Aug; www.comhaltas.com.

Competitive traditional music festival, drawing hundreds of participants and big crowds – different towns bid for the event each year (and it's in Letterkenny in 2006).

Ould Lammas Fair
late Aug.

More than 400 years old, Ballycastle's traditional market fair remains a huge draw, featuring livestock sales, and bucket-loads of music, dancing and entertainment.

All-Ireland Senior Hurling and Football Finals
Sept; www.gaa.ie.

The zenith of the sporting year for Gaelic games with its two major finals, held on two Sundays a fortnight apart in Dublin.

Open House Folk and Traditional Music Festival
Sept/Oct; www.openhousefestival.com.

Major traditional music festival running for ten days or so in Belfast.

Lisdoonvarna Matchmaking Festival
Sept; www.matchmakerireland.com.

Attracts hopeful suitors from all over the world, and there's plenty of traditional entertainment too.

Dublin Fringe Festival
Sept/Oct; www.fringefest.com.

Lively programme of theatre, dance, performance arts and comedy, featuring more than 300 events.

Dublin Theatre Festival
early Oct; www.dublintheatrefestival.com.

Major drama festival encompassing around twenty productions.

Cork Film Festival
early Oct; www.corkfilmfest.org.

Established in 1956 and still going strong with a broad-ranging programme of big-budget and international cinema.

Wexford Opera Festival
Oct/Nov; www.wexfordopera.com.

Prestigious and massively popular international festival.

Cork Jazz Festival
late Oct; www.corkjazzfestival.com.

Four days of jazz in all its forms.

Derry Halloween Carnival
Oct/Nov; www.derryvisitor.com.

Street theatre, music and mayhem, especially during the fireworks display on October 31.

Belfast Festival at Queen's
Oct/Nov; www.belfastfestival.com.

Major arts festival, Ireland's equivalent to Edinburgh, nowadays complete with its very own Fringe.

Foyle Film Festival
Nov; www.foylefilmfestival.com.

The best of new Irish and international film in Derry.

Culture and etiquette
Ireland likes to describe itself as the land ofCead Míle Fáilte("a hundred thousand welcomes"), which you'll often see inscribed on pubs, and that's essentially true for most visitors. In terms of general etiquette, wherever you go, you'll encounter the standard Irish greeting – an enquiry about your health (sometimes just abbreviated to "About you?" in parts of the North) and it's reasonable to return the compliment. Also, if someone buys you a pint in a pub, then an even-handed gesture is to pay for the next round.

Children
Children are very well received, though few places, including cafés, hotels and many key attractions, are actually designed with them in mind. Baby supplies are readily available and most B&Bs and hotels welcome children, though few have cots. It's usually fine to take a child into a pub during the daytime, though definitely not so in the Republic after 9pm.

Women
For women Ireland represents a mixed experience. Much of the country remains distinctly untouched by even the slightest move towards sexual equality and, both North and in the Republic, this often reveals itself in the form of outlandish sexist behaviour,ranging from the amusing to the sometimes absolutely intolerable. However, even the latter rarely transforms itself into physical intimidation and the vast majority of situations can be easily managed. Like any other country, though, Ireland has its own quota of dangerous people, so it's always wise to adopt a cautionary attitude when travelling and enjoying pubs and nightlife. In the rare case of experiencing a serious personal assault, it's always worth contacting either a rape crisis centre or Tourism Victim Support, as local police, though well intentioned, are generally not experienced in dealing with distressed women.

Racism
The Republic and Northern Ireland remain among Europe's most backward places when it comes to racism, seemingly untouched by developments in more tolerant societies elsewhere. Both sides of the border, Irish society is remarkably conservative, and the population homogeneous and unused to immigration. Black visitors will undoubtedly encounter racist attitudes, especially in rural areas, but these are usually a result of ignorance, rather than an intention to cause deliberate offence. Nevertheless, it's wise to be wary when out at night in parts of central Dublin, Belfast and Galway. It is also true that attacks against refugees and asylum seekers, both verbal and physical, have increased in the Republic's inner city areas in recent years. In Belfast too there has been a major attempt by Loyalist gangs to "cleanse" the city's ethnic population, targeting mainly the local Chinese community.

Ireland also has its own recognized ethnic minority, the travellers (known by a range of insulting epithets). If anything, attitudes are even worse towards them than towards newcomers to the country.

Gays and lesbians
People have even less tolerant attitudes towards gays and lesbians than towards immigrants, and the gay community in Ireland keeps a low profile, the only "scene" largely concentrated on the nightlife of Belfast and Dublin. Though private same-sex activity is legal across Ireland, public displays of affection will produce either goggle-eyes or threats of some form or another, and many small-town and rural B&Bs will look askance at a pair of men or women wanting to share a bed for the night. Be aware that known cruising areas, such as Belfast's Cave Hill and Dublin's Phoenix Park, are often patrolled by the police.

Tipping
Though discretionary, tipping restaurant staff or taxi drivers is the expected reward for satisfactory service; ten to fifteen percent of your tab will suffice.
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