WE ALL KNOW the pubs are closed today, but that doesn’t mean that the rest of the country is idle, with a plethora of events this Good Friday kickstarting the Easter weekend.
There are hundreds of easter egg hunts planned across the country this weekend, with plenty more for children and adults alike to enjoy.
Cruinniú na Cásca promises to be a major Easter extravaganza on Monday, but there’s three whole days of events on before we get there.
Here are just of the few of the hundreds of events taking place across Ireland this Easter weekend.
Dublin
Cadbury’s Easter hunt for Barnardos comes back to Merrion Square this year, taking place today and Saturday.
Every cent from the sale of tickets goes to Barnardos, and four hunts will take place from 10.30am-1pm and 2pm-4.30pm on both days.
Dun Laoghaire-Rathdown county council will host a free family event at Deerpark in Mount Merrion, on Sunday, which will be transformed for the Mad Hatter’s tea party.
You can take a ride on the teacups, be a pawn, literally, in a giant chess game, have a game of croquet or hear the story of Alice in Wonderland from a special storyteller.
This year’s tea party will also feature a massive egg hunt across the part.
Dublin Zoo will host a special weekend in collaboration with the Irish Fairy Door Company.
Children will be able to go on a fun, imaginative adventure around the zoo, following the magical clues on the fairy trail.
Taking place Saturday, Sunday and Monday, there will be lots of fairy-themed activities at this zoo event.
There are also easter extravaganzas taking place around the capital, including those at Wooly Ward’s Farm, Croke Park, Farmleigh and Ardgillan Castle.
Egg hunts
There are literally hundreds of egg hunts taking place across the country this weekend, from Mizen to Malin head.
Leahy’s Open Farm in Cork, Glenroe Farm in Wicklow, Moher Hill Open Farm in Clare and Lullymore Park in Kildare are among the many, many places that easter egg hunts are set to take place.
Sources close to the Easter Bunny told TheJournal.ie that despite the large number of easter eggs that will be scattered around the country during the various hunts, all eggs will be found.
Galway Food Festival
The Galway Food Festival takes place this Easter bank holiday weekend, promising a strong focus on artisan, seasonal and local produce to highlight the diverse food culture of the city.
Now in its sixth year, the food festival ends Monday.
Also on in Galway this weekend is the annual Ras Chonamara in aid of the Galway Autism Partnership and, for the sports fans among us, the sportsground will play host to Connacht and Leinster for their Pro12 game on Saturday evening.
Elsewhere
The Ras Chonamara isn’t the only charity cycle taking place this Easter, with a 50k charity cycle for mental health and suicide awareness on in Waterford this Sunday.
The Easter Bunny will make a visit to Limerick, appearing at Jetland Shopping Centre until Saturday, and giving out free easter eggs.
And the theme is marine for a special round of movie screenings in Courtown, Co Wexford during the Easter holidays, with family favourites including Finding Nemo, Happy Feet and the Song of the Sea on show from Monday. Also, popcorn is free.
A weekend festival inspired by illustration, animation and books kicks off at the Riverbank Arts Centre in Newbridge today. Children will learn how to create their own mini comic book and illustrate their own book covers along with screenings of recent movies at Animagination.
Any good plans for the Easter weekend? Let us know what’s going on where you are below.
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