LOOKING FOR SOMETHING to get you out of the house this weekend? Here are our recommendations, from a cowboy festival in Leitrim to a Galway parade of giant opera-singing dolls.
Cork: Watch breakdancers, swords swallowers, jugglers and trampoline artists take over Fitzgerald Park this weekend for the Cork leg of the City Spectacular street performance festival. There’ll be live science shows, Lego workshops and a special games area for the kids as well.
Donegal: Joan, Mary Lou, Leo and Micheál Martin are among the political heavy hitters scheduled for an appearance at this year’s MacGill Summer School, which kicks off in Glenties on Sunday. The topics dominating its programme of lectures and panel discussions this year include inequality, housing, the upcoming general election and, of course, water charges.
Dublin: The three-day Longitude festival is expected to draw over 60,000 people to Marlay Park this weekend. Hozier, Chemical Brothers, James Blake and Wild Beasts are among the big draws. And if you need a break from the crowds, there’ll be cabaret, comedy and circus acts at a nearby pop-up vaudeville club.
Galway: Drama is the focus of the fortnight-long Galway International Arts Festival, whose offerings this weekend include new plays by Frank McGuinness, Enda Walsh and Amy Conroy. If you’re around the city on Friday or Saturday night, you might catch one of the festival’s more unusual shows: a parade of three giant opera-singing dolls from Eyre Square to Spanish Arch.
Kildare: The next round of Ireland’s biggest motorcycling championship, the Adelaide Masters Series, roars into action at Mondello Park this weekend. Watch some of the country’s best short circuit and road racers do battle in the two-day competition.
Leitrim: A western-themed ranch on the outskirts of Ballinamore is the venue for this weekend’s Cowboy and Heroes, an Americana festival featuring jive and line dancing competitions, as well as a collectible car show. The strictly country music lineup includes Nathan Carter, Mike Denver and Ward Thomas.
Limerick: Head to Abbeyfeale this weekend for street theatre, horse riding and cultural walking tours at Gather by the Feale. A family fun day featuring bouncy castles, face painting and a tug-of-war competition brings the three-day festival, now in its third year, to a close on Sunday.
Tipperary: The week-long Munster Fleadh Cheoil winds up this weekend with a schedule packed full of céilis and music competitions. There’ll be pub sessions across Nenagh tomorrow night, as well free walking tours of the town from Friday to Sunday.
Wicklow: Watch vintage planes and supersonic jets zoom along the coast at the annual Bray Air Display on Sunday. The aerobatic team of the Swiss Air Force, Patrouille Suisse, will be flying in the Swiss national colours in one of the weekend’s main shows.
Have we missed any events? Let us know in the comments below.
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