When it comes to planning your weekends during the summer season, you really are spoiled for choice. That’s why we’ve teamed up with Mastercard to bring you the ultimate event guide every weekend for the rest of the season.
Dublin
DSPCA Great Irish Dog Walk 2017
This pup-tastic event proves that dream weekends do exist: A fun filled walk and doggie themed festival will be held in the grounds of the DSPCA Campus in Rathfarnham, surrounded by spectacular views over Dublin Bay and the surrounding countryside.
The event is open to all dog owners or simply people who love animals and wish to enjoy a fun day out, while supporting the lifesaving work of the DSPCA, making it ideal for wannabe dog owners to have a day out surrounded by adorable pups.
Some of the exciting activities on the day will include: The Wetnose Studio Photo Booth, Exotic Pets by Reptile Haven, Free Dog Training and Agility by Dog Training at the DSPCA, Doggie Fun zones and picnic areas, Kids Fun zones with face painting and “lots of games, lots of freebies, and a goody bag” (we assume full of yum Purina doggie treats!)
The walks take place on Saturday and are at staggered times, to ensure no huge doggie stampede, with the first walk beginning at 11am, and the last at 3.30pm.
A post shared by Lesley Keane (@lesleykeanemac) on
Possibly one of the most iconic sporting events to take place in Dublin, the annual Liffey Swim has been a highlight of September in the city since 1920, when it was organised by a Dublin engineer in order to show the citizens the good quality of the water in the Liffey - a fact that might be more questionable today.
An exciting day out, The Dublin City Liffey Swim is unique in that Dublin is the only capital country in Europe to have a swimming race through the middle of the city, and the novelty of cheering on hundreds of swimmers as they race underneath Dublin’s key bridges makes for a truly different Saturday afternoon.
Kicking off at 1.30pm, swimmers will swim 2,200 metres downstream, with participants ranging in age from 13 to their mid-seventies. Grab a takeaway coffee, settle yourself somewhere along the boardwalk for a view of the mile and a quarter long course, and get ready to be swept up in the madness of it all, screaming for your preferred winner.
A celebration of Ireland’s blossoming craft beer creations, the Irish Craft Beer Festival is on all weekend in the RDS, with over 200 beers from 40 brewers, plus cider, cocktails, and the very best of Dublin food. Yep, sounds like the most perfect festival in the world, and it is.
Beloved beers include samples from O’Hara’s, Wicklow Wolf, Urban Brewing, Galway Hooker, and Craigies Craft Cider, whilst food options available (snacks are vital for soaking up those heftier ales), include sweet treats from the fabulous Dublin Cookie Co., pizza to rival that in Naples from Dave’s Woodfired Pizza Company, and comforting pies from local favourite Pieman.
Daily DJ’s will be spinning tunes throughout the festival, with silent discos planned alongside more informative events for beer aficionados. Workshops will be held in food and beer pairings, a Bushmills masterclass, as well as a series of exciting and insightful panel discussions in all things craft, from distilling poitin to the newcomers on the Irish Craft Beer scene.
Fun times at #irishcraftbeerfestival #rds #craftbeer #hefe
A post shared by Ciaran Reilly (@ciaranr) on
Followed by fans and first timers alike, Dublin Fringe Festival draws more than 30,000 spectators for 16 days and nights each September, transforming Dublin into an exposé of great creative talent from around the globe.
Taking place in various locations around the city for 16 days, the Fringe Festival provides a platform for the best emerging Irish artists and acts, as well as established international arts.
Highlights over this weekend include: Why Won’t You Have Sex With Me?, a show by wheelchair user, disability activist and journalist Louise Bruton which explores the challenges and attitudes disabled people face along the way in the dating world; The Power of Wow, a performance by X & Co. which brings you on a suitably quirky journey of the the celeb wedding of the millennium featuring “Europe’s favourite-ish pop star, Xnthony”, as he ties the knot with sweaty palms and an open heart. “Bring your dancing shoes. Dress to wow.”
Also, not-to-miss is a performance by Lords Of Strut, Street Performance World Champions, unlikely heroes of Fringe smash hit RIOT and Britain’s Got Talent favourites, who bring their upbeat dance routines and cause a “tiny bit of mayhem.” Sounds ideal.
Galway
For those of you who prefer a more soothing weekend, Optimum Health is hosting a one-day yoga festival in Galway city along with some of the Galway’s most experienced Yoga teachers.
This one day festival will allow you to nourish the mind, body and soul with a host of different styles of yoga from the absolute beginners to advanced from dance, to mindfulness and meditation, with yoga styles on the weekend representing traditions based in the North & South of India including Hatha Yoga, Ashtanga, Yin, Flow, Kundalini, Gentle and Partner Yoga.
“It has all the ingredients for a fantastic getaway to relax the mind, awaken the heart, restore and rejuvenate the body.” We’re sold.
Along with the Yoga teachings, there will be Massage therapies and acupuncture with Daryl Belmore and Mick Herron, Kinesiology with Des Richmond, Gong Baths with Kasia, healthy cakes and tea with Mara from secret garden, all happening throughout the ultimate chilled-out festival.
A post shared by Zita Hough @ziteen (@yoga_zita) on
Cork
Aideen Barry: Not to Be Known (2015)
Seduced by the concept of the ideal home-maker and the working woman as proposed by the media, Aideen Barry’s stop-motion film, Not to be Known, shows the artist “overwhelmed by the monotony and magnitude of domestic chores in nightmarish scenarios.”
The visual performance is exhibited in Cork’s Crawford Art Gallery, and to maintain the tension between reality and aspiration, the artist’s Medusa-like hair of vacuum cleaner hoses prepares and cooks the perfect family meal, irons the laundry, whilst she ‘keeps up appearances’, sitting quietly at the kitchen table, sipping tea, and scrolling through visual images of the ‘dream’ kitchen – i.e. spotless and non-functioning – on her Smartphone.
The hair becomes so busy that it demands Barry’s body and drags her upstairs to make the bed, suggesting that adherence to her chores is a far greater need than maintaining an apparent quality of life.
Finally, she chops off her vacuum tentacles in an effort to find her life outside the domestic space. Ever felt like it’s all getting too much for you? This artsy film will speak volumes.
Kerry
Dingle TradFest
The well established Dingle TradFest, now in its 7th year, is always a fantastic event, and this year the festival will host a series of concerts, an extensive session trail and dance workshops.
Dingle Tradfest promotes Irish traditional music in an innovative way, emphasising especially the creativity of young traditional musicians and new bands – this year this will be highlighted even more with the addition of a Battle of the Trad bands competition.
The awe-inspiring duo Maeve Gilchrist & Nic Gareiss travel from the U.S to be at the festival and as well as performing will undertake some workshops for those eager to learn some new skills.
With all the town’s favourite pubs joining forces for the Dingle Tradfest Session Trail, a free Fringe event of various trad sessions and major craic, Dingle really is the place to be this weekend.
This event guide was brought to you with thanks to Mastercard®. Register on Priceless.com today to discover exclusive experiences and get privileged access to sporting events, shopping, dining and travel.
