As one of the prime destinations on Ireland’s west coast, the Dingle Peninsula is rich in seacoast vistas, pristine beaches, rugged mountain passes, and deep green valleys as well as colorful little towns, fishing ports, and great pubs.

SEE VIDEOS  of the top Irish songs for St. Patrick's Day click here

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If your buddy feels compelled to sing a famous Irish ballad this Saint Patrick’s Day, be a good pal and make sure he or she scraps the following ten numbers off their party pieces.

The U2 frontman has revealed in the past that he wears his ever present sunglasses because his eyes are sensitive to light but his close friend Julian Lennon, son of late Beatles legend John Lennon, has revealed the condition is deteriorating.

The legendary Bruce Springsteen and his E Street Band have chosen Kilkenny in Ireland as their location to close out the European leg of their Wrecking Ball tour.

TheJournal.ie reports that Springsteen will be offering fans a weekender blowout that will not only feature the The Boss’s musical stylings, but will also put on feature a number of Irish acts.

One Direction is teaming up with the charity Comic Relief to put out a new single that will benefit the charity’s ‘Red Nose Day’ fundraising initiative.

Bruce Springsteen is now set for a total of five appearances in Ireland this summer, including a concert at Kilkenny's Nowlan Park in July.

Details of the Doolin Short Story Competition 2013 have been announced by the Irish Writers' Centre in association with Hotel Doolin.

Bob Geldof, best known as the activist humanitarian who put together the Band Aid iconic holiday song “Do They Know It’s Christmas?” and the subsequent Live Aid shows in London and the U.S., is taking a cue from the likes of Fleetwood Mac and reforming his band the Boomtown Rats this summer for an appearance at the Isle of Wight festival in England in June.

How did Irish men ever get the reputation for being quiet? Anyone with actual on the ground experience of the nation knows that, like the Rolling Stones song, once you start them up they never stop. 

A new teaser trailer has been released for a documentary about One Direction on concert. The documentary, which will be in 3D, is titled “1D3D” and scheduled to be released August 30, 2013.

The 9th Annual CelticFest Vancouver, March 9–17 delivers its best celebration of Celtic music, dance and culture to date, with a jam-packed schedule of more than 70 free and ticketed concerts and events over nine days. The festival is thrilled to again call the downtown Vancouver Entertainment District home, but is excited to be branching out again this year with a special FREE kick-off celebration event on March 9 at The Village on False Creek called Celts on the Creek.

Rock legend Adam Clayton has revealed how U2’s music saved him from depression – and urged the Irish government to tackle the teenage suicide issue.

An Irish Festival by day and an Irish Fight Night by night – that’s what’s in store for visitors to the Resorts World Casino in Jamaica, Queens on Saturday, March 2

On March 6 New York’s premier Irish film and music event, the Craic Fest, is back and firing on all cylinders, with Cillian Murphy headlining the films and Julie Feeney headlining the music. This year a new Kids Fleadh has been added for the little ones, and there’s a new emphasis on documentaries for grownups. Cahir O'Doherty hears what to expect from the festival’s organizer Terence Mulligan.

Susan Boyle, the breakout star from 2009’s ‘Britain’s Got Talent’ program, is set to make her movie debut in the upcoming ‘The Christmas Candle.’

Irish musicians Kevin May and Mick Lynch of The Guggenheim Grotto bring their signature “modern, intelligent, lyrically potent pop” to the Irish Arts Center for one night only on Saturday, March 9th as part of the much-loved SongLives series curated by Grammy-award winner Susan McKeown.

The Percy French Festival – The French Connection - in association with Roscommon County Council and to coincide with The Gathering Ireland takes place from the 10th – 12th July 2013.
 
Set in the wonderful historic Georgian building of Castlecoote house in French’s native town the annual festival plays host to an exciting and diverse programme of lectures, recitals, poems, monologues, music, and paintings celebrating the life and times of the multi-talented William Percy French.
 
The Festival features prominent speakers covering the historical and sociological context of his life and work.
 
Percy French’s multifaceted role in the Anglo-Irish cultural heritage can be shown to be both important and fascinating yet until now it has been somewhat neglected.
 
The Festival seeks to illuminate the considerable social significance of French’s song writing, poetry, and paintings and their relevance to Ireland’s various ways of life today.  The Festival has succeeded in attracting a wide range of significant authors, academics, politicians, and artists to lecture and perform.
 
The range of lectures and events in the programmes to date reflect the broad spectrum of interests of its directors.  The Festival’s Honorary President is, President of Ireland, Michael D Higgins.
 
The festival takes place at Castlecooote House,  Castlecoote, Co. Roscommon from 10th to 12th July. For more information visit www.percyfrench.ie or the festival’s Facebook page.
 
This event is being run as part of the Tourism Ireland year-long tourism initiative The Gathering.
 
Here’s the audio for Percy French’s most famous song “Are ye right there Michael are ye right?”:
 

The St Patrick’s Day celebrations made it into space – thanks to the Canadian astronaut the Irish just love.

In a survey conducted by Dublin radio station Phantom FM, Whipping Boy’s second album, Heartworm, was voted the best Irish album of all time ahead of big names such as U2, Van Morrison, Damien Rice and Thin Lizzy.

The Dalai Lama will attend and address the expected crowd of 2500 at the Culture of Compassion, an event that will be held by the charity The Children in Crossfire at the Vital Venue in Ebrington, Derry on April 18th.