It's a holiday weekend and you don't want to travel. Where can you go for a wide variety of great entertainment, unlimited free carnival rides, kids entertainment, free parking, athletic exhibitions, theatre, dance and animal exhibitions for one low admission price. Throw in shopping, food and refreshments and you have Gaelic Park Irish Festival on Memorial Day Weekend May 24-27. It all takes place nearby at 6119 W. 147th Street, Oak Forest.

From North New York to Illinois the Irish American community are kicking off the summer festival season in style with a sensational line up of events. Good Irish traditional, as well as more modern acts, arts and crafts, food, theatre and more are just some of the treasures in store this May.

On Saturday, June 1st 2013, Claddagh na nGael will present a brand new festival, GaelFest, celebrating traditional Irish culture in all its varied forms and expressions. 

‘Scéal na Gaeilge’ is a two part documentary series which traces the journey of the Irish language from biblical times to the present day. As well as winning Best Factual Entertainment category at the 2013 Celtic Media Festival held in Swansea, Wales, the series has also been nominated for an Irish Film & Television Academy Award (IFTA) for Best Sound and won the Oireachtas Media Award for Best TV Series.

On Saturday May 4 'Zorrofest Wexford' will celebrate the life and legend of a real-life ‘Irish Zorro’ - 17th-century Wexford-man William Lamport, this  pirate, soldier, spy and would-be revolutionary a rebellious romantic rascal and swashbuckling righter of wrongs, was a Wexford-man and also the writer of the first independence proclamation of the Americas.  A statue of "Guillén de Lampart" - as he is known in Mexico - guards the tomb of their revolutionary heroes and Independence Monument to this day.

Three exciting new Irish films had the Tribeca Film Festival crowds buzzing. 'What Richard Did' is an intense fictional telling of an all too real story about a deadly assault in Dublin. Also screened was Irish director Neil Jordan’s 'Byzantium,' with Saoirse Ronan as a 200-year-old teenage vampire. 'Run and Jump,' one of the most distinctive new Irish films about love and marriage seen in years, also made a big impression. Cahir O'Doherty reviews the three films and talks to the award winning Irish director Lenny Abrahamson. 

Irish film production company Fantastic Films, headed up by Brendan McCarthy and John McDonnell are celebrating. 'The Last Day of Mars' directed by Oscar nominated Ruairi Robinson, being announced as one of the films accepted into this year’s highly prestigious ‘Directors’ Fortnight’ at next months Cannes Film Festival.

Conference Partners has officially launched the Irish World Cup 2013 event, an amateur soccer tournament open to both male and female adult soccer teams of all skill levels from all over the world. The event will take place from the 7th to 9th June 2013 in University College Dublin, and promises to be the largest seven-a-side tournament since the London 2012 Paralympic Games. With player packages starting from €40 per person, everyone from soccer enthusiasts to those seeking a holiday with a difference, are encouraged to gather and register a team and come to Ireland to play a minimum of six matches for the chance to win a prize pot of €5,000 and a VIP day out at a World Cup Qualifier game; Republic of Ireland vs. Sweden on September 6th.

Four Irish films will have the honor of being screened at New York City’s upcoming Tribeca Film Festival. ‘What Richard Did,’ ‘Run and Jump,’ ‘Byzantium’ and ‘Dark Touch’ are all billed to be shown.

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