A Guide to Festivals in Ireland

Wren's Day Carrigaline 26 December 2008

The big attraction in Carrigaline, County Cork, on St Stephen's Day, December 26th is the annual Wren Boys Street Festival. This is an old Irish tradition, which has largely been forgotten in most other parts of the country: the Celtic myth was that the Robin, which represents the old year, kills the Wren, which represents the new year. "Wren Boys" would go hunting the bird and then go from house to house, singing and dancing for money. In this festival, traditional musicians, singers and dancers in bright colorful costumes and straw suits create great excitement as they entertain the crowds.

www.owenabue-valley.net

There is also a Wren's Day in the West Kerry town of Dingle, where crowds of people take to the streets of Dingle dressed in straw costumes and fancy dress parading the streets accompanied by music dance and song. The different Wrens go from pub to pub playing music while they collect donations for worthy charities.

Smithwick's Cat Laughs Festival Kilkenny May 28-June 1

In recent years, Irish comedy has become increasingly popular, and this comedy festival has established itself as one of the leading comedy festivals in the U.K and Ireland. It takes place in Kilkenny, a very charming midlands town about two hours from Dublin. (Its inhabitants insist on calling it a city because it has a cathedral, much to the amusement of the rest of country.) But whether you want to call it a town and city, Kilkenny is a great place to spend a few days - make sure to visit its Norman castle - and this comedy festival is probably the best time of the year to do so.

This year's line-up features  If you do decide to go to this festival, try to book accommodation early on: most the hotels and Bed & Breakfasts sell out by the time the festival begins. There are also camping facilities provided, if you are prepared to rough it a little.

www.thecatlaughs.com

Galway Arts Festival July 13-26

Galway can lay genuine claim to being Ireland's cultural capital (although some Dubliners may well reject this claim) - so a trip to this western city no matter what time of the year will always be a very cultural experience. But these two weeks in July are especially exciting: part of Galway's appeal is that its city centre is small enough where pretty much everything is within walking distance. Life moves at a more laid back pace than in Dublin, and Galway manages to retain the feeling of how an Irish city, in part, might have looked 30 or 40 years ago, while still looking thoroughly modern.

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