E-mail

The best places to celebrate Christmas in Ireland

DARA McBRIDE

Irish Central.com

Published Friday, November 13, 2009, 9:09 AM

Updated Sunday, November 22, 2009, 10:14 PM

Vote now - Buzz this up!

Read more: Dublin, Ireland, Christmas, Culture and Lifestyle, Holidays

Christmas on Grafton Street

3. Ballydavid, County Kerry

Ballydavid, County Kerry is a sleepy little Irish village nestling on the very edge of the Atlantic Ocean. But each St. Stephen’s Day (December 26) it comes alive to host the Wren Boys in a colorful and very ancient one day celebration in remembrance of a festival that was celebrated by the Druids (the Irish shaman or pagan high priests).

Wren boys, also called mummers, dress up in masks, straw suits and colorful motley clothing and, accompanied by traditional ceili music bands, take to the street in a blaze of color continuing a unique and unbroken folk tradition. The Ballydavid Wren is a memorable day of marching, music and dance, featuring an explosion of color and Irish exuberance that’s cheering and irresistible in the midst of winter’s gloom.  http://www.irelandlogue.com/about-ireland/history/the-wren-boys.html

4. Leopardstown and Limerick Christmas Racing Festivals

What better way to blow away the winter blahs than with a flutter on the nags? The Christmas Festivals at Leopardstown and Limerick are up there among the highlights of the Irish sporting and social calendars. Anyone who is anyone among the Dublin social cognoscenti goes to Leapordstown on St Stephen’s Day, those who spend Christmas west of the Shannon or south of the Silvermine Mountains go to Limerick, as much to shake hands and have a hot port with old friends, home for Christmas, the annual get-together, as to have a bet. And the racing isn’t bad either. http://www.goracing.ie/Content/HRI/hritemp3.aspx?id=10938

5. Christmas hill walking

Bundle up and get out to see the majestic Irish landscape in its winter repose. Get away from the High Streets and the commercial madness and take time to get acquainted with your own heartbeat.

With it being Christmas time most hill walking trips have a festive theme including mulled wine and mince pies to help you on your way. For more details and booking click the link below. http://www.walkinginireland.org/

6. Christmas Pantomime

The pantomime is an distinctly Irish and English comic theatre style where a well known fairy tale can turn into the most pointed attacks on the government and society figures of the day. Ostensibly for children, these shows come larded with sentimental songs and vicious political satire that will keep adults chuckling too.

In Dublin the Gaiety and the Olympia theatre’s are the two celebrated venues for this kind of seasonal theatrical fun. If you want to celebrate Christmas the way the Irish themselves do be sure to book your tickets when you arrive. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9AVO4m3jdIY

Last page < 1 2 3 4 Next page >

Vote now - Buzz this story up!

RELATED ARTICLES
RELATED TOPICS

E-mail

Most recent comments - See all comments

Report abuse

Posted by yetiweasel on Dec 09, 2009, 12:10 PM EST

Wonderland for sure!

Report abuse

Posted by chesapeake on Dec 09, 2009, 11:51 AM EST

Wish I could be there this year.

Report abuse

Posted by kmkellyc on Dec 05, 2009, 03:19 PM EST

enjoying the IC site today-articles and advertisement for Malloneys (could someone please tell me , what is 'black pudding' & 'white pudding'? i thought it was pudding but it obviously is some sort of sausages!

Report abuse

Posted by Watereskhill on Nov 24, 2009, 09:13 PM EST

Our favourite is Donegal. Summer or winter. Christmas there is warm people and Midnight Mass and a turf fire until the wee small hours.

Report abuse

Posted by plasticpaddy on Nov 16, 2009, 02:20 PM EST

Agreed, Beal just outside Ballybunion is where my heart will always remain.

Report abuse

Posted by JoeAnnie on Nov 14, 2009, 07:10 PM EST

Two yrs ago, My husband and I spent Christmas with friends in Co Kerry. It was wonderful. Just sitting around the peat fireplace, a good glass of wine.Great Friends and food. We even had snow in Ballybunion. We love Ireland . /we came very close to buying in Kerry.

See all comments

MOST READ
MOST E-MAILED

Related Items

IrishCentral on Twitter

Become a fan of IrishCentral.com on Facebook

One possible itinerary for an Ireland vacation is a trip along the Causeway coast from Belfast to Londonderry. Start off in Belfast, where you can visit the new entertainment complex, Waterfront Hall, as well as the Cathedral Quarter featuring St. Anne’s Cathedral. Want a little history in your Ireland vacation? When you leave Belfast, you can stop at Newtownabbey’s Loughshore Park, which is where the Titanic first sailed from the shipyards of Harland & Wolff. On an Ireland vacation, you can see sights almost a millennium old. Carrickfergus has a 12th-century Norman Castle. If you would like your Ireland vacation to have a literary theme, head to Kilroot, where Jonathan Swift, who would go on to write Gulliver’s Travels, worked as a minister. At the Glens of Antrim. Admire the waterfalls and be sure to take the Antrim Coast Road. If you are looking for some culture during your Ireland vacation, the village of Glenarm has both a castle and traditional folk music sessions. Cushendall features the red sandstone Curfew Tower, which is four stories high. The Carrick-a-Rede rope bridge spans a 24-meter chasm. Some Ireland vacations revolve around pubs. But on this itinerary, you get to go to the village of Bushmills, which is home to the world’s oldest licensed whiskey distillery. One of the most spectacular sights on your Ireland vacation will be the famous Giant’s Causeway, which is outside of Bushmills. Ireland vacations may also include history from other countries. Ships from the Spanish Armada sank along the rough coastline near the Giant’s Causeway. At Port na Spaniagh, divers recovered treasure from the Girona, one of the galleons of the Armada. The Mussenden Temple may have been inspired by Rome’s Temple of Vesta. Downhill, Benone and Magilligan Beaches are so long that you may find yourself alone on these dramatic beaches. Finish your Ireland vacation in Londonderry, which is the only completely walled city in the British Isles. The walls date from the 17th century.

The best places to celebrate Christmas in Ireland

Most recent comments - See all comments

Related Items

news

sport

entertainment

business

travel

advice

opinion

multimedia

roots

food & drink

blogs