Home > What's On in Ireland > Festivals in 2007
Festivals in Ireland 2007 & 2008
Photo by McGarryThere can hardly be a week in Ireland without a handful of festivals taking place somewhere, and they cover such a wide range of interests that there is truly a festival for everyone!
While greatly enjoyed by visitors to Ireland all Irish festivals are attended by large and enthusiastic local audiences too and are often a good excuse to party - festival towns will have busy pubs and restaurants and hotels book out early, so if you intend staying for a few days book early! They are wonderful occasions to meet with local people and get to know them, everyone will be in relaxed mood and happy to help visitors join in, find their way around and see the best bits.
Finding a Festival of Interest to You
The festivals listed below are mostly very general in their theme, we have listed those which concentrate on a specific interest - sport, books, various styles of music etc - under those headings rather than here. There is also a separate listing of Arts Festivals, simply because there are so many of them.
Clonmel Junction Festival
Date: July 5th-13th | Location: Tipperary
2008 is the 8th year of the festival, which continues to grow and become ever more popular. This year sees performers from the USA, Belgium, Switzerland, Bulgaria, Romania, Italy,...
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Docklands Maritime Festival
Date: May 30th - June 2nd | Location: Dublin
Taking place in the redeveloped docklands area in the centre of the city, this festival made its debut last year to enormous crowds and this year is likely to be even bigger and better....
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Feile na Tuaithe (Country Festival)
Date: May 24th - 25th | Location: Mayo
A festival celebrating traditional country life in Ireland, the events are all held at Turlough Park, the Irish National Museum's Mayo based department of Country Life. On offer...
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Bealtine
Date: May 1st-31st | Location: None
Bealtaine is the May-time arts festival celebrating creativity in older age. It comprises a series of events taking place nationwide, independently organised by some 300 organisers...
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The Shindig Festival
Date: January 2009 | Location: Kerry
The 'Shindig' is a fun and action packed weekend long festival taking place in Tralee in Co Kerry and featuring great Irish music, singing and storytelling and giving a cental...
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Dublin Circus Week
Date: July 13th-20th | Location: Dublin
This festival of the circus is a first in Dublin and a hige number of performers are promised, with circus events taking place on the streets and in the various performance spaces...
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Mohill Arts & Storytelling Festival
Date: Oct 24th-27th | Location: Leitrim
There is little to beat the magic of a good story well told, and the storyteller was a revered character in Irish history and culture, telling his tales around firesides. Since 1995...
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Kinsale Jazz Festival
Date: 24th - 27th Oct | Location: Cork
Running as a fringe festival to its larger cousin the Cork Jazz Festival, this lively weekend will see Kinsale buzzing, with numerous live jazz and blues events packing in the crowds...
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Kinsale International Gourmet Festival
Date: 10th - 12th Oct | Location: Cork
For lovers of good food there is never a bad time to visit Kinsale, but this October weekend has to be one of the best times to be there. It's a packed programme of foodie events...
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Kilkenny Celtic Festival
Date: Sept 26th - Oct 5th | Location: Kilkenny
The Kilkenny Celtic Festival aims to foster an appreciation of all things Celtic, language, song, music, dance, sport and even food. Participants will enjoy a varied programme which...
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Sneem Family Fun Festival
Date: 23rd - 27th July | Location: Kerry
It's honestly hard to know where to begin with this one, so much is going on in the Kerry village of Sneem over the weekend, certainly there is something here for every member...
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Birr Vintage Week
Date: Aug 15th - 22nd | Location: Offaly
Now in its 40th year, Birr celebrates the coming of motorised vehicles in style every year, with costumed parades and displays of vintage vehicles of every kind - from fancy Rolls...
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Ballina Salmon Festival
Date: July 11th - 20th | Location: Mayo
This festival incorporates the Ballina Street and Arts Festival and in spite of it's name is not all about either fishing for or eating Salmon! Most events during the festival...
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Clarenbridge Oyster Festival
Date: 12th - 14th Sept | Location: Galway
The Oyster Festival at Clarinbridge has taken place every September since 1954, with guests from all over the world returning annully to celebrate the new Oyster season. The bivalves...
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Cape Clear International Storytelling Festival
Date: 5th - 7th Sept | Location: Cork
The art of storytelling is celebrated during this festival on beautiful Cape Clear Island off the coast of Co Cork with formal and informal storytelling sessions, workshops, musical...
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Cork Midsummer Festival
Date: June 15th - July 5th | Location: Cork
Encompassing theatre, dance, music of many varieties, visual arts and even circus, this is truly a festival with something for everyone. The 2008 Cork Midsummer Festival gets underway...
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Taste of Dublin Festival
Date: 12th - 15th June | Location: Dublin
For 4 days in June Dublin will truly be a foodie paradise, with 22 of the city's top restraunteurs and many speciality and artisan food producers, presenting their wares in...
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Pan Celtic Arts Festival
Date: March 25th to 30th | Location: Donegal
While this is primarily a competitive festival, with competitions for singers, musicians, dancers, song writers and pipe bands, there are also many non-competitive and informal events...
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Galway International Oyster Festival
Date: 25th-28th September | Location: Galway
Now in it's 54th year, this very popular festival returns in 2008 and is one not just for lovers of the delicious bivalve but for anyone who fancies a weekend of good...
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Lisdoonvarna Matchmaking Festival
Date: Aug 29th - Sept 5th | Location: Clare
If you're looking for an Irish mate, this is the one for you - Europe's largest Matchmaking Festival draws throngs of people to Lisdoonvarna each year, and if you cannot find...
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St Patrick's Festival 2008
Date: March 13th - 17th | Location: Dublin
This is easily the biggest St Patrick's Day festival in Ireland, if not the most traditional. It's a massive event, a huge party taking place mostly on the streets of Dublin,...
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The Kerry Pageant Festival 2008
Date: March 15th - 17th | Location: Kerry
Image by JaqianFor three days Tralee will be the centre of activitiy in Co Kerry with a the Kerry Pageant Festival bringing entertainment to the streets and hostelries of the town....
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Puck Fair
Date: 10th - 12th August | Location: Kerry
Each August during one of Europes oldest fairs, Puck Fair in Kilorglin Co Kerry, a wild mountain goat is crowned King and elevated to a high perch where he overlooks three days of...
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The Culchie Festival
Date: October 24th-26th | Location: Cavan
A "culchie" is a country dweller and proud of it, though those who live in cities might, just might, use the term as one of abuse! This festival celebrates all things culchie,...
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Ballinasloe October Fair
Date: 4th -12th Oct | Location: Galway
This is Ireland's, and maybe Europe's, oldest traditional fair, with an annual gathering taking place here since at least the time of the High Kings of Tara. The main purpose...
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Festival of World Cultures
Date: 22nd - 24th August | Location: Dublin
The 2008 Festival will once again celebrate an incresingly multicultural Ireland, and given that one in every ten people living in Ireland now was not born here, it is certainly no...
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Spraoi Festival
Date: August 1st - 3rd | Location: Waterford
The Spraoi [say spree] Festival in Waterford is all about live street performance and world music. Every part of the city is involved and the whole place becomes a huge street party,...
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Mary from Dungloe Festival
Date: July 26th - Aug 4th | Location: Donegal
A big event in Donegal, during which a new title-holder for the Mary from Dungloe crown is chosen from hopefuls from all over the world. The title is owed to the words of a famous...
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Spirit of Voice Festival
Date: November 2008 | Location: Galway
A relative newcomer to the packed Galway festival calendar, Spirit of the Voice took place first in 2004 and has since grown into an established and popular cultural celebration of...
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Listowel Food Fair
Date: November 2008 | Location: Kerry
Food lovers from around the country converge on Listowel in Novemer for a celebration of local food, held in an area where some of the most excellent and interesting small food producers...
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Bundoran Ocean Fest
Date: September 2008 | Location: Donegal
Centered around the Donegal Adventure Centre this festival is about surfing, and there'll be plenty of that, but also much more. A varied music programme includes something for...
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Kilkenny Hot Air Balloon Festival
Date: June 2008 | Location: Kilkenny
Photo by Aoife MacFor four days this summer the skies over Kilkenny will be filled with the colourful sight of hot air balloons gracefully sailing by. The balloons will be launched...
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Easter Arts & Bumble Bee Festival
Date: April 2009 | Location: Kerry
The theme of the festival this year is 'Stars' and you can expect a wide ranging celebration of all things artistic with music, tradition, craft, culture, food, film and literature...
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Leitrim Roots Festival 2009
Date: March 2009 | Location: Leitrim
The idea of this enjoyable festival is for the descendants of Leitrim exiles and Leitrim people living abroad to return for a week of heritage & entertainment. It's all based...
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Dan Paddy Andy Festival
Date: August 2008 | Location: Kerry
Lyreacrompane (say: Lye-rah-crum-pawn) is a beautiful area located between Listowel and Kenmare in Co Kerry, in the foothills of the Stack Mountains. It isn't a...
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Durrow Carnival Weekend
Date: August 2008 | Location: Laois
Anyone traveling between Dublin and Cork or Kerry will pass through the small town of Durrow in Co Laois, and if you are traveling this weekend it is a good place to stop and...
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