Festival Time in Ireland

Ireland loves to celebrate, in hundreds of festivals throughout the year. Come kick up your heels, rub shoulders with the locals, feel the love of all things Gaelic. Arts, music, and literature are happening in towns and villages throughout the country. Here’s a sampling of festivals, great for the whole family.

Kerrygold Ballymaloe Literary Festival of Food & Wine

May 20-22, 2016 Ballymaloe, County Cork litfest.ie
Come to County Cork for a food-filled weekend of workshops, discussions, and parties. Foodies serious and curious meet and share ideas.

Listowel Writers Week

June 1-5, 2016 Listowel, County Kerry writersweek.ie
Meet authors and readers in this foundry of literary talent. Events for adults and children include workshops, book launches, readings, and seminars.

Cat Laughs Comedy Festival

June 2-6, 2016
Kilkenny, County Kilkenny
thecatlaughs.com
The medieval town of Kilkenny gets crazy funny on a bank holiday weekend, with the best of Irish and international comedy acts and 30,000 visitors.

Galway International Arts Festival

July 11-24, 2016 Galway, County Galway giaf.ie
Ireland’s largest arts festival features over 500 writers, artists, performers and musicians from all over the world and, of course, Ireland. It embraces theater, spectacle, dance, visual arts, and more. Guests have included David Byrne, Philip Glass, and Joni Mitchell.

Feile an Phobail

Aug. 1-14, 2016 Belfast, Northern Ireland feilebelfast.com
Concerts, exhibitions, debates, and street performances celebrate community togetherness in West Belfast.

Fleadh Cheoil

Aug. 14-22, 2016 Ennis, County Clare fleadhcheoil.ie
The granddaddy of traditional music festivals, this showcase of Irish song and dance will have you tapping your toes to fiddles and flutes all day and night.

Dublin Theatre Festival

Sept. 29-Oct. 10, 2016 Dublin, County Dublin dublintheatrefestival.com In a country that has produced the likes of Oscar Wilde, George Bernard Shaw, and Samuel Beckett, this is the premier theater event of the year, featuring top plays from Ireland and beyond.

Belfast International Arts Festival

Oct. 11-30, 2016 Belfast, Northern Ireland belfastinternationalartsfestival.com Belfast puts on a provocative, irresistible medley of multimedia and cross¬disciplinary events, with music, dance, art, and “sociopolitical invectives.”

Wexford Opera Festival

Oct. 26-Nov. 6, 2016 Wexford, County Wexford wexfordopera. com
See and hear forgotten classics of opera. On the southeast coast, this 64-year-old festival dusts off old masterpieces and gives them new life.

Guinness Cork Jazz Festiva

Oct. 28-31, 2016 Cork, County Cork guinnessjazzfestival.com World-class jazz is on tap in some 80 venues, featuring thousands of musicians from more than 80 countries. Past performers have included Ella Fitzgerald, Dave Brubeck, Wynton Marsalis, and Buddy Rich.

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