IT'S A FREE WORLD:DINGLE'S WREN Festival offers ceol agus craicand draws spectators from far and wide.
This year, because St Stephen’s Day falls on a Sunday, tradition in this part of the world decrees that the wren celebrations take place on the Monday, December 27th instead of St Stephen’s Day, as is traditional.
On Monday at noon, marching to the sound of fife and drums, four groups of straw boys come from four corners of the town.
Dressed in full costume, each makes a full circle of the town before paying the local hostelries a visit and then repairing to the local hospital where they perform for the patients.
Catch: under the challenging weather conditions Dingle is a long way to go for anyone based in Leinster. Wren Day celebrations take place in Sandymount, in Dublin on St Stephen's Day. The celebrations start at midday with the wren boys descending on Sandymount House.
Take note: bring your tin whistle and wear warm clothes.
WHEN YOU'VEtired of the turkey and Christmas television why not dispatch your family to the Winter Trail in the Natural History museum in Dublin (tel 01-6777444, museum.ie) to discover how medieval lords, Viking children and Stone Age farmers passed the time, had fun and celebrated feasts in winters past.
On December 28th and December 29th, the first 24 people to turn up will get taken on a free, treasure hunt-like tour of the museum by one of its own education staff.
No booking is required but places are limited and are allocated on a first come, first served basis.
The tour takes place between 11am and noon on both days. This trail also takes place on January 16th between 3pm and 4pm.
Catch: this event is limited to children over the age of seven.
Take note: if you don't make the first 24, the trail is available to do unaccompanied in your own family group or solo, until January 31st. Ask for the activity sheets, created by the museum's education and outreach department at the front desk.
IF YOUpopped the question this Christmas then you're also in the market for honeymoon bargains.
Twohigs (twohigs.com or tel 01-6480800) is offering lovebirds two free nights at the beachfront, Holiday Inn Resort in Penang, Malaysia.
This offer is part of a 10-night B&B trip that includes three nights at the Corus Hotel in Kuala Lumpur and seven nights at the aforementioned Penang Holiday Inn. The package costs €949 plus flight taxes and fuel surcharges, currently €313 per person, totalling an approximate €1,262 per person. This offer is valid for travel completed from April 1st to June 14th.
Catch: several travel agents are offering extra nights free to lure honeymooners in. If you're not fussy about where you go, you may be better off waiting and booking a last-minute deal. One resource that lists a wide range of places is destinations.ie – all priced to include the taxes and charges.
Take note: transfers are not included in the destinations.ie offers.
Found a freebie on holiday? Email emorgan@irishtimes.com
