A round-up of some of the events taking place across the country from this weekend:
Cheer on the Boys in Green
Ireland will take on Bosnia at the Aviva Stadium this Saturday in the last of their warm-up games in Ireland before the squad travels to Italy on Sunday. Tickets are priced from €22 to €62. The game kicks off at 3pm.
[ ticketmaster.ieOpens in new window ]
Happy birthday Clifden
Celebrations in Clifden, Connemara, begin today to celebrate the town's 200th birthday. The week-long festival will celebrate the history and beauty of the town and its founding father, John D’Arcy. The week promises a mix of street theatre and parties, exhibitions, dramas, documentaries and traditional boats regatta. The official opening ceremony takes place today, while tomorrow’s highlights include the well-known Cunningham family of dancers, Atlantic Steps, performing at the Clifden Station House Theatre and a craft market that promises to showcase the best of the west.
[ clifden2012.orgOpens in new window ]
HSE Community Games
Athlone Institute of Technology hosts the HSE Community Games National Finals this weekend. President Michael D. Higgins will officially open the games, which will see 2,600 children from 30 counties across Ireland participate in various sporting and cultural activities. The line-up has something for everybody with activities such as art, choir performances, chess, cross-country running, handball, handwriting, indoor soccer, disco dancing and comedy sketches. Olympic torch relay nominee Aine Holden will take part with her local choir from Carlow tomorrow at 1pm.
[ communitygames.ieOpens in new window ]
Wexford Food and Wine Festival
The fourth Wexford Food and Wine Festival will be held in Wexford town this weekend to introduce locals to the diverse range of regionally produced food. The line-up includes cookery demonstrations, a Jazz Brunch and an open-air food producers' market. Attendees can also "time travel" back to 500 BC to taste the food that was cooked centuries ago. This year will also see the Wexford Circle of Chefs, featuring nine of the county’s best chefs. The event will be hosted by TV chef Phelim Byrne in the Talbot Hotel tonight at 8pm with tickets priced at €15.
[ wexfordfoodfestival.ieOpens in new window ]
LINK Culturefest
LINK Culturefest kicks off today in Smithfield, Dublin, featuring a mix of visual, art and music festivities. The weekend includes a range of art exhibitions, live concerts, open studios, artist talks, live street art, outdoor screenings and performances. Mersk Collective and the European Sensoria band will play the Joinery gallery at 8pm tonight. The Throwing Shapes after party, which celebrates the best music from eras gone by, is also on the bill. The events are taking place in up to 20 gallery and studio spaces located between Stoneybatter and Capel Street over the weekend.
[ blockt.ieOpens in new window ]
Dublin City Soul Festival
The Dublin City Soul Festival, self-dubbed Ireland's feelgood festival, takes place this weekend showcasing emerging new music artists and art like you’ve never seen before. The Instrumental Art exhibition, which begins today in Stephen’s Green Shopping Centre, sees old guitars, violins and drums transformed into canvasses for artists, musicians and creatives to paint on.
The Soul Picnic takes place tomorrow and Sunday in Merrion Square Park where attendees can enjoy the very best local, national and international performers in a chilled-out picnic style. Admission is free, and this year’s line-up includes The Barley Mob, The Hot Sprockets and folk group trio Wyvern Lingo.
[ dublincitysoulfestival.comOpens in new window ]
Rás cycle race
The 2012 An Post Rás comes to an end this weekend when the eight-day cycle race around Ireland finishes in Skerries on Sunday. The Rás, which got under way in Dunboyne, Co Meath, last Sunday, pits amateur riders from county teams against international teams, allowing Irish amateur riders to race against the professionals. The race covers 1,168km over eight stages across Ireland and sees cyclists tackle three of the country's most challenging ascents. Today the cyclists will travel from Buncrana to Killybegs and tomorrow will cycle from Donegal to Cootehill, Co Cavan.
[ anpost.ie/rasOpens in new window ]
Calcutta Run
The Law Society of Ireland presents its annual Calcutta Run tomorrow. The 10km run, which starts at 12pm at The Law Society's headquarters at Blackhall Place in Dublin, is in aid of Goal and the Peter McVerry Trust. Last year saw 1,000 runners take part and raise money for homeless children at home and abroad. Festivities begin after the run is completed with a massive barbecue, live music and festivities for families. This year’s target is to raise over €160,000. Radio station 98fm’s Big Red broadcasting unit will be there along with entertainment from the Guinness jazz band, samba drummers and a variety of children’s entertainment. The Calcutta Run has raised €2.5 million in the past 13 years.
[ calcuttarun.comOpens in new window ]
Connemara Bog Week
Connemara Bog Week 2012 begins today in the Quaker village of Letterfrack to celebrate Connemara’s beautiful landscape. The weekend includes an art exhibition in the Connemara National Park, an intergenerational concert, music workshops, a fun run and family sports day. The weekend will showcase traditional music from some of Ireland’s finest players including The Kane Sisters, Johnny Connolly, The Hernon's, Josephine Marsh and Johnny O'Halloran. Attendees can also enjoy bog walks accompanied by scientists, musicians, poets and artists who will discuss the region's landscape.