Something for the weekend
FOOTBALL . . . AND SONG
The EUROvision Football Song Contest takes place tonight at 8pm at the Grand Social on Liffey Street, Dublin 1. Pedal To Poland, a group holding a 14-day charity cycle from Dublin to Gdansk in aid of Arthritis Ireland, Headstrong and Renewable World, is holding the fundraising event.
The best song on the night will be chosen as the group’s theme tune for the trip to Euro 2012. The night will also feature comedian Al Foran in the guise of Ronnie Whelan.
GALWAY EARLY MUSIC FESTIVAL
The city of tribes will be filled with the sound of traditional and high art medieval music. Tonight Andrew Lawrence-King and the Harp Consort will perform Fantasia y Folia at 8pm at St Nicholas Collegiate.
Tomorrow at 6pm, Coracle will perform Interlace the Otherworld at the 16th-century Tower House, Aughnanure Castle, near Oughterard. Tickets are priced at €18 for adults and €7 for under-16s at both events.
ANNUAL FAMINE WALK
The 25th annual Famine Walk organised by justice and rights group Afri will take place today in Louisburgh, Co Mayo. The event, which has featured walk leaders down the years including Archbishop Desmond Tutu and musicians Christy Moore and Ronnie Drew, will focus this year on the issue of food security and threats to biodiversity. One issue up for discussion is Teagasc’s recent application for a licence to field-test genetically modified potatoes. Leading the walk is Choctaw Gary White Deer (above) whose ancestors donated a significant sum of money to Ireland during the Famine.
DYLAN THOMAS LITERARY WEEKEND
The Welsh author will be the focus of readings and lectures in the Falls Hotel Spa Resort, Ennistymon, Co Clare. The weekend consists of lectures, readings and a historical tour of Ennistymon. Speakers include Fred Johnson, John F Deane, Clairr O’Connor and Paul O’Mahony. All events are free to attend.
Also in Co Clare, the Seol Sionna Launch and Boating Festival takes place. Currach racing begins today at 2.30pm at Querrin Pier, followed by a pageant, and then the parade of sail at 5pm in Carrigaholt.