Open House Dublin
This three-day event allows people to visit buildings not usually open to the public. About 100 buildings are open this year, including The Irish Times. Some need pre-booking but the majority are open on a first come, first served basis.
Donnybrook bus garage is generating a lot of interest this year, according to event spokeswoman Annette Nugent.
“There is a lot of interest in the bus garage. It has a structurally innovative vaulted concrete roof, which is arguably one of the first of its kind in Europe. There is no booking required for this tour. The tours that are fully booked are mainly of residential properties.”
Full information on building and walking tours is available on openhousedublin.com.
Dingle Peninsula Food Festival
The highlight of this food and wine extravaganza will be an animation experience accompanied by music, multimedia presentations and storytelling. Local delicacies to be sampled include mackerel, mutton pies and rabbit stew. For more information, see dinglefood.com
Westport Arts Festival
This is the first weekend of the Westport festival, which runs until October 14th. More than 100 events will take place, covering everything from comedy, film and theatre to literature, music and visual arts. More information on westportartsfestival.com
Taste of Monaghan
Chef Neven Maguire is holding a cookery demonstration today at the festival. Although the focus is on the food here, there is also a parade of 187 pipers and drummers. More information on tasteofmonaghan.com
Athlone literary festival
This festival began on Thursday and will continue until Sunday, with a wide variety of events including creative writing classes, poetry workshops and walking tours.
More information on athloneliteraryfestival.com