Performances by an ageing rock star, a celebration of 300-year-old satirical literature and ballroom dancing are just some of the events taking place throughout the country this weekend.
Rod Stewart will be at Thomond Park in Limerick tomorrow night for the first of three Irish concerts the 64-year-old will perform this summer. Entry to the grounds is from 6pm with the star set to come on stage at 8pm.
Stewart won’t have much time to recover from his Limerick gig, however, as he is set to perform to 27,000 fans at Dublin’s RDS the following night. Tickets for both events are still available, with prices starting from €81.25. The performer’s final Irish gig in Cork on Tuesday has sold out.
While the AA says that traffic delays are inevitable, motorists going to the Limerick concert are urged to avoid Limerick city, while those leaving the RDS concert, due to finish at 10.30pm, should be wary of pedestrians around the area.
Elsewhere, festivals taking place include the Trim Swift Festival, which celebrates the works of famed poet and satirist Jonathan Swift which date back almost 300 years. Broadcaster George Hook Joan Burton and RTÉ Nob Nationimpressionist Oliver Callan will be the contributors to this weekend's events, with the festival closing on Sunday with the Trim Drama Group giving a presentation of Swift's most famous work, Gulliver's Travels.
Also, the Earagail Arts Festival begins tomorrow in Donegal and runs to July 18th. Key events taking place there this weekend include the live music at the Festival Club in Letterkenny. Dancing from the 1950s, 60s and 70s will also be celebrated at Dancing at the Ballroom of Romance, an interactive theatre performance in Ramelton Town Hall Theatre, where the audience is encouraged to dance with those on stage.
While Met Éireann does not expect any part of the country to experience the level of flooding this weekend that Dublin and Mayo had yesterday, showers are expected across the country. “The general picture is mixed and fairly unsettled, with some heavy showers and brighter spells in between,” said Michael McAuliffe of Met Éireann. It will also be less humid and breezier than previous weeks.
Other events taking place across the country over the weekend include the Castlebar Four Day Walks, the Clonmel Junction Festival and the 70th anniversary of the Foynes International Aviation Festival in Limerick.