Check out our guide to events in Ireland

The 13th Doonbeg International Jazz Festival its going to be one to remember! With a full programme of performances throughout the whole weekend, and with an excellent line up of bands and performers it promises to be a great weekend.The festival will start on Friday 1st June and you can enjoy non stop music through till Monday 4th June. All Performances are free

The big event of 2013 is the Gathering when Ireland will open its arms to hundreds of thousands of friends and family from all over the world, calling them home to gatherings in villages, towns and cities throughout the country. This is a great time to encourage your friends or relatives to come home and what better way to do it than to get together for a great break in one of our family homes.

The annual Paidi O Se tournament begins on Fri 24 February 2013 and is expected to bring huge numbers to West Kerry for a weekend of GAA, Music and Fun. 26 GAA clubs from Ireland, Northern Ireland and London, compete in the tournament. Now in its 23rd year, the tournament is being expanded this year to include 26 senior, intermediate and junior GAA club teams from 14 counties across Ireland and, adding an international dimension, the greater London area.

One of the best times to travel in Ireland in March is around Saint Patrick’s Day, 17 March. There are parades and festivals throughout the country and it is always a great time for kids and adults alike. The Dublin Festival will include pageantry, carnivals and free entertainment from 15th – 18th March 2013. There will also be festivals in Limerick, Dingle, Cork and many other places around the country.

Ballybunion offers a venue where anglers can come to the show, stay and take in some of the best angling in Ireland, from beach fishing, rock fishing, salmon and trout angling and estuary fishing. There are miles of beach fishing available, on the Shannon Estuary. The River Feale offers some of the best salmon fishing in Ireland.

The annual Easter Music Festival is held in Ballybunion, county Kerry, from Good Friday to Easter Monday every year. The festival features fun events, music, sport, theatre and craic. Fun for all the family!

The annual hill walking festival takes place in Dingle in April 2013. A maximum of thirty persons are allowed on each walk so early registration is recommended. The difficult walks are challenging and are suitable for experienced walkers only. More information at http://dinglewalkingfestival.com

Why not rent a self catering holiday home early this summer in Sligo and enjoy the So Sligo Food Festival which takes place in the first week of May 2013. It is full of food demonstrations, wine and cheese tasting, beer sampling and of course the World Irish Stew Championship, Yum!

This is a road, green road and trail challenge across the Beautiful Scenic Burren.

Enjoy some of Europe’s most unique landscapes and see the Riches of the Burren in Bloom.

Each participant has a choice of full, half or mini marathon on the day. All three challenge’s start in Ballyvaughan, Co.Clare at 9am, and all three taking you on and off road to the finish line on The Pier at Ballyvaughan.

Listowel is home to Irelands oldest literary festival. Literary competitions, art, drama, poetry, film, music, street dance, story telling, lectures, seminars, book launches, tours and comedy are all part of Writers Week. For beginner writers there are workshops on every aspect of the published word, meet the author sessions, lectures and readings on almost every imaginable topic, with a competition to suit everybody.

Visiting guests in 2013 will include Peter Taylor, Belinda McKeon, Paul Durcan, Mary Kenny, Simon Armitage, John Lanchester, Helen Dunmore, Christine Dwyer Hickey, Colm Toibín, Maureen Gaffney, Des Bishop, Dr Terry Lynch, Julian Gough, Jeremy Strong, Oisín McGann, Orla Tinsley, Benji Bennett, Barry Cassin, Liam O’Neill, Carol Birch and many many more.

Amongst the competitions and awards to be announced during the festival will be

Bryan MacMahon Short Story

Duais Foras Na Gaeilge

Single and Poetry Collection

Creative Writing for Youth

Eamon Keane Full Length Play

Writing in Prisons and Irish Post/Stena Line New Writing Competition

Full details of the 2013 festival will be announced in April 2013.

The Cork Midsummer Festival is a feast of entertainment in Cork City featuring theatre, dance, music, opera, family events, visual art and special events. In total there are over 10 days of world class performances and it is a great time to visit Cork.

The Dublin Horse Show is one of the central events of the 2013 Gathering. The Show is Ireland’s largest equestrian event, and one of the largest events held on the island. Strong international connections have been formed over the past 140 years and we are inviting all of our friends from home and abroad to come and celebrate this once in a life time experience of the 2013 Gathering at the RDS Show Grounds.

If you haven’t been to the Puck Fair yet then head on down to Killorglin in County Kerry from 9 – 12 August 2013 and enjoy one of Ireland’s most popular festivals. There will be plenty of free entertainment for the family as well as a fireworks display and the crowning of a goat. Only in the Kingdom! This year the fair celebrates it’s 400th anniversary so it will be a very special gathering.