Plenty of festival fun

THE recession may be biting, but Ireland remains a great country for festivals of all descriptions and there is no shortage of great events available all through the summer.

In the south east, the Wexford Art Festival opens on July 31 and runs for four days; it will be a Mecca for professional and amateur artists alike to gather to participate in a spot of painting, to engage in conversation and participate in workshops and demonstrations.

For the lonely, or for those seeking a partner in life, the Dan Paddy Andy Matchmaking Festival takes place in the rural setting at Lyreacrompane in the Stack Mountains of Kerry, starting on July 31 to kick off the August weekend in the south west.

Traditional Irish music and dance dominates the weekend, with performances taking place in various venues around Lyreacrompane. The entertainment goes on for four days.

Féile an Dóilín is the west of Ireland’s premier maritime festival, taking place on the shores of Galway Bay in the village of An Cheathrú Rua at the same time.

Celebrating this unique region’s rich maritime history, the festival has something to offer to everyone, young and old. The festival revolves around the ancient and beautiful Galway Hooker boat.

This festival is unique in that members of the public are given a rare opportunity to sail in one of the ancient Galway hookers, and celebrate the experience afterwards with a barbecue on the pier of Caladh Thadhg.

Further north at Carrick-on-Shannon, the fifth annual Water Music Festival takes place and is timed to start right after the Bank Holiday weekend, running up to August 9.

This festival has attracted a range of artists from around the world from a broad spectrum of musical genres including jazz, opera, classical, folk and baroque.

For all festival information in Ireland this summer, log onto discoverireland.ie.

TOPFLIGHT is offering “recession bursting prices” this winter on ski hotels, with booking deposits from €50 per person, free child places, insurance, boots and lift passes and special group prices. Full details from www.topflight.ie.

SUNWAY is currently marketing three long haul all-inclusive holidays in Mexico, Mauritius and the Dominican Republic. The company offers a seven night luxury spa package at the five star Secrets Capri Riviera in Mexico for just shy of €1,500; the Heritage Golf and Spa Resort in Mauritius is available at €1,900 for a week; and the Dominican Republic comes in at just less than €1,100.

Details from 01-2886828 or www.sunway.ie.