LONELY PLANET'S OFFICIAL GUIDEBOOK INFORMATION
Top Tens
Untitled Document
Our Favourite Festivals & Events
You might even plan your trip around one or more of the following events, so mark your calendars.
Irish National Surfing Championships (County Donegal), March
Puck Fair (Killorglin, County Kerry), August
St Patrick’s Festival (Dublin & throughout Ireland), 17 March
Appalachian & Bluegrass Music Festival (Omagh, County Tyrone), September
The Cat Laughs Comedy Festival (Kilkenny city), late May, early June
Ballinasloe Horse Fair (Ballinasloe, County Galway), October
Bloomsday (Dublin), 16 June
Belfast Festival at Queens (Belfast), October
Galway Arts Festival (Galway city), July
Wexford Festival Opera (Wexford), October
Must-See Irish Movies
Predeparture planning is always more fun if it includes a few flicks to get you in the mood. The following films are all available on video cassette or DVD.
Bloody Sunday (2002) directed by Paul Greengrass
The Dead (1987) directed by John Huston
My Left Foot (1989) directed by Jim Sheridan
The Crying Game (1992) directed by Neil Jordan
The Quiet Man (1952) directed by John Ford
The Field (1990) directed by Jim Sheridan
Cal (1984) directed by Pat O’Connor
The Snapper (1993) directed by Stephen Frears
The Magdalene Sisters (2002) directed by Peter Mullan
The Butcher Boy (1998) directed by Neil Jordan
Top Irish Fiction
Getting stuck into some fiction is the best way to gain insight into Irish issues and culture, for there’s no greater truth in Ireland than the story that’s been made up. Here are the essentials to kick-start a lifelong passion.
Dubliners (1914) by James Joyce
The Book of Evidence (1989) by John Banville
The Butcher Boy (1992) by Patrick McCabe
Paddy Clarke Ha Ha Ha (1993) by Roddy Doyle
The Third Policeman (1967) by Flann O’Brien
The Ballroom of Romance & Other Stories (1972) by William Trevor
Amongst Women (1990) by John McGahern
Star of the Sea (2002) by Joseph O’Connor
Rachel’s Holiday (1998) by Marian Keyes
Angela’s Ashes (1996) by Frank McCourt
Lonely Planet recommends World Nomads Travel insurance
