The Irish are renowned the world over for their spirit of fun, in fact the concept is so important to us that we have created our own word for a unique blend of fun, excitement, and bonhomie, craic . Nowhere is craic more potently expressed than in the numerous festivals that are common features of the Irish calendar. The festivals in this guide are among the biggest annual celebrations of Irish music, dance, song and laughter. A full list of Irish festivals is available here .
Accommodation is difficult to find at festival times, please book well in advance .
The Festival Parade on March 17th will always be a major highlight of the festivities. Street theatre artists, fire-jugglers, clowns, balloon sculptors, magicians and dance experts will vie for the crowd's attention along with a vintage car rally and a parade of Harley Davidsons.