If, like me, you have a number of friends away on J1s for the summer, or have friends travelling, or just have friends on holiday, you're probably already sick of all of the snapchats you get from them, and are on the verge of blocking them on facebook out of sheer jealousy from the all of the photos that they're posting. And you probably think that there is nothing you can do that will be anywhere near as fun as what they're doing because you're staying at home this summer. Well I'm here to tell you that you're wrong. Even if the weather isn't as nice here as it is in San Francisco, there's still plenty of fun things to do.
Music Festivals
Whatever your budget, wherever you live, there is no excuse not to go to a music festival this summer. Over the last couple of years Ireland has seem some great music festivals take off, especially smaller ones, and as long as you know where to look. Some of the best ones have been listed below:
Sea Sessions- 27th-29th June, Bundoran, Co. Donegal. Headliners- The Dandy Warhols, The Strypes, Kelis. Weekend Tickets from €99
Westport Festival of Music & Food- 28th-29th June, Westport, Co. Mayo. Headliners- David Gray, Bryan Adams, Bell X1. Weekend Tickets from €61 (13-17 yr olds) or €131 (Adult).
Longitude- 18th-20th July, Marley Park, Dublin 16. Headliners- Ben Howard, HAIM, Massive Attack. Weekend Tickets €149.50 (Note: No Camping Available)
Indiependance- 1st-3rd August, Mitchelstown, Co. Cork. Headliners- The White Lies, Tom Odell, Public Enemy. Weekend Tickets from €99
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Electric Picnic- 29th-31st August, Stradbally, Co. Laois. Headliners- Portishead, Beck, Outcast. Weekend Tickets from €194.50
Camping
If music isn't your 'gig', pardon the pun (not really, I love it), but still want to go camping, then there are plenty of excellent camp-sites over a wide price range in Ireland that you can visit. Whether it be on the west coast for a surfing weekend, or a more chilled out trip to the (hopefully) sunny south-east, Discover Ireland have a great list of campsites to go through, as do the Irish Caravan and Camping Council. Unfortunately, regardless of where you decide to go, you will never have as much fun as this family, nor will you ever be as cool as them. It's just simply not possible.
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Laya Healthcare's City Spectacular
Formerly known as The Street Performance World Championship, this year the event has been broadened to include music, art and food, as well as the street performances. It is on again in Merrion Square in Dublin (11th-13th July), and Fitzgerald Park in Cork (19th-20th July), with full details of the two weekends here. And from the 11th-27th July, different events will be running in different places around Dublin. Details of those events can be found here.
Holi Festival Of Colour- Dublin
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The Holi Festival of Colour, also known as the Festival of Love, originated in India and Nepal as a Hindu festival celebrating the coming of spring and the victory of good over evil. As the name suggests, it is a very colourful event, and this takes the form of coloured powder or water which you get to throw at everyone else. They make for some great photos, and this year the festival is on all over Europe, with the event in Ireland taking place in the Royal Hospital Kilmainham in Dublin, on the 16th August. Tickets and more details of the event can be found here.
Be A Tourist And Go On Roadtrips
Because we were born here, a lot of us, naturally, haven't visited any of the big tourist attractions in Ireland. Which is a shame really because some of them are really cool. A few of them are listed below with links to the websites, but of course there's loads more, depending on what your interested in and how far you're willing to go.
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Outdoor Activities
There is loads of places in Ireland to try different outdoor sports, or just be generally active. Here are some of the best adventure centres around the country that you can stay at for a weekend.
Carlingford Adventure Centre, Co. Louth- Too many activities to mention in this short article, you're better off clicking on the link to see just how wide the range is.
Lahinch Surf School, Co. Clare- One of the most popular surfing destinations in Ireland, this school offers a wide range of lesson packages, with the option of booking accommodation for the weekend.
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Donegal Adventure Centre, Co. Donegal- A mix of surfing and other outdoor activities, and the recent addition of a hostel nearby makes it very easy to organise.
Kippure Adventure Centre, Co. Wicklow- Very convenient for anyone travelling from Dublin, they also have a wide range of activities and packages to suit any need.
Killary Adventure Centre, Co. Galway- This centre organises Gaelforce Events, in particular offering a package for the Gaelforce West, one of the most gruelling races in the country (Google it if you've never heard of it). But for anyone not interested in passing out from exhaustion at the end of their trip, there's also some more light-hearted activities to have fun with.
