Sunday Sampler~ Events; Careful now- there's lots to get excited about!

This week's Sunday sampler is making me quite jealous of the folks who will get to go to these wonderful events, as barring a lotto win & bi or tri-location, we can't go to everything!  Maybe those of you who do get to go will share what you enjoyed- perhaps over on our Facebook page? That would be really nice of you!

Burren wildflowers image from Google images: http://Burrenyoga.com

One of our favorite places in Ireland is the Burren. If you need an excuse to go there, here you go: the Burren in Bloom festival on 29 April-29 May. There is so much on; something for everyone. I know I'd love to go on the butterfly walk- meeting near the fabulous sounding Burren Perfumery makes it even more tempting! Click on their link as well to see some of the Burren wildflowers you may encounter on the walks. Also the Burren Slow Food Festival week 2011 starts on May 14; they have events on for the Burren In Bloom festival foodie!  

Another foodie-friendly event is on in just a few weeks time: the So Sligo Food and Culture Festival on 17-20 March. They are also hosting the World Irish Stew championships- YUM!- and you can work up an appetite with walking trails in town, or treks out in the spectacular countryside. Check Sligo's lovely tourist website for more info. If you are interested in art even a little bit, you may want to check out The Model Arts Centre. They've a exhibit of Jack B. Yeats' works on (Irish Times article here,) and I am very tempted to go to this festival & see the exhibit while we are there. I also want to eat at Source Sligo, whom I'm following on Twitter- their lunch menu tweets sound fab! The problem is that in my neck of the woods (Southeast Ireland) the St. Patricks Day Festival's national Skyfest fireworks are being held in Wexford town on March 19.

Skyfest fireworks last year in Limerick

As mentioned above, the Paddy's Day Festival is going to be bigger than ever, and will run from the 16-20 March. There are a lot of literary connections in the fest, and you can down load Roddy Doyle's new short story on their website, so do click their link above! Dublin is the UNESCO City of Literature 2011; click that link to see even more -whew!- literary events this year- some outside of Dublin.

One more bookish event in this week's Sampler: starting on 2 March & running until Sunday the 6th, is the Dublin Book Festival. Whether you are a writer, a reader, or a publisher, there's something for you- there are even walks on Sunday! Be sure to click on all the tabs & dropdown tabs on the website, because there's loads going on & you don't want to miss all the choices.

Another writer's event I've just found out about is the Waterford Writer's weekend, 18-20 March. Click their link for more info, & have a look right here at their fun promo video!

Now, here are a few quick links to some other events that look interesting: 

image from vintagedresses.ie

Great for kids (even over-grown ones like myself!) Crafted Creatures. Part of the Year Of Craft, at The Ark, 19 Feb-27 March, Dublin

Barrow River Arts Festival 4-6 March, Carlow (previous post including it here)

Vintage Fair 17 April, Dublin

Waterford Festival of Food, Dungarvan, 15-17 April

Vantastival, 29 April- 1 May, Louth

And last but not least; Tedfest, 24-27 Feb on Inis Mor. FYI if you've not booked accomodation yet, you'll have to camp.
Have Fun & Be Careful!