The Tourist Guide 1
The South East Dunmore East Bluegrass Festival -
Dunmore East, Co. Waterford. The Dunmore East Bluegrass Festival returns for another weekend in one of the South Easts most beautiful towns. Running since 1995, this popular Festival promises great music, barrels of craic and some of the best seafood Irish coastal waters has to offer. The festival takes place on the 25th, 26th and 27th of August, offering us the perfect way to wrap up the Summer. The festival started off back in 1995 when the USA band, the Bluegrass Pioneers, were enticed to come down to the town to play a few shows. Venues and sponsors have come and gone over the years, but the brilliant Mick Daly still organizes Dunmore East’s biggest event of the year. In addition to the jams held in every corner of the village, at all hours of the day and night, the festival is centered around three venues: Powers Bar, The Spinnaker Bar, and The Strand Inn. Dunmore East also offers plenty of other activities and places to visit; Aggie Hayes’ Pub and The Spinnaker Bar are wonderful establishments to grab a drink and a bite to eat and the beach at Dunmore East is also a great place to spend a beautiful sunny day. www.discoverdunmore.com Dunbrody Famine Ship Experience - New Ross, Co Wexford Originally built in 1845, the Dunbrody was a ship that was essential in carrying thousands of Irish emigrants to North America between 1845 and 1851 during the Great Famine. Today, visitors can explore the replica vessel both above and below deck, while listening to the real life stories of the arduous journey passengers had to endure. It perfectly recreates the experience of travelling to New York on a famine ship, while also allowing visitors to gain a deeper understanding of Irish-American history. As you enter the exhibition, you arrive on the dock at New Ross Quay. The scene in front of you is William Graves’ ticket office and you overhear Ann Morrissey, a 25-year-old housekeeper from Glenmore, paying the balance of her fare. With Boarding Pass in hand, you join the throngs of emigrants gathering in the Embarkation area. Here you get a vision of what impoverished refugees, who risked everything they had, including their lives, might have felt as they stepped on board a ship setting sail for a dangerous journey to an American life. www.dunbrody.com Castlecomer Discovery Park - The Estate Yard, Drumgoole, Castlecomer, Co. Kilkenny, Castlecomer Discovery Park offers a wide range of fun, challenging and exhilarating activities that can be enjoyed solo, as a couple, together as a family or in a larger group setting. Discovery Park is passionate about children getting out into the open, ditching the screens in exchange for exercise and adventure play. There are tons of different activities for all people to enjoy, including, but not limited to, an aerial adventure course, zipline, canoeing and more. The activities offered can also help contribute to the positive physical and mental development of young children so it’s a win win for the kids and parents alike. www.discoverypark.ie 26 Kilkenny Arts Festival - Patricks Court, 11 Patrick St, Kilkenny The Kilkenny Arts Festival runs from August 10th through to August 20th this summer and offers visitors a plethora of opportunities to experience local and visiting artist performances ranging from live music to visual art and immersive theatre. One of the highlights of the event is Light Up the Castle: In Good Hands is a spectacular audio-visual show projecting images onto the walls of Kilkenny Castle, featuring a handmade short film specially created for the Festival by Wicklow-based Fictions Picture Company and directed by Jack Phelan. Inspired by Damien Harrington (who designed the original Festival logo in 1974), the film celebrates the graphic artists who made everything by hand before computers came along. Projected onto the walls of the castle as night falls, and featuring music from Roamer and Ensemble Ériu, In Good Hands is a breathtaking tribute to the beauty of handmade art and design. Other highlights include a performance by Radiohead drummer Philip Selway accompanied by members of the Irish Chamber Orchestra. Selway has been busy on his own terms, writing film scores and recording his own material which veers from contemporary classical to electronica. This year’s event is the 50th Kilkenny Arts Festival and the exhilarating programme reflects this special milestone. www.kilkennyarts.ie