Monsters, hungry bachelors, nesting sea eagles and more

Kilkee is awash with nautical activities by day and night this summer. With its Maritime festival late July, you can awaken your inner child and win that sandcastle competition that eluded you first time round. Or build that raft to compete in the monster raft race as well as a host of other water sports.

A fantastic family day for all at the Lughnasa Festival at Craggaunowen to celebrate the harvest and featuring wonderful re-enactors from the Bronze Age with fighting and cooking demonstrations (not at the same time) and much more this August near Quin, Co. Clare

 For three weeks this July/August, you can experience a school with a difference, a hedge school. The Loophead Summer Hedge School offers hands on rocky shore -botanical, literary and artistic workshops on this beautiful most westerly peninsula.

Scarrif celebrates its lakeside proximity with its Harbour Festival this August weekend. You may never get to go railing from Ennis as far as Kilkee but you may get it right at the Kilmurry Harvest Festival en route this August with a week of family fun from  vintage shows, carriage driving, horse show jumping and more to tire out the little ones so you can kick back. The inhabitants of Newmarket-on-fergus are hosting a village Carnival at the end of August with music and dancing throughout the weekend.

Alas, while the Lough Derg Air Spectacular planned for late August has been shelved (baby sea eagle chicks on the runway Roger), you can still join those magnificent men in their flying machines at Harbour flights with one of their air tours like the castle tour which takes in Dromoland, Bunratty and King John’s castles.

Saving the best to last, at the end of August, as those memories of frenzied set dancing marathons and shenanigans till dawn flood back, the annual Matchmaking Festival comes around again before you know it. In Ted-esque style you too can grab your dancing shoes, a partner and your dowry and as summer comes around each year, we go there and they come here.  Some jet off to … Frijiliana,  But I always go to Lisdoonvarna.

And if a rolled up campsheet is just too yesterday for you then check out the 5 star luxury hotels on offer at

Dromoland	Moy House	Doonbeg