Summer events taking place around the country this weekend
DEBATING THE DOWNTURN
From Sunday, there’ll be plenty to ponder at the 29th McGill Summer School in Glenties, Co Donegal. The main themes are the Irish economy and the Lisbon Treaty, with more than 40 contributors taking part. 074-9551103, www.macgill summerschool.com
TAG RUGBY IN LIMERICK
The Pig’n’Porter tag-rugby festival begins with a welcome party in (below) Peter Clohessy’s Bar, Limerick tonight at 8pm (€15), while tomorrow the main event is at Old Cresent RFC from 10am. An outdoor frisbee competition is on throughout Sunday afternoon. www.pignporter.com
YOU TALKING TO ME?
For those who’d like to follow in the footsteps of Clint Eastwood, Marilyn Monroe or Clark Gable – who started their careers as extras – www.movieextras.ie is holding an open-casting in Dublin today from 10am-6pm and tomorrow and Sunday from noon to 6pm, in the Westbury Hotel. The cost for one year’s membership is €99 and for a special family package it is is €299 (for up to six members), including two photographs.
VIBES SCRIBES LEE SWIM
The Vibes Scribes Lee Swim (2,000 metres) takes place tomorrow at 3pm. The limit of 300 applicants has been reached, but there may be some cancellations. Large crowds are expected to cheer on the swimmers as they meander through the centre of the city, with entertainment outside the Clarion Hotel in the Quays later in the evening. www.corkmasters.ie
SOULFUL SOUTHEAST
The blurb for Declan O’Rourke’s concert on Saturday night notes he hasn’t played the southeast for some time. So, no better way to return than a headline gig in the regal surrounds of the Wexford Opera House. Expect daily introspection mixed with charm and wit. Tickets are €30.50 and doors open at 7.30pm. 053- 9122400 , www.wexfordoperahouse.ie
RISING FROM THE ASHES
The ninth annual Phoenix Festival starts tonight in Tullamore, Co Offaly. The festival has its roots in an event in 1785, when the then Lord Charleville celebrated the coming of age of his son by launching a hot-air balloon, which collided with a chimney, burning much of the town. Over the next 40 years, the town was rebuilt, taking the phoenix as its symbol. To begin this weekend’s festival of live music, extreme sports and entertainment, hot-air balloons will be launched at 5.30pm from the town park. 057-9360900, www.phoenixfestival.ie
THE WAY THINGS WERE
An art installation called Trans 09 Anti-Exhibition, looks back at Belfast from the 1970s and 1980s and some of the people, places, songs and club nights that helped shape the modern city. Icons of the city’s past have been mounted on toilet walls as part of the exhibition, and attendees are invited to “look, praise and defame them at your leisure”. It runs until July 31st in Gallery Two of the Waterfront Hall, and admission is free. 048-90334400, www.waterfront.co.uk
IRISH COUNTRY FAIR
Set in the tranquil surroundings of Ballinlough Castle, Co Westmeath, the Irish National Country Fair happens tomorrow and Sunday from 9am to 6pm. Entry is €15 per adult, €5 for children over five. Family tickets are €38. The event is run in association with the National Country Sports in Northern Ireland and the Irish Countryside Alliance. Some of the events include Knights of the Damned, Europe’s top medieval stunt team, who promise to joust and fight their way through two demonstrations each day. A birds of prey demonstration and a kids’ area are also on the bill. www.irishcountryfair.com
READY FOR ROAD
Kells Road Race has some of the most spectacular jumps of any road race in Ireland. It begins on Saturday at 1pm and runs until Sunday evening. Competitors will battle it out over 3.5km of road. There is also a food and live-music programme. Entry is €15 for adults, with free admission for children and OAPs. www.kellsroadraces.com
DANCING AT THE CROSSROADS
A week of music and dancing begins on Sunday with a Sean Keane concert in
St Peter and Paul Church, Clarecastle, Co Clare, at 8pm. Various events will take place, including music classes, set-dancing workshops and a singers’ night. The festival ends on July 26th with open-air dancing at a crossroads near the village. 086-1665635, 065-6842314
