What’s hot this week: city breaks and bluebells

Ireland

This incredible weather, heating us all up happily.

Bluebells

Glorious right now. Walk in the woodlands and wonder.

Galway Arts Festival

Enda Walsh, John Gerrard, Druid Debuts and more. Their programme – just launched - looks like one of the best yet.

Jane Austen bingo

"You once took a walk with a cad" "You develop a resentment at a public dance"– can you get a whole line? Brilliant fun. Find it at hercampus.com.

Laurie Anderson

Her residency at the National Concert Hall this month brings brilliance to town.

War brides

Stories of the Cork women who married American servicemen in the first World War. Fascinating stuff at the Sirius Arts Centre, Cobh.

Grey hair

May sees the Bealtaine Festival kick off the annual month-long celebration of arts and creativity for older people. Why just one month?!

City breaks

Planned properly, they’re just as rejuvenating as a week-long holiday

What’s Not Hot

Moths

The mild winter is bringing them to a cupboard near you. Lavender bags and moth balls at the ready.

The sea

As anyone tempted to jump in during the bank holiday sunshine will have discovered.

Scandi-Noir

Has anyone else had enough of the unrelenting gloom?

High street mannequins

According to a new study in the UK, female mannequins are seriously underweight. Get real dummies.

The tech bubble

Dan Lyons's brilliant Disrupted now out in paperback. Read it and weep over the cult of free candy and clueless start-ups.

Anything indoors

From studying (yes, it’s exam weather time), to trying to stay glued to the desk. Those blue skies are making it hard . . .