20 things to do in August to rescue you from the autumn blues
Take the plunge
Time is running out to get those togs on. One of the must-do things of summer is to go for a swim. A proper swim. Preferably in the Atlantic, but the Irish Sea is also acceptable. Lakes and rivers are fine, but the true summer swim is the one you take in salt water on a beach. It doesn't matter if it's raining, since you'll be wet anyway. Neither is it necessary - or advisable - to stay in for long, but the deal is you do have to get wet completely. Screaming is optional. The reward is a unique wake-up call to the body and spirit.
Spot A Whale
There really are few things as exhilarating as seeing a whale or dolphin pop out of the water beside you. Tomorrow, August 1st, the Irish Whale and Dolphin Group is giving people just that chance by inviting them to gather at headlands around the coast to try to spy one of the 24 species of whale, dolphin or porpoise that have been found in Irish waters. Last year, a total of 31 cetaceans were seen, and once again experienced IWDG personnel will be on hand to act as guides and help you tell the difference between a hardy swimmer and a sperm whale. Whale Watch will take place in nine counties.
www.iwdg.ie (See also Another Life: W9)
Pack a picnic
A ritual that has to be adaptable to the weather, but still an unmissable summer event. Forget all the fancy magazine articles about chilled wines, proper glasses, china and salads composed of complicated expensive ingredients; they are really more about portable dinner parties than relaxation. Get your children to help you make sandwiches, fill the flasks and stock up with the things that seem to taste extraordinarily good in the open - crisps, slabs of fruit cake, and biscuits you'd never usually eat at any other time. It won't be fine dining, but it will definitely be one of the most memorable meals of the summer.
Catch a wave
In any other country the incredible waves around the Donegal coast would be a top tourist attraction, but as it is most of us - especially women - still think surfing is something you do if you live in Summer Bay. Niamh Hamill who runs the Donegal Adventure Centre and Surf School in Bundoran, Donegal, says men and women of all ages, shapes and sizes can learn how to catch a wave. The next 'learn-to-surf' weekend takes place at the end of this month. Equipment rental, tuition and two nights B&B accommodation starts from €140 per person. Phone the centre on 071 9842418 for more details.
Sell! Sell! Sell!
Car boot sales are the best way to make all that attic junk pay - let's face it, you are never, ever going to use that ancient sewing machine. "People raise money for everything from their car insurance to charity," says RTÉ's Paddy O'Gorman, who has been studying this sub-culture for his radio programme Ireland's Markets. It costs an average of €20 to bring a car and €30 for a van, with most of the sales happening on Sundays. Watch out for signs on the road advertising sales in places such as Mitchelstown, Co Cork, Bunclody, Co Wexford and the Fethard Folk Farm and Transport Museum in Tipperary.
Watch Polo
Contrary to popular belief, polo isn't the preserve of the posh. In fact, this is the only country in the world where you can watch a game of polo for free, at the All Ireland Polo Club in Dublin's Phoenix Park. A kind of horse hockey, the game involves people sitting on ponies trying to drive a little wooden ball into a narrow goalmouth with a mallet. The match is divided into six seven-minute "chukkas", with games taking place on Saturdays and Sundays at 3pm. Call the All Ireland Polo Club on 01 6776248 for more details.
Take country roads
It's summer, the evenings are still long, and there is no hurry to get to a destination. Get off the motorways and national roads (many of them full of roadworks), consult your map and take to the smaller ones. This way, you get to re-visit lots of small towns and villages you probably haven't been through for years. Stop and fill up with petrol in a small-town garage where the pump attendant will still fill the tank for you, and hold a conversation with you into the bargain, unlike the soulless motorway pit stops.
Cook off Cork
Seven miles from Skibbereen and a five-minute boat ride to Hare Island, sign up for possibly the world's smallest cookery school. John Desmond and Ellmary Fenton take people into their modest home - usually in pairs - for a two-day cookery course. The focus is on classic French cooking, and during the summer they also run a restaurant. Students can cook a lunch on the second day for friends if they make the boat ride over. Accommodation is in the house, and during August there's also the option of an intensive five-day one-to-one course. Not for the claustrophobic. http://homepage.tinet.ie/~heir/
Fly in a Hot Air Balloon
In 1785, Tullamore's town centre was destroyed by a wayward balloon, an event considered to be Ireland's first air disaster. If that hasn't put you off, the town's sky will be filled with hot air balloons of all shapes, sizes and colours as part of the town's Phoenix Festival. From Thursday 19th to Sunday 22nd August, they'll float in from Britain, the US and all over Ireland to Charleville Estate and the own Park, continuing Tullamore's long - and largely happy - ballooning tradition. You can book a flight online.
www.phoenixfestival.ie
Go back to nature
There are no official naturist beaches in Ireland, but there are a handful of secluded spots frequented by like-minded people who don't like to pack clothes when going on their hols. The Irish Naturist Association suggests the north end of Arklow beach near Brittas Bay, the lower end of Donabate Beach at Corballis, Co Dublin, parts of the strand at Curracloe, Co Wexford, and the north end of Inch Strand, Co Kerry. For more family-based naturist activities - where couples are welcome with their children - contact Club Aquarius in Dublin, which is running several events this month. Call 087-685 7279 for more details.
Dig up the Past
For those with an interest in archaeology, there's plenty of choice of days out or even a week up to your neck in ancient artefacts. The Achill Archaeological Field School is running introductory courses throughout the month, which include field trips to the deserted village of Slievemore. You will have to arrange accommodation for yourself, but contact 098-43564 for information. Alternatives include the Súil Siar archaeological walks in Donegal that take in Neolithic Tombs, Celtic forts and Gaelic castles across the county, meaning that you can take in either 6,000 years of history in one day. Contact 074-9738211 for details.
Write it down
Remember letters? The objects that used to arrive quite frequently via the letterbox? Whatever about the quick-fix of e-mail and the truncated words of a txt msg, there is still nothing like a proper letter to lift the heart. It's the last lucky bag left: you open it up with excitement and expectation, and it is still a gift that no money can buy. There is something about words being hand-written that truly puts you in contact with the author. Shore up somewhere this summer for a few hours and write letters to people you haven't seen for a while. They might even write back.
Sail the Jeanie Johnston
The replica famine ship sails into Dingle this weekend and if you fancy learning how to sail her then you can join the 11 permanent crew as a trainee from Tuesday. For ?100 a day, you will be allocated a berth, fed 21st-century food and supervised by qualified hands. It's plain sailing all the way, unless the weather turns, at which point the engine will be turned on regardless of the demands of authenticity. The tall ship then sails from Dingle to Schull for Friday, and for information on later training sails contact 066-7129999 or e-mail info@jeaniejohnston.ie
[ www.jeaniejohnston.comOpens in new window ]
Drop the Kids At The Museum
The National Museum of Ireland seems to have figured out what it is that keeps bored kids occupied during August. Castlebar's museum of Country Life starts tomorrow with a talk on Lughnasa and continues the programme through the month with a film about Connemara Ponies, jam-making, felt-making and a nature walk. Meanwhile, Dublin's Museum of Natural History has "greedy guts" animals that eat three times their own weight, while there'll be 3,000 Celtic games and "tomb raiders" at the Museum of Archaeology and History. Just be careful they don't return home with a few new tricks to twist your arm.
[ www.museum.ieOpens in new window ]
Watch an ancient battle
Re-enacting history's great battles has become a popular event for both those swinging a blade and those watching from a comfortable distance. There's a choice of two this month. Next weekend (August 7th/8th), the Viking Age Fair at Killala, Co Mayo, will briefly resurrect the bay's history of Viking raids through a battle between Irish warriors and a group of Viking raiders. Later in the month, the Mountshannon Fair in Co Clare will have Brian Boru-era displays on Saturday, including traditional archery and falconry, as well as lifestyle demonstrations of authentic cooking and tapestry to show that it wasn't all bloodshed.
Feast on the stars
Get along to Astronomy Ireland's "Star-B-Q" and see open clusters, galaxies, planetary nebulae, coloured and double stars and more. Very popular these Star-B-Q's - the idea is you all gather at a site somewhere near Dublin, have some food and something to drink (soft) and then listen to astronomer David Moore as he explains what you're about to see. Ireland's largest portable telescopes will be available on site to enhance your cosmic viewing and this particular Star-B-Q promises to be extra-special as it takes place during the Persiad shooting star shower phenomenon. The event takes place in Roundwood GAA grounds, Co Wicklow on Friday 13th. Previous Star-B-Qs have been oversubscribed so you're advised to book early. Tickets cost €25 for adults and €20 for children. Call 01-8470777 for credit card bookings.
[ www.astronomy.ieOpens in new window ]
Enjoy a taste of India
The 2004 Belfast Mela will take place on Sunday 29th August in Belfast's Botanic Gardens. Organised by the local Indian Community Centre, this one-day celebration of Indian culture and tradition promises to offer an exciting and vibrant day out for all the family. The huge open-air stage will be host to performers from across the world including the Indian folk dance troupe 'Rang Puhar' who will dramatise a selection of popular Indian stories and perform the famous bhangra dance. Indian puppet shows should keep the children happy, while adults can sample the delights of the Indian food bazaar. More details are available from the Indian Community Centre, 86 Clifton Street, Belfast. Tel: 028-90249746; email: nisha@iccbelfast.org.uk
Catch a match
This is shaping up to be the summer of the Ws - Westmeath, Waterford and Wexford. If you haven't made it to Croke Park yet, get to a game featuring one of these counties whether you're interested in football and hurling or not. Along with the 70-minute battle of speed, skill and ferocity played out in this spectacular arena, the colour and passion of the supporters should not be missed. And if you can't make the game itself try to watch it with locals in their home county - a real reminder of what it is to be Irish.
Choose your nightclass
August is the cusp of the second New Year: the academic year, when you make those resolutions about attending an autumn nightclass. Whether you sign up for a class or not, half the fun has to be reading the handbooks and fantasising about what wonderful new knowledge or skill you might acquire. Machine Knitting? Idiot's Guide to Tap? Nail Technology? Numerology? Indian Head Massage? Life After Separation? All these classes are listed in the Dublin edition of the 04/05 National Guide to Nightcourses; regional editions also available. Wolfhound and O'Brien guides due out in August, all €5.