East & Dublin

It’s been going since 1953 and is now the premier amateur drama festival in Europe. Sit back and enjoy some excellent productions during the month of May.

Avondale House was the birthplace and home of Charles Stewart Parnell (1846-1891), one of the greatest political leaders in Irish history. It’s a beautiful Georgian house in over 500 acres of magnificent forest park.

This beautiful Georgian house is enhanced by a 100m herbaceous border, parterre, nature trail and tree folklore trail.

Castletown kicked off a revolution in Irish architecture and is one of the largest and most splendid country houses in Ireland.

Culture-loving types should head to County Monaghan for eight days of drama in March.

Have a look at some splendid crystal from Cavan Crystal, or if that doesn’t take your fancy you can choose from other crafts including tableware, furniture, textiles, pottery and ceramics, jewellery, wood, linen, ironcraft and sculpture.

This award-winning County Museum explores the history and culture of County Louth.

Nestling in the shade of Kaedeen Mountain in County Wicklow, Dwyer McAllister Cottage was the spot where the famed rebel Michael Dwyer fought the British before escaping over the snow-covered mountains.

Nestling among Monaghan's intimate rolling hills, the parish of Inniskeen has long been a home to poets and remains largely unchanged from the turn-of-the-century landscape that inspired Patrick Kavanagh, one of Ireland's foremost literary figures.

Located by the sea near the pretty village of Sandycove, the James Joyce Tower (the setting for the first chapter of Ulysses) was used by the author as a residence and is one of a series of impressive Martello towers built to withstand a possible Napoleonic invasion.

Located in a restored 18th-century market house, this multi-media exhibition centre takes you on a fascinating journey through the history of Kildare.

These beautiful gardens include a pets’ corner a sandpit playground, woodland walks, lake and wildflower meadow.

Licenced in 1757, Lockes produced triple distilled Irish whiskey for over 200 years. Today it’s the last remaining example of a small pot still distillery in Ireland.

The National Concert Hall is Ireland’s most prestigious music venue offering weekly performances by the National Symphony Orchestra of Ireland.

The beautifully grand National Gallery houses Ireland's national collection of Irish art and European Masters. The more recent addition of the modern Merrion Wing has enlivened the gallery with a bright, dynamic space.

Ireland’s new museum on the banks of the River Liffey is home to a glittering national collection of decorative arts and history.

This delightful stone-walled thatched building set in East Cavan is a charming location for a cultural tourism centre. One of the earliest court tombs in Ireland lies close by at Cohaw.

Seat of the Earls of Longford, this Gothic Revival castle is still occupied by the family. A Tibetan and a Chinese garden have been added to the extensive grounds.