A weekend of music, sport, theatre and comedy is promised over the coming days with the inaugural Temple House Festival in Sligo, Magners League action at the RDS and the Dublin Fringe Festival among the events taking place.
The Absolut Fringe Festival, which begins tomorrow with a fantastical night-time reverie featuring Macnas, is a 16-day event which offers the very best in theatre, comedy, music and dance.
This weekend will see 45 performances happening in 17 different venues across the capital with the Berlin Love Tour from the Playgroup, Siren Production's Medea and As You Are Now So Once Were We among the highlights.
The Mountains to Sea Festival continues over the next few days in Dun Laoghaire with John Banville, DBC Pierre, Jennifer Johnston, Eoin McNamee and Garrett Fitzgerald.
The Undertones, The Stunning, The Walls and Damien Dempsey are among the acts performing at the Temple House Festival in Ballymoate, Co Sligo. A three-day ticket for the event costs €79.
Wilco, Seasick Steve and the Old Crow Medicine Show will all be appearing at the Open House Festival in Belfast. The city also plays host to Planetlove with headline act Fatboy Slim.
Fionn Regan will be playing tracks from his latest album The Shadow of an Empire at the Workman's Club in Dublin tonight while Cathal Coughlan is in Whelans in Dublin tomorrow and at the Pavilion in Cork on Sunday.
The Phisborough Community Arts Festival promises a mixture of music, literature and theatre and among the people taking part in this year's event are The Urges, Kevin McAleer, Dermot Bolger and Anne Enright.
Jimmy Carr is in Dublin with his Laughter Therapy tour this weekend and will be at the Olympia Theatre for the next three nights. Dara O Briain is also in town and will be at Vicar Street this evening.
A number of food festivals are taking place over the coming days including the Clarenbridge Oyster Festival in Co Galway and the Waterford city Harvest and Food Fair,
The Magners League is back and Leinster fans will be rushing to the RDS for their clash with Cardiff Blues tomorrow evening. Traffic delays are likely in Ballsbridge and Sandymount before and after the game.
More than 350 people are expected to take part in the 91st Liffey Swim in Dublin tomorrow. The men's race starts at 1.30pm followed by the women's race at 2.15pm.
Starting at Watling Street Bridge, near the Guinness Brewery, each race over 2.2km, will pass the Four Courts, Ha’penny Bridge and Liberty Hall before finishing at Custom House Quay.
Meanwhile, the All-Ireland under-21 hurling final is on at Croke Park the following day.
Met Éireann forecasts a mixed weekend weather-wise with bright or sunny spells and occasional heavy showers tomorrow. Sunday will be mainly dry with highest temperatures of between 16 to 19 degrees.
