What's on this May bank holiday weekend?
Eva Osborne
May 1st, also known as May Day or Bealtaine, is kicking off the May bank holiday this year.
The traditional Celtic festival, which celebrates the arrival of summer and promotes the protection of loved ones, sees multiple events across the country every year.
May Sunday Festival
Down in Cork, Killeagh's May Sunday Festival has already gotten underway.
The festival, full of activities for children, adults, and families, will run from May 1st until May 4th.
The festival has its origins in the 1830s, when the local landlord invited villagers onto his estate for music and dancing to show off new bridges and improvements to the land.
This year’s programme builds on these roots with creative movement workshops in nature from dancer Inma Pavon, set dancing at the edge of the wood led by The Céilí Experience and live music.
Festival organiser Jessica Bonenfant said: “The May Sunday Festival welcomes the brighter half of the year with a celebration of creativity, community and nature.
"Inspired by Killeagh’s historic village fete of music and dancing in what is now the community-owned Glenbower Wood, this modern celebration of Bealtaine has something for everyone.
"We’ll be keeping up the tradition of live music and dancing on the Sunday, and adding art, craft, theatre, poetry, ritual and fire over the weekend, before concluding with a foraging walk and litter-pick in Glenbower to make sure we leave this treasured local resource better than we found it.”
Dublin City Half Marathon
The Dublin City Half Marathon will take place on Sunday from 8.30am.
The 21.1km race will start in the heart of Dublin City on O’Connell Street. The course will take runners out of the north of the city and will finish back in the city centre.
The 2026 event sold out in advance, with a ballot entry system introduced by the organisers Dublin Marathon Group to ensure fair access.
Swords Comedy Festival
The Swords Comedy Festival will run across the May bank holiday weekend.
Willa White and Eric Lalor will perform on Friday, as well as Owen Colgan.
Kíla and Dylan Moran will take to the stage on Saturday, while Paul Howard, creator of Ross O'Carroll-Kelly, will bring his show to Peacock's Bar & Lounge on Sunday, May 3rd.
Dublin Dance Festival
The Dublin Dance Festival got underway on April 30th and will run until May 16th, with a plethora of events taking place over the bank holiday weekend.
Presented by Dublin Dance Festival and Humanarium at RCSI, Meet, Mind, Move, Play with Katherine O’Malley is designed for parents and their babies, aiming to offer a supportive space to reconnect with your body while nurturing your baby’s development.
Also in collaboration with Humanarium at RCSI, The Shake by Laura Murphy with Siobhán Ní Dhuinnín workshop is described as a mix between a hooley, a gig, a meditation, and a dance class.
Both workshops take place on Saturday, May 2nd.
In The Dance of La Zurda (El Baile de La Zurda), four performers will take to outdoor spaces to conduct dance lessons.
Two classes will be held each day on Saturday (Wolfe Tone Park) and Sunday (South King Street).
Fleadh na Bealtaine
Fleadh na Bealtaine is a new traditional Irish music and cultural festival in Galway City over the May bank holiday weekend.
Having kicked off on Thursday, the festival will run until Monday, May 4th.
Visitors to Fleadh na Bealtaine can expect four days of Irish traditions, music, theatre spectacles, food and drinks, dance, and storytelling, with most events free of charge across the bustling streets of Galway city.
