Don't miss it: a weekly guide to going out, staying, and generally living the life.
sport
The next nine days will see the quarter-, semi- and overall finals of the World Cup and . For the fair-weather supporter in all of us, this is the best week to veg out in front of the television with a punnet of strawberries and a jug of cream. You can tune into centre court on TG4, perhaps the only station not saturated in the World Cup. Watch out for the fetching new uniforms of umpires and ball people (right), by Ralph Lauren.
opera
The mellow tones of Andrea Bocelli will be drifting across Ireland this weekend, as the opera star has two open-air concerts. Tonight he's at Pearse Stadium, in Galway; tomorrow he moves to Nowlan Park, in Kilkenny. You'll be hoping for fine weather if you've paid up to €155 to hear the Tuscan tenor, whose canny marketing has seen him duet with singers as disparate as Sarah Brightman and Christina Aguilera (left).
festivals
Clonmel Junction Festival, which starts today, is a mix of music, dance, comedy and, in the form of NoFit State Circus (right), jaw-dropping entertainment. See www.junctionfestival.com. On Thursday Killarney SummerFest (www.killarneysummerfest.com) begins, followed on Friday by Drogheda Samba Festival, when the town's streets come alive to a celebration of Latin American music and culture. See www.solo.ie/samba.
summer camps
Thousands of school pupils are at a loose end for the next two months. But don't panic: there are hundreds of summer camps to cater for the needs of your little one. Samba Soccer's camps start on Monday, making the most of World Cup fever. libraries around the country are also preparing for art classes, reading sessions and buckets of fun - perfect for an unpredictable summer. Log on to www.library.ie to see what's at your local library.
poetry
Wondering how to spend July 4th? Former US poet laureate William Meredith is giving a free reading at the Irish Writers' Centre, on Parnell Square in Dublin, at 7pm on Tuesday. Meridith, who was born in 1919, won a Pulitzer Prize in 1988. See www.writerscentre.ie. As well as giving another reading, at the Yeats Memorial Building in Sligo, at 7.30pm on July 13th, Meredith holds a poetry masterclass at the writers' centre on Wednesday.
literature
Bantry is the stunning venue for West Cork Literary Festival, which starts tomorrow. From then until Friday, the town welcomes authors and readers to its selection of lectures, seminars, musicand exhibitions. Visiting writers include Ronan Bennett, Jim Crace and John Banville. There's plenty for children to do, too, with theatre workshops and poetry-writing classes. See www.westcorkliteraryfestival.ie or call 027-55645.