Midsummer magicAlthough we've only seen the odd sunny day so far, next weekend marks midsummer. It's a time of celebration, which means a wide variety of free public events on offer. The difficulty will be choosing which to go to.
In Dublin, the Temple Bar area will be worth dropping in on pretty much any time from 9pm on Saturday, when there’ll be a performance by Brightspark Fire (right) in Meeting House Square. If that’s a bit late for little ones – although teenagers might be encouraged to stay on for the open-air screening of the 1989 movie Dead Poets Society – there will be enough entertainment on offer all day Sunday to make up for it.
Meeting House Square will be unusually green on June 21st, thanks to a covering of grass, and visitors are invited to put their picnic blankets down and enjoy a programme of child-friendly activities starting at 11am and ranging from the Mad Hatter’s Samba Drumming Group, Mr Whizzy Walkabout and the Juggling Jester to a Punch and Judy show and maypole dancing by Drumreilly Active Retired Community Group.
Dancers and drummers will be wending their way through the streets of Temple Bar throughout the day to create a bit of colour and drama.
It will be a long day, so bring a picnic or pick up something delicious, such as home-made ice cream from Burke’s Farm or even some spit-roast pig, at one of the stalls at the midsummer fair.
