cottage rental Archives - Hidden Ireland

As 2024 comes to an end, it is the ideal time to look forward into the next year to see what will be happening on the island of Ireland. As ever, 2025 looks to be a year packed full of festivals, culture, sports, history and family fun. So many reasons to book a holiday on the Emerald Isle. Here are a few to get you started.

A very Ernest anniversary

2025 marks 130 years since Irish writer, Oscar Wilde penned his famous play The Importance of Being Ernest.

It is also the 125th anniversary of Wilde’s death.

As a result, there is bound to be a huge focus on the Irish wit and raconteur, not least a new event, In Our Dreams taking place in October in the town of Enniskillen, County Fermanagh, where Wilde went to school.

There will be more Wildean fun in Dublin, with themed guided tours of Oscar Wilde House and Trinity College and the third annual Oscarina, a showcase dedicated to the writer that is taking place in October.

Festival Fun

Ireland is well known for its plethora of festivals that take place across the island every year. Each boasting its own theme, music, food and followers, there is a huge choice for visitors to enjoy in 2025.

Some famous festivals include the Galway Oyster Festival happening in September.

Music lovers will enjoy Imbloc Festival – an eight-day extravaganza happening in Derry at the end of January and into February and Longitude, Dublin’s most famous music festival taking place later in the year.

Dublin will also host an International Film Festival in late February, showcasing the best of Irish cinema and film.

The City of Derry Jazz Festival is another occasion not to be missed, happening in early May.

St Patrick’s celebrations

Ireland’s biggest calendar date is arguably St Patrick’s Day on 17 March – an occasion to celebrate the patron saint of Ireland and participate in parties and parades all over the country.

Some of the more popular St Patrick’s Day festivals and parades will take place in Kilkenny, Dublin, Cork and Killarney – don’t miss out on the party of the year.

As well as parades and events, people dress up, enjoy a pint or two of Ireland’s national drink – Guinness – and enjoy spending time with family and friends as winter’s cold weather gives way to spring just in time for parades and parties to take place outdoors.

This sporting life

Ireland has plenty to offer sports fans in 2025 too, from horse races in Galway, County Kildare and Tipperary in the summer to Gaelic football and hurling matches found all over the island.

The 153rd Open Championship will be held at Royal Portrush Golf Club in Northern Ireland in mind July, attracting golf fans from all over the world for this exciting international tournament.

Finally, several Guinness Six Nations rugby tournament games will take place at various stadia across Ireland in spring 2025, including Dublin’s Aviva Stadium, Belfast’s Kingspan Stadium and Cork’s Virgin Media Park.

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Now that the nights are drawing in and the weather is turning decidedly chilly, it is the perfect time to enjoy something that Ireland has long been famous for – its array of alcoholic drinks that are designed to warm the soul and keep the cold at bay.

From whiskey to brandy; ale to stout, there is something for everyone’s taste in the Emerald Isle.

Not to mention plenty of places to delve into the history and culture of some of Ireland’s most popular tipples, aperitifs and chasers.

Here are four of Ireland’s favourite drinks and ways to enjoy them over the coming weeks, in the run up to the festive season……

Whiskey

Irish whiskey was one of Europe’s earliest distilled drinks, once crafted by monks in the 11th Century.

The drink cannot officially be called Irish whiskey until it has spent a minimum of three years maturing on the island of Ireland. Unlike Scottish whisky (note the spelling difference), the Irish beverage is made from a mix of malted and unmalted barley that gives it a smoother, more neutral taste (Scottish whisky only contains malted barley).

There are four main types of Irish whiskey – single malt, single grain, blended and single pot still. Whiskey distilleries are situated all over Ireland and can offer a great day out for fans of the beverage, who can be treated to free tastings, given the chance to tour the distillery and invited to buy bottles of whiskey made on the premises.

Irish coffee

This warming mix of Irish whiskey and coffee was first served to a group of weary American travellers delayed by bad weather at Shannon airport in the 1940s by a chef from Northern Ireland.

They appreciated the dual effects of this powerful pick-me-up.

The drink quickly made it across the Atlantic, where it remains popular to this day.

The iconic hot whiskey cocktail is also served in bars and restaurants across Ireland and offers a wonderful way to end a delicious meal.

Irish Coffee can be served with brown sugar, cinnamon and whipped cream on top for added decadence.

National Irish Coffee Day happens annually on 25 January.

Guinness

From its iconic TV advertisements to its familiar rich, dark colour and creamy head, Guinness stout is for many people, the essence of Ireland poured into a pint glass.

The Guiness harp trademark was registered in 1876 and was inspired by Ireland’s national symbol – the only difference is that the Guinness harp has its soundboard on the left, while the Republic of Ireland’s harp sports it on the right. Guiness (or stout) is the base for many cocktails, including Black Velvet (made from stout and Champagne, or sparkling white wine) and Guinness Martini (Guinness, dark rum, cold espresso coffee, crème de cacao, vodka and ice).

Mulled Irish cider

If you are looking for something different for your festive drink of choice this Christmas, why not sample some warm mulled Irish cider?

This is a richly flavoured drink made from warmed cider and a blend of spices, including cloves, cinnamon and allspice.

You can also add brown sugar, orange zest and apple juice to sweeten it if desired.

It tastes wonderfully of Christmas in Ireland and adds a comforting, warm glow to what is seen by many as a lighter, summery drink.

Mulled Irish cider always goes down well at parties and helps get the holiday spirit started, especially at this time of year.