It was swords and axes at Wicklow Arts Festival, and machine-guns at the Military festival in Duncannon, but the most lethal weapon of the weekend was little Kevin’s stick

We were sniffy at first, but the community aroma of Kerrygold Ballymaloe Literary Festival of Food & Wine is too tempting to resist

For Irish collectives The Animators and This Side Up, the accent is on rapping in your own voice, and not trying to sound like you’re straight outta Compton

We didn’t find much high culture at Inniskeen Countryfest 2014 in Co Monaghan– but we did make new friends in low places

Kilkenny has just added another hooley to the summer mix

Electric Picnic, Indiependence, Castlepalooza, Longitude, Forbidden Fruit, Sea Sessions – let the battle of the festival line-ups begin

Backwards parades , invisible parades, lovely tractor contests – for some real Paddy’s Day craic, head out to the country

Séamus Begley sends ’em home laughing at Corofin Trad Festival, while rogue clerics send the tourists running for cover at Tedfest on Inis Mór

As the walking season kicks off, it’s time to get on Shank’s mare and step out on some foot-bound festivals

It’s lashing outside in West Cork – time to get cosy and roll the dice at the Clonakilty Board Games Festival

Mark Graham discovers all life on display in West Kerry

It’s lashing outside in West Cork – time to get cosy and roll the dice at the Clonakilty Board Games Festival

The Milking of the Goat festival is more ‘Father Ted’ than ‘Wicker Man’, thank god

Nothing like a little Neo-Acoustic Celtic Post-Rock to get trad fans jumping around in Temple Bar like a Flatley in heat

Festival Fit absorbs some traditional pastimes from our American kin

Young Scientists have the technology to positively charge Mark Graham’s failing batteries

Mark Graham looks back as Festival Fit limbers up to get back on the road

Féile Draíochta in Dublin was more like a seminar than a pagan bacchanal. And Ennis Festival of Light should carry a health warning: may be beneficial to your health.

Woe betide any movie director who gets into Dylan Moran’s black books

While shoe-gazing at Kilkenomics, Mark Graham notices that economists have the better brogues

On the festival trail in Mexico, you need to get into training for a day of debauchery with the dead

At the Wexford Festival Opera, there’s not much change from a tenor, but there’s mucho musical value to be had in Mexico