The 38th Clifden Arts Festival in Co Galway finishes up on Sunday. This year's annual John Moriarty Memorial Lecture entitled No Faith without Justice will be delivered by Fr Peter McVerry at the Station House Theatre on Saturday at 2.30pm. Tickets are €10. From 8pm that night in Market Square, the Grand Parade Extravaganza takes place. It is the culmination of work with local schools, teachers, parents and volunteers. Fidget Feet will take to the skies with aerial acts, and the parade will be followed by a fireworks display. clifdenartsweek.ie
Discover Research Dublin takes place from 4pm-10pm on Friday. Trinity College invites the general public to its campus to take part in tours, talks, demos and chats. There will be opportunities to meet researchers and hear their stories. Organisers have developed 66 separate events with backgrounds as diverse as biotechnology, history, robotics, theatre, civil rights, gender studies and linguistics. Admission is free. discoverresearchdublin.com
The Dublin Theatre Festival got underway on Thursday and runs until October 11th. The Last Hotel will be performed in the O'Reilly Theatre. It will unite Irish artist Enda Walsh (Once, The Walworth Farce, Ballyturk), and internationally acclaimed composer Donnacha Dennehy, in a new opera about life, death, duty and guilt. Tickets €40. dublintheatrefestival.com
The Irish Antique Dealers Fair is celebrating its 50th year and will host a number of special exhibitions and personalities to mark the occasion. Taking place at the RDS in Dublin from Friday to Sunday, about 15,000 people are expected to attend. Judith Miller (Miller's Antiques Guide) and Mark Hill from the BBC Antiques Roadshow will be there, and the RDS will have a special exhibition on 'Treasures from the Archives'. There will also be a program of public lectures. Tickets €10. rds.ie
Muck it! involves walking, jogging or running along a course of man-made and natural obstacles that includes ditches, ropes, slides, pits, canals, lakes, forests, tyres and, of course, lots of muck. It will take you through the private grounds of Ballinlough Castle, Co Westmeath, where the annual Body and Soul festival is held. Taking place on Sunday from 11am-2pm, participants can register to complete one lap (5k) or two laps (10k). Registration €40. muckit.ie
The New Ross Piano Festival in Co Wexford continues until Sunday. The Fidelio Trio are coming to play the late night Saturday concert. This year it is an arrangement of Schoenberg's Verklärte Nacht. They will also perform Beethoven's Ghost Trio on Sunday afternoon. Concerts take place in St Mary's Church and ticket prices vary. newrosspianofestival.com
This Changes Everything is a film based on Naomi Klein's best-selling book on climate change. It will be screened in Dublin's Merrion Square on Saturday at 5.30pm. Events company Happenings have teamed-up with organisations including Stop Climate Chaos, Trócaire and Christian Aid for the open-air screening that will be accompanied by live music from Mundy, Roger Cole and others. Entry is free but a €5 donation is suggested. For more details, see here.
