ROCK CONCERTS, literary festivals, a celebrity footballer's wedding and a biker festival are just some of the events being held this weekend as summer festivals get into full swing.
After opening their highly anticipated European tour in Dublin last night, Radiohead will play their second show at Malahide Castle this evening.
The eco-friendly musicians from Oxford are encouraging concert-goers to be mindful of carbon emissions as they choose their mode of travel to the gig.
A bicycle park catering for 1,000 bicycles has been set up in the castle grounds. Special Dart services have also been laid on for the event, running from Connolly station to Malahide station, which is just 150 metres from the concert entrance. Dublin Bus will be running additional buses on the scheduled 42 bus route from the city centre.
The band is due on stage at 8.15pm, but gates will open at 6pm in preparation for support act Bat for Lashes. They are expected to take to the stage at 7pm. For fans of 1980s nostalgia, American rockers Bon Jovi will entertain the masses at Punchestown Racecourse this evening, but only after support acts Razorlight and Kid Rock have whipped the crowd into a frenzy.
Tomorrow night, the Garda Band will perform a gala concert with Gloria, the Gay and Lesbian Choir, in Dublin's National Concert Hall. This marks the beginning of the Gay Pride celebrations which will take place over the next three weeks, culminating in the Pride Parade on June 21st.
The relationship between footballer Robbie Keane and his girlfriend Claudine Palmer will be celebrated in style tomorrow in what is expected to be one of the biggest celebrity weddings of the year. The couple will marry at St Alphonus and Columba Church, Ballybrack, Co Dublin, before having their lavish reception at the Ritz-Carlton Hotel at Powerscourt in Co Wicklow.
Éigse Carlow Arts Festival also gets under way in Carlow today. It will feature visual arts, crafts, theatre, dance, comedy, music, street theatre, workshops and family entertainment.
In one of the highlights, the Wired Aerial Theatre from the UK will scale the walls of Carlow Shopping Centre using a series of bungee-assisted dance moves.
Thousands of motorbike enthusiasts are expected to flock to Killarney, Co Kerry, this weekend for Ireland Bikefest. It includes live bands and a charity ride in aid of Muscular Dystrophy Ireland tomorrow.
A week-long programme of events to mark Bloomsday will begin in Dublin on Monday with the opening of Molly Bloom at Smock Alley Studio on Essex Street in Temple Bar.
Children will be well catered for in Dublin in the coming days with two arts festivals in Lucan and Blanchardstown.
The Rúaille Búaille festival in Lucan includes a family circus workshop, drum lessons, Punch and Judy show and a carnival in the village green today.
Spréacha, Fingal's international arts festival for children, begins on Monday at the Draíocht Arts Centre in Blanchardstown.
