Irish Blessings Tours

There is one big disadvantage to visiting Ireland in the summer. High season sees flights, ferries and accommodation prices topping out.   Cost apart, the good news is that there is so much to see and do in Ireland in the summer months. Those who are not on the tightest of budgets will be spoiled for choice for things to do in Ireland and the variety on offer will make it feel like the best time to visit Ireland.

According to the Celtic calendar summer officially starts on 1st May, or Bealtaine. Travellers in May can avail themselves of the costs for ‘shoulder’ season. May is also one of the most breathtakingly beautiful in Ireland for country scenery. The world feels like a flowery bower.

Summer time can be the best time of year to visit Ireland if you are suffocating in a hot and humid city.  For those visitors coming from sweltering cities the good news is that you can chill out, both literally and figuratively in the Irish summer.  It rarely gets warmer than 70 degrees Fahrenheit.  The warmest it is ever likely to get is 80 degrees Fahrenheit.  Days can be overcast, showery or sunny.  So pack the sort of clothes that would be just as suitable for spring of autumn!

Pack those field glasses to spot the fauna.  The summer months can offer the best time to visit Ireland for those on a camera safari. The flora and fauna are out in force and a wondrous biodiversity there is to see.

The long nights at the summer solstice still also inspire St. John’s Eve bonfires on 23rd June. Twilight occurs around 11pm and lingers.  Sunrise will be coaxing you awake around 4am. The long nights will see fevered activity during hay making and turf footing, but there is still daylight to have some fun over a pint and a session of traditional music.

Garden lovers will revel in the many open gardens at castles and stately homes such as the Northern Irish National Trust properties at Florencecourt in County Fermanagh.   The National Museum of Country Life near Castlebar in County Mayo has excellent exhibits on country living and crafts.  It also has wonderful grounds and gardens to explore.  If you are keen to try your hand at organic gardening Leitrim’s Organic Centre has many weekend and day courses to inspire you as well as imparting practical expertise.

The summer months also bring out the Irish festival spirit.  There are the traditional féis and fleadhs, those music festivals that abound in every nook and corner of this island.  You will find literary festivals, traditional music schools and the big event, the All Ireland Fleadh, which is in Cavan in 2012.

But the more adventurous spirits will enjoy the outdoor activities.  Drier weather offers opportunities for exploring the caves at Marble Arch Caves.  The surfers will be snatching at the waves on beaches between Strandhill in Sligo right up to Bundoran in Donegal.  Adventure Centres in lakeland counties like Fermanagh, Cavan and Leitrim offer wind surfing and canoeing.  Walking is an ever popular outdoor pursuit with the many long distance paths to choose from whether you want coastal walks or hillside views. Cyclists can avail themselves on the many trails such as the Kingfisher Cycling Trail or the Greenway.

July sees the annual pilgrimages to scale Croagh Patrick in County  Mayo when hundreds of Irish people, many coming as a parish in a hired bus, take the challenge to climb the height and hear Mass at the summit.  This month is the best time of year if you want to participate in this annual pilgrimage.  There are also events at St. Patrick’s Purgatory in Donegal and at Knock, also in County Mayo.

Bilberry Sunday (or the last Sunday in July) also sees many holy wells having the traditional ‘pattern’ of prayers said as people petition for an improvement in their health or circumstances.  These ‘patterns’ will be taking place all over Ireland at local holy wells either on the last Sunday in July (as they do at Holywell, Belcoo, Fermanagh) or on August 15th, which is a Marian feastday.

All in all there is very little not to tempt and nurture the body, mind or spirit during the summer months in Ireland.  So despite the higher airfares, summertime really can be the best time of year to visit Ireland.

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Bee Smith created Irish Blessings Tours to serve travellers to Ireland who want the unique and inspirational packaged for their group’s desires and needs. Bee seeks the source to manifest your dream Irish vacation according to your budget and time scale. She has a special interest in Fairy folklore, Celtic Spirituality and the Natural Heritage of western Ireland and Northern Ireland. In 2011 Bee became one of the first trained tour guides that act at ambassadors for the UNESCO designated Marble Arch Caves Global Geopark. Send her your dreams for your Ireland vacation package to bee@irishblessingstours.com.