May is the Month for Bluebells, Bealtaine Festival - Arts and Creativity

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May is the Month for Bluebells, Bealtaine Festival Ireland May is the Month for Bluebells, Bealtaine Festival Ireland

May is in my opinion the best month of the year in Ireland with fresh growth on trees and hedgerows, flowers in bloom including bluebells carpeting woodlands and hillsides all over Ireland just like in the image here.

May is also the month of the Bealtaine Festival, celebrating arts and creativity for older people, a program of thousands of events throughout Ireland for older people to engage with arts and crafts through learning and teaching.

This festival takes its name from the ancient Irish festival of Bealtaine, held at the start of May and which marked the start of summer in Ireland.

Running since 1996 it was indeed the first such festival in the world; previous years have seen the likes of Colm Tóibín talking about his novels and other works. 

This year, 2023 sees amongst others:

Symposium on the life of sixteenth century painter Lavinia Fontana at the National Gallery of Ireland, featuring speakers from Christies, Stanford University, NGI, University of Bologna and more.

One of Ireland's finest folk singers Imelda Kehoe and Kevin Lawlor Trio in Wexford.

A jewellery making demonstration of fine silver by one of Ireland's traditionally trained goldsmiths Christina Keogh in Clonmel.

The Birds of Fingal with Dr. Frank Prendergast - exploring the birds that visit and live in the diverse range of habitats in the north of County Dublin.

The History of Photography at the National Famine Museum in Strokestown, County Roscommon. This exhibition features vintage cameras, images and more and is on loan from the Gallery of Photography in Dublin.

A walking tour featuring the history and tales of Tramore, County Waterford with Dr. Maxine Keoghan.

These are just some of the varied events happening throughout Ireland celebrating older people during the Bealtaine Festival, find more on the website and search for events in each county.

And of course there are plenty of bluebells to be discovered on walks in the woodlands of Ireland.

Last modified on Monday, 08 May 2023 18:54
Darren McLoughlin

Irishman and International travel photographer in search of the best bits of Ireland. Leading photography tours and experiences in Ireland.

Contributor to New York Times / Sunday Times / Irish Times / Echtra Echtra and Eonmusic

Cancer survivor.

Ask me about travel in Ireland or about photography in Ireland.

https://darrenmcloughlin.com

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