Unsurprisingly, the biggest event of the year in Dublin is St Patrick’s Day (676 3205, www.stpatricksfestival.ie, Mar), which actually stretches out over the better part of a week, with street theatre, bands, parades and plenty of boozing. In April the Dublin Film Festival (679 2937, www.dubliniff.com) shows the latest local and international flicks, while in July the Oxegen music festival (www.oxegen.ie, 8-9 July 2006) packs tens of thousands of music fans into Punchestown Race Track for several days of sounds.

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