As you look forward to St. Patrick's weekend, we have put together a list of family friendly activities from around the country.
From popular parades to family days out, Ireland offers a wealth of opportunities for families to create lasting memories filled with fun and adventure and St. Patrick's Day sees the start of the season for many outdoor venues.
Keep an eye out for events and activities in your area, help support your local businesses and have fun!
Enjoy a truly festive day out at one of the many parades that take place in villages, towns and cities throughout the country, with special thanks to the many volunteers who help create so many happy family memories.
Is there a better way to enjoy a spring day than down on the farm with cute baby animals! Newgrange Farm reopens on March 16th for their popular annual Lambing Live event where you can see their flock of sheep lambing and their herd of cows calving.
Kidspace Rathcoole & Kidspace Rathfarnham
St Patrick's Weekend: Kidspace open all weekend inc bank holiday Monday 9am-5pm Adults can enjoy tasty food in the Nest Cafe while the kids burn off some energy. Watch out for our breakfast and pizza family meal deals.
Fenagh Visitor Centre | Leitrim
Celebrate St.Patrick's weekend with a free tour of the historic sights of Fenagh on Saturday 16th at 12pm or 2pm. The tour is very informative and takes around 90 minutes. There is also a Family Fun Day on St. Patrick's Day from 11am.
National Wax Museum Plus | Dublin
A museum with a view!
Celebrate St Patrick's Day and all things Irish at the National Wax Museum Plus with a premium offering just for the St Partick's Day Parade! The deal consists of admission to the museum and their exclusive viewing area overlooking O'Connell Bridge and Westmoreland St. For adults a drink on arrival is included and child admission includes a wax hand souvenir.
Celebrating their 5th birthday this weekend, exciting activities await for families, friends, groups and fun! GoQuest offers unique challenges and themed zones designed to test both mind and body and is the perfect family day out.
Secret Valley Wildlife Park | Wexford
Enjoy a fun family day out in Wexford with with exotic & native wildlife, pony rides and a cuteness overload feeding the baby goats!
Viking Family Tours | Archaeology
Join a family tour of the Viking Ireland exhibition at the Museum to learn all about the Vikings in Ireland. See a replica fishing boat, examine the beautiful oval brooches worn by Scandinavian women, and discover ice skates made of bone! Discover what life was like in Viking Dublin, and see the wider impact that the Vikings had on Ireland. This tour is for families, but all ages are welcome to join! Various dates, check in advance.
Various | Decorative Arts
As part of the St. Patrick's Festival, head down to Collins Barracks this weekend for a selection of fun activities including the Not Just Shamrocks Tour on Saturday & Sunday, Make Your Mark! Family Print-Making Workshop on Sunday 17th and Early Years Workshop: Storytelling & Songs with Sarah Sparkles on Monday 18th.
Airfield Estate | Young Gardener Workshops
A brand-new children’s gardening programme designed for children aged 8-12 years, eager to get their green fingers dirty takes place on Saturday 16th as as you dive into the world of sustainable, seasonal growing. Led by Airfield's experienced education team, the workshop will be a delightful journey of discovery, where the young gardeners will learn the skills it takes to grow their own fruit and vegetables from seed.
This St Patrick's weekend Skypark is open for family adventures from Saturday to Monday with aerial adventures and lots of fun activities on the ground as well. As an added bonus their fun activity bundle includes a leprechaun hunt (Carlichaun's Adventure Trail) with the chance of winning a real bar of gold!
Celebrate St. Patrick’s Day at Dublin Zoo! They have a jam-packed schedule on March 17th, with fun-filled activities the whole family will enjoy including sing and dance to your favourite Irish tunes, be amazed at the Silly Billy magic show, meet the leprechaun and enter the ‘pot of gold’ competition for a chance to win a Dublin Zoo annual pass and lots, lots more.
Blackwater Open Farm | Wexford
Join in the St Patrick's Day celebrations at the farm with a fun filled, Irish themed fancy dress disco on Sunday, 17th from 12 to 2pm. The farm is also open on Saturday and Monday.
Enjoy a magical St. Patrick's Day adventure with pony rides and exciting garden activities that will delight kids of all ages. Let your little ones experience the joy of riding gentle ponies and explore the enchanting garden filled with fun St. Patrick's Day themed activities.
Reopening on Saturday following some recent refurbishment, KBowl in Naas is perfect for a family day out this weekend including Bowling, Wacky World Play Center and KZone arcade.
If you are looking for something more advernturous, The West Cork Rally will take place over three days over the weekend with extra stages on Friday, including a loop in darkness and some of the most spectacular stages on the Wild Atlantic Way. Based around Clonakilty, there is so much to do in Cork you are guaranteed a fun weekend.
National Reptile Zoo | Kilkenny
Celebrating their 18th birthday, they are offering 50% off all tickets on St. Patrick's Day. Enjoy over 50 exhibits including the animal encounter zone, nocturnal room and much more!
Everything is ready for the reopening this weekend with a wide range of activities for children of all ages including some new exciting additions!
Join Mollie, Nora, Phyliss, Frank and Harry on an adventure through 1912 Dublin at The Making of Mollie this March
This bold new adaption for children aged 8+ by Anna Carey and directed by Sarah Baxter invites you to step into a very different time and join Mollie as she begins her journey to find her place in the world. The successful run ends this Saturday.
First published on RTE Lifestyle
