ENJOY four days of open-sea racing by Irish and international teams in one of the most picturesque areas of Dublin Bay, the Volvo Dun Laoghaire Regatta 2019 is starting on 11 July. Dun Laoghaire will be the centre of great racing and a lively social scene, with entertainment for all ashore. The sea will be carpeted with up to 470 bobbing boats, cruisers, keelboats and dinghies. For those who haven’t found their sea legs, a trip out to the south coast during the regatta will mean a fun crowd, stunning views, great food and family events all along the water. Free admission to this event, for more information visit www.dlregatta.org.

CELEBRATE Ballina Street Festival taking place from 7-14 July, when the north Mayo capital will welcome family, friends and diaspora for a week-long celebration of the town, its heritage, culture and its magnificent River Moy. With a packed programme of events over the week, the festival aims to provide visitors with opportunities to enjoy new experiences and make memories along the banks of the River Moy. Ballina is known as the “Salmon Capital” of Ireland, and in a nod to the jewel in Ballina’s crown the River Moy a number of water-based events will take place. For more information visit www.ballina.ie.

CHALLENGE yourself at the Penalty Kick Competition at Gough Park, Limerick on 6 July. At the end of each round, when the players finish their kicks, the player with the highest number of goals goes to the next round. If there is a draw, the players will follow with alternating kicks, until one makes the goal and the other misses the kick. The two finalists will have five kicks each. When the finalists finish their kicks, the player with the highest number of goals will be the champion. Entry fee is €22.20, email penaltykickcompetition@gmail.com to enter.

VISIT the best-selling and award-winning Atlas of the Irish Revolution exhibition at St Peter’s Cork on North Main Street in the heart of the city. The exhibition brings to life some of the pivotal moments in Irish history as they played out across the country. It touches on history, geography, art history, sociology and archaeology, in addition to intertwining the Cork perspective into the narrative of the events that occurred. A key feature of the exhibition is a dedicated reading area where visitors can explore the 5kg and near 1,000-page book that features over 100 contributors and more than 300 maps that add a whole new way of looking at the events of a century ago. The exhibition will continue in St Peter’s, Cork until the end of the year, admission free. Visit www.stpeterscork.ie for more.

EXPERIENCE Writing the Self lectures and reading at The Hawk’s Well Theatre in Sligo Town with Sinéad Gleeson. In this workshop she explores the art of the personal essay, focusing on the skills required for life-writing and first person non-fiction. This workshop will discuss how to put ideas into practice, beginnings and structure, making the personal universal and learning how to extract the key elements of your own story. Sinéad Gleeson’s essays have appeared in Granta, Winter Papers, Gorse, Banshee and Elsewhere Journal. This event will take place on July 10, admission is €30. Visit www.hawkswell.com for more.