LEARN all about the business of micro-brewing at Black Donkey Brewing Ltd, Ballinlough, Co Roscommon, until Wednesday 11 December. If you want to experience the appearance, smells and tastes of a working micro-brewery, then this is the event for you. Doors open every Wednesday 11.30am. The tour takes place on the working brewery floor, in all its aromatic glory and so requires sensible footwear (no high heels, sandals or open-toe shoes) and is guided by the head brewer. Each tour lasts approximately 75-90 minutes and costs €15. See www.blackdonkeybeer.com for additional information.

EXPERIENCE Northern Ireland’s biggest food and cider festival this weekend, where a jam-packed programme of events and activities is sure to get the taste buds tingling. The Armagh Food and Cider Festival takes place across this weekend from Thursday 19 to Sunday 22 September throughout the Orchard County, incorporating different venues. Enjoy a range of events and activities including open-air markets, orchard and cidery tours, tasting dinners, cooking masterclasses, a Bramley apple banquet, hedgerow foraging, foodie film nights and much more. To see the full programme visit www.visitarmagh.com/festivals or phone 028-3752 1800.

ENJOY a fun-filled day of activities as well as great food and drink at Ballyhass Lakes, Co Cork, on 23 September. The Old Butter Roads Food Trail is a food festival that takes place during the summer and it is organising this community event that aims to reconnect the diner with the origins of its food and to celebrate the local farmers and food producers. The day begins with a host of activities such as the aqua park in the old quarry, axe throwing and zip lining before a barbecue. This is sure to be a great day out, and topped off with a tasty feast from local suppliers, cooked and served by the producers, restaurants, cafes and hotels of The Old Butter Roads. For more, see www.oldbutterroads.ie.

APPRECIATE all the work that our different bees do by joining the Bee Wise Nature Trail, Boyne Valley, Co Meath, on 22 September at 10.30am or 1.30pm. Their resident beekeeper will take you on a guided tour around the five-acre bee friendly woodland. Visitors will learn all about the different bees – honeybee, bumblebees and solitary bees – and see the variety of flowers and plants they produce our honey from. Look through all of the components of a hive, before finally tasting different types of honey. Prices are; €6 per adult, €4 per child and €20 per family (two adults and three children). For more information see www.beewise.ie

VISIT Pitch’d Circus Arts Festival, presented by the Circus Factory Cork from the 20-29 September. The event returns to Centre Park Road for the third time and brings with it a host of new and exciting circus acts, street performances, aerial arts, comedy and workshops for all ages. This year’s theme is Exquisite Corpse, a method by which a collection of words or images is assembled collectively to make a new image, text or form. The eclectic 10-day programme kicks off on 20 September, Culture Night and sees Lucy Hopkins and her contemporary clown show and Darragh McLoughlin’s Stick Man entertain the crowds over the course of the festival. Visit www.pitchdfestival.ie.

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