Enjoy the 47th annual Limerick International Band Championship, which will be at the heart of Limerick’s 2017 St Patrick’s Festival this Sunday 19 March. The Band Championship, which attracts nearly 50,000 people every year, will feature some of the world’s most renowned marching bands. The bands will take to the streets where they will march all the way from Pery Square to Arthur’s Quay Park. Crowds will be given the opportunity to listen to pipers, trumpeters and drummers, all in their gleaming, polished uniforms. Overall champions will be announced as well as prizes for the best dressed, best youth band and the best international band. Admission is free.

Thrill yourself by going along to see Celtic Flames, who will perform in An Taibhdhearc, Eyre Square, Co Galway, this Thursday 16 March. Celtic Flames is a 25-piece group who celebrate traditional Irish music, song and dance with electric shows featuring some of the best musicians and dancers in the business. You will see a wide range of Irish traditional culture, ranging from sean nós to balletic dancing, while listening to melodies of the Irish villages of old. The show has been described as a momentous occasion for everyone fortunate enough to be sat in the audience, watching the colours flash and the performers set fire to the stage with their talent.

Explore the countryside by going to Benbulben, Co Sligo, this Saturday 18 March. Is there any better way to celebrate St Patrick’s Day than by climbing up to one of Ireland’s great peaks and looking down on the scenic countryside of Ireland? Hold the High Note gives you the opportunity to get outside this St Patrick’s weekend, with a guided hike up Benbulben in the stunning county of Sligo. The Wild Atlantic Way has been famed for its breathtaking beauty and this hike will let you experience it. The 12km walk will scale heights reaching 400km above sea level. Tickets cost €20.

Laugh along to Jason Byrne’s new show, Propped up, which takes the popular comedian all across Ireland. Byrne can be seen in the Heritage Hotel, Portlaoise, this Saturday 18 March. From staring on popular shows such as Live at the Apollo and The John Bishop Show, to having a hugely successful award-winning radio show,

Byrne’s new show will be filled with laughter and funny moments, with even more props and silly humour. Tickets cost €25. Phone 057-867 8588 or see info@theheritagehotel.com for more information.

Listen to critically acclaimed singer and songwriter Declan O’Rourke who performs at the Theatre Royal, Waterford this Saturday, 18 March. O’Rourke brings his show to Waterford following the release of his brand new album In Full Colour, featuring the RTÉ Concert Orchestra. The album includes re-worked and reimagined material from over a decade’s worth of music across Declan’s career, along with some brand new tracks including the acclaimed Children of 16. Declan has played to sold-out crowds here in Ireland and regularly tours in Europe, America and Australia. Tickets cost €22. For more information, phone +353 51 87 4402.