WEDNESDAY READ: 10 THINGS TO DO IN IRELAND

Trees lit at night in Mount Stewart Gardens, Northern Ireland

By Kathleen M. Mangan

Festivals and events highlight the fall season in Ireland. Get out and enjoy harvest fairs, sports championships, traditional music and arts, guided weekend walks, creepy ghost tours, and much more.

1. Attend a Sports Championship

   Gaelic football and hurling are some of the top spectator sports in Ireland and Northern Ireland, culminating in the All-Ireland Senior Championship Finals played in Dublin’s Croke Park in September. Attending an All-Ireland is the experience of a lifetime, but plan ahead as all 82,300 tickets usually sell out. You can visit the Gaelic Athletic Association (GAA) Museum at Croke Park year-round to learn about the history, see game highlights, and test your sports skills. Get a feel for game day on a stadium tour—visit team dressing rooms, run through the players tunnel onto the field pitchside, and catch views of the field from the sidelines and VIP seats.
   For bird’s-eye views of the stadium and Dublin’s skyline, take the guided Etihad Skyline Tour on the 17-story-high rooftop, where you will be hooked by harness to a railing.

2. Tour the Tombs at Glasnevin Cemetery

   Ireland’s necropolis is Glasnevin Cemetery in Dublin where 1.5 million people have been buried...READ MORE