Here’s a list of free events in Ireland for Families for August 2024.
Nationwide
Free Pet Cookie-making Event
Date: 24th – 25th August
Time: 12 – 2pm
Venue: Maxi Zoo Locations, Nationwide
Maxi Zoo will celebrate International Dog Day by hosting free family friendly pet cookie making events on Saturday, 24th, and Sunday, 25th of August, from 12-2pm in their stores across the country.
Call into your local shop and learn how to make tasty treats for your pet pal. You can find your nearest Maxi Zoo here!
Free Admission to Many OPW Heritage Sites
Dates: First Wednesday of each month
Location: Nationwide
Be a Summer Star!
Date: Runs through 31 August
Summer Stars is a free national reading programme for children that take place in all public libraries and online each summer, and runs until 31st August. Reach out to your local library or follow this link for further details.
Dublin
Celebrate all things Maker!
Dates: 31st August to 1st September
Time: 10am to 6pm
Location: Richmond Barracks, Dublin
Celebrate Heritage Week with Drop-in Workshops at the museum!
Dates: August
Location: The Museum of Archaeology
The Museum of Archaeology is celebrating Heritage Week with Drop-In Workshops! Bring the family into the Learning Resource Room, first floor, at the National Museum of Ireland – Archaeology, and take part in a Drop-In Workshop. Each Drop-In workshop takes place for up to two hours and has a short activity that takes between 15-30 minuts to complete, however, you are more than welcome to stay as long as you wish. Every activity is based on something on display in the Museum and are designed for anyone ages 7-107! For full details of our list of Drop-In Workshops, please see our Event Calendar.
Stretch your legs in Phoenix Park
Dates: Year round
Location: Phoenix Park, Dublin
As one of the biggest city parks in Europe, Phoenix Park has plenty of space for everyone to stretch their legs. You can go on a walk through the woodlands and try to find the resident herd of deer, have a picnic in a grassy meadow, or spend a few hours in the playground. There are also free guided tours that you can take within the park, like one of Ashtown Castle offered daily. On Saturdays, tours of Áras an Uachtaráin are available on a first-come, first-served basis from 9:30am at the Phoenix Park Visitor Centre.
Galway
Horse Racing on Omey Strand
Date: 24th August
Location: Omey Strand, Claddaghduff, Connemara
Pack a picnic this weekend and head to the races! The Omey Races are scheduled to proceed on Saturday, 24th August 2024. The Omey Races take place anually on the strand at Omey Strand, Claddaghduff in Connemara. The annual summer races have been steadily attracting greater numbers every year for a wonderful family day out with sand, sea, horse racing, and maybe even a little sunshine!
Discover the past at Galway City Museum
Date: Year round
Overlooking the famous Spanish Arch, where the River Corrib meets Galway Bay, Galway City Museum provides an opportunity to learn more about Galway’s history.
The museum presents a wide variety of permanent exhibitions of the whole family, ranging from Prehistoric and Medieval Galway to the 1916 revolution, The Great War and sporting history throught eh GAA. Interactive exhibits include Sea Science for Children on the top floor and the 3D Pictorial Map display of Galway in 1651 on the ground floor.
Other highlights include the Galway Civic Sword and Great Mace, the statue of Padraic Ó Conaire and a traditional sailing vesses or Galway Hooker named ‘Máirtín Oliver’, which was commissioned for the Museum. The views from the top floor of the Claddagh and Galway Baly alone are reason enough to visit.
Opening hours are from Tuesday to Saturday, 10am until 5pm. Free admission. More information here.
Explore Connemara’s National Park
Date: Year round
Location: Diamond Hill, Letterfrack, Connemara
The centrepiece of Connemara’s National Park is Diamond Hill trail. This man-made trail to the top of Diamond Hill provides spectacular views when you reach the summit, and there are trails for all walking abilities. With an education and visitor centre, a café, picnic area, and playground, there’s something for the whole family.
Kildare
Discover the Royal Canal Greenway
Dates: Year round
Location: Greenway passes through counties Kildare, Meath, Westmeath, and Longford
The Royal Canal Greenway, at 130km, is the longest off-road Greenway in Ireland. The Greenway runs along the towpath of the Royal Canal which was constructed between Dublin and Longford at the turn of the 18th century to connect the River Liffey to the River Shannon. To date, Waterways Ireland have developed the Greenway for recreation purposes between Maynooth in Co. Kildare to Longford Town and Cloondara.
The Greenway passes through counties Kildare, Meath, Westmeath, and Longford, and is open year round.
Messy Play Wednesdays for 1-5 year olds
Dates: 21 August
Location: Kilcock Library, W23AD66
Join us for messy, sensory play for toddlers and their grown-ups. All the fun without the cleaning up! Old clothes are highly recommended!
Suitable for 1-5 year olds. Book your spot here.
Kilkenny
Children Friendly Tour of Kilkenny Castle
Dates: 24th August
Time: 9:15am – 10am
Location: Kilkenny Castle, The Parade, R95YRK1 Co. Kilkenny
This free guided tour is aimed at school going aged children and their families.
Parts of the castle may not be suitable for people with limited mobility but ground floor room are fully accessible. Maximum of 2 adults per booking.
Booking required, limited availability. To reserve your place, please contact kilkennycastleinfo@opw.ie
Elf & Fairy Village at Castlecomer Discovery Park
Dates: Year round
Location: Castlecomer Discovery Park
Free to enjoy everyday, this enchanting woodland area is a magical experience for all the family! The Elf and Fairy Village has a small yellow sweetshop, cute café, an underground bunker, and an amazing HeadQuarters for the fairy folk! It’s full of colourful hand-carved toadstool mushrooms where children and meander through the woodland paths.
Visitors of all ages can enjoy the woodland village free of charge. Next to the village is the stunning new hexagonal shaped ‘Bluebell Playhouse’. We have transformed this little house into a sensory room for those that may need a little time out, fitted out with bean bags, textures, swing, and sensory lighting, this is a little addition for our visitors with autism. Sensory Room open 12pm – 4pm (seasonally).
Limerick
Free Taster Class – Imagine It Creative Writing Club for Kids 8-14
Dates: 30th August
Location: UL Access Campus in Roxboro, Limerick
The Imagine It Club is a creative writing club for kids and on August 30th, your child can find out what we are all about!
The Imagine It Club takes place at the UL Access Campus in Roxboro, Limerick and in Musica Fusion, Charleville throughout the school term. Through fun fames and interactive workshops, the children write stories, poems, plays and much more. The exciting news is that on August 30th, they are offering a free taster class in Limerick.
Allow your creative child to find their tribe! Please register for the free class by getting in contact through Facebook at imagineitclub or email noelenenash@gmail.com.
Free Play Lego for Children
Dates: 22nd August
Time: 2:30pm to 4:30pm
Location: Watch House Cross Community Library, Watch House Cross Shopping Centre, Moyross, Limerick
Join us on Thursday afternoons during August between 2:30pm and 4:30pm for Free Play Lego for children age 6+.
Parental supervision is required. No need to book, just drop in.
All Lego must be dismantled at the end of the session but feel free to take some pictures of your builds. We would love to take some phots to display in the children’s library – let a staff member know if you have created something that you would like to share.
Get in touch by phone +353 61 557726 or via email watchhousecrosslibrary@limerick.ie
Free Play Art and Craft for Children
Dates: 24th August
Time: 11am to 4pm
Location: Watch House Cross Community Library, Watch House Cross Shopping Centre, Moyross, Limerick
Join us for free-play art and craft for children on Saturday, 24th August, from 11am to 4pm at Watch House Cross Library.
A fresh set of craft materials will be provided. Collect your art materials from the library desk and make something to take home, to display in the library or both!
This is a self-guided activity so children must be accompanied and assisted by their grown-up.
No booking required. Get in touch by phone +353 61 557726 or via email watchhousecrosslibrary@limerick.ie
Parent and Toddler Morning
Dates: 23rd August
Time: 10:30am to 12pm
Location: Watch House Cross Community Library, Watch House Cross Shopping Centre, Moyross, Limerick
Parents, grandparents, caregivers, and your little ones, join us on Friday, 23rd August, from 10:30am to 12pm at Watch House Cross Library for songs, stories and rhymes.
No booking required. Get in touch by phone +353 61 557726 or via email watchhousecrosslibrary@limerick.ie
Children’s Movie Afternoon
Dates: Tuesdays in August
Time: 2:30pm
Location: Watch House Cross Community Library, Watch House Cross Shopping Centre, Moyross, Limerick
Join us on Tuesday afternoons in August at 2:30pm fin Watch House Cross Library for an afternoon of children’s movies.
Get in touch by phone +353 61 557726 or via email watchhousecrosslibrary@limerick.ie
Mayo
Become a Woodland Explorer
Dates: August
Location: Turlough Park, Castlebar F23 HY31
The grounds of Turlough Park are home to lots of different habitats with woodland, gardens, lakes and river areas.
Throughout the biodiverse grounds, you can explore plants, trees, birds and animals, big and small. Some are native and some are not.
Pick up the new ‘Woodland Explorer’ activity booklet from the Museum reception to explore a self-guided nature trail through the grounds of Turlough Park.
Find Peadar and His Friends!
Dates: Year round
Location: Turlough Park, Castlebar F23 HY31
Peadar is a Pygmy Shrew who lives at the Museum with his seven friends. Can you find their hiding spots in the Museum galleries using our fun, self-guided activity sheet?
Pygmy Shrews are Ireland’s smallest mammals. They are about 5cm long and weigh only three grammes. They have especially long noses and they like to eat minibeasts such as woodlice, beetles, flies and spiders.
Pygmy Shrews usually live outsoors in woodlands. hedgerows, farmland, gardens and even bogs but Peadar lives at the Museum with his friends. They like to play hide and seek in the exhibition galleries. See if you can follow the map to find their hiding spots!
This is a fun, self-guided trail for children, available during Museum opening hours from the activity cart at reception.
Waterford
Walk or Cycle the Waterford Greenway
Dates: Year round
Location: Waterford City to Dungarvan, Co. Waterford
Opened in 2017, the spectacular Waterford Greenway (also called the Deise Greenway) provides 46km of glorious car-free pathway stretching all the way from historic Waterford City to the beautiful sea-side town of Dungarvan in west of Co. Waterford.
The Comeragh Mountains provide a dramatic backdrop to a breathtaking journey across 11 bridges, three viaducts, through a 400m-long tunnel, along the lush banks of the River Suir, all the way to the scalloped beaches of Waterford’s famed Copper Coast.
About the Author: Joan Addley
