Almost as soon as we launched our Seven Fun Things You Can Do This Week series last Monday, we immediately regretted limited it to seven things. We’ve got so many suggestions that it was hard to narrow it down to just seven.
If you have a suggestion for a fun thing to do, drop us an email to [email protected]. Oh, and while we have your attention, don’t forget to support local business.
1) Samhain Festival
Trick-or-Treat might not be on the cards but Halloween is far from cancelled. This year’s Samhain Festival might not have the parade but there are plenty of events for all ages.
Lumen Street Theatre are presenting a series of online workshops this year. The first up is a Lantern Making Workshop available from 11 am on Thursday. The second workshop is Mask Making which is available from 11 am on Friday.
Lumen are also presenting demonstrations of how they brought their previous creations to life. The demos are the Undertakers Hat (from 7.30 pm on Thursday), Samhain Project in association with LSAD (from 3 pm on Friday) and Bishops Lady Headdress (from 11 am Saturday)
Inspired by Halloween, Limerick Youth Theatre members have responded by writing, directing and performing several vignettes to add their own creative offering to Samhain. These will be will available from 3 pm on Thursday and Saturday.
What’s Halloween without a scary story. Join ‘Count Draculally’ (legendary storyteller Stephen Lally) for Stories for Younger Children & Tots at 5 pm on Thursday and Stories for Older Children & Adults at 5 pm on Saturday.
There are other events throughout the festival such as The Morbid Family by Curious State (5 pm Friday), Death Café – Virtual Event (18+) at 7.30 pm on Friday and Mummers, Masks and Mischief – A History of Straw Masks in Ireland by Billy Mag Fhlionn in association with Ormston House at 7.30 pm on Saturday
For all Updates and info: please follow the festival on Facebook lumen street theatre / Samhain Limerick’s Halloween Festival, on Instagram samhainlimerick and on Twitter @lumensttheatre, #SamhainLimerick.
2) Rugby… lots of Rugby
Rugby fans rejoice! Munster have not one but two games this week. Following two wins to start the season, Johann van Graan’s men host conference rivals the Cardiff Blues in an empty Thomond Park on Monday night. This is first of a series of Monday night matches for the Pro14. Kick is at 8.15 pm with coverage on Eir Sports and TG4. They follow it up with a trip to Rodney Parade to take on the Dragons at 2 pm on Sunday.
With the Six Nations currently ongoing, this is a perfect opportunity to see young talents like Craig Casey and Ben Healy shine. Speaking of the Six Nations, Andy Farrell’s Ireland travel to Paris to take on France in the final game of this year’s championship. With England playing Italy, they’ll need a bonus-point win if they want to lift the trophy this year. Kick is at 8.05 pm and will be live on Virgin Media One.
And if all the rugby wasn’t enough, there’s also the small matter of the Munster Hurling Semi Final between Limerick and Tipperary on Sunday
3) The Big Escape
The Big Escape is a city-wide escape game. Teams race around the city cracking codes, solving puzzles and completing challenges without getting caught. Its taking place in Limerick this Saturday. Its all done in small teams using smartphones so its the perfect lockdown activity. Find out more on https://thebigescape.com/limerick
4) Go for a walk – Ballyhouras
Each week, we’ll feature a walking route for you to explore (alternating between City & County). This week, we’re heading out to the wonderful Ballyhouras. Situated at the south of Limerick, the Ballyhouras contains some of the best walking and hiking trails in the country.
No matter what you’re after, there’s a trail for you. From beginners to adventure seekers, there’s something for everyone. The Visit Ballyhoura website has a list of all the trails with a handy filter to find the right trail for you.
5) Zoom Quizzes
Yes, we know. Many of you are zoomed out after the first lockdown but if you’re not, the Irish Quiz Organization have you covered. They’ve put together two Quiz Packs for you to use with your family and friends. To get the pack, you need to make a €10 donation (over €750 has been raised to date for various charities).
Each pack contains 8 rounds of general-knowledge questions, including 2 picture rounds and 1 music round (The picture rounds and music round are intended to be screen-shared in Zoom and similar videoconferencing software). They are a mixed selection of difficulty levels to suit everyone
Find out more on https://quizireland.ie/quiz-questions/quarantine-quiz-packs/
6) Buail an Bóthar – Family Discovery Trail
The Bualadh Bos Festival continues with a free family trail around Limerick. No need to book – this is for everyone! Can you find answers to all 15 questions?
The trail will take you around Upper O’Connell Street. You will spend some time exploring People’s Park. The trail starts and finishes at Belltable, 69 O’Connell Street. There is one trail map with two sets of questions – one set for 4 to 7-year-olds and one for children up to 12 years so that all family can take part. Advice from your adults may be helpful for some particularly tricky stops.
https://www.limetreetheatre.ie/show/buail-an-bothar-family-discovery-trail/
7) Ollphéist
Ollphéist brings the tradition of storytelling into the digital world, facilitating new interpretations of our folklore through GIFs. From 30 October to 6 November, an exhibition of GIFs will be displayed from sunset to sunrise in the windows of local businesses in Limerick City. The Participating venues are:
- Celtic Bookshop, 2 Rutland Street;
- Ormston House, 9–10 Patrick Street;
- Canteen, 26 Catherine Street;
- Rift Coffee, 30 Upper Mallow Street.
For further information, visit www.ormstonhouse.com or check out the Facebook Event
We hope you enjoy this week’s suggestions. We have another list almost ready for next week. If you’re partaking in any of our suggestions, why not take a photo and post it using the hashtag #PigtownPics