Making life a holiday with interesting vacation and adventure ideas.

Fashion Fringe, now in its fith year, was concceived by Colin McDowell as a dynamic fringe event to coincide with London Fashion Week; it helps to support and promote young talent in the British fashion industry. Created in 2004 by IMG global sports, entertainment and media company, under the creative direction of Colin McDowell, who is a fashion historian and senior fashion writer for the Sunday Times Style Magazine, the event offers the winner the opportunity to create their own fashion company, with a prize of more than £100,000, together with mentoring, business support, PR and legal advice.

Applicants (Design Duos are also permitted to enter) must have been resident in the UK or Eire for 3 years or more, or have a valid work permit until 2012, and they must also be over the age of 21 to enter. Closing Date for Applications is 2 May 2008 and you can apply online.

Labels: 2008, fashion, Ireland, London, UK

It seems like we have no sooner got over the Hogmanay hangover, than the Irish begin their annual party. Monday 17th March is St. Patrick's day; that special day filled with music, velvet black stout, dancing and still more of the black stuff. The day when the Irish celebrate being Irish and the rest of the world celebrate with them, wishing that they have at least a little Irish blood running through their veins.

In Dublin, they celebrate in the famed Irish style, warming up with five days and nights of celebrations. Music, street theatre, family carnivals, comedy, street performances, dance, a treasure hunt and night spectaculars. What is more, almost all of the events are free.

Then, the celebrations, involving 4000 performers and 1 million people, come to a magnificent climax with the world famous St. Patrick's Day Parade on Monday 17th March.

Labels: 2008, Dublin, Ireland, St. Patrick's Day

After enjoying a Burns' night supper in Scotland, why not travel across the Irish sea to Dublin? Then you can celebrate the birthday of another Celtic icon, James Joyce. It is James Joyce's birthday on 2nd February and it is being celebrated with a dramatised reading by the Balloonatics Theatre Company, of some of his greatest works.

The venue is The Teacher's Club, Parnell Square, Dublin, on 2 February, 2008. More information.

Labels: anniversary, Ireland, James Joyce, poetry

The annual Yeats International Summer School in Sligo, is organised by the Yeats Society to celebrate the poet's life and work; this year the festival dates are Saturday 28th July to Friday 10th August 2007.

William Butler Yeats is considered to be Ireland's greatest lyric poet and one of the greatest lyric poets of the twentieth-century. He led a movement known as the Irish literary renaissance which revived Irish folklore, legends and traditions.

Yeats drew much inspiration from County Sligo's beautiful scenery and the town of Sligo makes a good base for a wide range of activities.

You will find many other Literary Holidays in our listings.

Labels: 2007, festival, Ireland, poetry, Sligo, Summer School, Yeats

A replica Viking ship has begun an epic trip across the North Sea to Dublin, Ireland, from the Danish port of Roskilde. The seven week voyage aims to recreate journeys made by the Vikings 1,000 years ago.

The ship, called the Sea Stallion, is only powered by sail, and 65 volunteer crew members who will be rowing and braving the elements on the open deck throughout the trip.

There are some interesting History Holidays in our listings, though most are thought to be less demanding than two months role play as a Viking sailor!

Labels: 2007, boat, Denmark, Dublin, expedition, history, Ireland, Roskilde, Viking