Great A to Z of free festive fun
Get on your bike and explore some of Ireland's great new cycle tracks.
Reeling from the budget cuts? Here is our guide to some free fun.
A is for turning archaeologist and discovering how Stone Age farmers, Vikings and medieval lords celebrated this time of year on the National Museum's free winter walking trail. Meet Kildare Street, Dublin, 11am, December 28.
See museum.ie for details
B is for braving the icy sea waters to take the plunge on Christmas Day at 12pm in Rosslare or, for an even icier splash, try the Annual New Years Day swim at 3pm off Narin Beach, Co Donegal.
C is for Carolling. Belting out cheery Christmas tunes is cheap and fun. Do it for a good cause by signing up to sing at Jervis Street shopping centre in Dublin on December 17 to help raise money for Spina Bifida Hydrocephalus Ireland.
D is for de-stress after the Christmas chaos by signing up for free meditation classes at dublinmeditation.com
E is for eat, drink and be especially merry because it's all free. Christmas markets like Dublin's 12 Days of Christmas Market at the Docklands until December 23, Belfast City Hall until December 19 and Cork's Grand Parade until December 22 are rife with tasting trays.
Pinocchio Restaurant and wine bar Ranelagh have a festival on December 18, 12-5pm with free entrance as well as free vin brulé (mulled wine) and canapés among the Italian School of cooking stands.
Check bordbia.ie for a list of locations.
F is for foraging. The last of the sloes and hawthorn berries may have disappeared a few weeks ago, but Ireland's 327,000 ditches are full of foliage perfect for Christmas decorations.
Pick up pine cones to stack in dishes, spray-paint branches, fill vases with stunning copper-beech boughs, holly and ivy. But stay clear of snipping in National Parks as it's not allowed.
G is for giggle at the next Dara Ó Briain or Tommy Tiernan at a comedy night. A new free improvised comedy night has just started at Dublin's Panti Bar on Capel St, or there's no charge to chuckle at The Comedy Crunch at the Stag's Head, Dame Lane, Sunday and Monday nights.
H is for hampers. There's a free draw at Carlow Farmer's Market on the 17th and 23rd with 10 hampers packed with delicious foodie treats up for grabs.
I is for Ikea who are offering a free Christmas-tree stand with every Irish Christmas tree bought before December 23.
Send it back for recycling between January 5 and 16 and you'll get a free €5 voucher.
J is for jump on a horse-and-carriage ride at Farmleigh Christmas Market. The free event includes loads of great events including puppet shows, musical performances, storytelling and carolling, running December 17 and 18 from 10-5pm.
Farmleigh.ie for details.
K is for knit your own Christmas jumper or woolly scarf in good company at the Phoenix Park Visitor Centre Knitting and Crochet group held every Wednesday morning at 11am or on December 16 at the Knitting Circle: A Stitch In Time at Turlough Park, Co Mayo.
L is for Listening carefully as top storyteller Niall de Burca regales audiences young and old with The Christmas Turkey and other stories at The National Museum of Ireland, Collins Barracks at 3pm, December 18. The event is free but it's best to arrive an hour before the event as tickets are allocated on a first come, first served basis.
M is for music. It's not often you get to see a world-class performer for free but harpsichordist Malcolm Proud has been delighting audiences with Bach's Keyboard Partitas lately and you can catch him on December 18 at Dublin's Hugh Lane Gallery.
N is for is for Dublin's favourite Nativity Scene. The Live Animal Crib is back at the Mansion House, Dublin, for its 55th year with real animals, singing and face-painting until December 24.
O is for offloading the bags of Christmas shopping in safe hands thanks to the free shop-and-drop stations found on the third floor of St Stephen's Green shopping centre and the GPO Arcade, Henry Street, Dublin.
See dublinatchristmas.ie.
P is for pedal power. Get on your bike and explore some of Ireland's great new cycle tracks. There's a new system of off-road routes in the Phoenix Park, and a great new lane along the Grand Canal from Lucan to Inchicore.
Check cyclist.ie for recently opened-up routes.
Q is for keeping quiet as you turn birdwatcher for the day and infiltrate the world's population of Brent Geese. The birds make an epic 3,000km flight to winter in Ireland and are a sight worth seeing.
Check irishbrentgoose.org for the best places to pitch up with a flask of tea and a pair of binoculars.
R is for regifting. Passing on unwanted gifts is the buzz-word for a recession friendly Christmas.
Everyone has an unloved, unopened gift somewhere in their cupboards -- send it on to someone who wants it and save yourself a few quid into the bargain.
S is for Santa, who this year can be found in some surprising spots. The most unusual is St Nick's pitch in Dublin's oldest surviving structure, the 12th-Century crypt at Christchurch on December 18.
T is for tapping into your inner Charles Dickens and penning your very own Christmas masterpiece during the Ink Slingers Creative Writing Hour at the Irish Writers' Centre in Dublin. The free class includes group writing exercises and idea-generating sessions.
Every Friday until December 23.
U is for ugly Christmas sweater parties. They're all the rage Stateside. Host your own for free by sending Evites, getting guests to BYO and serve appetisers from cupboard staples (frugalfollies.com has some great ideas).
Vote for the worst woolly winners and hand out freebie prizes like free car washes, bags carried and dinners made -- get creative!
V is for volunteering. The Knights of Columbanus will be serving Christmas dinner to some 500 homeless people on December 25, so give the gift of your time.
See homelessagency.ie.
W is for walk off all the Christmas fayre from Christmas fairs with a free guide. Ingeniousireland.ie have a super range of tours for all ages available for download.
From Dublin By Numbers to the Royal Canal and East Pier Dun Laoghaire, they're guaranteed to get you looking at even familiar routes with fresh eyes.
X is what marks the spot when hunting for clues at the Slieve Gullion Christmas Wonderland. Kids can trawl the woods, learning about wildlife and helping Santa's elves prepare for Christmas. Entry is free but pre-booking is essential.
See discovernorthern ireland.com.
Y is for Yuletide logs and Christmas cakes at the Christmas cake-decorating demonstration taking place in Allen's Cake Shop, Athlone, December 18, 2-5pm.
Allenscakeshop.com
Z is for zipping up warm on an expertly guided hike through some of Ireland's oldest oak woods on the slopes of Tomies Mountain, Co Kerry (see Killarney.ie/walkkillarney). Walk off the mince pies on the 11km circular trail that takes in O'Sullivans Cascade, spectacular views of Lough Leane and possible sightings of White Tail eagles before returning home for a well deserved nap. Zzzzzz.
- Chrissie Russell
Irish Independent
