Ireland’s national saint provides an excellent pretext for parades, street carnivals and all manner of free entertainment. Come dressed for the weather!

The fiirst three stages of this year's Giro d'Italia, cycling biggest multi-day race after the Tour de France, take place on Irish shores. The flat third stage, scheduled for May 11, favours the likes of British sprinter Mark Cavendish (below) and finishes in Dublin city centre. Special events are also planned in the run up to the event.

Contact: www.girostart2014.com

Dublin Dance Festival

May 20-31

The Dance Festival is an impressive and important addition to Dublin’s year, shining a spotlight on upcoming Irish talent and on international choreography, plus a comprehensive programme of performances, films, discussions, workshops, outdoor and family-friendly events.

Contact: 00 353 1 679 0524; dublindancefestival.ie

Dublin Writers’ Festival

May 17-25

Novelists, poets and children’s and non-fiction writers come together in this always-impressive literature festival, spread across a range of city-centre venues.

Contact: 00 353 1 222 5455; dublinwritersfestival.com

Dublin: One City One Book - a novel project to encourage everyone in the city to read the same book during April - www.dublinonecityonebook.ie

The Great Ireland Run - a 10km race on April 6 in aid of local charities - www.greatirelandrun.org

Dublin Bay Prawn Festival - a three-day celebration of the shrimp (April 25-27) - www.dublinbayprawnfestival.com

International Dublin Gay Theatre Festival - the 11th annual staging of the festival, which was founded to mark the 150th anniversary of Oscar Wilde's birth (May 5-18) - www.gaytheatre.ie

Dublin City Soul Festival - a "feel-good celebration" featuring outdoor food and music (May 24/25) - www.dublincitysoulfestival.com

Bloom in the Park - show gardens, food and fun in Phoenix Park (May 29-June 2) - bloominthepark.com

Exhibitions

Patrick Scott: Image Space Light at the Irish Museum of Modern Art (until May 18) - www.imma.ie/en/page_236799.htm

Sheela Gowda: Open Eye Policy at the Irish Museum of Modern Art (April 5-June 22) - www.imma.ie/en/page_236812.htm

Also: catch screenings of Francis Ford Coppola's classic The Godfather: Part II at the Irish Film Institute (March 1 & 2) - www.ifi.ie/film/the-godfather-part-ii

Parks and outdoor attractions

National Botanic Gardens

Dublin’s beautiful botanic gardens, on the banks of the river Tolka north of the central city, date back to 1795; and feature waterside walks and habitats ranging from deciduous woodland to rose gardens, and walled kitchen gardens to steamy (and spectacular) tropical glasshouses that are cousins to those at Kew. The attractive new wood-clad visitor centre includes exhibition areas and cafes. A lovely spot on a sunny afternoon.

Address: Glasnevin, Dublin 9

Contact: 00 353 1 804 0300; botanicgardens.ie

Opening Times: Sat & Sun 10am-4.30pm; Mon-Fri 9am-4.30pm

Admission: free

Trinity College Dublin

The elegantly proportioned quadrangles and signature Campanile of Trinity showcase Dublin’s eighteenth-century architectural golden age; and the campus as a whole offers a pleasant respite from the noise and bustle of the city. Don’t miss the famous Book of Kells and the spectacular Old Library in which it is housed. The Library’s permanent exhibition, Turning Darkness into Light, tells the story of the creation of Ireland’s magnificent illuminated manuscripts.

Address: Trinity College, College Green, Dublin 2

Contact: 00 353 1 896 2320; tcd.ie

Opening Times: Sun 12 noon-4.30pm; Mon-Sat 9.30am -5pm

Admission: €8/€9

The statues, busts and memorials scattered liberally through Dublin’s parks and squares offer another way into the city’s rich history. Worth exploring are those of writer James Joyce and Irish patriots Wolfe Tone and Constance Markiewicz in St Stephen’s Green; writer Oscar Wilde and charismatic independence politician Michael Collins in Merrion Square; and – remembering the Iron Duke himself – the massive Wellington Testimonial obelisk at the city end of the Phoenix Park.

The Phoenix Park, just west of the city centre, is one of Europe’s largest parks: vast tract of open meadows and woodland, lakes and herds of deer on rising ground north of the river Liffey. On a sunny day, explore its open spaces by bicycle: Phoenix Park bike hire is located just inside the main park entrance at Parkgate Street: phoenixparkbikehire.com

Additional research by Oliver Smith

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