Something for the weekend: Five things you need to check out (22 June – 25 June)

Get out and enjoy the sunshine.

There is no better place in the world when the sun is shining than Ireland. We won't hear anything else. The weather this weekend and for the next week or so is set to be brilliant, so get up and get out and see what this beautiful country has to offer.

Body & Soul

The arts and music festival takes place annually on the closest weekend to the summer solstice and this year will go on from 22 June to 24 June in the grounds of Ballinlough Estate in County Westmeath. Featuring a plethora of music acts, artists, comedians and anything you're having yourself, Body & Soul is one of the most loved festivals on the Irish festival calendar. The headliners to look out for include Fever Ray, Chronixx, Jon Hopkins and Baxter Dury.

Listowel Visual Arts Week

We don't need to be asked twice for a reason to travel to the Kingdom of Kerry, but this is another great one. Listowel is the venue for this festival for wannabe artists and painters alike. It is the 20th anniversary of the Olive Stack Gallery. There’ll be workshops, paint-outs, interviews, mural painting, life drawing, street art, and, of course, exhibitions all around the beautiful town of Listowel. It runs from 20-24 June.

Stoneybatter Festival

Viewed as one of the coolest places to live in Dublin, Stoneybatter hosts its annual festival this weekend. It's a celebration of the trendy Dublin 7 neighbourhood and all its music, food, culture, community, sport, family and entertainment. There's a comedy gig, farmers market, spoken word events, kids club, food & drinks trail, music gigs, GAA blitz and tons more.

Wexford Maritime Festival

The sunny south-east will be looking especially sunny this weekend, so why not get on down to the Wexford Maritime Festival? There are loads of events taking place in and around Wexford Quay. Get on board some of the visiting boats or try some water activities, like rowing or sailing. There will also be key demonstrations in search and rescue plus a lot of live entertainment this Saturday and Sunday.

The Book Of Hours

Taking place over two days in June and hosted by the Louth Contemporary Music Society, The Book of Hours music festival will be filled with profound live music by contemporary composers from across the globe. Five concerts are lined up and include Gavin Bryars’ iconic Jesus’ Blood Never Failed Me Yet, Linda Buckley’s haunting Revelavit and much more. The Books of Hours opens with the presentation of the Belmont Prize for Contemporary Music which honours innovation, daring, and courage in music.