MEET your match at Clare Island’s singles event weekend taking place from 23 to 25 September. Not claiming to be a matchmaking festival, this weekend guarantees to be a great opportunity to widen your social circle of single friends. With ice-breakers on Friday evening and beach games on Saturday morning, strangers you will no longer be. After lunch on Saturday, head off coasteering, rock-climbing or hiking. Swap stories in the evening, over dinner and drinks. There’s live music on both nights and the weekend promises to be filled with great food, adventure, banter and maybe even a bit of romance. For more information, see www.clareislandadventures.ie

Enjoy a long weekend of concerts from a variety of pianists at the 11th New Ross Piano Festival, taking place from 22 to 25 September. The 2016 programme is the favoured model of piano plus string quartet, and will feature one of the world’s most successful string quartets, the Quatuor Ebène. With “play me” pianos dotted round the town’s public spaces for all to play, with masterclasses to sit in on and a lovely coastal area to explore in the Hook Peninsula, visitors to New Ross will experience a full and satisfying weekend. For more information, visit www.newrosspianofestival.com

Discover the fascinating history of the boats, factories and people of the town or meet the sea-life face to face with interactive displays at Hooked! in Killybegs. This family friendly event invites you to experience the many sides of the fishing industry in Ireland’s premier fishing port on 24 September. Watch and marvel at the speed and skill of expert net menders and fish filleters and hear tall tales from sea going storytellers. It’s not all fishy: local entrepreneurs, craftspeople and community groups will be showing off their wares. Kids will be delighted by the live fish displays and entertained with games, competitions and performersy. This is a free event for all. For more information, see www.govisitdonegal.com

Listen to what the Cork Folk Festival has to offer, taking place from 29 September to 2 October. Packed with Ireland’s finest traditional musicians, dancers and singers, this has become one of the most exciting folk and traditional music events in the country. Enjoy 40 events over the four days, including concerts by international, cutting-edge and established artists plus lectures, workshops, children’s events and set dancing. This year’s festival will focus in on the song legacy of the 1916 Easter Rising and will feature a fiddle master class, song competitions, sessions and headline acts including Mick Flannery. For more information, visit www.corkfolkfestival.com

Feast your imagination at the Cashel Arts Festival, from 29 September to 2 October. This four-day festival takes place in the town of Cashel, Co Tipperary, famous for the ancient and iconic Rock of Cashel. The heritage sites in the town form a dramatic backdrop to a fine selection of contemporary arts events. The festival encourages inclusion and participation in the arts, with music, dance, visual arts, film, theatre, workshops, family events and literature. Whether you want to sit back and be entertained or learn something new, this festival will have something for you. See www.cashelartsfest.com.