October is a beautiful time to explore Ireland. Sometimes it’s nice to have a destination to look forward to or plan your trip around. One such destination or more precisely Irish Championship would be the Conkers tournament held in Freshford, County Kilkenny on October 28 2012. Yes folks that is next month, plenty of time to book a flight and see who the Irish National Conker Champion will be.

2008 Conker chmpion

Now I couldn’t in good conscience promote the Conker Championships without giving credit to a fellow blogger of considerably more talent than I for the heads up on the Conker Tournament. Susan, from vibrantireland.com writes about some of the hidden gems of Ireland, especially Kilkenny. I think she could be Mayor of Kilkenny the way she gushes over the region. She has cause for pride as Kilkenny, besides being a beautiful part of the south of Ireland, has just won a hard fought Hurling Championship as well.

On to bigger and better things the Conker tournament, if you are not a Conker enthusiast or simple new to the game checkout  irishconkerschampionship.com . It will give you all the rules and qualifications to contend. A warning this is not a competition for the faint of heart. Many a man has been sent home dejected and nutless. Since the competition revolves around a chestnut tied to a string and struck by your opponent.

The best thing about planning a trip around a festival, is that it makes you see and experience that region of the country. There are plenty of tours that will wisp you around Ireland, but if you can pick out a part of Ireland and take some time to appreciate it’s differences and it’s unique place in the world, that is the way to see Ireland. I have to say that Kilkenny is on my list of places to spend at least a week, or more if possible. Different parts of Ireland can be quite different, some things are universal, but the different Counties can seem to be worlds apart.

Reasons to make a festival destination trip to Ireland.

• It gives you a starting point, you know a destination.
• You have something to look forward too.
• You can set up a base camp to explore other tourist sites.
• Festivals allow mixing and interactions with locals.
• Festivals expose you to Irish culture, foods, slang, arts, fun.
• It gives you a reason to relax and not try to cram too much travel into too little time.