Adjacent to Jacob’s Well Bed and Breakfast is the wonderful award-winning gastro pub with a reputation for quality, style and traditional Irish charm. Multiple times winner of the highly prestigious Black & White Pub of the Year, and 2010 and 2011 Winner of the Irish Restaurant Associations’ Best Gastro Pub / Restaurant in Wicklow Award, Jacobs Well is widely renowned for the excellence and the remarkable consistency of food. The beautifully refurbished spacious Pub boasts two inviting real turf fires. Jacobs Well is open daily for breakfast, lunch & dinner - and everything in between! Cosy indoor dining as well as outdoor dining in the gorgeous beer garden available. Parking on street outside is free. Open from 9am daily Address: Jacob’s Well B&B Web: http://jacobswellrathdrum.com/ Main Street, Rathdrum Email: jacobswell@eircom.net Co Wicklow. Tel: 0404 46282

The Glenmalure Lodge is situated in the heart of the longest glacial valley in Ireland. After a long day taking in the sites or walking the rugged countryside, what better way to relax than over a perfect pint and delicious meal in The Micheal Dwyer Bar & Lounge. Menus are based on the best home produce from Irish farms and gardens such as locally sourced Wicklow Lamb, Venison, Beef, Poultry, Fish and Game when in season. The Glenmalure Lodge is a friendly, family run business with a cosy pub atmosphere and has lots of old memorabilia, paying homage to the area’s rich and colourful history. Open fires and great food with plenty of good comfortable seating, add to its interesting character and old-world charm. Indoor and outdoor seating is available and plentiful free customer parking is available. Open Daily until 9pm. Address: Carriglinneen Web: https://www.glenmalurelodge.ie/ Glenmalure, Email: info@glenmalurelodge.ie Co Wicklow. Tel: 0404 46188

Ask anyone what Arklow is known for and they will tell you about the wonderful Music and Arts scene that thrives in every corner of the community. The Arklow Music Festival is a testament to this tradition and many young artists have cut their teeth at some stage by performing at the Arklow Music Festival. One of Ireland’s best known competitive music festivals (or feiseanna) and for over 50 years it has provided a platform for individual and group performers of all ages in music, speech and drama, composition and creative writing. What differentiates the Arklow Music Festival is the sheer variety of competitions that are on offer. They include choir competitions, Verse Speaking and Dán Gaeilge, drama and group performances, instrumental music, and even original poem competitions. The festival is held annually for nine days in March. It was described in The Encyclopaedia of Music in Ireland (2013) as ‘one of the largest events of its kind’. It has more than 150 competitions for singers, choirs, orchestras, and instrumentalists in string, woodwind, brass and piano categories and attracts the top talent from around Ireland to compete. Web: https://arklowmusicfestival.com

One of the longest established traditional hostelries in Arklow, established in 1883, Kenny’s of the Harbour is an authentic old-style Irish bar - hard to come by these days. Kenny’s is known for is friendly and warm atmosphere and a wonderful pint of Guinness! Arklow’s newest arts venue ‘The Asgard Theatre’ is situated above the bar and creates a buzz on show nights. Enjoy sports on the TV screen and music is a regular feature here too, especially on Sunday afternoons. Address: 35 Lower Main St, Tel: 0402 31366 Arklow, Co. Wicklow.

Arklow Seabreeze Festival has grown from a four-day event to a two week-long street festival with plenty of entertainment for all the family and has a carnival atmosphere for the children. All events are free with Arklow town coming to life to life during the height of the summer. The Festival has been a highlight of the region for many years and provided top class live entertainment, eye popping spectacles and the best of festival atmosphere making it a credit to the community volunteers who run the event. Arklow has seen some huge national acts entertain crowds over the years including the American Drifters, Brendan Boyer and Brush Shiels, The Fureys and Jedward, who attracted just under 20,000 fans to the seaside town of Arklow. Family entertainment forms, as always, an important part of the festival and the younger fans will enjoy the many child-friendly events like the Teddy Bears Picnic, as well as nightly Carnival in the Main Street Car Park. The International Marching Bands and Drum Corps Competition is a wonderful afternoon’s entertainment, and the Artisan Food Market is always a big hit. For the adults, the Swinging Pubs contest is great fun and sees the cream of Arklow’s amateur talent compete to represent their local hostelry in the final which takes place towards the close of the festival. The whole festival culminates with a fantastic firework display on the River which is best viewed from St Marys Park and the Bandstand on Main Street. Web: http://arklowseabreezefestival.ie/

One of Arklow’s best loved pubs, the Gin Mill is situated on Main Street. With regular live entertainment, sporting events shown on big screens and a fun atmosphere where you’re sure to enjoy a bit of banter, this pub always draws a crowd. Known for great cocktails, you can take away their own branded speciality cocktails. There is a cosy nook at the front with an open fire, and pool table to the rear of the pub with small outdoor smoking area / beer garden also. Is the Gin Mill haunted? Some years ago, a ghostly face of an old man was captured in a photo taken by a professional photographer assigned to a group event at the pub. When the prints were developed a picture showed the face of a man peering out from an upstairs window – to this day nobody knows who he was! Address: 18 Main St, Email: hudsonantoinette@yahoo.com Arklow, Tel: 086 0568462 Co. Wicklow.

The Arklow RNLI Maritime Festival takes place on August Bank holiday at South quayside and around town, continuing the tradition of one of Ireland’s Longest Running Maritime Festivals. The Annual Festival has been rejuvenated over the last few years and is once again growing. The events kick off on Friday evening with the crowning of the Maritime Princess at Arklow Sailing Club. On Saturday and Sunday there are all kinds of family events and attractions down by the quayside. With displays of falconry, children’s entertainment, market stalls and exhibits by the RNLI lifeboat, emergency services, Naval Services and much more, it creates a truly magical weekend for everyone. In recent years the Viking re-enactment has been a thrilling experience with trips in the traditional long boat around the harbour also proving very popular. Web: http://arklowmaritimefestival.com/

The Gallery Bar is located on Main Street Arklow with great live music every weekend. All Live Sports shown. Regular darts, Texas Hold’em and bingo competitions are held. The intimate interior is complemented with a large outdoor smoking area and beer garden with TV screen also available. Address: 5 Main St, Email: kennethkenny177@hotmail.com Arklow, Tel: 087 9844243 Co. Wicklow.

Halloween in Arklow has always been one of the highlights of the calendar year and for years the there was a spooky Halloween Parade on Main Street. In recent years, Arklow Halloween Festival has emerged as Wicklow’s Scariest Festival, with the inclusion of the traditional Parade of Ghouls! In the lead up to Halloween, there are family and adult events organised such as the popular “Ghost Bus Mystery Tour”, Halloween Mask Making, Scary Town Walk with a local storyteller, Pumpkin Carving and many more events. Businesses along Main Street decorate their shop windows and frightening free-standing sculptures are placed all around town, adding to the eerie atmosphere. Halloween night is the highlight of the festival with a Street Parade, Staged Dance Show and Firework Display. Web: https://www.wicklow.ie/Living/Your-Council/Municipal-Districts/Arklow/District-Information/Festivals

The Railway Tavern is a long-established traditional pub which has been recently renovated by its new owners. Significant investment has been put into the venue which has 9 HD screens throughout the bar and it really is the place to be for live sports; football, rugby, racing, GAA and everything in between. There is also a 2.4m retractable big screen with sound system throughout. Pool table and great banter is guaranteed. Address: 5 Upper Main St, Tel: 0402 33250 Arklow, Co. Wicklow.

Arklow Christmas Festival is organised by a dedicated group of volunteers to bring a festive atmosphere to Arklow in the run up to Christmas, with lots of fun seasonal activities for all the family. Events include the Arklow Christmas Trail, a children’s walking route with clues around town, best dressed festive pet competition, the Christmas Market. The highlight of the festival is of course turning on of the Christmas Lights with DJ Phil Cawley, children’s entertainment, song and dance, and Santa’s arrival by horse and cart, led by the Arklow Pipe Band! The festive theme continues out into the side streets and estates of Arklow with many homes and businesses lighting up for Christmas. Anthony and Arlette Doyle from Fernhill had their home named as 'Ireland's Most Christmassy Home 2019' during a nationwide competition hosted by Energia.

This colourful pub is hard to miss at the top of Arklow’s Main Street - Maisey Kelly’s and The Corner House offers a friendly, fun atmosphere in cosy surrounds. Karaoke nights and live music at weekends and all the sports you could want on the big TV screen, they also have a pool table and darts. A lovely beer garden great for Summer drinks is also heated in Winter. Address: 1 Vale Rd, Tel: 0402 32382 Arklow, Co. Wicklow.