Yes, we all know ... Saint Patrick's Day, Dublin, huge party, fun, craic, hullabaloo. But what beyond St. Patrick's Day? Where are Ireland's really big parties?

In Punchestown, for instance - where normally races are held, AC/DC will rock the faithful this summer. To be followed by Oxegen, Ireland's largest music festival. Same venue. Or visit Slane Castle ... to hear Britpop legends Oasis play live.

For a round-upo of some of this year's most interesting events, surf over to my updated page on Irish Festivals 2009, from the Temple Bar Trad Fest to Take That in Croke Park, with Coldplay and Eltin John thrown in for good measure. And (up to now at least) no U2 in sight.

The ox is on its way ... the Year of the Ox, that is, according to the ancient Chinese Lunar Calendar. And with a massive Chinese immigrant population, Ireland is slowly getting into the swing on things. A special New Year's Even Carnival will be held in Dublin - with dancers, acrobats, matial artists and (expect to see me there) culinary delights. This is part of a whole week of Chinese New Year celebrations all over Dublin. From lectures to table tennis, from art to animals.

By the way ... the official date for Chinese New Year in 2009 is January 26th. Just in case you should wonder. And in case you were born in the Year of the Ox, here are your main character traits: You are patient, speak little and inspire confidence. On the other hand you're likely to be eccentric and prone to anger easily. Though you may speak little, when you do you are quite eloquent. Generally easy-going, you are also known to be remarkably stubborn, hating to fail or be opposed.

Hey, I just noticed ... I am an ox. Hmmm. Well, there is a grain of truth in there, I'd say.

Well, lucky you ... apparently those tickets were selling like the proverbial hot cakes on the booking website globalticketshop.com. As was to be expected. Only there is a slight snag. Neither U2 nor the owner of Slane Castle, Lord Mountcharles, where aware that any U2 concert was planned ...

Currently the website is under investigation from the Garda Bureau of Fraud Investigation and Interpol to find out whether this was an honest mistake or a criminal act. The National Consumer Agency has advised fans who bought tickets to contact the police and to demand a refund - easiest done via your credit card company.

The real concert at Slane Castle will take place on June 20th. Headliners are Britpop legends Oasis, with the somewhat different The Prodigy as support. For Oasis it marks a return to Slane after fourteen years - in 1995 they played second fiddle to REM.

Every January, the National Gallery of Ireland (NGI) turns out its Turners. The reason being light. The watercolors painted by famed artist Joseph Mallord William Turner are so sensible to light, that only the mild January illumination can be trusted not to destroy them beyond repair.

One would have thought that gallery science, if there is such a thing, has found ways to permanently display these paintings without the restrictions, but apparently this is not the case. So, every January the NGI hosts a Turner event. Which has fans flocking to the Liffeyside for a rare treat.

The Vaughan Bequest of watercolors by Turner (1775-1851) IS on display in the NGI until January 31st, admission is free. The paintings span the artist’s career and include a number of examples from his Continental tours. Some of his most striking works in watercolour were produced during the 1840s, and show how the artist magically captured the effects of light.

This year the Turners will be on show alongside a display of 17th, 18th and 19th century silhouettes and miniatures which were bequeathed to the Gallery in 1985 by the notable Belfast collector and historian, Mary A. McNeill. A series of free public talks on Turner and the McNeill bequest will take place during January, on Tuesdays at 10:30 am and on Sundays at 3:00 pm.

Photo © National Gallery of Ireland - Joseph Mallord William Turner (1775-1851), ‘Montjovet from below St. Vincent, looking down the Val d’Aosta towards Berriaz’, 1836