Champions Weekend
Date: September 14th and 15th.
Venue: Leopardstown and the Curragh.
One of the biggest flat racing weekends of the year takes place this Saturday and Sunday with the Irish Champions Stakes topping the bill on Saturday at Leopardstown before the Irish St Leger takes centre stage at the Curragh on Sunday. With six races the first day and eight on the second day there is plenty of value for money to be had. If you buy online, adult tickets cost €25 for either day while students or OAPSs pay €20 if bought online. Day one tickets can be bought here and day two here.
Women’s All-Ireland Finals
Date: September 15th.
Venue: Croke Park.
With the men's All-Ireland final replay taking place at Croke Park on Saturday evening and with so much riding on it the women's finals on Sunday have the potential to be a bit after the Lord Mayor's show but this is a day in the GAA calendar which has been growing for years now. Last year attendance reached over 50,000 and with all three finals – junior, intermediate and senior – taking place on the same day there is plenty to watch. Tickets (which can be bought here) for all three matches cost €25 for an adult and €10 for a child, student or senior.
Pre-season friendly: Connacht v Munster
Date: September 21st.
Venue: Sportsground.
The Rugby World Cup will have just got underway the day before in Japan and Ireland will be preparing to meet Scotland the following morning so why not take in some live action? With the international scene taking full precedence this inter-provincial pre-season friendly will be a good opportunity to see some of the emerging talent from both Connacht and Munster before the Pro14 season gets underway the following weekend. Adult tickets are €10, juniors €5 and a family bundle (two adults and two children) costs just €20 and all can be purchased online.
Women’s Euro 2021 qualifier: Ireland v Ukraine
Date: October 8th.
Venue: Tallaght Stadium.
Ireland opened their Euro 2021 qualifying campaign last week with a 2-0 win over Montenegro in Tallaght. The meeting with Ukraine in October offers the chance to make it two wins from two before the tougher games against Germany come next year. The match will also be the first in charge for new manager Vera Pauw who comes in with a big reputation after previously managing Scotland, Netherlands and Russia. Tickets for Tallaght Stadium can be bought here and cost just €5 while children go free.
Dublin Marathon
Date: October 27th.
Venue: Finish at Merion Square.
This year is the 40th anniversary edition of the Dublin Marathon and it is set to be the biggest yet with a record number of 22,500 runners taking part. The race can be watched from various different points around the city but if you’re looking to see who actually wins the event then Merrion Square is the place to be for the finish line. Some pretty high profile Ethiopians and Kenyans have dominated this event for the last few years with the last Irish winners of the men’s or women’s race coming in 2013. The best part? It’s absolutely free to just stroll up and take your spot.
– This article is part of a series of consumer-based sports stories. If you have any queries, stories or issues regarding travel, tickets, sport on television or anything else you can email rcroke@irishtimes.com or via Twitter @Ruaidhri_Croke.
