A Family Twixmas – What To Do During The Holidays

You thought you could just lounge for days, right? Think again. Despite Despicable Me on repeat, after a few days everyone in the house starts getting antsy. But fear not, there are plenty of distractions to draw you away from the fire, and that seventh box of chocolates.

Get your skates on

With rinks in Cork, Waterford, Blanchardstown and Castlebar, Iceskating.ie are the most widely available skating option in the country and are well set up for multiple ages. With two rinks (note, there is just one large rink at Castlebar), the smaller option is perfect for skating newbies with kids from roughly the age of three welcome, there are penguin skating aids to hang on to as well as helmets and knee pads to cushion the multiple falls. 

See Snow White at Cork Opera House

Running to 21 January, this extravaganza comes from the creative team behind the super successful Sleeping Beauty, Beauty and the Beast and Cinderella and who retell the tale of Snow White with magnificent scenery, costumes, live music, dance routines, and magical special effects. Tickets start at €27.50 with family passes from between €90-€130 depending on availability.

Go Retro

One of the oldest shows in town, Funderland has stood the test of time, and now parents who once experienced the funfair as the pinnacle of their Christmas break in the 80s and 90s, can live the dream all over again in its slightly re-imagined incarnation as Winter Funderland, complete with an outdoor ice rink and Christmas market. The main attraction is still thrills and spills with top European rides such as the Power Wave, Break Dance and the Star Flyer called “Around the World” as well as the perennial favourite the Funderland Loop, Ireland’s only looping roller coaster. Winterfunderland.ie

Singalong at The Ark

Commissioned as part of children’s theatre The Ark’s pledge to create high quality live music experiences for kids, Tracks In The Snow at The Ark (through 28 December) performed by The Henry Girls, originally premiered in 2015 and features a magical world of sparkling icicles and wolves in the forest as well as portraying  the joy of sledding at high speed and the wonder of the Aurora Borealis on a frosty night. With a mix of playful humour and folk and trad melodies, this is a celebration of all things snowy. 

The End is Nigh at The Science Gallery

The gallery’s current exhibition runs right through into the new year and is a musing on all things apocalyptic, the perfect thing to bring your Stranger Things or Star Wars fan to or just any kid who likes to think about the destruction of mankind. In fact, it’s a lot lighter than that, with wonderful installations including 64 Things To Worry About, a grid of diffused lights providing a heat map of the state of the world and an expertly curated selection of boards games in the Doomer Bar where you are advised: Do not pass go, do not collect €200, do not stop to feed the zombies.