Halloween weekend brings an unusually broad choice of live sport across the country, from the last night of the League of Ireland season to an interprovincial rugby clash in Galway, Grade One racing at Down Royal, top-flight hockey, drifting at Mondello, and the start of serious provincial club championship business in Gaelic Games.
Here are nine reasons to get out of the house.
FRIDAY
St Patrick’s Athletic v Bohemians – League of Ireland Premier Division
Richmond Park, Dublin – 7.45 pm
Shamrock Rovers have already secured the league title, but St Patrick’s Athletic and Bohemians meet at Richmond Park as the Dublin rivals settle second place. Every game in the SSE Airtricity Men’s Premier Division kicks off at 7.45 pm, and battles for survival are underway elsewhere, but this is probably the pick if you want to experience the League of Ireland’s intensity up close.
Connacht v Leinster – United Rugby Championship
Dexcom Stadium, Galway – 7.45 pm
Few settings are better for a Friday night rugby game than Galway when Connacht host one of the big three provinces.
The international window makes this one particularly intriguing. Ireland selections have removed a sizeable number of frontline players from both squads, potentially giving Connacht their best chance in some time to end Leinster’s run of dominance in the fixture.
Connacht haven’t beaten Leinster since January 2021, and the visitors arrive without many of the names who would ordinarily tilt the odds heavily in their favour.
SATURDAY
BetVictor Festival of Racing – Day Two
Down Royal Racecourse, Co Down – gates 11 am, racing from lunchtime
One of the strongest National Hunt cards of the early winter makes Down Royal an excellent Saturday option.
The second day of the BetVictor Festival includes Ladies Day and the feature Grade One Kauto Star Steeplechase alongside the Grade Two Skymas Steeplechase. It is a proper early-season examination for horses with bigger ambitions later in the winter.
The racecourse lists gates opening at 11 am with the first race scheduled from lunchtime.
IDS Final Fight 2026 – Drifting
Mondello Park, Co Kildare – Saturday and Sunday
Something completely different from the field sports that dominate the weekend.
The Irish Drift Series brings its Final Fight to Mondello Park over Saturday and Sunday, with the noise, smoke, and close-quarters competition of drifting delivering one of the most spectacular live sporting experiences.
Public access runs from 10 am to 6 pm, and passenger experiences are also available for those who want to get much closer to the action.
Pembroke Wanderers v Ards – Women’s EY Hockey League
Serpentine Avenue, Dublin – Saturday, October 31st, 2:30 pm
Pembroke Wanderers welcome Ards to Serpentine Avenue for an intriguing EY Hockey League encounter.
Pembroke have made an impressive unbeaten start to the season and are putting pressure on the leaders, while Ards arrive in Dublin looking to become the first side to beat them.
There is something particularly appealing about watching top-flight hockey from the touchline, where the speed, close control and intensity of the contest are all the more apparent. With the league beginning to take shape, this is a good opportunity to see some of Ireland’s leading women’s hockey talent in action.
Munster v Hollywoodbets Sharks – United Rugby Championship
Thomond Park, Limerick – 5.30 pm
If Galway owns Friday night, Thomond Park takes over on Saturday evening.
Munster return home after a 24-18 defeat to Leinster and face a Sharks side that brings the South African dimension of the URC to Limerick.
Munster sit on ten points after four rounds, and this comes at a point in the season where games begin to matter more in shaping the table. Injuries and Ireland call-ups will change the look of the home side, but the attraction of a floodlit Thomond Park remains constant.
SUNDAY
Swatragh v Clonduff – AIB Ulster Senior Camogie Championship Semi-Final
Swatragh – 1pm
The club championships increasingly take centre stage as autumn moves towards winter, and Sunday brings a particularly attractive Ulster senior camogie semi-final.
Swatragh and Clonduff meet for the right to face Dunloy in the provincial final after last weekend’s postponement.
One afternoon to decide whether a season extends to provincial, and potentially All-Ireland, ambitions or ends there.
Glen Rovers v Inagh-Kilnamona – AIB Munster Club Senior Hurling Championship
Páirc Uí Rinn, Cork – 1.15pm
Cork champions Glen Rovers welcome Clare representatives Inagh-Kilnamona to Páirc Uí Rinn in the Munster Senior Club Hurling Championship quarter-final.
The prize is a semi-final against Thurles Sarsfields on November 15th, and this is where the club season begins to take on a genuinely provincial feel, bringing together teams and supporters who may rarely otherwise cross paths.
Tickets are €15 for adults and €10 for students and OAPs, with Under-16s admitted free. The game is also live on TG4, but provincial club hurling remains one of those sporting occasions that benefits enormously from actually being beside the pitch.
Throw-in is at 1.15 pm.
Ballincollig v UCC Demons – Domino’s Men’s Super League
MTU Arena, Cork – Sunday, November 1st, 3 pm
A Cork basketball derby is on this weekend’s sporting menu, with defending Super League champions Ballincollig welcoming UCC Demons to the MTU Arena.
Ballincollig enter the contest after an 84-79 win away to Killester on Monday, while Demons recorded a convincing 94-74 win over St Vincent’s.
Basketball is among the best sports to experience live, with its proximity to the court, pace of play, and constant changes of possession making it an excellent family outing.
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