Dublin

When did vampires start eating vegetables and driving fast cars? When Stephenie Meyer began writing about them in her hugely successful Twilight series. But as every Dubliner knows, Bram Stoker is much older than Bella Swan.

Interactive city guides are not new, but Dublin Tourism is claiming a first with a mobile-phone application that allows users to get information on 1,400 places of interest. The organization is expecting 100,000 downloads of the app this year.

The events in Ulysses took place in Dublin on 16 June 1904. The day has since grown into "Bloomsday", a festival of everything to do with James Joyce. If you'd like a break from cappuccino and croissants, you'll love the Bloomsday breakfast.

A summer of festivities is being planned ahead of the reopening of Ireland's Royal Canal. It was first opened in 1817, the year Jane Austen died, but the last boat to travel the waterway between Dublin and the Shannon did so in 1955.

On 13 April 1742, George Frideric Handel's Messiah was first performed on Fishamble Street in Dublin. The city will mark the anniversary tomorrow with a day-long party. Events will include a "Messiah on the Street.

"Age does not protect you from love. But love protects you from age." — Anaïs Nin. She was the lover of such literary greats as Henry Miller, Antonin Artaud and Edmund Wilson. So, in the spirit of ageless love, let's go looking for romance.

The French-made bikes are the same type that visitors to Paris have been using since 2007. The Parisian bikes are grey; the Dublin bikes are blue, to reflect the city's official colour, rather than the occasional colour of the Irish sky.

The Dublin Horse Show is a highlight of the Irish summer and a celebration of the country's love affair with the horse. The city welcomes tens of thousands of visitors from all over the world to watch 1,400 horses competing for €500,000 in prize money.

Dublin Lawyer is lobster cooked in whiskey and cream. If you'd prefer something lighter, try oysters. They're often served with Guinness. Oyster festivals take place around the Irish coast all summer, with the most famous in Galway in September.