You can't throw a frisbee without hitting a play centre these days, but Imaginosity (above) is so much more than a play centre.
From a mini-supermarket (complete with pint-sized shopping trolleys), to a driving simulator (set in a real-life Smart Car) and TV studio, this is about interactive play and hands-on learning.
Dive in with them, or just sit back and watch. It's one of the best children's attractions in the country, and drama, dance and art workshops are free with admission on June weekends.
Details: Imaginosity (01-217 6130; imaginosity.ie) costs €8.50 for adults and kids over three. Fathers and grandfathers go free on Father's Day (June 20).
It is suitable for kids aged up to nine.
Bog Jumping, Co Meath
Just because the weather is bad, doesn't mean you can't pull on your worst clothes and jump into a bog now, does it?
Bog jumping is at its best in "monsoon conditions," says Matt Murtagh of Causey Farm, the family-run activity farmstead in Co Meath.
"If the rain is scuttering down, and everyone is laughing at everyone else, it's mighty craic."
Bring a change of clothes -- you'll need them for other rainy- day options such as bubble-blowing, breadmaking and bodhrán playing.
Details: Causey Farm (046 943 4135; causey.ie) runs family days out at 2pm on Tuesdays and Fridays through July and August at €14pp, or €50 for a family of four. Bog jumping is included.
Golden Falls Water ski Club Co Wicklow
If you're going to get wet, you might as well get really wet.
Golden Falls Water Ski Club runs waterskiing lessons on a private lake just 10 minutes outside Blessington, and extends an equally warm welcome to beginners and professionals.
The club comes with a brand new Malibu competition boat, its own jump ramp and a beginners' teaching boom for kids.
All wetsuits, lifejackets, ropes and handles are provided, and there are changing facilities, rest areas and kitchen on site.
Details: Golden Falls Water Ski Club (087 668 6225; facebook. com) has lessons from €35pp.
Ancient Dublin, undercover ...
Two of Dublin's best-loved indoor attractions are back with a bang.
The Natural History Museum has re-opened after a safety overhaul (a staircase collapsed in 2007), breathing life back into the wacky collection of stuffed animals.
Dublinia, which re-launched in May after a €2m investment, allows guests to walk through a medieval streetscape and a replica longboat, all while learning some fascinating facts.
Did you know, for example, that Vikings used moss for toilet paper?
Details: Dublinia (01-679 4611; dublinia.ie) costs €6.95 per adult and €4.95 per child. Entrance to the Natural History Museum (01-677 7444; museum.ie) is free.
Waterford Crystal Co Waterford
The plant itself was one of the recession's early casualties, but the new House of Waterford Crystal, located on the Mall in Waterford City, is keeping the spirit of one of Ireland's most famous brands alive.
Opening this month, the House combines a "living and breathing" crystal factory tour with an upmarket retail store (housing the largest collection of Waterford Crystal in the world). The sight of craftsmen blowing the honey-like mix of molten crystal into life will brighten up any rainy day.
Details: The Waterford Crystal Visitor Centre (051 351 936; waterfordcrystal.com) opens this month. Admission prices had not been announced at the time of going to press.
Marble Arch Caves Geopark Co Fermanagh
One sure-fire way to go to avoid rain is by venturing underground. In fact, rain may even enhance your show cave experience (the waterfall in Aillwee Cave is at its best during a deluge).
In Fermanagh, the Marble Arch Caves take you back 650 million years, with visitors descending down a timeless forest path into a netherworld of chambers and passageways, before taking a short boat ride and inspecting formations such as the Porridge Pot, Martel's Stalactite and the Crystal Palace.
Tours last 75 minutes, and you should bring a warm sweater.
Flat Lake Festival, Co Monaghan
What do Lily Allen, Crystal Swing and Dominic West (of HBO's The Wire) have in common? They're all performing at this weekend's Flat Lake Festival in Monaghan, that's what.
Hilton Park's literary and arts festival has been rain-proofed, is limited to 2,000 punters, and you can pay on the day or camp.
The line-up also features a DJ set from actor Cillian Murphy, karaoke "with sheep", and a kids' beach with water slides and donkey rides. Mad.
Details: The Flat Lake Festival (theflatlakefestival.com) runs June 5-6 at Hilton Park, Co Monaghan. Day tickets cost €45. Kids under 12 go free.
Amble into an aquarium
Various counties
They're full of water, but you won't get wet. They're Ireland's aquariums, and they offer a rainy-day diversion in the company of Nemo and chums.
Dingle's Oceanworld (above) hosts Ireland's biggest shark collection; SeaWorld in Lahinch has a swimming pool alongside its ray pools and octopus tank, and the National Aquarium in Galway and the National Sea Life Centre in Bray, Co Wicklow -- though not quite living up to the pomp of their titles -- both offer exotic close encounters.
Details: See discoverireland.ie for attractions around Ireland. Entry to the aquariums mentioned here start from around €10.25 for adults and €6.25 for kids.
Kinsale Pottery & Arts Centre Co Cork
Arts and crafts are among the most waterproof of kids' activities, and Kinsale Pottery & Arts Centre has a range of summer camps that could see your budding Picassos designing anything from skyscraper lamps to fantasy landscapes.
If you want something shorter, book in for an Arty Party -- a two-hour soirée with arts and crafts or filmmaking for kids aged five and up.
You won't even notice the storm clouds passing outside.
Or if you do, why not incorporate them into your work?
Details: Kinsale Pottery & Arts Centre (021 477 7758; kinsale ceramics.com) has week-long art camps throughout summer.
Arty Parties cost €150 for 10 children.
Get into a gallery ...Co Dublin
Who cares if it's chucking down once the kids are happily occupied? The National Gallery's 'Picture This!' workshops run on Sundays in June (ages four-10).
The gallery also offers kids' activity packs, as does the excellent Crawford Gallery in Cork. In Limerick, the City Gallery's new exhibition features a 3D version of Patrick Hennessy's Still Life. "It will be like being inside a giant fruit bowl," we're told.
Details: The National Gallery (01-661 5133; national gallery.ie), Limerick City Gallery (061 310 633) and the Crawford Gallery (021 490 7855; crawfordart gallery.ie) are free.