Tag: Things to do in Dublin

Christmas events in Dublin

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To celebrate the most wonderful time of the year, there’s Christmas events happening all across Dublin this month, from carol concerts to craft markets and free festivals.

Whether you’re visiting Dublin in December or you live in the city and you’re not sure what’s happening near you this Christmas, look no further – here’s a round-up of fun events in Dublin for Christmas 2017, including a few free and family-friendly options if you’ve got kids in tow.

Last week I did a round-up of non-Christmassy things to do in Dublin in December so, if you’ve had your fill of baubles and lights already, check it out.

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5 Things to do in Dublin this December

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Can you believe it’s December? I’m in shock. I used to be more of a Grinch about the festive season but the older I get, the more I love this time of year – yes, even the dark evenings. I particularly love Christmas in Dublin. Sure, it’s no Fifth Avenue but I love the Christmas lights on Grafton Street, the cosy open fireplaces in bars and the excuse to wear a ridiculous amount of layers and give up on your appearance. More than anything, I love counting down to going home for Christmas and the feeling of wrapping up everything I need to do before the festive season really begins.

With this in mind, I wanted to do quick post about 5 things to do in Dublin in December which is really a list of 5 things I myself hope to pack in this month. Some are brand new and others are new-ish but I just haven’t gotten around to checking them out. Next week I’ll do a roundup of Christmas events in Dublin so I’ve skipped really festive events.  Continue reading “5 Things to do in Dublin this December” →

Things to do in Dublin: Get a history lesson at EPIC, the Irish Emigration Museum

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EPIC, the Irish Emigration Museum in Dublin’s CHQ Building, just celebrated its first birthday and I got the chance to join the festivities – and take a quick tour around the museum.

As I mentioned before, I’ve lived in Dublin for a long time but I’ve really been trying to inject a bit of magic back into my relationship with the city by being an urban explorer every chance I get and doing things I think are reserved for tourists.

Anyway, EPIC has been open on Dublin’s Docklands for the last year, making it the city’s newest museum. Even though the idea of a museum devoted to Irish emigration (a subject that’s loomed large over my life and everyone I know) piqued my interest, I had never bothered to visit.

Around the time it launched, I recall seeing the Che Guevara posters and scoffing to myself that the Argentine revolutionary couldn’t possibly have had Irish roots. Well, let me eat my floppy hat. Guevara was in fact the great-great-great-great-grandson of Irish emigrant Patrick Lynch from Galway. This isn’t the only genealogical surprise you get at EPIC; you quickly find out about the Irish ancestry of all sorts of pop culture people, ranging from Johnny Rotten to Rihanna. Continue reading “Things to do in Dublin: Get a history lesson at EPIC, the Irish Emigration Museum” →

Staying at the Sandymount Hotel, Dublin

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There’s always something special about staying at a hotel in the city you live in. It feels like a real treat, a brief blast of indulgent escapism from your normal life of doing the dishes, grudgingly sorting out the laundry and throwing together dinner from last night’s leftovers before settling down to your ‘Sex And The City’ boxset.

This weekend I got to indulge in 24 hours of escapism when I stayed at a Dublin hotel I’d shamefully never heard of before – The Sandymount Hotel, a family-run home-from-home that’s been in business since 1955 and that’s right beside the Aviva Stadium. (FYI if you’re attending a match or event at the Aviva, this is THE place to stay, as I soon found out on Saturday morning as I bravely battled through the deluge of enthusiastic rugby fans heading in the opposite direction.) Continue reading “Staying at the Sandymount Hotel, Dublin” →

Visiting Dublin: my 5 favourite places

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I’m baaaaaack! After a brief (ahem) hiatus, I’ve decided to bring myself kicking and screaming into 2017 with a new blog. And what better to write about than the city I’ve called home for almost – gulp – a decade?

I don’t think I’m alone in saying that most of the time you don’t appreciate what’s on your doorstep and, even though I have a bit of a love-hate relationship with the place, writing this post about Dublin and just picking out the pics really did make me see Dublin through the eyes of a tourist and appreciate it a little bit more. Which was nice.

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