Visiting Ireland in October...what to do?

ieatglitter

Okay, so I just signed up and I am not sure where to post this, but my friend Jana (who is from Germany) and I (from America) will be coming to Dublin, Ireland at the end of October and we will most definitely be there for Halloween. My questions are; where should we go, where should we stay away from, where is the best places to party, and where is the best place to go for Halloween? I am not sure if Halloween is as largely celebrated in Ireland as it is in America but, if so, where are the best places to go? I am flying into Berlin and my friend and I will be back packing through Europe here soon and Dublin, Ireland will be our last stop. As far as I KNOW we will not be going anywhere else in Ireland, just strictly Dublin. We kind of want to do the tourist type things but, not really. We really just want to have a good time and meet lots of people. We are both graduating from college soon and want to have fun before we start the true work grind for the next, oh...40 or 50 years! Kind of a "Won't have a chance like this again at our ages" trip, haha! Any suggestions would be great!

Thank you!:D

P.S. I have already heard that Temple Bar is a good place to stay away from, being as it is a tourist trap and such!

dd972

Jana could teach us how to speak English properly

apart from that, the pub maybe as it'll be raining.

JuliusCaesar

er, we invented Hallowe'en you know and exported it to the States. Temple Bar is good fun on Hallowe'en.

donvito99

Should've come this summer. We saw the sun this one time.

Fukuyama

Temple Bar area in Dublin at night time.

Halloween is celebrated. Dublin City Council normally have fireworks organised.

There's all the touristy stuff like Guinness Brewery (which is interesting even as a non-tourist), Viking Splash Tour, Book of Kells in Trinity College etc...

For activities beyond normal tourist stuff you'll have to look deeper and do a few Google searches. What interests you?

Kilmainham Gaol is you want some Irish History.

All National Museums are free such as the Art museum and Natural History museum.

Go to the Porterhouse in Templebar for a session. There's always a good mix of tourists and Irish in there. Food and drink is AMAZING. Drink Oyster Stout.

If your're here in early October, Octoberfest is celebrated in the IFSC on a floating platform thing. It's cool.

Ps. The weather can be crap in October. Actually, the weather can be crap anytime of the year.

Also. Dublin City Center and outlying areas turn into lawless hellholes on Haloween. Expect fights, drinking, bonfires, non-stop sirens etc... You'll be safe though. But it's not a pretty sight.

SEPT 23 1989

The Dolphins Barn Quarter is a fun place to be on Halloween night

Celly Smunt

Halloween is a time i usually avoid "going out on" just because everywhere is usually packed with people,drink is expensive and town does be filled with post-pubescent testosterone filled arsehole fellas.Around Stephens Green would be my bet for Halloween night.

Take the ghost bus tour as well,it's expensive and generally crap,but so crap it can be a good laugh after drinking a few cans.

Celly Smunt

SEPT 23 1989 wrote: »

The Dolphins Barn Quarter is a fun place to be on Halloween night

I heard Teresa's Gardens can be great crack too.

TheLastMohican

First things first. Buy an umbrella.

SEPT 23 1989

Celly Smunt wrote: »

I heard Teresa's Gardens can be great crack too.

its gone too commercial in recent years

martineatworld

Coppers.

/endthread

ieatglitter

Dean0088 wrote: »

Temple Bar area in Dublin at night time.

Halloween is celebrated. Dublin City Council normally have fireworks organised.

There's all the touristy stuff like Guinness Brewery (which is interesting even as a non-tourist), Viking Splash Tour, Book of Kells in Trinity College etc...

For activities beyond normal tourist stuff you'll have to look deeper and do a few Google searches. What interests you?

Kilmainham Gaol is you want some Irish History.

All National Museums are free such as the Art museum and Natural History museum.

Go to the Porterhouse in Templebar for a session. There's always a good mix of tourists and Irish in there. Food and drink is AMAZING. Drink Oyster Stout.

If your're here in early October, Octoberfest is celebrated in the IFSC on a floating platform thing. It's cool.

Ps. The weather can be crap in October. Actually, the weather can be crap anytime of the year.

Also. Dublin City Center and outlying areas turn into lawless hellholes on Haloween. Expect fights, drinking, bonfires, non-stop sirens etc... You'll be safe though. But it's not a pretty sight.

Well, people interest me! Sounds odd I guess. So does history. I just like meeting new people and making connections I guess! I am just a people person. My friend and I are no doubt going to want to party...HARD!


As for the rain and weather, yeah I am not looking forward to it as I live in Los Angeles and it hardly never rains out here and ever really gets cold...I will probably FREEZE while I am over there in Europe. *shivers*:P

Drkitkat

Glasnevin Cemetary is worth a visit. There is a museum and guided tours are available. Pop into the Gravediggers pub when you're finished for the best pint of Guinness in Dublin.

The Backwards Man

If you're going to be here at Halloween, you've got to get out of Dublin and head for Derry, the biggest Halloween festival this side of the afterlife.

http://campaign.derrycity.gov.uk/default.aspx

SEPT 23 1989

ieatglitter wrote: »

My friend and I are no doubt going to want to party...HARD!

The Dolphins Barn Quarter is the perfect place to party hard

Lando Griffin

Cead mile failte to you and your Bavarian friend.
Its obvious that you are coming for the Gathering, a year round event for the diaspora to connect with their routes.
You will have an uber ( swell ) time no matter what you do, but as I am not affiliated in any way with Dublin I can only suggest what other posters may suggest except the Dolphins Barn Quarter suggestion.
Anyway,
Slan agus beannacht.

Celly Smunt

The Backwards Man wrote: »

If you're going to be here at Halloween, you've got to get out of Dublin and head for Derry, the biggest Halloween festival this side of the afterlife.

http://campaign.derrycity.gov.uk/default.aspx

SHhhhhhh!!! they have to spend their money here in the real Ireland!!

ieatglitter

Is there anything else I should know? I mean, is anyone going to start some debate on American Politics and such... ( I plan on having to deal with that while in Europe as I heard it can happen quite frequently to Americans traveling abroad) lol
Do I need to be aware of men in general. Sounds like a silly question I guess and you can't really generalize a countries genders but, I was told by a friend who lived in Paris for a few years to watch for the men, haha! My concern is that it is just a friend and I and us being foreigners, I guess you can understand that question?

The Backwards Man

Celly Smunt wrote: »

SHhhhhhh!!! they have to spend their money here in the real Ireland!!

All the Derry wans spend their money on cheap diesel in Donegal so we'll get it in a roundabout way, don't worry.;)

ScumLord

Nevermind that Dublin, its like going to America and spending your whole time in Disneyland. Ye need to head over to Galway and spend Halloween with the mucksavages bobbing for potatoes in cow buckets and carving faces in turnips.

Celly Smunt

ieatglitter wrote: »

Is there anything else I should know? I mean, is anyone going to start some debate on American Politics and such... ( I plan on having to deal with that while in Europe as I heard it can happen quite frequently to Americans traveling abroad) lol
Do I need to be aware of men in general. Sounds like a silly question I guess and you can't really generalize a countries genders but, I was told by a friend who lived in Paris for a few years to watch for the men, haha! My concern is that it is just a friend and I and us being foreigners, I guess you can understand that question?

Nah you'll be grand,just don't say you're Irish because your great great great great grandfather came from cork or something and you'll have no bother.

Also "do you know the O'Sullivans in county Kerry?",don't do that either.

Banjo String

Petersons

ieatglitter

Lando Griffin wrote: »

Cead mile failte to you and your Bavarian friend.
Its obvious that you are coming for the Gathering, a year round event for the diaspora to connect with their routes.
You will have an uber ( swell ) time no matter what you do, but as I am not affiliated in any way with Dublin I can only suggest what other posters may suggest except the Dolphins Barn Quarter suggestion.
Anyway,
Slan agus beannacht.

ACTUALLY my ancestry is French, German, Barbados ( no not black... ), & English. There is NO Irish in my family. Or maybe I am not understanding what you are saying... lol

ieatglitter

Celly Smunt wrote: »

Nah you'll be grand,just don't say you're Irish because your great great great great grandfather came from cork or something and you'll have no bother.

Also "do you know the O'Sullivans in county Kerry?",don't do that either.

No no, definitly nothing like that, as I don't have Irish ancestry, but boy have I heard of other people saying "I am Irish because my great great so many times blah blah blah" crap. I just roll my eyes. I am pretty sure many people have Irish Ancestors because SOOOO many of them came to America and lived in NYC! Americans can be stupid... I am sure you all have figured that out.

Celly Smunt

ieatglitter wrote: »

ACTUALLY my ancestry is French, German, Barbados, & England. There is NO Irish in my family. Or maybe I am not understanding what you are saying... lol

The Irish government basically spent millions on this campaign called "the gathering" where they said everybody of irish descent should come to Ireland as a tourist and spend all their money here.However,this was clearly a failure and nobody outside of Ireland heard of "the gathering",so now everybody coming to Ireland is somehow part of "the gathering",whether it's to their knowledge or not.

Bill G

Lando Griffin wrote: »

a year round event for the diaspora to connect with their routes.

Routes? Would that be the 7b to Shankill or the 49 to Tallaght?

ieatglitter

Celly Smunt wrote: »

The Irish government basically spent millions on this campaign called "the gathering" where they said everybody of irish descent should come to Ireland as a tourist and spend all their money here.However,this was clearly a failure and nobody outside of Ireland heard of "the gathering",so now everybody coming to Ireland is somehow part of "the gathering",whether it's to their knowledge or not.

Oh oh, okay! Well, definitely a tourist trap no doubt. Ireland is EXPENSIVE though, right? I mean, we are going to be doing couch surfing and maybe a hostel now and then.

How much are pints there? And is beer actually warm over there? Just curious. And say...how much would a shot of liquor cost or a mixed drink?

RachaelVO

Bill G wrote: »

Routes? Would that be the 7b to Shankill or the 49 to Tallaght?

The 7b goes to shankill?

Leftist

take a stroll down harcourt street, take in the aroma of freshly spewed vom on the pavement while you rub shoulders with farmer migrants.

Or brave o'connell street, where the fun is getting out of the street asap and away from the hundreds of junkies lining the capital's main thoroughfare!

rent a car and drive through thousands of identical villages with plain, flat faced ugly buildings and a church.

Or simply visit one of thousands of lego estates full of grey skinned idiots who's only benefit to life is that at some point they will pay taxes.

Celly Smunt

ieatglitter wrote: »

No no, definitly nothing like that, as I don't have Irish ancestry, but boy have I heard of other people saying "I am Irish because my great great so many times blah blah blah" crap. I just roll my eyes. I am pretty sure many people have Irish Ancestors because SOOOO many of them came to America and lived in NYC! Americans can be stupid... I am sure you all have figured that out.

I'm sure the "Irish blood" in America had been well diluted at this stage.
True some Americans can be stupid,but you're bound to meet some Irish people who are comparably stupid.Also taxi-men here believe they are the moral arbitrary to society,they will go a step too far in conversation if you allow them.

Bill G wrote: »

a year round event for the diaspora to connect with their routes.

Routes? Would that be the 7b to Shankill or the 49 to Tallaght?

77A for life.

ieatglitter

Leftist wrote: »

take a stroll down harcourt street, take in the aroma of freshly spewed vom on the pavement while you rub shoulders with farmer migrants.

Or brave o'connell street, where the fun is getting out of the street asap and away from the hundreds of junkies lining the capital's main thoroughfare!

rent a car and drive through thousands of identical villages with plain, flat faced ugly buildings and a church.

Or simply visit one of thousands of lego estates full of grey skinned idiots who's only benefit to life is that at some point they will pay taxes.

Sounds fun to me! :P

Leftist

ieatglitter wrote: »

Sounds fun to me! :P

fair play to ya and a thousand blessins of saint patrick's potato.

You might want to try fatima mansions of a halloween.

ieatglitter

Celly Smunt wrote: »

I'm sure the "Irish blood" in America had been well diluted at this stage.
True some Americans can be stupid,but you're bound to meet some Irish people who are comparably stupid.Also taxi-men here believe they are the moral arbitrary to society,they will go a step too far in conversation if you allow them.



77A for life.

Yes, stupid people are everywhere, just more so in America... and in LA! I have got to get away from this city! I just can't wait to visit Ireland. I have been to Germany before, but never to another of the other places I am going. (Amsterdam, parts of Belgium, Paris, London, Scotland, Barcelona, etc etc) hahaha

Celly Smunt

ieatglitter wrote: »

Oh oh, okay! Well, definitely a tourist trap no doubt. Ireland is EXPENSIVE though, right? I mean, we are going to be doing couch surfing and maybe a hostel now and then.

How much are pints there? And is beer actually warm over there? Just curious. And say...how much would a shot of liquor cost or a mixed drink?

You can do it cheaply,A bus from one side of the country to the other would be about 15 euro where as a train could be 70.Hostels are cheap as well,but if you're willing to spend about 60 a night on a hotel room you'll get a fairly decent 3 star.

Pints,can be anything from 3 euro outside town to 5+ in and around town.You pay for the soft drink seperate which can cost 2.50 to 3 euro and then add the shot which can at times be the same price as a pint.So it's fairly expensive.Probably comparable to drinking imported beer in a fancy bar in america.Probably better to sneak your drink into somewhere (naggin of vodka or something)

Have a look out for student bars/student nights.Sometimes they offer a wristband for around 20 which lets you have unlimited drink.

ieatglitter

Leftist wrote: »

fair play to ya and a thousand blessins of saint patrick's potato.

You might want to try fatima mansions of a halloween.

Are you playing up the Irish thing there (where you think all Americans believe you all like potatoes out of the ass and say top o' the mornin to ya?) ...with the hole potato thing? lol

ieatglitter

Celly Smunt wrote: »

You can do it cheaply,A bus from one side of the country to the other would be about 15 euro where as a train could be 70.Hostels are cheap as well,but if you're willing to spend about 60 a night on a hotel room you'll get a fairly decent 3 star.

Pints,can be anything from 3 euro outside town to 5+ in and around town.You pay for the soft drink seperate which can cost 2.50 to 3 euro and then add the shot which can at times be the same price as a pint.So it's fairly expensive.Probably comparable to drinking imported beer in a fancy bar in america.Probably better to sneak your drink into somewhere (naggin of vodka or something)

Have a look out for student bars/student nights.Sometimes they offer a wristband for around 20 which lets you have unlimited drink.

Well my friend likes the mixed drinks but, I am more of a beer/shot girl. So no soda for this gal! :cool: because I am cool like that! :P jk jk

DublinArnie

If you leave your hotel/apartment here during Halloween, you'll probably wake up in hospital with a missing leg or arm. Just a warning .

Einhard

Skip Dublin. Go to Galway instead.

ieatglitter

DublinArnie wrote: »

If you leave your hotel/apartment here during Halloween, you'll probably wake up in hospital with a missing leg or arm. Just a warning .

Well I really wanted to dress up...as Ramona Flowers from Scott Pilgrim vs The World... so do people dress up a lot?

ieatglitter

Einhard wrote: »

Skip Dublin. Go to Galway instead.

I may just go there, I don't! I mean, we are just going with it but, we had planned to stay in Dublin!

The Backwards Man

ieatglitter wrote: »

Well I really wanted to dress up...as Ramona Flowers from Scott Pilgrim vs The World... so do people dress up a lot?

Most Dubliners dress up in tracksuit bottoms and a football shirt for Halloween. Oh, and manky trainers too.

MonstaMash

JuliusCaesar wrote: »

er, we invented Hallowe'en you know and exported it to the States.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Samhain

Slutmonkey57b

Day trips outside the city:
Powerscourt and Glendalogh are famous but fairly bland. Mount Ussher gardens, Russborough house or Avondale Forest Park are better, but not as easy to get to.

Renting a car for a couple of days is a good option, the country is small and you can drive from one side to the other in 4 hours. Don't trust the small country roads though, you'll get lost in no time.

lordstilton

Derry is by far the best place to enjoy Halloween and cheaper too

Anyone

http://oktoberfest-dublin.de/

circadian

For Halloween head to Derry. Check online for events and gigs that night and get tickets to something you like the look of as soon as you can, everything sells out. The Chic Halloween gig is already sold out.

There's a big fireworks display and a good costume is a must. Pretty much everyone you see is in a decent costume.

Annasopra

The Backwards Man wrote: »

If you're going to be here at Halloween, you've got to get out of Dublin and head for Derry, the biggest Halloween festival this side of the afterlife.

http://campaign.derrycity.gov.uk/default.aspx

I've heard amazing things about Halloween in Derry too

Penfailed

The Backwards Man wrote: »

If you're going to be here at Halloween, you've got to get out of Dublin and head for Derry, the biggest Halloween festival this side of the afterlife.

http://campaign.derrycity.gov.uk/default.aspx

circadian wrote: »

For Halloween head to Derry. Check online for events and gigs that night and get tickets to something you like the look of as soon as you can, everything sells out. The Chic Halloween gig is already sold out.

There's a big fireworks display and a good costume is a must. Pretty much everyone you see is in a decent costume.

I'll forth the Derry suggestion. Derry holds the largest Hallowe'en festival in Ireland (Europe?) It's fantastic. This year, Derry is also UK City of Culture so I would imagine that the fireworks and the parade will be even better than previous years.

Afroshack

ieatglitter wrote: »

Okay, so I just signed up and I am not sure where to post this, but my friend Jana (who is from Germany) and I (from America) will be coming to Dublin, Ireland at the end of October and we will most definitely be there for Halloween. My questions are; where should we go, where should we stay away from, where is the best places to party, and where is the best place to go for Halloween? I am not sure if Halloween is as largely celebrated in Ireland as it is in America but, if so, where are the best places to go? I am flying into Berlin and my friend and I will be back packing through Europe here soon and Dublin, Ireland will be our last stop. As far as I KNOW we will not be going anywhere else in Ireland, just strictly Dublin. We kind of want to do the tourist type things but, not really. We really just want to have a good time and meet lots of people. We are both graduating from college soon and want to have fun before we start the true work grind for the next, oh...40 or 50 years! Kind of a "Won't have a chance like this again at our ages" trip, haha! Any suggestions would be great!

Thank you!:D

P.S. I have already heard that Temple Bar is a good place to stay away from, being as it is a tourist trap and such!

Howth is a nice spot to spend an afternoon, considering it's not lashing. Even if it is, park yourself in the Bloody Stream pub and stay there for a few hours, one of the best pubs/restaurants in Dublin IMO

Jaxxy

To answer a few of your questions:

YES, people in Dublin dress up when they go out for Halloween in Dublin City Centre. For the weekend leading up to it you'll see people ambling around in various degrees of fancy dress. Like everywhere, people put in different amounts of effort for their costumes, but you won't see many people out and about without one on Halloween night.

The drink in Dublin city is very expensive. Like someone else mentioned, keep an eye out for student bars or bars that promote student deals. Have a drink or two (we call this pre-drinking) wherever you're staying before you hit the town to save if you're going to be short on funds by the end of your trip.

There is no "best" place in Dublin to go drinking, like everywhere, it's all a matter of opinion. But since you're going to be couch surfing and staying in hostels ask the people you're staying with for their recommendations. Don't go out of your way to avoid Templebar. As a tourist you'll have great craic strolling through it, observing the mayhem that sometimes unfolds.

Safety-wise, again, the city is like everywhere else. Use your common sense. Ignore the junkies, don't walk around with your head down and your phone out and in your hand because it might get snatched, be mindful of your surroundings and make sure you and your German friend just look out for each other. The same goes for Irish men. On the whole they're the best men in the world in my opinion (I am biased, yes) and they're usually up for a laugh, some fun and a bit of banter. Don't worry about getting drawn into a debate on American politics. If you don't like where a conversation is going just say goodbye and walk on.

Enjoy your trip! Oh, and buying an umbrella is also great advice, because the weather will be crap in October.

ieatglitter

Jaxxy wrote: »

To answer a few of your questions:

YES, people in Dublin dress up when they go out for Halloween in Dublin City Centre. For the weekend leading up to it you'll see people ambling around in various degrees of fancy dress. Like everywhere, people put in different amounts of effort for their costumes, but you won't see many people out and about without one on Halloween night.

The drink in Dublin city is very expensive. Like someone else mentioned, keep an eye out for student bars or bars that promote student deals. Have a drink or two (we call this pre-drinking) wherever you're staying before you hit the town to save if you're going to be short on funds by the end of your trip.

There is no "best" place in Dublin to go drinking, like everywhere, it's all a matter of opinion. But since you're going to be couch surfing and staying in hostels ask the people you're staying with for their recommendations. Don't go out of your way to avoid Templebar. As a tourist you'll have great craic strolling through it, observing the mayhem that sometimes unfolds.

Safety-wise, again, the city is like everywhere else. Use your common sense. Ignore the junkies, don't walk around with your head down and your phone out and in your hand because it might get snatched, be mindful of your surroundings and make sure you and your German friend just look out for each other. The same goes for Irish men. On the whole they're the best men in the world in my opinion (I am biased, yes) and they're usually up for a laugh, some fun and a bit of banter. Don't worry about getting drawn into a debate on American politics. If you don't like where a conversation is going just say goodbye and walk on.

Enjoy your trip! Oh, and buying an umbrella is also great advice, because the weather will be crap in October.

Thank you, you actually answered my questions! lol