Choice of 5 amazing hostels right in the heart of the city
Two wonderful hostels slap bang in the city centre
We will be the eyes and ears on the ground about all the latest happenings in Dublin and Cork - there is so much to do, see and experience all within easy access of our Dublin and Cork Hostels. We will bring you the best ideas and suggestions at the cheapest group prices. You will also find some useful planning tips. Follow us now.
Yes I am! If you’re on the way to Dublin this February, you have to take a trip to the movies. Ok, we admit it – we’re a bit giddy at Celtic Group Hostels as this is one of our most favourite events of the year. With the Oscars just around the corner and a new Irish actor taking Hollywood by storm (Michael Fassbender, this time…), the Jameson Dublin International Film Festival is a must for even the casual movie buff. As events in Dublin in February go, this is top of the list. (more…)
September is one of our favourite months here at Celtic Groups Hostels – there are so many Events & Festivals taking place in Dublin – visitors (and us locals) are just spoiled for choice about what to do and see this month…… Where to begin? The following are some of our favourites to share with you (more…)
The Dublin Area Rapid Transit (DART) commuter train service in Dublin runs right along the coast, so it’s like a cheap tourist train, with breathtaking views and fabulous places to visit along the route.
One of our favourites is the pretty fishing village of Howth (rhymes with ‘both’), a twenty minute DART journey along the coast north of Dublin city centre.
Howth has a pretty harbour, which is used by both working fishing boats and pleasure craft – but did you know that it also has a beach? Shhh! Don’t tell anyone, but when you come out of the DART station, walk about 100 meters towards Howth village, take a left then walk down the little alleyway to your left – and you come out on Claremont Beach! It’s right beside the pier, but you could easily miss it – it’s a great place to take a stroll, building up an appetite for… (more…)
Dublin is the ideal destination for a mixed city and seaside/countryside break: within an hour of Dublin city you can be on a deserted beach, hiking unspoiled hillsides or exploring perfectly preserved megalithic sites.
Our favourite day trip from Dublin is a visit to County Wicklow. Known as “The Garden of Ireland”, it is renowned for its lush countryside, abundant trees, spectacular waterfalls and interesting places to visit.
In a one-day trip, you can visit the Sally Gap (location for The Tudors, Braveheart and P.S. I Love You), pretty Avoca village, the spectacular Powerscourt House & Gardens and Glendalough, a 6th Century monastic settlement in such pristine condition that it looks like a Hollywood set. (more…)
Missed out on Glastonbury? No worries – there’s a fantastic choice of music festivals coming up over the summer in Ireland, whether you’re in to ‘glamping’ at a posh castle festival, or admiring the lovely girls at Ted Fest.
The fantastic Slane Castle festival is over, and Take That have packed their bags and left us, but there are lots of great gigs and festivals to come – and the weather experts say we have a hot summer coming up!
This festival has attracted iconic acts over the years, with this year’s line up including Bob Dylan, Paul Simon and The Frames. It’s on right now, but there’s still time to see Elton John, Bell X1 or Jedward, who are performing at the Marquee over the next few weeks (but not together…).
With an average of 90,000 attending each day, Oxegen is the biggest music festival in Ireland. Twice voted Best European Festival, it is a 100% carbon neutral event and features a silent disco, campsite funfair and great food. (more…)
Earlier this month, Nicola in our office was being teased about going to the Take That concert in Croke Park, Dublin this weekend. Now it turns out that EVERYONE in the office is going, along with husbands, boyfriends, kids, mammies and grannies!
So now we’re fessing up: we’re Celtic Group Hostels and we can’t wait for the Take That concert!!
Yes, we were tweeting live from the fantastic Kings of Leon concert in Slane a few weeks ago, but Take That is a trip down memory lane for us – we loved them first time around, and come on, who didn’t fancy Robbie Williams back in the 90s? (more…)
In case you hadn’t guessed by now, we’re big foodies here in Celtic Hostels, so we’re thrilled that one of our favourite Dublin festivals is on right now: Taste of Dublin.
Taste of Dublin celebrates the best of Irish food, with demos from celebrity chefs, loads of artisan food and fabulous wines on show – not to mention the opportunity to sample the delights of the best restaurants in Dublin. Perfect for those commitment-phobes out there – why go to one restaurant when you can visit lots of them all at once?
Follow in the footsteps of Queen Elizabeth II – and over 1,000,000 visitors annually – to the Guinness Storehouse. Learn the secrets of creating and pouring the perfect pint of the black stuff, the long history of the Guinness product and the fascinating family behind it.
Best of all, the bird’s eye view of Dublin City from the Gravity Bar at the top of the Guinness Storehouse is so spectacular that, when it was impractical for Queen Elizabeth II to visit the whole city, she was given a ‘virtual’ tour from there. The captivating story of the emblematic beverage unfolds over the seven floors of the Guinness Storehouse, culminating in a free pint (over-18s only) of the black stuff itself in the Gravity Bar. (more…)
Before finishing her trip to Ireland, Queen Elizabeth II made sure to visit the English Market in Cork, a gourmet haven since 1788. Other Irish gastronomic delights enjoyed by the royal visitors were freshly poured Guinness and a sumptuous state dinner of fresh Irish produce.
Ireland’s reputation as the ‘good food island’ is growing, so be sure to sample some of our culinary delights when you visit. The fabulous Taste of Dublin festival is on from 9th to 12th June, so no excuses!
The rolling green Irish countryside is not just nice to look at; it also produces the best dairy and meat products you will ever taste. Being an island, we also have fantastic fresh seafood and fish, so there is something for all tastes in Ireland.
We’re just back from a very entertaining – and educational – visit to the the National Leprechaun Museum.
The museum tells the story of the leprechaun, a mythical Irish character said to live stealthily in Ireland to this day. Along the way, we also learned about the fairy folk (called “sí”) and the great figures of Irish mythology such as Cúchulainn and Fionn Mac Cumhaill.
On the visit, we even walked underneath the Giant’s Causeway, through a rainbow and into the house of a giant! (more…)
