Dublin Sports – Visitors Guide

Posted on November 11, 2011 by eamonmoriarty

The vibrant metropolis of Dublin is among the hottest destinations in all of Eire. Drenched in rich culture and history, this makes the ideal short break destination. Folk travel here for a wide range of differing reasons, not least to watch or take a role in one of the regular Dublin sport events and activities.

A number of native Irish sports can be found in this powerful metropolis. Among the most fascinating is Gaelic football, which is a mixture of rugby and football. The game is so popular that each parish through Eire has their own Gaelic football team, and matches are intensely vibrant.

Hurling is another unique local sport that’s worth checking out. Though the game also includes a ball, it is sometimes known as a sliotar and can reported travel at speeds of nearly 120 kilometers an hour. Croke Park Stadium is a great place to watch both hurling and Gaelic football.

Croke Park Stadium is also home to the interesting and informative GAA Museum. After checking out all the museum has to offer, sports fans also have an opportunity to play a game on the pitch. This is a way to learn a new sport and get fit at the same time.

Rugby is so favored in this part of the world that there are two large stadiums dedicated to holding matches. Maybe the most well liked is the RDS Arena, which is found on Anglesea Road. Famous team Leinster Rugby frequently play here, while Aviva Stadium also hosts matches played by local teams.

Horseracing is also popular in Eire, and the metropolis is home to the superb Leopardstown Racecourse. The racecourse pulls large groups of spectators all year long. Famous jockeys from all parts of the world also travel here to partake of big meets, which are scheduled to occur one or two times a year.

Though it could be a major metropolis, Dublin also features a good number of massive and wonderful green zones. Many of those have been turned into golfing courses. Other feature paths to ramble along while the sun shines and take a role in other activities like roller skating and sailing on a large expanse of water.

The great thing about this town is that almost all of the key attractions are found handily close together. While many people tend to explore on foot, cycling is also a great way to see the sights. Cycling is so popular here that special activities are even arranged at various times of year. Especially of note is Sky Ride Dublin, which features a specifically delegated circuit of 8 kilometers as well as onstage music performances and a whole host of other goodies.

This is a good place to try water sports and other activities for the first time. Local companies offer to hire apparatus to visitors, and there are even lessons and special journey tours available. Some of the most popular activities on offer include sailing and kayaking as well as rambling through the surprising surrounding country, rock climbing and getting a birds eye view of the area by paragliding.

Visitors to Dublin can stay at hotels in Dublin or Dublin Bed and Breakfast

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Dublin Super Cup at The Aviva Stadium

Posted on July 17, 2011 by

The Dublin Super Cup, is scheduled for the bank holiday weekend of 30th and 31st July and promises to be a superb occasion for football fans and families. As well as the games, fans will get access to lots of great entertainment each day also. The Dublin Super Cup is going to be a weekend full of entertainment including live bands and numerous fun activities  in and around the Aviva stadium.

The star-laden squads ofof top Scottish club Glasgow Celtic and Premier League hopefuls Manchester City will join the European and World Club champions Inter Milan for the forst staging of this football festival. The fourth team will be the Airtricity XI, a team picked from the top players from Ireland’s domestic League. Their last outing came at the opening of the Aviva Stadium a year ago, when they lost 7-1 to Manchester United. These players would not normally cet the chance to line out against the world’s top players so this tournament provides them with a wonderful opportunity.

The three international teams will see this tournament as an important component in their pre-season preparation and are likely to bring most of their first team players.

Irish soccer fans will get the opportunity to see some of the top players in the world in action, with international players David Silva, England internationals Adam Johnson and James Milner, Cameroon’s Samuel Eto’o, Holland’s Wesley Sneijder, Italy’s Mario Balotelli, Ivory Coast’s Yaya Toure and Scotland’s Scott Brown and many more all due to play.

Dublin hotels, restaurants and bars are looking forward to this event as over 50,000 fans, many from abroad are expected to descend on the capital. Add to that all the teams, coaches, officials and media people and you get a high spending swate of customers who will be warmly welcomed.

Any fans who have not already booked their accommodation should do so as soon as possible as most of the Dublin hotels and Dublin Bed and Breakfast , especially in the vicinity of the Aviva Stadium is likely to be booked out early.

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Dublin Horse Show 2011 in August

Posted on July 14, 2011 by

The Discover Ireland Dublin Horse Show is on this year from August 3rd -7th  in the RDS complex in Ballsbridge. This year is the 138th year of the Dublin Horse Show and is expecred to attract huge crowds as usual. It is one of the world’s top equestrian events, attracting some of the best show jumping horses and riders from all around the world.

Some of the visitors are horse enthusiasts but many are just there for the fun and excitement as there are many attractions and sideshows apart from the main equestrian competitions.

The main events of the Show include the Land Rover Puissance which involves jumping  the famous ‘Wall’ which is usually over seven feet high, the  International Grand Prix, the ever popular Aga Khan Challenge Trophy (The Nations Cup) and numerous showing and show jumping classes. Other attractions include live music, kids’ and nature zones, the fashion of Blossom Hill Ladies’ Day (which was won last year by Yvonne Ellard, a former Miss Ireland), lots of art and crafts exhibitions, and over 300 trade standswhere vendors ply their various wares.

One of this years’s highlights is the world-renown stunt riders, the Ukrainian Cossacks who will demonstrate their brilliant horsemanship and riding capabilities. They have achieved worldwide success for their spectacular display of traditional riding methods of their Cossack ancestors.

There is plenty to do for children and adults alike over the five days of the show including the main horse jumping events and the other attractions and sideshows.

Visitors are advised to arrive early each day, especially those who are driving as car park spaces in the area can get filled up quite quickly. Visitors from outside Dublin who intend staying overnight should book their accommodation well in advance as all the accommodation nearest to the RDS gets booked up quickly. There are still Dublin Hotels and Dublin Bed and Breakfast available on Dublin Overnight website – www.dublinovernight.com – and other websites.

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The National Trust

Posted on July 5, 2011 by

Of many Trust properties in the east of England the most notable is Blickling Hall, a magnificent early Jacobean mansion which, with more than 4,500 acres of land and most of its contents, was bequeathed by the late Lord Lothian, British Ambassador to the United States and for many years an active member of the Trust’s Executive Committee. The estate was once the home of Anne Boleyn, second wife of Henry VITI, and her ghost, bearing its decapitated head under an arm, is said still to haunt the purlieus.

Not far away, in Cambridgeshire, is quite a different kind of property — Wicken Fen, an expanse of wild country used as a nature reserve. Here in their native surroundings live certain insects, birds, and flowers, some of which are in danger of extinction elsewhere in the country.

The British Trust owns other nature reserves, one of the most beautiful of them the Fame Islands, off the northeast coast, rife with memories of St. Cuthbert and the early years of Christianity, and of the heroine Grace Darling Here are sea birds, seals, and other maritime creatures. In the north of England is situated the most extensive of all the Trust’s holdings — a large part of the famous Lake District. Continue reading →

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8 Old Dublin Churches

Posted on June 24, 2011 by eamonmoriarty

St. Audoen’s Church in High Street in the centre of Medieval Dublin has been in existence since the time of the Norman conquest in the 12th century ant it still retains some of its original features including the nave and the west door. It was named by the Normans after one of their saints, St. Audoen of Rouen in France and it still functions as the church of one of the city’s parishes.

St. Andrews parish can trace its history back to the 11th century and it has had various versions of its church at different locations over the centuries. The most recent church was built in 1866 in Suffolk Street, not far from Trinity College and was the parish church of St. Andrews until 1994 when it was sold. It is now the main Tourist information Centre in the city.

People visiting Dublin’s old churches can find accommodation at Dublin Hotels or Dublin B&B

From the middle of the eighteenth century, St. Werbugh’s Church became the parish church of the British Lord Lieutenant who was stationed in the nearby Dublin Castle. But there had been a church on that site since the 12th century which hadf to be rebuilt a number of times because of fires. The present church which was built in 1754 is located in the Liberties, near Christ Church Cathedral.

St. Valentine, the patron saint of lovers worldwide, was also the saint to whom Whitefriar Street Carmelite Church is dedicated and the church contains his remains which were given to Fr. Spratt by Pope Gregory XVI in 1835. The building of the church started in 1825 and continued to 1856 and it continues to function as a church to this day.

The Black Church is a very well known landmark on the north side of the city. Many people think that it is called The Black Church because of the dark grey colour of the exterior stone but it is more likely that it got its name from the fact the it is unusually dark inside because of its very small windows. There is a legend which says that anyone who walks around the church three times while reciting the Hail Mary backwards will see the devil. This is probably a story started by Catholics to discredit the church which was Protestant. the correct name of the church is St. Mary’s Chapel of Ease.

One of the most interesting churches in the city is St. Michan’s Church in Church Street. Its history traces back to the Vikings in the 11th century but the present building which was restored in 1998 dates back to the 1680s. It is most famous for its preserved corpses in the burial chambers under the church, including The Crusader who is believed to have been a soldier returned from The Crusades. People touch his upraised hand believing that it will bring them luck and long life. The church contains an organ dating from 1724 and George Frederick Handel is said to have played his ‘Messiah’ on it.

Probably the best known church in the city is Christ Church Cathedral. This cathedral is mostly associated with the Normans although it is known that there was a church on the site prior to their arrival. Building begun in 1172 and continued well into the next century and after parts of it collapsed there was further rebuilding in the 17th century. One of the main attractions is the tomb of Strongbow who is the most famous Norman in Irish history. King Henry II is believed to have attended the service in the cathedral in 1172.
Ireland’s biggest church is St. Patrick’s Cathedral. It is best known because of the fact that Jonathan Swift, the author of Gulliver’s Travels and many other works was Dean of St. Patrick’s in the first half of the eighteenth century. St. Patrick is s aid to have been there in the 5th century and a wooden church stood on the site until the end of the 12th century. The present church dates mainly from around 1870.

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