St. Patrick’s Festival Dublin 16th - 18th

St. Patrick’s Festival Dublin 16th - 18th 

The festival kicks off from Thursday the 14th at 12pm at the Irish craft beer village. The following few day a jam packed with things to do for the whole family. From street music to the wonder of snakes, there really is something to keep the whole family entertained. A lot of these shows are free and the other have a nominal entrance fee. To see the full line-up of events go to: http://www.stpatricksfestival.ie/index.php/events

On the 17th of March, as part of ‘The Gathering Ireland 2013’ for the first time ever, St. Patrick’s Festival is inviting up to 8,000 people around the world to march in the St. Patrick’s Day Parade in Dublin. The Dublin St. Patrick’s Day parade has gained considerable momentum over the years and 2013 is set to be the best yet. The parade will march through the streets of Dublin, passing historic landmarks along the way including the GPO, Trinity College, Dublin Castle and City Hall. The route is 2.5 km long. For more information go to www.stpatricksfestival.ie

Going Green for St. Patricks Day 2013

‘Tourism Minister Leo Varadkar and Tourism Ireland today announced that the Pyramids of Giza and the Christ the Redeemer statue in Rio de Janeiro are among world landmarks that will “go green” to mark St Patrick’s day this year.’

Some of the famous Irish building that are turning green this year! 

• Irish Architectural Archive

• Dublinia

• O’Connell Tower at Glasnevin Cemetery

• The Custom House

• Convention Centre

• The Mansion House

• Dublin City Council Building, Palace Street

• Bank of Ireland, College Green

• County Hall, Marine Road Dún Laoghaire

• Stillorgan Obelisk Tower

• National Maternity Hospital, Holles Street

• Guinness Store House

Jameson Dublin International Film Festival 2013

Running from the 14th to the 24th of February, the Jameson Dublin International Film Festival will be presenting over 140 films from the four corners of the globe. Over that last number of years this festival has gained major momentum. The majority of films shown at the Film Festival are Irish premieres, and for some of the films shown, the festival represents the only public screening that will take place in Ireland. Only a short time away and with a few of the shows already sold out its important to book your tickets as soon as you can. Visit Jameson Film Festival Tickets to buy your tickets and for more information on sold out events! The Jameson Dublin International Film Festival takes place in all of the Dublin City Centre Cinemas including Cineworld, The Savoy, Screen, Irish Film Institute and Light House Cinema in Smithfield.

For more information go to www.jdiff.com. If you are planning on staying in Dublin for a few nights over this festival, check out the Grand Canal Hotel, Dublin 4. The Hotel has some great offers on over these dates. Call 00353 1 646 1000 or go online to www.grandcanalhotel.ie

Dublin Chinese New Year

2013 celebrates the year of the snake in Chinese culture. Dublin will be joining in with all the festivities from February 8th to the 22nd. The well established Dublin Chinese New Year Festival will showcase the best of the Sino Irish Culture. The 2013 festival not only marks the year of the snake, but it’s also the 6th year of the internationally recognised festival.

Snake Years are sixth in the cycle, following the Dragon Years, and recur every twelfth year. The Chinese New Year does not fall on a specific date, so it is essential to check the calendar to find the exact date on which each Snake Year actually begins.

Visit www.cny.ie for more information and a list of what’s on. For more information or to make a room booking call 01 646 1000 or go online to www.grandcanalhotel.ie

2 Days Holidays in Dublin

You may think that only 48 hours in Dublin is not very much time to get to see much of what the city has to offer, but we want to show you that it is.We have come up with some of the most important things to see in Dublin. Starting off day one with a visit to Kilmainham gaol, It is one of the largest unoccupied gaols in Europe, covering some of the most heroic and tragic events in Ireland's emergence as a modern nation from 1780s to the 1920s. Access to Kilmainham Gaol by Guided Tour Only. Duration: 60 minutes.

Only a short walk from Kilmainham Goal is the Irish Museum of Modern Art (IMMA). The grounds of this building are absolutely amazing. The Gardens on this estate are free to walk around and hold some beautiful views of the city.

Moving on towards the city, your next stop is of course the Guinness store house. This major tourist attraction is located at St. James's Gate Brewery in Dublin, Ireland. Since opening in November 2000, it has received over four million visitors The Storehouse is laid out over seven floors surrounding a glass atrium shaped in the form of a pint of Guinness. The ground floor introduces the beer's four ingredients (water, barley, hops and yeast), and the brewery's founder, Arthur Guinness. Other floors feature the history of Guinness advertising and include an interactive exhibit on responsible drinking. The seventh floor houses the Gravity Bar with its fabulous views of Dublin city and the Wicklow Mountains is where visitors may drink a pint of Guinness included in the price of admission.

In the heart of the Viking district of Dublin you will find Christchurch cathedral. Christ Church Cathedral is located in the former heart of medieval Dublin, next to Wood Quay at the end of Lord Edward Street. Christ Church is the only one of the three cathedrals or acting cathedrals which can be seen clearly from the River Liffey. Another well Known cathedral a short walk from Christ church is the St Patrick’s Cathedral. Founded in 1191, is the larger of Dublin's two Church of Ireland cathedrals, and the largest church in Ireland with a 43 metre (140 feet) spire.

After a long day being a tourist you will want to head for something really nice to eat. We recommend Roly’s Restaurant in ballsbridge, Dublin 4. Roly’s comes highly recommended. If you wish to book a table, be sure to speak with one of our desk agents, they will be happy to help you out. Day two will start in the city centre at the Spire of Dublin on O’Connell Street. The Spire of Dublin, officially titled the Monument of Light[1] is a large, stainless steel, pin-like monument 121.2 metres (398 ft) in height, located on the site of the former Nelson's Pillar on O'Connell Street in Dublin, Ireland.

Beside the spire if the General Post Office (GPO), During the Easter Rising of 1916, the GPO served as the headquarters of the uprising's leaders. The assault by the British forces extensively damaged the building and it was not repaired until the Irish Free State government took up the task some years later. The original columns outside are still pocked with bullet-marks. Walking down Henry Street and crossing over the Ha’penny Bridge you will walk into what is known as the Temple bar district. Unlike the areas surrounding it, Temple Bar has preserved its medieval street pattern, with many narrow cobbled streets. It is promoted as "Dublin's cultural quarter" and has a lively nightlife that is popular with tourists.

Once you have enjoyed the sites and sounds that temple bar has to offer you can walk on through and on the other, passing the well known Bank of Ireland Building where Barack Obama made his speech while on his visit to Ireland you will come across Trinity College, the home of the book of Kells. The Book of Kells takes its name from the Abbey of Kells that was its home for centuries. Today, it is on permanent display at the Trinity College Library, Dublin. The library usually displays two of the current four volumes at a time, one showing a major illustration and the other showing typical text pages. While doing all this sightseeing you need to make sure you are well rested and that you have a perfect base in the centre of the city, that’s why The Grand Canal Hotel is you perfect option. To make a Booking at the Grand Canal Hotel Call 01 646 1000 or go to www.grandcanalhotel.ie

Top five events in Dublin for 2013 from now until June!

With the Irish Gathering set to make 2013 a busy year for events all over Ireland, we at the Grand Canal Hotel wanted to give you a heads up on the big events that are happening in Dublin City this year. From the 14th to the 24th of February the Jameson Dublin International Film Festival will be presenting over 140 films from the four corners of the globe to the Irish Audience. Over that last number of years this festival has gained major momentum. This takes place in all of the Dublin City Centre Cinemas including Cineworld, The Savoy, Screen, Irish Film Institute and Light House Cinema in Smithfield. The majority of films shown at the Film Festival are Irish premieres, and for some of the films shown, the festival represents the only public screening that will take place in Ireland. For more information go to www.jdiff.com

On the 17th of March, as part of ‘The Gathering Ireland 2013’ for the first time ever, St. Patrick’s Festival is inviting up to 8,000 people around the world to march in the St. Patrick’s Day Parade in Dublin. The parade will march through the streets of Dublin, passing historic landmarks along the way including the GPO, Trinity College, Dublin Castle and City Hall. The route is 2.5 km long. For more information go to www.stpatricksfestival.ie

The 2013 Heineken Cup final on the 18th of May takes place AVIVA Stadium, Lansdowne Road, Dublin 4 not far from the Grand Canal Hotel. The Heineken Cup Final kicks off in the Aviva Stadium at 5pm. Nearby at the RDS the Amlin Challenge Cup final on Friday, 17 May kicks off at 8pm. With the two finals being played side-by side, it’s hoped that up to 70,000 supporters will converge on the city for this un-missable weekend of European cup rugby. For more information go to www.ercrugby.com

For 30 year the Flora Mini Marathon has seen thousands of participants swarm to Dublin to raise money for charity. 2013 will be no different! On June 3rd the 31st annual Flora Mini Marathon will see 40,000 ladies raise money for around 600 different charities. For more information go to www.florawomensminimarathon.ie

Finally, Dublin Pride Festival takes place on the 21st of June and runs until June 30th in Dublin’s City Centre. This festival is a celebration of three important historical events, the 40th Anniversary of the creation of the Irish Gay Movement, the 30th Anniversary of the Dublin Pride Parade and the 20th Anniversary of the decriminalisation of homosexuality in Ireland. This year’s pride festival is hoped to be the biggest yet.

These are only five of the bigger events that are taking place in Dublin for the first half of the year. All five of these events are set to attract a large number of visitors to the city so be sure to make you hotel booking well in advance. For more information or for accommodation go to www.grandcanalhotel.com or call 01 646 1000!

TALL SHIPS RACE COMES TO DUBLIN

This year Dublin City will have the pleasure of welcoming the the International Tall Ships Races for the first time since 1998. The River Liffey will host over 5000 participants and the city is throwing a four day party to mark their arrival. The hosts are expecting 100 plus Tall Ships to arrive in the capita from the 23rd till the 26th of August. Ships from Chile, Mexico, Argentina, the US, Italy and Norway will chart their course to Dublin.The event will end on the 26th August with a regatta setting off towards Liverpool. Unique elements of the event will include the Crew Parade – where up to 3000 crew will parade through the city, to their prize giving ceremony and the Parade of Sail, where all ships will leave port together –a spectacular finale to the festival as all ships leave Port together and hoist their magnificent sails. There will be opportunities to jump aboard the ships, in addition to free street entertainment, live music, parades, funfairs, treasure hunts, water sport activities and lots more. Day 1 Free Festival -Fleet Arrival -Opening Ceremony -Captain's Dinner at the Mansion House Day 2 Free Festival -Crew Parase at Custom House -Prize Giving -Crew Party Day 3 Free Festival -Crew Activites Day 4 Free Festival -Parade of Sail -Regatta from Dublin to Liverpool Book early on www.grandcanalhotel.com to avoid disappointment.

DUBLIN'S SKYLINE GETS A NEW FEATURE

If you're afraid of heights then stop reading this and move on...it will have little interest to you. Croke Park, the home of the GAA, has launched a sky walkway high above the hallowed turf of the famous venue. Offering super views of Dublin City, the Skyline will be an interesting addition to the attractions that are already on offer in the sunny (well it was at the time of writing) capital. Skyline makes Croke Park a must from visitors to Dublin. The GAA museum and just the chance to see this fantastic stadium were already reason enough to venture beyond Mountjoy Square. For those reasons put plenty of time aside for the visit to Croke Park. Before you ever set foot on the walkway, you spend around 15 minutes in a dressing room below, a place normally occupied by the Dublin footballers mid to late September :), where you are required to put a safety harness on and are shown how to clip the harness to the steel wire running alongside the walkway. Not that this would make a great vantage point for watching a football or hurling match. At 44 meters you would hardly be able to distinguish between the two teams jerseys. And I'm speaking from experience. I managed to get myself and a couple of friends tickets to see U2 in the venue a couple of years back but ended up at the back of the top tier of the Cusack Stand. I could see more detail on planet Venus on the night than I could of the band. There are plans to add a zipline from the Cusack Stand to Hill 16 and they are also considering permitting abseiling off the 44 metre-high platform on to the pitchside. Hmm that may be a bridge too far:) Skyline Facts: * The platform for the roof top tour is 33 meters or 17 storeys above the ground. * It took 100 tonnes of painted galvanised steel, turning into 132 support trusses spanning the steel roof, to make the 0.6km walkway manufactured in Portarlington. * The suspended walkway extends six metres out over the pitch. * The visitor attraction, which created 10 jobs, cost €1.4m to build. * Among the landmarks that can be spotted from the Skyline tour are Glasnevin Cemetery, Guinness Brewery, Dublin Mountains, Poolbeg Lightghouse, Mountjoy Prison, the Spire and the glasshouses at the Botanic Gardens. * The two-hour tour will be available in six languages. * Visitors must measure in at 1.2 metres in height to take in the tour. * It opens to the public from Friday June 1 and closes at 6pm each day. * Tickets are priced at €25 for adults, €15 for children and €65 for families. Discounted tickets for the GAA Museum will be available for those taking the Skywalk. Ollie.