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Gulliver comes to Dublin Docklands
2008-04-13 22:52:00
The chosen book for this year's Dublin : "One City, One Book" is Gulliver 's Travels by Jonathan Swift, and the Docklands is the place to see Gulliver himself in form of a giant sand sculpture. To celebrate Gulliver's visit to Dublin, sculptors Duthain Dealbh began carving in sand outside the chq building in the IFSC on April 2nd. Two weeks later and a 4-metre, giant Gulliver is resting under the arch on George's Dock.Almost 20 events and exhibitions will be held throughout the capital in April for both adults and children. City Hall will play host to Gulliver's Dublin - Eamon Morrissey's acclaimed one man show which will run for four nights (15th - 18th April). Other events taking place throughout April include adult's and children's film screenings at the Irish Film Institute; children's interactive theatrical workshops in Dublin City Libraries; academic talks on Swift and Dublin; and specially curated exhibitions in City Hall, the National Library of Ireland and Pearse Str...

New car hire engine on Roadtoireland.eu!
2007-12-02 19:57:00
We have just launched on our Independent Guide to Ireland, new CarTrawler's AJAX car hire booking engine engine, giving you access to the best car hire rates in Ireland. By using the latest technology you are able to retrieve pricing, availability and also confirm bookings as close to one hour before pickup time. Now you can choose from over 450 car hire suppliers in 134 countries, with one click.
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Smithfield on ice
2007-11-01 20:38:00
Apparently Smithfield on ice is no more! Dublin City Council announced yesterday that the popular ice-rink event, which has been held in Smithfield, Dublin during Christmas for the past five years, will not go ahead this year. The partnership which ran the event has dissolved and the remaining interest, RSVP Event Management, is not in a position to deliver the project, the council announced.

Adidas Dublin Marathon
2007-10-31 23:37:00
Today, once the worst pain is hopefully gone, and our knees are bending again we can write few words about last Monday?s experience!Before startEleven thousand people, a couple of comedians, few leprechauns, Blues Brothers and Donald Duck took to the streets of the city on Monday to be part of the 28th Adidas Dublin Marathon , and among them us. It may sound a bit mad ? who, in their right mind, would want to rise early on Bank Holiday and run 26 miles through streets of Dublin? In realty we run Dublin Marathon for the same reasons other climb a mountain ? because it?s there! The goal was simply to get to the top, to cross the finish line. StartOf course there is, within every city marathon, another event altogether, for competitors and athletes. But this is strictly minority affair of the concern to no more than 10%. The real hart of this spectacle were thousands of participants, all shapes and makes of ordinary people, running for as many different reasons, as there are participant...

Ireland top list for friendliness
2007-10-17 23:10:00
According to Lonely Planet travel guide, Ireland is now the friendliest nation on planet!?Centuries of turmoil, conquest and famine ? and subsequent immigration ? have certainly taken their toll on the Irish; it?s left them with a delicious dark sense of humor and a welcoming attitude towards strangers? claims the guide.That famous ability of the Irish to find the craic (fun times with convivial company ;-) ) in bum or bust times ? means you?re always in for a treat.?And it isn?t just the lack of food or abundance of invaders, that according to the book, has made Irish so happy ? the sorting out of that unfortunate business up north has boosted Irish moods to an all-time high.?These days, after the end of ?Troubles?, a cautious optimism reigns supreme, infecting the land once again with the sense that anything?s possible? it adds.The tip-driven smiles of the Americans have landed the US in second place, though residents of few nations may not agree.?Blamed for the coming of World Wa...
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Festival of World Cultures - Dun Laoghaire
2007-08-26 02:22:00
The Festival of World Cultures 2007:
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49 surfers on a single wave!
2007-08-23 20:58:00
We were so excited about the Saturday?s race that we nearly missed it! On Saturday, surfers in Lahinch in County Clare once again smashed the world record for the largest number of people to ride the same wave simultaneously. At about 5.45pm, 49 surfers managed to stay in formation for the required five seconds, thus breaking the previous record of 44, set on the very same beach a year ago. Lahinch will host another attempt to break it?s own record in May next year.
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Adidas Frank Duffy 10 miles run
2007-08-21 23:49:00
For those training for the Dublin Marathon in October Adidas organised series of races that offer opportunity to test you at short distances ahead of October's race. Last Saturday we took part in Frank Duffy 10 miles run, second race of the series.10 miles = 16.09344 kilometers. If in the beginning of July someone would have told me that I?ll be able to run 10 miles I would laugh at him (or her). It all started few weeks ago, on 12th July, when we signed (with no training - I know a bit irresponsible) for the 5 mile run and ??? we did it! From then we were preparing to the 10 mile race. We arrived at the race HQ in Castleknock College at 9am (the race commenced at 10am), the college gym was already completely filled up with people patiently waiting in queues to collect race number and goodie bag. One could see runners of all ages ? impatient and eager to run teenagers and full of energy older athletes ? it proves that running is a sport for everybody! 20 minute walk to the start li...
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Vikings finally arrived
2007-08-15 23:27:00
They finally arrived. A full size reconstructed Viking Warship ?Havingsten?, known also as Sea Stallion of Glendalough, has arrived to Dublin yesterday around lunch time. Before one could see the boat, one could hear warning sirens of ships docked on the Liffey and bells in local churches ? like almost 1000 years ago they were trying to warn citizens against the Viking invasion! There was no panic today, like more there would be in medieval times. Crowd of tourist on both sides of the river, reinforced with curious office workers that have just gone out for lunch, freezed in excitement.First one could see port authority and fire brigade ships; only then between them there was Havingsten sailing proudly powered only by big orange and yellow sail. The After few minutes the sail was lowered and the sailors, encouraged by the crowds, started to row. The Sea Stallion is docked on the Liffey close to IFSC and will be moved tomorrow overnight to the National Museum in Collins Barracks. O...
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Flights from Knock to New York & Boston
2007-08-13 00:39:00
From the end of May Ireland West Airport Knock is connected with FK Airport New York and Boston Logan International Airport. It's a first scheduled transatlantic service with a low cost carrier flyglobespan.com from Knock, located midway between Galway and Donegal. The Scottish carrier operates three services a week from Knock to New York, and two services weekly to Boston. Seat fares starts at just ?157 plus tax each way.
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Where are the REAL Vikings?
2007-07-17 21:39:00
The crew of replica Viking longship dropped plans to sail across the North Sea because of unfavourable winds and decided to take a tow to Orkney. The Sea Stallion of Glendalough, billed as the biggest ever Viking ship reconstruction, will be towed by a support ship before continuing its voyage to Dublin, where it is set to arrive on 14th August. You can find more info in this post. The plan was to travel from Roskilde to Dublin using only oars and sails - like Viking warriors did 1000 years ago.
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Pub where you can serve yourself pints!
2007-07-13 20:41:00
It?s every drinkers dream! The Baggot Inn, one of Dublin ?s oldest pubs reopened last week after eight years offering the chance to pour your own pint of Guinness.The act of pouring a good Guinness has become an art-form and bartenders are specially trained by Guinness to pour the black stuff. But now customers can sit around a table with six to eight friends and pour Guinness from a tab, the first time it has been done in the world. Bartenders have been trained to teach customers how to pour pints, while instructions on each table, ?the six steps to perfection?, will help amateur pint-pullers. The Baggot, the oldest pub on Dublin?s Baggot Street and steeped in musical history, was first licensed in 1700 but closed its doors eight years ago. In the Baggot Inn:- Bono was once turned away from its doors for looking to young until he told the doorman he was the lead singer of the band for the evening- Tracy Chapman launched her career here- Bob Geldof had to beg for a month before he wa...
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Riverdance returns to Dublin!
2007-07-04 22:59:00
Riverdance, the internationally-acclaimed celebration of Irish music, song and dance that has thrilled millions around the world returns to the city where it all began in 1995. Following the success of 3 sell-out seasons in 2004, 2005 & 2006 Riverdance returns for a fourth summer season to the Gaiety Theatre in Dublin . The theatre has re-opened to the iconic strains of Riverdance in June, after five months of extensive renovations. The refurbishment programme include a larger stage, increased orchestra accommodation, the improvement of production and artist facilities, and renovation of the front of house areas.
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iWalk guides in Dublin
2007-06-28 21:45:00
Christchurch Cathedral Dublin Dublin's landmarks like Christchurch Cathedral, St. Patrick's Cathedral and the walls of the ancient city will be laid bare by a modern gadget - iWalk s MP3 Players.By the end of July, visitors will be able to pick up the credit-sized electronic guides in hotels and use them to listen to the history of the city. The guide has a built-in speaker and comes with a map, information card and wrist strap. At a cost of Euro 18 each the iWalks will include atmospheric sound effects and music such as the sound of horse shoes at Dublin Castle. It has a battery lifespan of 12 to 14 hours and when they are finished you can just replace them and use it as a souvenir.
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Leonardo da Vinci's Codex on display in Dublin!
2007-06-12 15:08:00
The Chester Beatty Library in the grounds of Dublin Castle is among handful of world museums chosen to display Codex Leicester notebook, written by Leonardo da Vinci . The 36-page document, that contains more than 300 drawings, diagrams and sketches, is owned by the world?s richest man, Bill Gates. The notebook includes inventions such as designs for strengthening bridges and for flood control. The Codex was acquired by Thomas Coke, 1st Earl of Leicester in 1717. It was owned by him and his descendants for more than two centuries. It was acquired by Gates in 1994, and is the only manuscript by Leonardo in private hands. Additional material in the exhibition comes from TCD, the Library of the University of Cambridge and the Museum of the History of Science in the University of Oxford. To conserve the delicate manuscript, the pages are displayed in climate-controlled cases that regulate the amount of light it is exposed to. Admission is free but booking on the cbl.ie website is advised...
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Four popular bathing spots fail water quality tests!
2007-05-12 13:35:00
Four of the Ireland?s leading bathing spots have failed to meet the minimum EU standards for water quality, with high levels of faecal coliforms detected by Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) tests. Swimming areas at Balbrigan and Malahide in Fingal, north Dublin, Clifden, Co Galway and Dunmore East Main Strand, Co Water ford, all failed the minimum cleanliness standards, with Clifden failing for the second year in a row. The presence of the faecal coliforms at the four sites indicated that inadequately treated (or worst, not treated at all!) was spilling into the bathing areas.Overall water quality levels were high with 127 out 131 sites tested reaching the required EU standards.
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Old enemies sign up to new dawn for the North
2007-05-10 15:25:00
Ian Paisley and Martin McGuinness, once the deadliest enemies, stood shoulder to shoulder in Belfast on Tuesday to consign generations of bitterness to history and clear the way for a spectacular new era of cooperation in the North ern Ireland. Nearly 10 years after the Good Friday Agreement, we witnessed history as DUP leader Dr Paisley and Sinn Fein?s Mr McGuinness pledged themselves to a power-sharing government. On an occasion unlike any other inside Parliament Buildings, Stormont, full of emotion and high on drama they signed up to a deal of a lifetime. Taoiseach (prime minister in Ireland) Bertie Ahern expressed hope that no one in the island of Ireland would ever again feel the anger and pain of old quarrels.
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Ireland had its warmest and sunniest April in history!
2007-05-03 19:34:00
Ireland had its warmest and sunniest April on record this year. Irish weather stations at Birr, Malin Head and in the Phoenix Park in Dublin, where records began more than a century ago, reported the warmest April ever. Met Eireann says that the average temperatures varied between 10C and 11.50C ? nearly three degrees higher than normal for May, never mind April! It was also the sunniest April on record almost everywhere, with monthly totals around 50% higher than normal.Despite the very high monthly values, minimum temperatures fell sharply on several nights under clear skies and there were between 12 and 18 ground frosts recorded at inland stations, around a third more than normal for April. Monthly rainfall totals were well below normal except in the northwest, with the driest April on record at Shannon Airport. The soil was very dry: soil moisture deficits increased significantly during the month ? with the very dry conditions leading to outbreaks of gores fires in many parts of...
More About: History , Ireland , Stor , Land

Ireland is larger!
2007-04-24 17:15:00
Ireland has got bigger since the last time you saw it on the map. The country almost doubled in size after the United Nations agreed to give Ireland ownership of a significant slice of the Atlantic Ocean. The 56.000 sq km stretch of water is equivalent to 80 per cent of the land area of Ireland and is located off of the coast of Kerry and Cork. Under international maritime laws, Ireland can now legally explore and exploit the natural resources of the seabed and subsurface in the area. All the mackerels and salmons - better watch out!
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The Dublin City Soul Festival
2007-04-23 14:20:00
On May 24th - May 27th Dublin will host its first soul music festival. Soul ain't nothing but a feeling" and that's what the Dublin City Soul Fest ival is all about. During those four days we'll enjoy live music, top European djs, the best local talent, International soul gospel stars and the world?s first ever ?Soul Picnic? in the beautiful surroundings of Merrion Square Park. More details on: http://www.dublincitysoulfestival.ie

Viking Dublin now on roadtoireland.eu
2007-04-19 23:48:00
We have added a page on Viking Dublin , feedback is very welcomed!
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Titanic
2007-04-17 22:16:00
On 15 April we marked 95th anniversary of sinking of the famous liner Titanic . Everyone knows the story of RMS Titanic, yet few realise the ship was built in Belfast. In fact, no other city in the world can lay claim to having lived beneath its magnificent shadow for so long. The emerging superstructure dominated Belfast?s Harland & Wolff shipyard for just over two years, from the moment its keel was laid in March 1909 to its launch on 31 May 1911. Only the cold, Atlantic seabed has been its home for longer. Full story of the Titanic and its Belfast connections available here.

Viking Dublin
2007-04-16 00:12:00
To prepare for the arrival of the Viking warship Havhingsten in August to Dublin roadtoireland.eu team visited Dublinia - a multi-media presentation of Dublin's Viking and medieval history. As always to bring you the first hand experience we had to test everything (see photo below). This Medieval heritage centre, located beside Christ Church Cathedral, tells the story of the development of Dublin from the arrival of Vikings to the 16th century.You can walk through reconstructed streets, visit the Merchant's House or observe the quayside activities. On the last floor you will find very informative display on Vikings. Dublinia & The Viking World recreate the lifestyle of Vikings and medieval Dubliners. The exhibition provides a unique insight into their everyday lives and reveals how their influence can still be felt today.The visit was highly enjoyable!
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Belfast - city on the rise
2007-04-13 13:04:00
The Lonely Planet endorsement of Belfast as "city on the rise" was confirmed yesterday with record numbers of visitors reported in 2006. Numbers rose by 6% to 6.8m, with tourists from outside Northern Ireland rising by 11%.Travel Lonely Planet have included Belfast as a City on the Rise in their Blue List, and say Northern Ireland is a Must See Destination for 2007.
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Vikings are coming back to Dublin
2007-04-12 15:20:00
Dublin is to be invaded by Viking s this summer as the warship Havhingsten storms the River Liffey under the power of 65 oarsmen. The Viking ship will arrive on 14 August at the end of an arduous seven-week 1,000 miles voyage from Roskilde in Denmark via Norway and the Orkneys. The ship, also known as the Sea Stallion of Glendalough, will be displayed at the National Museum until its return journey to Denmark next year. The arrival in Dublin will be a homecoming of sorts, as the Sea Stallion is a reconstruction of the Skuldelev 2 ship, built in Dublin in 1042, when the city?s links to the Viking world were at their strongest. The Skuldelev is believed to have sunk in Roskilde Fjord near Copenhagen 30 years later.
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Irish castle king of Europe
2007-04-10 16:13:00
An Irish castle has been named the best-stonewalled accommodation in Europe . Ashford Cast le in Cong, Co. Mayo, topped the list compiled by TripAdvisor. The castle is located just ½ hour from Galway on the shores of Lough Corrib, Ireland's second largest lake. Built in 1625 Ashford is described as having opulent rooms and endless hallways. Book a room in Ashford Castle today!
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Is the era of Guinness coming to an end?
2007-03-28 15:34:00
Lent, finishing next week, is a time when many people in Ireland make sacrifice until Easter Sunday. Quite few gave up drinking alcohol for several weeks, though some made exception for St. Patrick?s Day.But that?s not the main reason of falling Guin ness sale (the 2006 figures for Ireland and Britain show a drop of 7%, continuing a trend that began years ago). The scale of the shift from drinking Guinness, which takes its dark colour from the roasted barley, appears even more dramatic given that Ireland has the fastest growing population in the European Union.Some people blame the trend on the Irish Republic's smoking ban in pubs; others say it has to do with a crackdown on drink-driving. The main reason however is changing life-style as new wealth, new opportunities and immigration transform tastes and drinking habits in Ireland.Alongside the decline of Guinness is an increasing appetite for wine, spirits, cider and imported beer. People are drinking more alcohol at home and are m...
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Lies about the Battle of Thermopylae. Why we should call it ?1000? and not
2007-03-23 14:41:00
The recent movie ?300? is based on the comic book and shouldn?t be treated as historically accurate. Unfortunately newspapers and TV are using ?300? as a valid source of information about the battle! We can read that: ?300 Sparta ns held out against the armies of the Persian emperor Xerxes? or ?King Leonidas, who leads just ?300? Spartans against Xerxes and his massive army of decadent Persians ? all to protect Western democracy.? Hold on a second! Do not mix what is promising to be a great movie with history! Have we all forgotten about 700 Thespians and 6,000 other Greek allies fighting in the battle! OK out of the initial 7,000-strong Greek army, all but over 1,000 were dismissed on the third day. Why? Late on the second day of battle Leonidas received a windfall: a Malian Greek traitor offered to guide the Persian army through the pass around Thermopylae. King had stationed 1,000 Phocian volunteers on the heights to guard that path. Unfortunately they were surprised by the Persia...
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Skyfest Dublin
2007-03-18 23:49:00
Unfortunately, due to extreme winds and bad weather conditions see snow in the last post!!! the skyfest was cancelled this evening. I finished in pub for the night ;-)It was supposed to be one of Europe's biggest explosive displays of fireworks. A one-meter swell on the river and strong wind (up to 60 kmh) meant that barges used to rig the fireworks could not operate safely. This time even St. Patrick could not change the weather to accomodate the Skyfest being held in his honour. Maybe next year... Below photos from 2005 Skyfest.Custom House by night
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St. Patrick's Day parade in Dublin
2007-03-18 15:38:00
As one could expected? it rained yesterday, fortunately it never poured! People start to arrive to O'Connell Street as early as 10am to secure a good vantage point (parade began at 12 noon). Para de was breathtaking, three thousand performers, ten marching bands (one without instruments as they were lost in transit ;-) ? big cheer for courage to march without instruments!). Themed ?legendary? the spirits of Irish, European and worlds myths and legends came alive through magnificent and colourful costumes and platforms. The parade was very multicultural as today?s Ireland is. We could admire Brazilian maracatu dancers; Liberties samba band from Dublin ; brightly coloured Sikh; marching bands from USA; musicians from Spain and Germany; Lithuanians, Poles and many others.According to Irish Times over 650 thousand people attended the parade; you could really see an ocean of green all over city. More photos available here.Now I?m looking forward to the Skyfest in Docklands this evening ...
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