After a delayed flight, I made it to Dublin and met up with Christian Schmelter from Tifco who was kindly hosting me for the weekend’s FAM trip. After checking in to the Hilton Kilmarmham where I would spend the first night, we were treated to a selection of cocktails (including a very moreish “Candyfloss Kiss”) a shot of Guinness (in preparation for our early morning tour of the Guinness Storehouse) and some tasty canapés before heading into the vibrant city centre for dinner at The Cleaver East Restaurant which is located within the U2 owned Clarence Hotel. After indulging in dinner we headed to one of Dublin’s most fashionable late night venue, The House, on Leeson Street for dancing and drinks.
Well rested, I headed down for breakfast and then we were on our way to the Guinness Storehouse for a tour of the facilities. There’s so much to see here and learn about the way Guinness is made, the history and of course, it has fantastic rooms for a variety of activities. A great option if you are looking for something fun and of course, topped off with a pint of Guinness poured by your own hand in the Gravity Bar. Our next stop was the beautiful Christ Church Cathedral. If you are looking for the “WOW” factor, this is definitely a top choice! With the option of the cathedral or the crypt, a variety of events would work brilliantly in here and has some great talking points such as the famous “Cat and the Rat” which were discovered in the Organs pipes in the 1850’s, they are now on display in the crypt (on request, this can be removed if anyone is squeamish!)
Ready for lunch, we stopped off at The Cliff Townhouse on St. Stephen’s Green for “Afternoon Sea”, a fishy take on afternoon tea, served up was some of the most delicious seafood Dublin has to offer. A couple of doors down is the wonderfully interesting and quirky “Little Museum of Dublin” which is filled with lots of memorabilia of all the best from Dublin’s history! As well as being open to the public daily, they are also available for evening hire. If you are looking for a drinks reception with some great talking points for guests, this a great option!
Our next stop was the Pearse Lyons Distillery which has some lovely meeting rooms available or, if you are looking for something a bit different, the distillery itself can be turned into a beautiful setting with a balcony overlooking the room, for a drinks reception, product launch or dinner. A quick introduction into the process of whiskey making, a taste test was in order…!
To finish our busy day, we stopped off at one of Dublin’s most iconic Victorian era pubs for a well-deserved Irish coffee before heading to our next Hotel for the evening, the stunning Clontarf Castle. Pulling up, I have to say, I was in awe of how beautiful the castle was and even more so when I stepped inside. The plush surroundings would welcome any style of event and I am confident that all delegates would feel extra special within the grounds. A quick freshen up, a Gin Tasting Masterclass was our next stop. Clontarf’s Castles Bar Manager treated us to a selection of gins and suggesting the best accompanying tonics and fruits. After a delicious three course dinner in the award winning double AA rosette restaurant, The Fahrenheit, we moved on to the newest hot spot to open in Dublin, The Grayson.
On the final day, with the sun shining, we split into groups and it was competition time… an interactive treasure hunt around Dublin city centre! Armed with our team names and iPads, we were off….an hour of running around to make sure we got the most points, convincing strangers on the street to participate in “star” challenges, some very dodgy dance moves and an hour later we made it back to “base” to have the scores revealed ….. we lost!!!! After congratulating the winning team (because of course, I am not a sore loser!) we made our way for our final venue inspection of the weekend, Crowne Plaza Dublin Airport. The versatile spaces available here are beautiful, quirky and nature is a theme of the hotel with hanging butterflies, interactive flooring and lots of light, calming colours. With many meeting rooms to choose from, all working for a variety of events, this is a top choice in Dublin!
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