We love a good Christmas Market; who doesn’t? There’s something extremely special about them, from the handmade local crafts and foods to the warming hot chocolate bobbing in gloved hands, all set to the theme tune of jolly Christmas tunes or the sound of a choir somewhere in the distance. From their earliest incarnations all … More Top 5 Christmas Markets
All eyes were on Dublin Castle last Friday as the who’s who of Ireland’s European Capital of Culture bids gathered nervously into the room where they would find out who would make the shortlist to continue their campaign and who would ultimately be going home. Thanks to the generously tech-savvy Galway 2020 team, we were … More The Race to 2020 Continues: Three shortlisted for European Capital of Culture
We love to travel. When you’re in a country as beautiful and rich in culture and heritage as Ireland it’s hard not to want to take a leaf out of The Beach Boys’ songbook and get around. Problem is, all this travelling tends to add up. A bus fare here, admission to a museum there, … More Travel Hacks: Top deals on the road
We love Halloween. The colours, the costumes, the spooky stories, the brisk breeze in the air, the vague creeping worry that any encounter with a barmbrack may land you in the dentist’s chair; it’s a great time. Halloween has deep roots in Ireland, linked with our ancient Samhain festival celebrating the end of the harvest … More It’s A Wonderful (After)Life: Top 5 Things to do this Halloween
Last week with the leafy beginnings of autumn in our minds, we called on our readers to vote for their favourite Irish park. On the ballot were some of the most beautiful parks and adventure trails in the country and our readers took to the poll in their droves as well as getting in contact on our … More Ireland’s Favourite Park: And the winner is…
Over the last two weeks on our Facebook page we set out to find Ireland’s favourite coffee. It brought us all across the country; from hotels on the banks of the Shannon in Limerick, to cosy little coffee shops in Galway, right across to the chic cafés of Dublin and finally… to a wine bar! We called … More Ireland’s Favourite Coffee: And the Winner is…
Autumn has arrived; the schools are back, the days are getting shorter, the heavy black bin bags are starting to look a lot more like a makeshift Halloween costume and you’ve definitely heard at least one person give out about the fact that the ‘Christmas decorations are starting to come out already’. It’s a beautiful … More Top 5 Irish Parks
It seems like almost overnight we’ve become a country of coffee drinkers. From French and Italian roasts to South American blends, we’re mad for a cup. As a nation we consumed 3,992 tonnes of coffee in 2013, and with all this boosted exposure to artisan and speciality brews we’re becoming a lot more inquisitive and … More Ireland’s Coffee Culture (… and our search for Ireland’s favourite coffee)
As we approach Children’s Month in Ireland, the BOI team hand-picked just a few of the great autumnal goings-on to help make this back to school season one to remember. Let’s take a look! … More Curing the Back to School Blues
You might have heard a rumour lately about something arty going on in Ireland in 2020. It’s got a lot of native arts practitioners excited and of course, it’s got a few counties and regions geared up to make a play for the coveted designation. As the bid for the European Capital of Culture 2020 … More The Race to 2020: Ireland’s Capital of Culture
The Best of Ireland Series 