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
The Irish are sticklers for traditions and rituals. We love them. Sunday dinners are treated like an almost religious experience (and like Mass, you’ll be talked about if you miss it) and don’t dare trying to change channels during The Late Late Show. Of course, this love of tradition extends to Christmas. In honour of … More Top 10 Things Every Irish Christmas Should Include
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
Described as “arty, bohemian…[and] renowned for its pleasures” by travel bible, Lonely Planet, Galway is a unique spot on the west coast. It’s the hot favourite to be Ireland’s European Capital of Culture in 2020 and with its laid-back vibe, lively nightlife, rich cultural scene and wealth of festivals all year round, it’s easy to … More Top 5 Picks: Galway
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…
Traditionally, shamrock has been known as the patriotic plant of Ireland but you may need to think again. The Emerald Isle right is going through what we can only describe as a ‘Hops Renaissance’. The Irish have a long history of brewing, from the 13th century monks who laid the foundation for the Smithwick’s Brewery … More Fantastic Brews & Where to Find Them: Ireland’s Microbrewery Explosion
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
With the news that Ashford Castle was just named number one on the ‘Best Hotels in the World for Fall 2015’ list by The Huffington Post, this week’s blog will focus on the top Irish hotels in castles (and one very worthy manor house). Playing at being a Lord or Lady for a night or … More 5 Top Picks: Irish Castle Hotels
The official results are in for our European Capital of Culture poll and the location with the most votes is: The Three Sisters (Kilkenny, Waterford & Wexford) with 45.65%! Limerick—National City of Culture 2014—followed very close behind with 41.9%. The ‘City of the Tribes’, Galway, garnered 8.49% of the public vote while Ireland’s actual capital, … More ECOC Poll Results: And the winner is…
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
The Best of Ireland Series 