Volcanic Ash Charter

At Temple Bar Hotel we are committed to ensuring our guests have an enjoyable and memorable stay with us. Due to the recent volcanic ash cloud disruptions we have developed a charter which we hope will reassure our guests.

If your flight is canceled due to the volcanic ash cloud, we will offer you the following:

· The normal 24 hour cancellation fee is wavered, there will be no charge for cancellations due to the volcanic ash cloud.

· If you do cancel your reservation with us we will guarantee you a rate of €59 (room only) if you re-book with us. You can use this rate at any time in the future (subject to availability).

· If you need to extend your stay with us because your flight is cancelled, we will offer you this rate of €59 room only for the remainder of your stay with us.

· We will be happy to assist you with your onward travel arrangements by contacting airlines/ferry companies/airports for you.

· If you need to extend your stay by two nights or more we will offer a complimentary ticket for a walking tour of Dublin.

· We will offer you 30% off our laundry facilities.

· We offer a €5 main course lunch in Buskers Bar and we will also offer a 10% discount on evening meals in the bar.

· There is complimentary WiFi access available throughout the hotel and bar.

· We will offer complimentary access to the nearby Health & Fitness club.

· Complimentary tea/coffee and newspaper will be made available throughout your stay with us.

· We will provide a 15% discount on Aircoach tickets to Dublin airport.

· We will offer our Full Irish Breakfast for a reduced price of €7.95.

Top 10 things to see & do in Dublin!

Many Irish people are opting for the staycation option this year and the big dilemma will be where exactly to holiday at home! A few days in the capital offers visitors not only a wealth of things to do but now there is really good value for money to be got here too!

Guinness Storehouse
The Guinness Storehouse is Dublin's most popular visitor attraction. Here you will discover all there is to know about what goes into the making of 'the black stuff'. You can conclude your visit with a complimentary Pint in the stunning Gravity Bar which offers panoramic views of the Dublin skyline.

Book of Kells
The Book of Kells is a 9th Century illuminated manuscript on permanent display in Dublin's Trinity College. Over 500, 000 people come to view this ornate historical book each year.

Dublin Bus Tour
The Dublin Bus Tour offers visitors a convenient way to see Dublin city and its tourist attractions. You can hop on and hop off the bus as often as you wish and the tour guides will ensure you are both well informed and entertained while enroute.

Jameson Distillery
The Distillery was built in 1780 and the tour brings you on a complete tour of whiskey making and ends with a whiskey tasting in the Jameson bar. A visit to the distillery is a truly unforgettable experience as visitors can get a true sense of Ireland and its history.

Dublin Castle
Dublin Castle is one of the city's most historical attractions. Built in 1204 it is one of the oldest surviving buildings in the city. It now houses a new visitor centre in its vaulted basement.

Dublin Zoo
Dublin Zoo is the third oldest zoo in the world (after London and Paris). The zoo has over 240 species of wild animals and tropical birds. It is a popular attraction for both locals and visitors. It is located in Phoenix Park, fondly known as Dublin's playground, it is the largest park in Europe and offers a welcome retreat for city dwellers looking to escape the hustle and bustle of city life.

Kilmainham Gaol
Kilmainham Gaol is well worth a visit as it provides an insight into the history of Irish Republicanism. It is one of the most famous disused prisons in Ireland.

St. Stephen's Green
This city centre park is beautifully landscaped with flowerbeds, trees, lakes and a fountain. It is a popular spot for office workers at lunch time, especially during the summertime.

Trinity College
Trinity College was founded in 1592 and among its most famous students to attend the college were playwrights Oliver Goldsmith and Samuel Beckett. Trinity College is home to the Book of Kells.

Temple Bar
The Temple Bar area is a must see for everyone visiting Dublin. This cultural area of Dublin has become known as the Old City and it possesses a unique and wonderful atmosphere and buzz. The bars and restaurants are alive with music and dance every evening and numerous festivals and events take place here throughout the year.

Temple Bar Hotel is currently offering a special rate of €79 per person sharing for two nights B&B, a complimentary drink on arrival, tickets to either the Guinness Storehouse, Jameson Distillery or Dublin Bus Tour. An optional third night is available for just €30 per person sharing. To book call (01) 677 3333 or email reservations@tbh.ie

Handel's Festival Dublin, April 13th

As I have said in many posts, Temple Bar is a great area for hosting free events. Coming up on Tuesday, 13th April is 'In Handel's Day' which is a one day event run by Temple Bar Cultural Trust. The famous Handel's Messiah was first performed in Temple Bar (on Fishamble Street) on April 13th, 1742 and on April 13th this year there will be lots of free activities from 10am to midnight to commemorate it. Some of the events include:

Let's Walk & Talk: Handel's Dublin - Then & Now (11am)
This is a historical walking tour with Pat Liddy. It is free and no booking is required.

Messiah on the Street (1pm)
A unique choral performance of excerpts from Handel's Messiah on the original site on Fishamble Street, Temple Bar where Messiah received its world premiere in 1742. Again this is free and no booking is required.

Fishamble Street is a 5 minute walk from Temple Bar Hotel.
Check out www.templebar.ie for a full programme of events.

Free Travel for Tourists!

Are you a tourist visiting Ireland? Are you aged 66 or over?

If you said yes to both questions you are entitled to a free Golden Trekker ticket!

Golden Trekker tickets entitle you to free rail travel when in Ireland. The scheme which launched today provides free rail travel to all tourists to Ireland aged 66 and over. There is no restriction on nationality or country of residence.

You can access your tickets on www.discoverireland.com. The tickets will take the form of a four day Trekker ticket or a sequence of four day tracker tickets depending on the length of stay, providing visitors with unrestricted rail travel for a set period. Each four day ticket is worth €100.

Irish senior citizens can currently avail of free travel and every time my mother who lives at home in West Cork comes to visit myself and my two sisters in Dublin she likes to remind us that she used her free travel pass. I witnessed her producing her pass to the train inspector recently and the look of apprehension on her face expressed the fear that he would demand she pay up! But the scheme is genuine and hopefully our Golden Trekkers will help strengthen Irish tourism by encouraging visitors to move around our beautiful countryside and cities. Check out routes and times on www.irishrail.ie. Unfortunately I have to wait another 36 years to avail of free travel!!

Dublin Convention Centre

I am just back from a site visit of the Dublin Convention Centre and I am very impressed! The Convention Centre is due to open on 1st September and it will bring a lot of business for Dublin hotels. Myself and my colleague walked there this morning from Temple Bar Hotel and it took us just over fiftheen minutes. The other option is to walk five minutes to the Luas stop and it would be just another five minutes on the Luas.

What I loved about the Convention Centre it is the glass fronted atrium. The idea being that when you are moving around the centre itself you can actually see panoramic views Dublin City! The taxi fare from the Dublin Convention Centre back to Temple Bar Hotel was €7.30 which is very good! I think a lot of visitors will want to stay city centre and especially in the Temple Bar area where they can really relax and experience Dublin after a long day in a meeting. There are so many bars, restaurants and cafes in the area that visitors will be spoilt for choice.

Festival of Russian Culture

Dublin continues to amaze me! The amount of festivals and events in this city is just fantastic. Well I do come from rural West Cork where the only event was the annual Festival with the 'Rag' as the main event!! I've just found out about the Festival of Russian Culture started on February 15th and continues until February 21st. There will be a collection of informative films on Russia screened in Meeting House Square, Temple Bar this evening and tomorrow evening. If I hadn't made plans already I'd love to go along to the Pepper Canister Church to see the musical 'To Russia with Love'. Click here for a full list of events for the festival.
Most of the festival events are walking distance from Temple Bar Hotel.

St. Patrick's Day Grandstand tickets to giveaway!

St. Patrick's Day is something special and spending the day in Dublin is on most people's to do list. The Dublin Parade is always a spectacular event and this year the theme is 'Extraordinary world'. Scenes from the Dublin parade are broadcast throughout the world and thousands come to the city to see for themselves how the Irish celebrate being Irish!



The biggest problem on the day is trying to find the best vantage point to view the parade. That's where we help out! We have two pairs of VIP Grandstand tickets to give away to the first two people who book into Temple Bar Hotel for March 16th and 17th. Just email me on sales@tbh.ie or call me (01) 612 9286 to book your room (€80 per person per night) and claim the tickets! The tickets are worth €60 each! For more information on the hotel see http://www.templebarhotel.com/.

We also have 10 tens of tickets for the City at Play fun fairs for the 10 best comments that describe their best St. Patrick's Day in 30 words or less!