Introduction
What could be better than getting together with your best mates and having some time away from work, family commitments, and all the stress of everyday living? Well, let us tell you. What is better than doing all the stuff we mentioned is doing all the stuff we mentioned…but doing it in Ireland.
1. Galway
When it comes to lad’s holiday destinations in Ireland, Galway should always be a major contender. Millions of visitors automatically flock to Dublin but that’s a bit of a rookie error. Not that we don’t love Dublin, because we do. We’re not monsters, after all, but Galway has a charm and a pace all its own.
Galway sits on the west coast of Ireland, jutting into the clear waters of the Atlantic. Amongst other things, Galway is known as the festival capital of Ireland due to the sheer number of parties they host. There are more than 100 each year, including a comedy festival, Galway Races, an International Oyster Festival and the world-famous International Arts Festival, which last for a full two weeks. Yes. That’s TWO WEEKS.
For a lad’s holiday destination in Ireland, Galway is a fantastic choice. There’s no end of things to do in the city proper, like visiting the historic sites, living it up in the Latin Quarter, and enjoying the lively atmosphere at the bars and restaurants lining Quay Street. If you fancy going a bit further afield, Galway is the perfect base for day tripping to sights, like the Burren and Cliffs of Moher UNESCO Geopark, Connemara National Park, or the amazing Wild Atlantic Way.
In terms of activities, as Galway sits on the west coast, there’s plenty of choice for avid adventurers. Kayaking, paddle boarding and surfing are popular activities, which make the most of the location. On land, you can challenge your mates to paintballing, bowling, archery, or bubble ball. For evening entertainment, food and drinks are aplenty throughout the city, with a huge range of different cuisines, including traditional Irish, obviously. Galwegians are known to be a friendly lot, so asking for local recommendations is always a good way to engage in conversation and see Galway as its residents do.
Check out everything on offer in Galway for a truly unique lads holiday experience.
2. Cork
Cork is the second-largest city in the Republic of Ireland and has a population of around 210,000. It is known as the foodie capital of Ireland because of its fresh produce, local artisan makers and sellers, so it’s safe to say you won’t be lacking in options for great grub while you’re in town.
Activities
As a lad’s holiday destination, on top of the fantastic food, Cork, which is divided by waters of the River Lee, has a plethora of watery activities on offer, as well as many…less soggy endeavours. Rafting, canoeing and cruising are all popular outings, as are indulging in a spot of paintball (shooting at humans), clay pigeon shooting (not shooting at humans), go-karting (driving faster than humans), and gladiator jousting (poking humans with inflatable lance in the hope of pushing them off stuff).
If you like a bit of history mixed into your lad’s weekend in Ireland, Cork has a County Gaol, the Elizabeth Fort, St Fin Barre’s Cathedral, and the amazing campus and buildings of University College Cork.
Accommodation
Accommodation is plentiful and there’s a good range from basic hostel rooms to plush high-end hotels and apartments with views across the river. If you fancy self-catering, take a trip to the famous English Market and pick up some quality ingredients to make a meal for your mates before you hit the city streets in the evening.
Night activities
When the sun goes down, the narrow streets of Cork city centre come alive with the sounds of laughter and live music from its many bars and pubs. If all that isn’t enough for you, or your group isn’t ready to hit the hay at last orders, there are plenty of late-night spots to choose from to kick back and relax into the early hours.
Check out everything on offer in Cork for an incredible lads holiday trip to Ireland’s second city.
3. Dublin
We’re not sure how much we can say about Ireland’s amazing capital city that hasn’t already been said a million times over. Everyone knows about it, even if they haven’t been. We know it’s famous for its music, its writers and poets, its beer and its craic.
We also know that Dublin lassies, like their counterparts across Ireland, are listed as some of the most beautiful in the world. They’re also smart, funny and feisty AF, so gentlemanly conduct is highly recommended to ensure you don’t embarrass yourself. Celtic women give as good as they get.
As a lad’s holiday destination in Ireland, Dublin generally comes out at the top of the pile for too many reasons to list here.
Activities
Outside the top sights of the city, which include Trinity College, the Guinness Storehouse, Dublin Zoo, The National Museum of Ireland, and St Stephen’s Green, there’s lots of fun to be had wandering around their famous statues. Plus, you can’t really say you’ve spent the weekend in Dublin without shopping on Grafton Street and enjoying the nightlife in the city’s Temple Bar area.
If you haven’t had a pint of Guinness in Ireland, you haven’t lived. You’ll no doubt know it doesn’t travel well, and it’s true. If you’re still not a fan of the taste, try a Black and Black, which is Guinness with a bit of blackcurrant to sweeten it up, or a Dublin Milkshake, which consists of Irish whiskey, Irish cream and ice cream. Not suitable for children but extremely suitable for adults…
If you’re looking for something fun to do during a day in Dublin, why not try out a whiskey tasting session, a silent disco, or hit up a golf course or driving range? Being a major European capital means there’s no chance of running out of amazing activities, regardless of your preferences.
Accommodation
In terms of accommodation, although Dublin is a wee bit more expensive than some other capitals, there’s still a huge range of reasonably priced hotels and self-catering apartments to choose from. If you want to go all out, you also won’t have any trouble finding a high-end hotel to give your money to.
Check out everything on offer in Dublin for an epic city lads holiday away.
4. Kilkenny
Kilkenny is a gorgeous medieval city with lots of pretty sites and one of the most photographed castles in Ireland. But none of that really matters for your lads holiday, does it? Let’s move on.
Activities
Located on a river, Kilkenny is the ideal place as a lads holiday destination in Ireland for anyone who wants to get out on the water. From cruising the Nore to kayaking or paddle-boarding, you’re sure to find a way to get the adrenaline coursing with your mates.
If wetsuits aren’t really your thing, there are plenty of land-based activities, too. Take yourselves off into the forest on an assault course, hit up the local go-karting circuit, or release your stress by shooting at your mates during a paintballing session. You know they’ll forgive you if you buy them a pint afterwards.
Speaking of pints, Kilkenny also has an excellent tasting tour to lead you around the city centre hostelries and try out the local beer. It’s difficult to go wrong when there’s beer involved.
Night activities
For an evening’s entertainment, Kilkenny is well-known for its range of pubs and bars, with everything from traditional to chic and modern. An Pucan is a favourite for beer, pub grub and music, while Matt the Miller’s serves a mean plate of fish and chips. Accommodation wise, there are budget-friendly local hostels, guests house for smaller groups, and independent local hotels with easy access to the city centre and main attractions.
5. Carrick-on-Shannon
Despite Carrick-on-Shannon’s small size, it has one hell of a reputation as a lads holiday destination in Ireland. It’s also famous for its hen and stag night offerings, so you know the locals know how to entertain their visitors and it’ll never lack a local party scene.
Activities
For day activities, being river-based, there are numerous cruises and lots of boat-related fun to be had. There’s good reason Carrick-on-Shannon is known as the Cruising Capital of Ireland.
If you’d rather not be on the water but actually *in* the water, you can go kayaking or paddle-boarding to wake yourselves up in the morning.
If adrenaline rushes are your thing, there are some mean zip wires in the area, so swing on by the forest to take in the sights in a more novel way.
If you want to combine activities, you can also opt for clay pigeon shooting, footgolf, paintballing, or getting out into the surrounding countryside on a quad and getting the fresh air your Mam always said would be good for you. As everyone knows, Mams are rarely, if ever, wrong about…well, anything.
Night activities
Evenings in Carrick are for pub crawls and getting to know the locals. The town centre has a raft of pubs and bars offering a warm welcome and a cold beer. With Carrick’s reputation for parties, you know you’re in for a good night.
Kicking off with dinner, great steaks, burgers and Irish stews are not difficult to find in a host of traditional and modern establishments around the town. Walking around is easy, so the only hard thing about a Carrick pub crawl is deciding which ones to choose.
If you just can’t quit after a night of musical chairs in town, hit up a popular local nightclub, Murtagh’s Bar or Club 360 to dance and drink until the wee small hours of the morning. Then get up and do it all again.
Conclusion
We’ve listed the top 5 spots but there are some great places off the beaten track or in the lesser-known towns that would make for a brilliant trip if you’re keener on the great outdoors and quality time together.
No matter where you and your lads decide to take your weekend lads holiday in Ireland, we know it’ll be epic.
