I was stuck for ideas on what to do for New Years, so when an opportunity arose to visit Dublin I was delighted.
Despite spending a couple of years traveling the world I’d never taken the short trip across to Ireland, it was time to put that right.
New Year represented the start of The Gathering in Ireland, an initiative to invite anyone with links to Ireland or just a love for the country to visit and attend some of the many events being hosted throughout the year.
In my mind Dublin would be a modern but historical city littered with interesting tales and significant landmarks. It didn’t disappoint, it’s certainly somewhere I’ll be revisiting in the future. Most people will tell you that the most redeeming aspect of Dublin is in its locals, you’ll find them welcoming, witty and full of character. This mix of history, character and charm make Dublin a decent choice to celebrate the New Year.
Procession Of Light
Our New Years eve began by joining a packed procession of lanterns, drummers and costumes. Kids and parents had been given a class in how to make their own lanterns beforehand which made the winding walk have a welcoming family feel to it. The procession danced its way towards St Stephen’s Green to the beat of the drums where the crowd would wait in anticipation for the evening big bang firework display.
St Stephen’s Green Fireworks
Revellers awaiting the firework display
At St Stephen’s Green revellers were treated to displays of dance, music and street theatre in the build up to what was a fantastic firework display. It was interesting to be watching fireworks so early in the evening at 8pm on New Years but it was family friendly and meant we also had plenty to look forward to later on in the evening.
Countdown Concert at College Green
Colourful projection counts down to New Year
After all the excitement of the firework, at St Stephen’s Green, we headed back to College Green for the countdown concert. Giant 3D visuals were projected on the historic Trinity College counting down the seconds to 2013 and the start of The Gathering 2013.
As the clock struck 12 a host of fireworks lit up the sky and the street party kicked on, there were performances from Ham Sandwich, Bell X1 and Imelda May, who saw us into the New Year with her rendition of Pogue’s classic “Dirty Old Town”.
A Different New Years
I’ve spent New Years in Edinburgh and was a little disappointed after expecting some kind of fairy tale type New Years that in places resembled a drunken night out in any UK town. Thankfully, Dublin was surprisingly different. With the procession, the fireworks early on in the evening, it had a very family friendly feel to it. The countdown concert was fun, welcoming, exciting and full of smiles without people taking it to excess (from what I saw).
I’d presumed that New Years in Dublin was a huge event but learnt that it’s only in the last few years that large celebrations have been laid on. It’s probably due to being relatively unknown as a New Year destination that the city has such warm and welcoming feel for such a large-scale event.
Westin Hotel
Over New Year we stayed in the Westin Hotel which is positioned in the perfect location for the celebrations, just a two minute walk from College Green. The hotel was everything you’d expect from a five star hotel. During our stay we had to call a doctor as my girlfriend was ill and the staff at the hotel were extremely helpful.
You usually know when you are in a quality hotel as the beds are so comfortable that it makes it difficult to leave the hotel in the morning, this was certainly the case with The Westin Hotel. The Hotel is also situated in an ideal spot opposite Trinity College to explore Ireland’s historic capital.
Our brief New Years trip to Dublin had been interesting, fun, exciting, memorable and left us wanting to come back to see all the sights we didn’t have the opportunity to explore.
The New Years Eve trip to Dublin was organised by Fáilte Ireland.
