Dublin Classic

Your weekend, day by day

1. 1

   Day 1

   

   Beer tasting & brewery tour

   From about 14:00 · 2 hours

   Arrival day. The transfer brings the group into the centre, then the beer tasting in the afternoon: a look at how the beer is made and a guided flight at the table. A sit-down start to the weekend.

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   The big one is the stout visitor experience at St James's Gate in Dublin 8: a self-guided route over seven floors, about 90 minutes to two hours, finishing with a pint in a rooftop bar with views across the city. It is one of the busiest attractions in Ireland, so book a timed slot. For something smaller, a working craft brewery runs one-hour behind-the-scenes tours with four core beers for groups of 10 to 25, and an experimental brewery offers tasting boards of four. All 18+.

   The tour covers how the beer is actually made, through the mash tun, the fermenters and the cellar, and takes about an hour. Then you sit down to a guided tasting of a flight of their beers, usually four or five, with someone explaining what you are drinking.

   It is a sit-down, talk-to-each-other activity rather than a drinking session, and it works well for a group that has been on it since Friday. Most breweries have a taproom you can stay in afterwards.

   Working sites mean closed-toe shoes and no flip-flops. Some breweries put on food; check before you book dinner elsewhere.

   

   Group dinner & restaurant

   From about 19:30 · 2 hours

   The booked group dinner, with one table for the whole group. Confirm final numbers and any dietary needs with the restaurant ahead of the day. If the group is heading out afterwards, dress for the bars rather than the restaurant.

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   Most group dinners that suit a stag in Dublin are in and around Temple Bar, which leaves the first pub a short walk away. Expect a set menu of two or three courses at reserved tables, about two hours, and sometimes a first drink included. Smart casual is the usual standard, and several places turn away trainers, sportswear and ripped jeans, so pack one pair of proper shoes. Bring ID, as 18+ checks are common. Service charge is often added to anything ordered beyond the set menu, so agree up front how extras will be split.

   A restaurant taking a large group will usually want a set menu, a deposit and final numbers a few days ahead. That is normal and it works in your favour: the food comes out together and the bill is per head rather than an hour of arithmetic.

   Tell them about allergies and anyone who does not eat meat when you confirm the numbers, not on the night.

   Dress code is the restaurant's. If you are heading to a club afterwards, dress for the club, because the restaurant is the softer door.

2. 2

   Day 2

   

   Football & footgolf

   From about 12:00 · 1.5 hours

   Football on a booked pitch, with bibs and balls provided and the teams up to you; add a referee if the group needs one. Trainers or moulded boots depending on the surface. Football first, pubs afterwards.

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   Footgolf is the stand-out here: 18 holes on a course near the city, out in Dublin 24, played in teams of four with an event co-ordinator scoring. Allow two to four hours depending on numbers, with start times from 10am to 6pm. Studded boots are not allowed and loud golf clothes are encouraged. Footdarts and goggle football are shorter, about an hour (90 minutes for 21 or more), on all-weather pitches such as those around Templeogue. For something properly local, a refereed session of Gaelic football and hurling suits a sporty group. Venues are often confirmed about two weeks out.

   A pitch booking gives you the surface, the bibs and the balls for an hour or two, and you sort your own teams. Add a referee if the group needs one, and most do.

   Footgolf is the softer version: a golf course, a football, and you play the holes by kicking. It takes a couple of hours, it is walkable, and it works for a group with a wide spread of fitness.

   Trainers or moulded boots depending on the surface, and check which before you pack. Studs are refused on most artificial pitches.

3. 3

   Day 3

   

   Guided bar crawl

   From about 20:00 · 5 hours

   The guided pub crawl: meet the guide at a fixed point and move through a run of pubs and bars, with the doors handled. Last orders come earlier than in mainland Europe, so the start is earlier than you might expect.

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   Dublin crawls meet at 8pm, and the group needs to be there by 8.15pm or risk missing the start. Expect around five hours across five or six pubs and bars, a pint of stout on arrival, three or four shots along the way and entry to a club to finish. Some routes lean on live music, which is the point of a night out here. Public crawls take groups of up to about 20; from 21 upwards you can have a private guide. Smart casual is the safe choice for the club at the end, and 18+ ID is checked.

   You meet the guide at a fixed point and move through a run of bars across the evening, usually four or five, finishing at a club. The guide knows the doors, so you skip the queue and the group is not turned away for being too large.

   Most crawls include a welcome drink or a shot at each stop, and entry to the final venue. The rest is on you. Groups from several bookings are often merged, which some stags like and some do not, so ask whether yours is private.

   Dress code is the club's, not the guide's. No trainers and no sportswear at the last venue, and matching shirts get refused at some doors.