Real Talk: Dublin for St. Patty's is it Worth it?

Does a Guinness taste better on March 17th?

Well well well... this is realistically the biggest question you'll be hit with once exchange destinations roll out. March 2019 will come around and everyone you know will have already booked for 2020, but don't worry Undergrad Overseas has got your back.

"WAIT. BACK UP. Did you just say everyone will have booked for March 2020?!?"

We know. It sounds daunting but it isn't! So here is the low down:

ACCOMMODATIONS

St. Patty's itself is MAYHEM, which means booking accommodations can be MAYHEM. All Queen's U students stay at Abbey Court...or like 90% do. If someone you know didn't stay at Abbey Court, it's because they booked an Airbnb with friends to save some money and then the host cancelled on them and they had to find a hostel somewhere else and fast (guaranteed).

So why do we all go to Abbey Court??

Honestly no reason - it's just become tradition. If you could convince a whole group of friends to book somewhere else it would be cheaper and nicer, but Abbey is where everyone is and so it's where everyone wants to be.

What are the benefits though?

- huge common space downstairs where the whole year can go pre each night and hang!

- free breakfast (nothing fancy but it gets the job done, and you eat with friends)

- bound to run into friends you haven't seen in a while!

- if you get lost from your friends, everyone you find is going the same way back!

- super close to downtown core

Why not stay somewhere else?

- Abbey Court is SUPER strict about guests only (ie. if you aren't a guest with a key you can't go to said pre's) Trust us. You can't sneak in.

- It's sooo much easier to figure out what people are doing when you can ask in person

Are there any benefits to staying somewhere else?

- It'll be no joke 3x cheaper and 2x nicer (even with jacked prices for St. Patty's)

HOT TIP: Book a 4-6 bed and fill it with your friends - do not buy one of the cheap 18 beds. It's loud, people are drunk and you just generally aren't setting yourself up for success.

ACTIVITIES

Most people you know will try and go to Ireland either a few days early, or stay a few days late because they want to explore the city and surrounding landmarks. If this is you (and it was me), know that it's A LOT cheaper to do it another time, but there's also a lot of time and money associated with travelling back and forth twice so you'll have to make that decision on your own.

If you do choose to stay in Ireland, one thing that was super worthwhile was the Paddy Wagon Tour to the Cliffs of Moher the day before St. Patty's! You will not get the peace and serenity that is meant to be the cliffs, but you will get a bus ride filled with friends and fun. The whole world does this tour. Like quite literally this one tour group alone takes 800 people that day... (at staggered arrival times don't worry).

The tour leaves in the morning, and drives across the country with intermittent tour guide talks along the way. You'll also get to stop down by the water for a little to stretch your legs/bathroom break, a lunch break in a small village, and again at the mini cliffs before making it to the site itself!

In our opinion, whether you go at St. Patty's or not, do the tour.

HOT TIP: Guinness Storehouse Tour is also a must! If you want us to talk more in detail about the experience message our page and we would be happy to share!

THE BIG DAY

OKAY this is where the REAL TALK kicks in.

Dublin is NOT like Queen's. People won't be out on the streets till 11am when the parade starts, and no one except Queen's Students will be drinking. The parade is cute for sure, but go early if you want to see it at all! It's not so cute that its worth clawing your way to the front if you show up late.

The day should honestly just be referred to as THE CHASE (actually yeah... we're coining that). This is because everyone is friends with slightly overlapping circles. So while you and your room are trying to find Hilary, she is texting you as she is moving trying to find Jillian who is looking for her boyfriend Max. The nice thing is once people do find others they tend to stay for quite a while to avoid said "chase".

Fun Fact: Most bars on St. Patty's will actually become 21+.... we know, we know. That means two things for you,

A. You have to chase people because they probably found the one and only bar to let you 20 year old babies in

B. If you want to hit up the famous Temple Bar (overrated) then you should plan to head over the night before

HOT TIP: The bars we loved (and got into) were Bad Bob's and The Oak, both of which were incredibly fun!

If there was one thing that I would said made Queen's 2018 Trip worth it, it would be Aaron Rowe. How many times do you remember the name of some guy in some bar? Yeah. Thats how good he was. I can genuinely say he is the best performer I have ever seen while travelling who doesn't already sell out arenas. He happened to be out with Queen's both nights at two different spots, and boy did we have fun! Check out the mans page on Facebook or his SoundCloud to hear it for yourself, and find where ever he is for your St. Patrick's Day again! This man is a rising star on his way to Ed Sheeran-dom.

FINAL VERDICT: IS IT WORTH IT?

Honestly.... yeah.

It's pretty expensive, and sometimes it'll feel like you are chasing after people! If you had asked me the day after, I probably would have said it wasn't worth it at all. That said, it is a once and a life time opportunity and sooo much fun! Don't risk the potential fomo.