THE MUSIC SHOW

The Music Show, which takes place at the RDS on October 2 and 3 is one of the music highlights of the year with a programme of events including a host of exhibitions, workshops, seminars, fun & games.

Last year's show was the largest event of its kind staged in Ireland with 12,000 visitiors attending the Mucis Show...and the country's ultimate music event is set to be bigger and better than ever.

The Live Stage features a host of top bands including Damien Dempsey (one of our favorite artists), The Brilliant Things, the Coronas, Fight Like Apes, Cathy Davey and brilliant new wannabe stars OEmperor.

A host of top producers, musicians and broadcasters from the Irish and International industries such asb Bob Geldof, Steve Lillywhite (U2 producer), Mark Glossopp (Van Morrison and Waterboys producer), Liam O'Maonalai, Justin Greene (MCD), Mundy and Gemma Hayes will be in Dublin over the weekend to give an unique insight into how hit records are made.

Date: Saturday October 02, 2010 - Sunday October 03, 2010

Venue: Hall 1

Opening Hours:
Saturday: 10.00am - 6.30pm
Sunday: 11.00am - 6.00pm

Organiser's Contact Details:
Hot Press
13 Trinity St
Dublin 2

Tel: +353 1 241 1500
Web: http://www.themusicshow.ie

CULTURE NIGHT

Michael Bublé may be hogging the spotlight in Dublin this weekend with two sell out shows in the Aviva Stadium but it aint the biggest show in town by any stretch.

Culture Night in Ireland kicks off today with over 500,000 people expected to attend the various free events across Ireland.

Twenty locations including Dublin, Cork, Galway, Limerick, Waterford and Kilkenny are hosting their own events to celbrate irish culture.

Dublin has some fantastic offers with galleries, libraries, museums, theaters and tourist attractions open to the public for the evening.

Pick of the lot has to be Royal Kilmainham Hospital which is hosting a massive tented street party, offering free food, music and the chance to meet artists in residence. Guinness Storehouse is offering a pint of the black stuff and a free tour between 5pm and 10.

Leinster House will have guided tours of the debating chambers of both the Dail and the Seanad as well as the hallowed halls of the Houses of the Oireachtas.

The Culture Night, which kicked off in Temple Bar in 2004, has become an All-Ireland event with activities taking part North of the boarder in Belfast and Derry.

So it has been a busy week. Arthur's Day, Michael Bublé and Culture Night and that's not even the full picture. You have to admit...Dublin is Great!!!!

BUBLÉ IN AVIVA STADIUM

A great night is in store for all the ladies...and some lads who are attending this weekend's highly anticipated Michael Bublé concert in the Aviva Stadium.

As most of you will know the Grand Canal Hotel is just a stone's throw away from the new venue and as a result we have put together some superb food and entertainment for the concert goers.

The highlight for us is the confirmation that Brendan Keeley will be playing in Gasworks Bar after the gig on Saturday night. The "I'll always be lonely" troubadour will entertain all from 10pm.

But that's not all. We'll have great food, drinks promotions and a cocktail bar. Check out the line up:

Friday: Gala buffet dinner served in the Gasworks bar from 4pm. Only €10pp.
Pizza and sandwich bar open from 10pmto midnight. ALll pizzas only €10

Restaurant open from 4.30pm. 3 course dinner only €20

Saturday: Bar menu available form 12pm to 4pm
Gala buffet dinner served in the Gasworks bar from 4pm. Only €10pp
Pizza and sandwich bar open from 10pm to midnight. ALll pizzas only €10

Restaurant open from 4.30pm 3 course dinner only €20

Live music from 10pm. ''Irleand's greatest crooner' - Brendan Keeley

COSMOPOLITANS €6 ALL NIGHT

Remember we have limited car parking spaces so get in early if you are looking to grab one. Also if you are hoping to eat in the restaurant it is advisable to book early as space is already filling up.

THE DUBLIN PASS

One of the beauties about Dublin is that, as cities go, it is rather compact and easy to get around.

For those visitors hoping to get the most out of their visit the Grand Canal Hotel would make the following suggestion. Buy the Dublin Pass and a Dublin Tour ticket. The two combined gives you transport and access to 27 top attractions in the city.

The Dublin Pass is your passport to Dublin that gives you FREE ENTRY to over 27 favourite attractions! Not only does The Dublin Pass offer great value and convenience, it also allows you to be a VIP and skip the queues at Dublin's major attractions.

Travel hassle-free to the city centre by using your Dublin Pass. From the minute you arrive in Dublin Airport, you can avail of this pass by travelling FREE to the city centre with Aircoach. From there, experience the delights Dublin has to offer for a fraction of the cost.

OK those last two paragraphs were Dublin Tourism spin, but it rings true. The Dublin Pass may cost €35(1day), €55 (2 day) and €65 (3 Day) but if you consider the cost of entering attractions such as Dublin Castle (€4.50 for the tour), Dublin Zoo(€15 for adults), Guinness Storehouse (€15 for adults), Kilmainham Gaol (€6 for adults) and the Old Jameson Distillery (€10 per adult) you can save a fortune plus you get discounts on shops and restaurants associated with the pass.

From personal experience the Dublin City Tour buses are well worth the €14 cost. It is the full experience. Similar to their New York counter parts, the drivers are full of chat and humour and give a fantastic local insight into the real Dublin.

Check out www.dublinpass.ie for more details. You can also get discounts when booking online. For information on attractions in Dublin check out www.grandcanalhotel.com.

GREAT VALUE DUBLIN

Dublin received a timely PR boost today as newspapers across the world picked up on the fact that Dublin is now the 4th cheapest city in Europe in terms of hotel room prices.

This marks a dramatic turn around from the point when our fair capital was seen as one of the most overly expensive cities to visit in the world.

Canada's CBC News points out that there are "substantial savings in hotel rooms in places like Dublin, Istanbul and the Mayan Riviera," while the Sydney Morning Herald said that "notable destinations that have become cheaper for Australian travellers include Abu Dhabi (down 38%); Athens (down 22%); Beijing (down 20%); Chicago (down 20%); Dublin (down 16%) and Los Angeles (down 16%)."

Price reductions in Dublin hotels is not a new thing, indeed the prices have been falling for over two years now, and, certainly in the Grand Canal Hotel, value has become the order of the day.

Check out our website www.grandcanalhotel.com for details on our deals and packages...and sure why not compare them with prices blow!!!

The world's most expensive cities for hotel rooms (ranked by price)

1. New York $268 a night

2. Venice $251 a night

3. London $223 a night

4. Washington $222 a night

5. Paris $222 a night

CONVENTION CENTRE DUBLIN OPENS

Taoiseach Brian Cowen will today officially open the fantastic new Convention Centre Dublin in the Docklands.

The Grand Canal Hotel have been lucky enough to get two sneak hard hat previews of the 8,000 capacity venue and we are really excited about seeing the finished product.

We can verify that, even at its early building stage, it is a truly impressive spectacle and will be a superb addition to the city's infrastructure, offering even better views of the city than the nearby Dublin Wheel.

The centre officially open at noon today with travel agents and other potential clients attending a gala dinner and view the facilities the new venue has to offer this evening.

A further 120 top global conference buyers, who have €500m worth of business on their books are also in Dublin as part of a business drive to coincide with the opening of the Docklands-based centre.

Built at a cost of €380m, the futuristic building on the river Liffey, designed by Irish-born architect Kevin Roche, can accommodate up to 8,000 delegates and includes a 2,000-seat auditorium, 4,500sqm of exhibition space and banqueting facilities for up to 5,000 guests.

Over its six floors, there are 22 meeting rooms, as well as an extensive carpeted room, with capacity for more than 3,000 conference delegates or up to 2,000 diners.
Spencer Dock Convention Centre Dublin Ltd (SDCCD), led by Richard Barrett and Johnny Ronan of Treasury Holdings and Harry Crosbie of the Point Village, will run the centre for the next 25 years until it reverts to State ownership.

The opening of the Centre is the latest boost to the tourism industry in the city, following on from the opening of the O2, Grand Canal Theatre and the Aviva Stadium in recent years. Our regular guest will tell you that we are well placed if you are attending any of these venues as they are only a short stroll from the door of the Grand Canal Hotel.

The first major conference, organised by the Construction Industry Federation, entitled The Economics of Ireland's Recovery, gets under way this Friday, while it is believed that there are up to 300 conferences booked, some for as far out as 2021.

Congratulations to all involved in the building and opening of the Convention Centre Dublin.

CHRISTMAS PARTY - WIN TRIP TO NEW YORK

How does the chance to win a trip to New York, a casino, complimentary beer/wine, singing along to a multi platinum selling singer and dancing till 3am sound?

Christmas Party Nights can be hit and miss..and I know this from personal experience but let's face it...in these tough economic times we all need to let our hair down.

Another fact is that unlike previous years the boss probably won't be paying for it so it'll be down to individuals to book it. So with this in mind when we were organising our Christmas Party Night's we decided to try and make it is as much fun for as much value as possible.

Arrive and enjoy a complimentary bottle of beer or a glass of wine at our pre-party reception. Then head into the Epic Restaurant for a fabulous five course meal...Christmas style. But be careful not to eat too much because there is no time to go to the couch for the usual post dinner nap.

There will be plenty to keep you entertained including having the chance to win a trip to New York. Place your bets and spin the wheel without losing the shirt off your back at our casino. Become a paper millionaire or lose a fortune, either way you will have the time of your life. All entrants on the night have the chance to be entered in the draw to win a trip to New York.

Alternatively and simultaneously one of Ireland's biggest stars of the 90's will be plying his trade in the bar. Brendan Keeley, with seven top 10 chart hits including "I'll always be lonely", "Take the Chains Away" and "Heart and Soul", to his name takes up residency for December.

But it won't be over there because DJ Fast Eddie will be taking to the decks to bring the party to the dizzy hour of 3am. Sure if you don't fancy getting the taxi home stay. At €79 per room B&B it will probably cost as much as a taxi anyway.

So there you have it. You have to admit it is a good night. Check out www.yourchristmasparty.com where you can print your own poster to place around the office.

The Party nights will take place on Friday's on Saturday for the first three weeks in December and costs €64 and €59 respectively.
Give us a shout on 01-6461000 to book or get more information.

WEDDING FAIR COMES TO TOWN

The Wedding and Honeymoon Show kick off in the RDS this weekend September 4th and 5th.

Now we at the Grand Canal Hotel know as well as anyone else that it is a very tough time financially for everybody but it is hard to stand in the way of love and believe it or not people are still getting married.

We should know. The hotel recently completed a refurbishment of the Epic Restaurant with hosting weddings as the main concept. This and the fact that we are located just a short stroll from the Registry Office in Dublin 2 means that things have been rather busy for us on the wedding front.

Budget is a big concern for people these days. We have taken this on board and now offer a range of options from just €20 per head right up to the more expensive options.

So while it is easy for us to gauge the health of weddings these days due to the fact that we are a popular venue...don't take our word for it. The Wedding and Honeymoon Show regularly attracts 10s of thousands of people to the RDS and they are not expecting this year to be any different.

Everything is covered on the day from florists, bands, cakes, planners and even salsa dancing while it will be possible to quench your thirst on a cocktail...if it takes your fancy. So why not park up in the Grand Canal Hotel, have a bit of lunch and then stoll down (takes 10 minutes) to the RDS and see if anything can help you on the road to your big day.

Check out our website for information on weddings or give us a shout on 01-6461000. It would be our pleasure to give you a show around.