Top five events in Dublin for 2013 from now until June!

With the Irish Gathering set to make 2013 a busy year for events all over Ireland, we at the Grand Canal Hotel wanted to give you a heads up on the big events that are happening in Dublin City this year. From the 14th to the 24th of February the Jameson Dublin International Film Festival will be presenting over 140 films from the four corners of the globe to the Irish Audience. Over that last number of years this festival has gained major momentum. This takes place in all of the Dublin City Centre Cinemas including Cineworld, The Savoy, Screen, Irish Film Institute and Light House Cinema in Smithfield. The majority of films shown at the Film Festival are Irish premieres, and for some of the films shown, the festival represents the only public screening that will take place in Ireland. For more information go to www.jdiff.com

On the 17th of March, as part of ‘The Gathering Ireland 2013’ for the first time ever, St. Patrick’s Festival is inviting up to 8,000 people around the world to march in the St. Patrick’s Day Parade in Dublin. The parade will march through the streets of Dublin, passing historic landmarks along the way including the GPO, Trinity College, Dublin Castle and City Hall. The route is 2.5 km long. For more information go to www.stpatricksfestival.ie

The 2013 Heineken Cup final on the 18th of May takes place AVIVA Stadium, Lansdowne Road, Dublin 4 not far from the Grand Canal Hotel. The Heineken Cup Final kicks off in the Aviva Stadium at 5pm. Nearby at the RDS the Amlin Challenge Cup final on Friday, 17 May kicks off at 8pm. With the two finals being played side-by side, it’s hoped that up to 70,000 supporters will converge on the city for this un-missable weekend of European cup rugby. For more information go to www.ercrugby.com

For 30 year the Flora Mini Marathon has seen thousands of participants swarm to Dublin to raise money for charity. 2013 will be no different! On June 3rd the 31st annual Flora Mini Marathon will see 40,000 ladies raise money for around 600 different charities. For more information go to www.florawomensminimarathon.ie

Finally, Dublin Pride Festival takes place on the 21st of June and runs until June 30th in Dublin’s City Centre. This festival is a celebration of three important historical events, the 40th Anniversary of the creation of the Irish Gay Movement, the 30th Anniversary of the Dublin Pride Parade and the 20th Anniversary of the decriminalisation of homosexuality in Ireland. This year’s pride festival is hoped to be the biggest yet.

These are only five of the bigger events that are taking place in Dublin for the first half of the year. All five of these events are set to attract a large number of visitors to the city so be sure to make you hotel booking well in advance. For more information or for accommodation go to www.grandcanalhotel.com or call 01 646 1000!

FLORA WOMEN'S MINI MARATHON

The Flora Women's Mini Marathon, the biggest all-women event of its kind in the world, takes place in Dublin on the 4th of June and the Grand Canal Hotel are as always at your service.

With over €14 million raised by participants since its inception in 1983, the annual event is one of the most popular in the country. The fun day has attracted over three quarters of a million women of all ages over the years and 2013 is expected to be one of the busiest.

The route of the marathon passes within meters of the Grand Canal Hotel, and we are offering guests who stay in the hotel the Sunday night complimentary car-parking for the day, showers after the race and luggage storage. Go to www.grandcanalhotel.com to book as rooms are selling fast!!!


Some interesting facts about the event:

It is the biggest all-women’s event of its kind in the world.

Since it was first run in 1983, there has been a total entry of nearly 780,000 women.

In 2007, 2008 2009 and 2011 the numbers taking part have exceeded 40,000 with a record number of 40,397 taking part in 2010.

Approximately 137 million euro has been raised for charity since its beginning in 1983

About 25 miles of specially designed ribbon is used for the medals

14 bands and dancers provide entertainment to add to the carnival atmosphere of the day.

Women of every age, every size and every walk of life take part -while the majority would be in the 25 to 45 age brackets,in the 2011 race there were 262 participants over 70 years of age!

The Mini Marathon idea has been copied in several European cities - Liverpool, Glasgow, London and Oslo now put on all-women events.

Every county in Ireland is represented in the race and most support a favourite charity or cause - just over half the entrants are from Dublin but all 32 counties are well represented.

The event is known worldwide - women from a number of countries have joined us (Spain, Germany, Italy, Netherlands, Norway, Switzerland, Wales, Scotland, Belgium, Sweden, Denmark, France, England, Australia, New Zealand, United States, Canada, Saudi Arabia, Iran and Japan) have all joined in the fun.

Visit www.grandcanalhotel.com for best rates available.