Ireland vs Wales

Dublin is served from most European and UK airports with excellent frequency. The Aircoach 700X runs every 15 minutes from the airport directly to O'Connell Street for €7 — faster and cheaper than taxis in Six Nations traffic.

💡 Book flights the moment the Six Nations fixtures are published. Dublin home games see flights and hotels spike 3–4x within days.

Dublin's main thoroughfare is lined with monuments, statues and the General Post Office — site of the 1916 Easter Rising. Cross the Ha'penny Bridge over the Liffey into the Southside and you're a five-minute walk from Temple Bar. The city is built for walking.

💡 The GPO Museum inside the General Post Office tells the story of 1916 with impressive detail. A great 45-minute visit if you have time.

Temple Bar is Dublin's cultural quarter — cobblestoned streets, live traditional music spilling from pub doors at all hours, street art and independent shops. On Six Nations weekends the atmosphere is electric from mid-afternoon. The Temple Bar pub itself is famous but over-touristed; head to The Auld Dubliner or The Ha'penny Bridge Inn for a more genuine pint.

💡 Traditional music sessions (trad sessions) happen organically in many pubs. O'Donoghue's on Merrion Row is one of the best for authentic live trad.

The seven-storey Guinness experience at St James's Gate tells the story of the world's most famous stout from Arthur Guinness's original lease through to modern brewing. The gravity bar on the top floor has a 360° panorama over Dublin and your pint of Guinness is poured perfectly. Book online to skip queues.

💡 The Storehouse is 1.5km west of Temple Bar — perfectly walkable. Go in the afternoon before the evening crowd.

Baggot Street and the surrounding Southside Georgian streets are where Dublin locals eat and drink away from the tourist crowds. Doheny & Nesbitt is a Victorian pub with a warm snug atmosphere. For dinner, try Etto on Merrion Row for excellent modern Irish cooking or The Pig's Ear near Trinity for something more casual.

💡 Book restaurants on Six Nations weekends — the entire city fills with visitors and walk-in tables disappear quickly.

A full Irish — rashers, sausages, white and black pudding, eggs, soda bread, butter — is the only correct way to start a match day in Dublin. Most hotels serve it from 7:30am. Take your time; the real action doesn't start until midday.

💡 Clanbrassil House near the Aviva is one of Dublin's best brunch spots and is a 10-minute walk from the stadium.

Grafton Street is Dublin's pedestrianised main shopping street, always full of buskers. St Stephen's Green park directly at its southern end is where families and fans gather before afternoon kick-offs. On Six Nations Saturdays the whole area thrums with green jerseys.

💡 Neary's on Chatham Street, just off Grafton Street, is a beautiful Victorian pub popular with locals before Aviva matches.

The Aviva is 2km southeast of St Stephen's Green through the elegant Georgian streets of Ballsbridge. The walk south along Baggot Street and onto Lansdowne Road is the classic route — every fan walking south together, the noise building. Lansdowne Road has been Dublin's rugby ground since 1878.

💡 The DART (suburban rail) stops at Lansdowne Road station directly outside the ground but is standing-room only on match days. Walking is better.

The Aviva's steep, enclosed stands create one of the best atmospheres in world rugby. Ireland's national anthem, Amhrán na bhFiann, is followed by a roar that shakes the structure. Ireland under their current coaching setup are one of the most technically sophisticated teams on earth — expect fast, structured rugby. Typical kick-offs are 14:15, 16:45 or 20:00.

💡 Irish Rugby Football Union (irfu.ie) runs a members' ticketing system. Corporate hospitality packages are available through official channels. Face value €80–€140.

After the final whistle, Dublin enters a collective celebration that's almost ceremonial. Haddington Road and lower Baggot Street immediately north of the Aviva fill with supporters. In the best Dublin pubs, strangers form impromptu choirs. Ireland fans singing The Fields of Athenry — whether Ireland won or lost — is one of sport's great traditions.

💡 Don't rush back to the city centre. The pubs immediately around the Aviva absorb the crowd perfectly and the atmosphere is usually better than the tourist bars further north.

Trinity College Dublin is one of Europe's great university campuses — Georgian quadrangles, cobbled squares and the magnificent Long Room library that inspired the real-world Star Wars Jedi archives. The Book of Kells, a 9th-century illuminated gospel manuscript, is displayed in the Old Library. Book tickets online — queues can be long.

💡 The Long Room has a genuine Harry Potter-meets-ancient-Ireland atmosphere. Arrive at opening time (9:30am) to beat school groups.

Merrion Square is Dublin's finest Georgian park — the Georgian terraces surrounding it are among the most photographed in Ireland. Oscar Wilde's family home is on the north side. A takeaway flat white from a nearby café and a slow circuit of the park is the perfect recovery morning activity.

The DART north from Tara Street Station takes 25 minutes to reach Howth — a dramatic fishing village on a headland north of Dublin. The Howth Head cliff walk loops 8km around the headland with Atlantic views, gorse and heather in bloom, and seabirds nesting on the cliffs. A spectacular, free afternoon activity.

💡 The cliff walk route can be cut short at any of several points back down into Howth village. The full loop is worth it in good weather.

Howth's harbour is lined with fishmongers and seafood restaurants. Beshoff Bros is the classic fish and chip shop. For a sit-down meal, Wrights of Howth or Aqua both serve local catch with harbour views. The smoked salmon is caught offshore.

💡 The outdoor crab claws and oysters from the harbour-side stalls are fresh, cheap and the best lunch in the county.

DART from Howth back to Connolly Station, then the Aircoach 700X from O'Connell Street to Dublin Airport. Allow 90 minutes from the city for an international flight.

💡 Dublin Airport Terminal 1 and Terminal 2 are served by different bus stops. Check which terminal your airline uses before boarding.