Every year, DIT societies run a Christmas Appeal where each society puts on events to raise money for charity.
Each year, charities are chosen by the students in societies and this year the Irish Cancer Society, St. Vincent de Paul and Pieta House were chosen.
From pie-throwing to fashion shows and bungee runs to dance showcases, this year’s societies had every type of event covered.
Check out their events below!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PQVrZ4_Hslo
Follow Rachael on Twitter @racheibrien
So it’s coming up to Christmas time, and you realise you have a lot less money to spend on presents than you originally anticipated. Not only do you have the annual family presents to get, you also have a present for the other half, as well as for the office secret Santa.
Well don’t worry. Here at The City we have you covered to make sure you can afford them all.
For Him
For the males in your life, why not send him on a tour of the Irish Whiskey Museum? For only €18 a ticket, you can get the VIP experience including a fully guided tour, a full tasting experience of four of Ireland’s finest whiskeys and a souvenir to take home. The Irish Whiskey Museum is located across from Trinity College so is in an easy to get to location.
Unless he’s bought a new one recently, a new wallet is something the man in your life probably needs and just won’t admit. From spending €15 in Debenhams to spending the same in Marks and Spencer, there are a lot of simple ones to choose from that won’t break the bank.
For Her
Perfume is pretty much a safe bet for a mum or a girlfriend. You can get a range of perfumes in Debenhams for under €20, including the Sarah Jessica Parker range of Lovely and Blue Jeans from Versace. Now while you may not get huge bottles for that price, perfume can last a long time (or at least till next Christmas when you can buy her more!)
A new handbag is also another safe bet for any woman. Now before you panic, don’t be thinking over the top, uniquely designed pieces. We’re talking about those oversized brown or black bags that fit everything but the kitchen sink. Hit Penney’s and you’ll find one for around the €15 mark. Perfect, simple and she’ll always find a use for it.
For Secret Santa
If your secret Santa has a sweet tooth, why not go to the nearest supermarket, buy a few different types of chocolate and give them a sweet hamper. It’s something nice, and slightly different than your usual tin of Roses.
A safe place to shop for the secret Santa gift is Tiger. With thirteen shops in Dublin, it’s the perfect place to get something non-expensive, yet thoughtful, for your work colleague. They have anything and everything so you really will find a gift for everyone.
Follow Rachael on Twitter @rachieobrien
So you’re going on a date with your other half in our fair city of Dublin but you don’t know what to do?
You’ve done the typical cinema date, a walk around St Stephen’s Green and grabbing dinner after. Looking for something a little bit different? Well the City has you covered.
The Dublin Wax Museum is our first suggestion. This museum is situated just off Dame Street and is only a ten minute walk from St Stephen’s Green.
Adult tickets are €12 while students can get their tickets for €10. In this museum you can see wax figures from areas of entertainment, history, music, government and children’s television.
This museum is somewhere a little different to go and provides lots of opportunities for a selfie!
If you’re looking to laugh a lot on your date (for all the right reasons) then why not head to the Laughter Lounge?
Located on Eden Quay, just a minute’s walk from O’Connell Street, this comedy club costs approximately €25 per ticket. Now before you go thinking that’s a lot of money for a date, you do get to see a three hour show with four comedians including the MC and if you manage to get in before half seven, you also bag a free drink each. What more could you ask for of a date in the city?
For all the brainy couples out there, why not visit one of Dublin’s many regular pub quizzes? The Lotts pub on Liffey Street hold a free one every Thursday from 8pm while the Woolshed on Parnell Street hold one every Tuesday for free as well.
There are many quizzes all around Dublin and sometimes they may even be raising money for charity, so while you’re having fun on your date, you can also help a much needed cause.
If you’re getting sick of taking a stroll around St Stephen’s Green or one of Dublin city’s other famous park, why not cast your net a little bit further and head out to the National Botanic Gardens in Glasnevin.
Open from 9am on a weekday and 10am on a weekend, this is the perfect excuse to get out, get some fresh air and see some beautiful gardens at the same time.
If you want a guided tour of the gardens it costs €5 per person, or you could be your own tour guide and pay nothing!
Follow Rachael on Twitter at @rachieobrien.
It’s a common thing for a group of young people to meet up and go for coffee. But what happens when you don’t drink coffee or you just don’t feel like that energy boost? Well, here at The City we have you sorted. We’ve compiled a short list of places to go, all within a short walking distance of the city centre.
Wall and Keogh
For all tea lovers out there, this is definitely a place to try. Located on Richmond Street South, this tea lounge gives customers the option of 150 blends of tea so there really is something for everyone. Even though the café itself is small in size it can be quite cosy for a small group of people to meet and try new teas.
Alchemy Juice Co
Alchemy Juice Co is based above BT2 on Grafton Street. This cute juice bar overlooks one of Dublin’s main shopping streets and specialises in juices with every type of fruit imaginable. The juices will cost you around €4.50, but they do a loyalty system for buying four juices and getting your fifth one free.
Accents
For anyone who loves a hot chocolate on a cold winter’s day, Accents is the place for you. Voted Dublin’s number 1 place for hot chocolate by Lovin’ Dublin; this lounge is the perfect spot to take a break from your hectic life and is located just off George’s Street. With comfy couches and late opening hours, their unique hot chocolate is the icing on the cake. Instead of giving you a mug of hot chocolate, the café gives you a mug of hot milk, and some chocolate buttons to blend your own chocolatey drink. They also offer student discounts, which makes life even better.
Third Space
Third Space is a place for local people to gather and be social, serving everything from coffee, tea, chai lattes and smoothies to all sorts of cakes, breakfasts and lunches. They have cafes on Aungier Street and in Smithfield. The smoothies are great for when you need that energy boost minus the caffeine. The café on Aungier Street does daily smoothies including strawberry and banana flavour and mixed berry flavour.
Lolly and Cooks
Finally, for someone with a sweet tooth, who just wants something nice to eat to brighten up their day, Lolly and Cooks is the place to go. This business has three cafés in Dublin; Merrion Street, Grand Canal Dock and George’s Street Arcade. They do every type of cupcake you can think of, including Red Velvet, Oreo and Strawberry and Vanilla. They also do hot drinks, salads and soup.
Follow Rachael O’ Brien on Twitter @rachieobrien
Aungier Danger, the new doughnut shop on Aungier Street, has had people queuing down the streets for one of their unusual doughnuts since opening last week. With brilliant names like ‘Banoffee Autopsy’ and ‘The Crime Scene’, there’s something for everyone.
The City’s Rachael O’ Brien caught up with Aungier Danger owner, Phil Costello, to hear all about their first week in business.
What is the unique idea behind Aungier Danger?
“I come from a musical background; I like having a good time and I love real American doughnuts so I tried to combine a cool place with cool doughnuts and cool music. Really good coffee was important to that too, so I tried to strike a balance between all these things.
“For the name of the shop, I was sitting in a pub with a friend one night and I was trying to think of something. I read something on Facebook with the hashtag ‘Stranger Danger’, and I was in the process of thinking of something that worked with Aungier and it clicked.
“I was going for the whole Brooklyn urban vibe, so it made sense to have some sort of danger attitude for the doughnuts as well, so I started thinking of crime scenes, gunshots and autopsies. We’re just having fun with the names and there’s more on the way.”
How was your first week of business?
“Unbelievable! We never anticipated the volume of people that came after the Lovin’ Dublin blog wrote about us the night before we opened. It was great.
“Last Thursday morning, we opened at half seven, and there was a queue outside the door. We were sold out of 200 doughnuts in 15 minutes and we had a one per person policy that day. It was crazy.”
After queues out the door in its first week, do you think it will quieten down or will the hype remain?
“I think anywhere has a hype and a buzz at the start. I hope it doesn’t die down, but ultimately like anywhere, places do go quiet. But I believe if we keep doing what we’re doing, we’ll do well. People are coming in to get doughnuts every day to bring to the office for example.”
What are your plans for the future?
“I’m in the process of possibly looking for another place, as soon as the end of this year maybe or early next year. Somewhere bigger that can take a higher production scale, because I have had places emailing me asking for a regular supply of doughnuts so somewhat of a wholesale thing.”
Which are you favourite doughnuts?
“I’ve got two favourites – The Crime Scene and the Dublin Death-Trap. The Crime Scene is the red velvet one with cream cheese filling and strawberry icing. The Dublin Death-Trap is our take on the Boston cream, but with our own vanilla flavoured custard. The rest are all great too, but they’re my babies.”
To find out more and keep up to date with Aungier Danger, check out their Facebook page.
Follow Rachael O’ Brien on Twitter at @rachieobrien
Aisling Finnegan, who represented Dublin in this year’s Rose of Tralee, sat down with Rachael O’ Brien to catch up on the Rose of Tralee festival and what she has been getting up to since, including the Focus Ireland Sleepout tonight.
Why did you enter the Rose of Tralee?
“I’ve always watched the Rose of Tralee and it’s something that I thought would be an amazing experience to do but I never proactively searched for the Dublin selections.
“It was actually my friend who couldn’t speak more highly about it, he was involved a few years ago, and he got the ball rolling for me. But when I met all the girls at the first Dublin Rose meeting that’s one of the reasons I really did it because I was on the fence about it. When I met them all I realised they were the same type of people as me and I honestly just did it for the experience.”
What are some of your highlights since becoming the Dublin Rose in July?
“The highlight was definitely the support I got from everyone. I had to get one hundred thank you cards printed because of the amount of cards and good wishes from everyone all over the world.
“The support I got was unbelievable and something I still can’t get over. From a Tralee point of view the highlight was seeing my family on the Sunday before the actual filming. You only see your family for about four hours over the whole week. I got to spend about two hours with family and friends in the Meadowlands Hotel and everyone had their own area and it was nice to break away and see them.”
What was your reaction when you saw yourself on the cover of the Irish Independent?
“That was funny! I still haven’t watched back my TV night so that was the closest thing I saw to the stage. My mum and dad were ecstatic that I was on the front of the Independent so it was amazing.”
Folkster, a vintage shop located in Temple Bar supplied Aisling with her dresses. Did you get to keep any of the dresses that they gave you?
“Folkster were so good to me for lending me all of my dresses and then I got a call off them after I did my stage interview where I mentioned them. They were so happy that I talked about them that they said while I would have to give back my stage dress, I could keep all my other dresses.”
What is the Focus Ireland Sleepout and how are you involved?
“It’s a Focus Ireland [event] in conjunction with a bar in town, Sober Lane. One of the escorts for this year was sponsored by Sober Lane and he mentioned it to a group of us, and asked us would anyone be interested in doing it. I jumped on it as it is an amazing charity to fundraise for as it’s something at the moment that is so important.
“There are ten of us doing it and it’s a twelve hour sleep out from 8pm this Saturday to 8am Sunday morning. The aim is to raise €100 each, so €1000 in the end, and it’s in Ringsend Football Club this year.”
Do you have many Rose duties for the rest of the year now that Tralee is finished?
“Most of the events I’m involved in are charity events so I can manage them around work as best as I can. I go to launches and opening of events and just help out as much as I can. I suppose you make it your own year and be as proactive as you want for the year so that’s what I’m going to do.”
If you want to sponsor Aisling for the Focus Ireland Sleepout you can do so here and to keep up with what she’s doing check out her Facebook page.
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