I was here for Farmaphobia - which runs for about two weeks around Halloween. The farm is…read morerepurposed to be a scare fest and they do an amazing job. This year there were four 'experiences'. They make great use of the dark and suggestion and, well, people jumping out and scaring you. In practical terms crowd control is really good. They not only control the amount of tickets for a night, but also stagger your entry to each event so that there's never really any crowd related danger ... And so the people in front of you being scared doesn't spoil the surprise/fright for you. You can tell the scarers get really into it and they make a great effort to get a response. I recommend going with your jumpiest friends as that's the most fun. Three of the events were inside but they also have the 'field of screams' which uses the farm element of a huge cornfield to make a maze (a maze of maize if you will) and you will hear screaming all around you. It might make a good date - at least you'd know a lot about the person by the end of it - like if they push you into a ghoul to get away themselves you're probably not going to be bother with another date! The organisers are very good at keeping groups together and if you are really lost or stuck in a corner unable to find the way out in the dark, the scary ghosts will help you. But they love a screamer and will get the maximum response they can out of people. They even have a few scarers wandering the queues to keep you entertained/frightened while you wait. They're so good at it that I began to wonder if our groups biggest screamer had been marked as they all seemed to know! A great fun evening of entertainment!

I don't think I can say enough good things about this place! I visited as part of a group for a Hen…read moreparty & I don't think I've ever had so much fun. We baked bread, which sounds a bit old fashioned but using the Bride as our instructor, the guide made it all so fun (and in fact it culminated in a food fight). We then took our left over raw dough to feed the piglets, then we held lambs, milked a cow & fed a goat. When the tour guide asked if we would like to see the bride catching a cock you can imagine the reaction of the group, but watching the bride chase a rooster around a chicken enclosure was probably the funniest thing I had seen in years (until the bog race, but we'll get to that). After this we went into a barn hosue where we were told to paint the bride's life story on a wall and then the bride had to tell her story to ensure that everyone in the room knew every gorey detail of her life... Which we of course found hillarious! Then we went into another farm house which was a beautiful room that had a fire lighting & some bodhrans in it, but we didn't have a drum circle (although I do believe that's an alternative option). We did a ceilí! Which lead to many giggles. With spirits high we went to the bog, which was a short hay ride away (us singing songs along the route too), where the guide told us we were to be split into 2 groups & race around a tree in the centre of the bog; one team carrying the bride & one team carrying another member of the party. It was dirty, messy, disgusting and probably the funniest thing I have ever ever done as part of a group! After all that it was a lift back to the farm & in for tea & scones. Amazing! Ok the pros of the day were: 1. our guide. He accomodated us with everything we wanted to do from feeding the piglets to trying to re-arrange our tea break when we all got hungry in the middle of the day. He sang all our songs with us, joined us for tea and felt like part of the group rather than someone who was just showing us around. A nice touch on the part of the farm I feel. 2. Everything I have listed above! Just everything. It was all brilliant. 3. The tea & scones (which I believe were home made) & the jam that came with them was the best I've ever had! (Or maybe we were just starving by then. Con's of the day: 1. We were very hungry by the end of the day (this was more our fault than the farms, after a night of drinking a long day of activities is probably not wise on an empty stomach). 2. The bog was very messy & although you know to expect it it's very difficult to plan for. My suggestion is to bring a change of clothes & shoes! We were warned by the person organising to wear wellies but when you get to the bog you cannot wear the wellies going in so that was pointless! Tea would have been much more enjoyable without the mucky/wet feet!

Yelp 100 Challenge 2019 - # 87/100…read more A love story turned sour, the family drama of brothers who became bitter enemies, a wall built between two houses because of jealousy are but few of the curiosities and intrigue surrounding the history of the Belvedere House. The Jealousy Wall is both grotesque and impressive. I can only imagine the intense anger and hatred someone would have to intentionally put up a hideous wall to separate yourself from family. Our visit was on a day of true Irish weather, rainy, windy, and cold. Walk through the gardens and let both nature and man-made architecture fascinate you. We enjoyed our Irish breakfast at their cafe. Restrooms are clean and parking was readily available (we were the only crazy visitors that rainy day).

I've given this a three star as we felt cheated. We were staying in the nearby Bloomfield hotel and…read morewe bought our passes there. We were told that the house was open as we wanted to see it and on arrival, but only after tendering the tickets and going through into the place did we find the house was shut and the glasshouse was shut. There were no signs or indications that the house was shut - it's almost dishonest. Had we known it was shut we wouldn't have bothered. So like many other people that day we effectively paid to walk round a park and lake when we could just as easily have walked around the lake and a nearby picnic area for free. There is a lovely cafe and coffee bar in the grounds that merits at least 4 stars but there's equally good cafes around that you don't have to pay just to get in. They also have dog kennels to leave pooch as pooches aren't allowed in the gardens but pooches can accompany owners around the lake and a nearby picnic area outside for free. I'd better stop writing as I dislike being ripped off and the more I think of it I'd be inclined to drop this to 2 stars.

I came here one to use the gym and pool, and it's really dirty and crowded. The free swim time is…read morevery limited, like there would be one session from 6.45 to 8pm and then lessons the whole time, making the pool pretty much unusable. The gym is ok, they have a number of cardio machines but only one of each weight machine so in busy times (evenings), it's almost guaranteed that you will have to queue. The pool was crowded as well, and to swim in the fast lane you have to be really fast or expect to be moved into the slow lane. Also, it's quite dirty with a strong salty chlorine like smell. The drop in rate is 9.50, while Energie Fitness on the M1 (which x100 cleaner, less crowded and all in all much nicer) is 10 euro, so I was very unsatisfied with Aura and will never go back again. It's public so the changing/ shower area and toilets are atrociously dirty and it's full of kids all the time. I would understand it if it was only 3-5 euro to enter, but I don't understand why anyone would become a member or pay that much to use this place when there are much more sanitary places available at comparable prices.

The main reason I go here is for the bowling. For a family it is great value 15 for a lane for one…read morehour. I would highly recommend going here

Communication with Paul and Siobahn was terrific. They were well-organized and efficient. Paul…read moreand Patrick oriented us to the motorcycles and the Sat Nav for our trip. Case liners were provided for the hard cases. The routing was spectacular and showed us much of Ireland during our week of riding. The hotels chosen for our lodging were top-notch, and clean and all had a hot breakfast included. The motorcycles were well-maintained and offered a great ride during our tour of the Wild Atlantic Way. My brothers and I would all highly recommend Lemonrock for motorcycle touring in Ireland.,

Went to tayto park this afternoon and was bitterly disappointed to see how happy everyone was. Do…read morethey not know I have a lot going on at the moment? Does anyone think about me?... besides myself? After queuing up for 2 hours to go to a theme park in IRELAND of all places I was handed a complimentary pack of Tayto on the way in. I could've brought my own supply I thought to myself, but I bit my tongue. After opening up the bag of crisps and scanning my environment I poured the contents onto the floor so the pigeons could have a healthy supper. I heard one of them say "proper feast bro" but it could have been one of the voices in my head. I locked eyes with Mr Tayto. A poor college student trapped in an overheated suit and mask. I couldn't make out his face but I could hear him whimpering: he said under his breath that he would be better quitting the job and sell his grandmothers heart medication on the dark web and to relaunch his onlyfans account. This time he said he'd do it properly. No mistakes this time. At least; I think he said something like that. Probably. This stand off between Mr Tayto and I lasted for far too long and got really awkward so I pretended to choke on a crisp. I gagged and wheezed and in my attempt at looking genuine, everyone just looked at me with contempt and not ONE member of staff offered to honour my delusion by pretending to believe my life was in danger. I felt slighted by their cynical (but correct) assessment of the situation and would have liked some attention off them. So to tayto park i say: Thanks but no thanks! Namaste Your spirit guide , Frankie Instagram: @meditationsfortheanxiousmind

Most people heading here will be bringing along their children for a day out at the theme…read morepark/zoo/mini factory tour, but I went on a work trip out. Instead of a pack of noisy school children running round, we were a pack of twenty to thirty somethings, racing round to go on the big rides (personally I thought the rotator was most fun), flying down zipwires, balancing on the skywalk, enjoying huge lunches in the restaurant, ooh-ing at the animals in the zoo and finishing off with huge ice creams before claiming our pack of crisps on leaving the site. A bit expensive to visit (especially if you're in a family group as entrance price plus wristband costs can start to add up), but a fun day out for all (whether you're a kid, or just a kid at heart)

This park is so fun i went there with my family and my brother went on the cu chullain it was so…read morefun there i would very want you guys to go

Really worth a visit but I'd recommend that the more adventurous of your children be at least 1.2m…read moremetres tall and preferably 1.3 before you go, or they may be disappointed about not having a huge choice of rides available for them. Maybe try more vegetables in their diet, yeah?

As a kid I was a member of Blackrock Tennis Club for a long time, and I have been able to see how…read moremuch it has grown and come along. The place is very small, offering only four courts with a club house and then one bowling green with another club house. I do remember when it used to only have two courts. The courts themselves are very nice and well maintained. They offer a tennis team, ladders, leagues and tournaments for kids and adults. The clubhouse for the bowling green has a pub in it and they have club events there and discos. The staff can be very strict about dress and letting non members play. It is a great little community but the place is tiny, so its worth reserving a court during peak times.

We have only had great experiences at Gymplus Ashbourne. The atmosphere is always lovely, and I…read morewant to give special recognition to Georgina at reception. She is incredibly professional and helpful. Her kindness towards the nervous kids at swimming lessons does not go unnoticed! It's clear that she cares about making people feel comfortable and welcome. Thank you, Georgina, for all that you do! ---