For many players at the Irish Open, action at the tables really does play second fiddle to the “craic”. The festival is long known for its non-stop provision of fun, games and live music as well as excursions to fun attractions around the city.
At the Irish Open, the pain of busting is swiftly soothed by the knowledge that you’re about to have a seriously great time in the players’ lounge and bar. This year’s Irish Open festival is running March 25 to April 1 at the Royal Dublin Society and the busy entertainment schedule guarantees a packed line-up of live music, DJs, games and general shenanigans.
The Craic Den
Much of this year’s entertainment will take place in “The Craic Den” (Hall 6 at the RDS.) This is the place where busted players can forget about their tournament woes by downing pints of Guinness and competing for great prizes in the nightly competitions run by our entertainment wizard Phil Baker. The Craic Den will be open throughout the event with organised contests kicking off around 9pm from Wednesday, March 27 onwards.
Don’t miss the chance to beat your mates at Beer Pong, Shuffleboard, FIFA and Corn Hole. Here’s a rough schedule (subject to change at the organisers’ discretion)!
Wednesday: Casino Night
Thursday: Race Night
Friday: Shuffleboard Competition
Saturday: Beer Pong Competition
Sunday: Cornhole competition
Monday: Comedy Night
The Jokers bar is another great place to hang out, unwind and sample a pint of “the black stuff”!
Live music
Live music is a huge part of the Irish Open and there will be performances nearly every day in the RDS Entrance Hall (Merrion Road) as well as nightly in The Craic Den. Don’t miss DJ Siobhan hosting karaoke night on Saturday, March 30 starting at 11.30pm.
Artists on the schedule for the RDS entrance hall – starting at around 11.15am, Wednesday to Sunday – include the Celtic All Stars, The Two Bowsies and Dabilla while Austin Carter, Ben Hammond, The Ramblin Rovers and Beez Kneez will be taking to the mic in The Craic Den from 11.30pm.
PokerStars’ Ireland v England Challenge
Irish Open headline sponsor PokerStars is hosting a fun Ireland v England challenge with the two nations going head-to-head in a series of fun contests both on and off the felt. Team Ireland will be headed up by PokerStars’ Ambassador Fintan Hand with fellow Team PokerStars Pro Spraggy leading Team England. Each of the captains has carefully selected their teams in the hopes of seizing victory. Expect lots of fun, laughter, and frivolity as Fintan and Spraggy take to the stage and get the crowds involved. The Challenge kicks off with an inflatable Sumo Wrestling and inflatable Horse Racing contest in the area just in front of The Craic Den from 2pm on Tuesday, March 26. Following several days of competitions including Darts Poker, Shuffleboard and Cornhole, the Challenge will finally take to the felt for a Heads-Up Final on Sunday, March 31.
Outings
Off to the dogs
On Saturday, March 30, there’s a trip to Shelbourne Park Dog Track. All are welcome to join the outing, but reservations are on a first-come, first-served basis. Please see the Irish Open promo girls in The Craic Den to bag your place. Entry and transport are on us, and the bus leaves the RDS at 7pm with room for about 50 people. The “after-party” is in Madigans’ Horse Show House pub with singer Ian Grange providing acoustic ballads & traditional Irish classics.
Irish Open Players Party at the Horse Show House pub
Don’t miss the fabulous Irish Open Players Party at the Horse Show House pub on the last night of the festival – Sunday, March 31 The fun kicks off at 10pm with award-winning live band No Limits playing downstairs and DJ Gina spinning tunes upstairs. The pub is just across the road from the main entrance of the RDS on Merrion Road making it easy to get to – and easy staggering distance for your journey home! There will also be a late night DJ back in the venue going from 1am to late.
