What a year it has been so far for us here at An Óige – Irish Youth Hostel Association. Already this year we have held two very success campaigns in our 2nd annual An Óige Environmental Week and our #SchoolsOut youth travel competition. We also saw our Killarney International Hostel win a Best of Killarney…
Almost a dozen volunteers from the An Óige Conservation Group braved the wet and windy conditions to help with the planting of 10,000 new trees at Knockree this past weekend. The 10,000 trees were planted over a 4.6 hectare (11 acres) area on the land attached to An Óige’s Knockree Youth Hostel in County Wicklow,…
Coming up in Killarney at the end of the winter does feel like coming back home and it makes you feel relaxed instantly. The mysterious atmosphere of the clouds hanging around the mountains and the silence that can be experienced going up there is incredible. Since the tourism season hadn’t started yet, the area was…
It’s been 2 weeks since Storm Emma hit Ireland and we felt the full force of the Beast from the East. While the majority of the country was hit by several feet of snow, power outages, and water restrictions, it did make for some absolutely stunning images. We searched hard and long and have found…
The Hell Fire Club situated on the top of Montpelier Hill in the Dublin mountains has been a popular destination for family outings for generations of Dubliners. It’s a challenging climb to get to the top but once you do get there, you are richly rewarded by spectacular panoramic views over Dublin city and its…
Like many other nations in World War 2, Ireland organised itself to defend the country against foreign invasion (although they were not sure who was going to invade – Britain or Germany). As a relatively new organisation with an active membership, An Óige was keen to be of service. When a call was put out…
In a city where the mountains meet the sea, Dublin Bay conservation is always an important issue for our members. We were delighted when members of the An Óige Conservation Group and some of our hostel managers recently attended the Dublin Bay Biosphere conference which was held in University College Dublin on Wednesday the 26th…
Best places to visit in the Boyne Valley A couple of weeks ago we went on a short two day trip to the Boyne valley, a place most well-known for Newgrange. There is a lot to be seen in the area that can be traced back to Ireland’s ancient past. The Newgrange tomb is 400…
5 reasons to visit Glenveagh Castle Glenveagh Castle is one of our favourite things to do in Donegal when we visit our hostels in Donegal. We never tire of it. While the county is big enough and wild enough to warrant a lifetime of exploration and is forever throwing up new places to visit, Glenveagh…
There are plenty of rebel hostels in Ireland – buildings that have direct links to the 1916 Rising and its aftermath. In this article we turn our attention to our hostels which have rebel connections with that period of Irish history. Rebel Hostels in Wicklow Glenmalure Hostel in County Wicklow is in mountain country. It…