Open House Dublin is on this weekend, and four of this week's kids picks are part of it. They're all free. Three of them are pre-book only, though, so look at those first. If they sound like something the kids would enjoy, book them as soon as you can.
I went back over every organiser's page on Sunday 4 October.
But of course stuff still sells out, and a few of these need booking fast. And as always, give the link for any listing a quick look before you leave the house.
12 PICKS · 4 AREAS
With The Kids
Three picks in each part of Dublin, with the town or suburb right beside each one. Skip to your area below if you're not interested in travelling far to find something worth doing.
City Centre
Phoenix Park Bikes
City Centre · Main entrance to the Phoenix Park
bike hire at the main entrance · daily, 10am to 5pm on winter hours · €7 an hour, €20 a day, confirm at the desk · carriages for 1 to 4 year olds, tag-alongs for 5+ · prebook up to 24 hours ahead.
With a carriage on the back, the small ones get a proper spin round the park and nobody's legs give out halfway. Bring photo ID. They hold it as a deposit.
Dublin Discovered
City Centre · Bachelors Walk, under 2 minutes from O'Connell Street
boat tour from the quay · October sailings from 10.30am to 4.15pm, 45 minutes · family (2+2) €65, child €14 · under-4s free · book online.
Forty-five minutes on the Liffey is about right for a small attention span. Times shift with the tide, so check the day's sailings when you book.
Kids' trail at Christ Church Cathedral
City Centre · Christchurch Place, Wood Quay, Dublin 8
Christ Church Cathedral, Welcome Desk · drop in Saturday 10 October, 10am to 5pm, or Sunday 11 October, 12.30pm to 3pm · free · no age range given · no booking mentioned.
The one Open House kids' pick this week you can just turn up to.
North Dublin
Fun Galaxy, Swords
North Dublin · Swords
Fun Galaxy · daily, 10am to 6pm · €10 a child, adults free · 9 months to 12 · no booking info for open play.
Plain, reliable soft play. Sessions run an hour and a half. That's roughly when the fighting over the slide starts.
Details: https://fungalaxy.ie/
Glasnevin Cemetery Junior tour
North Dublin · Glasnevin, Dublin 11
Experience Glasnevin, Finglas Road · Saturday 10 or Sunday 11 October, 11am · free · ages 8 to 12 · pre-book only.
Graverobbers, bloodhounds and dead parrots. Their words, not mine: "not for the faint hearted". Skip it if yours is on the younger side or spooks easily.
Only book if you'll definitely go. Open House can charge a no-show fee on tours with very few places.
Albert College junior parkrun
North Dublin · Albert College Park, Glasnevin, Dublin 9
in the park · Sunday 11 October, 9.30am · free · 2k for juniors aged 4 to 14 · register once, bring a barcode.
No barcode, no result. Print it the night before rather than hunting for it on the way out the door.
South Dublin
Build a Print with Lego! at the National Print Museum
South Dublin · Beggars Bush Barracks, Haddington Road, Dublin 4
National Print Museum · Sunday 11 October, 1pm, 2pm or 3pm · free · ages 4 to 12 · pre-book with the museum.
Lego and a printing museum in the same afternoon. Easy sell.
Funky Monkeys Dundrum
South Dublin · Dundrum Retail and Office Park, Dublin 16
Funky Monkeys, Dundrum Retail Park · daily, 9.30am to 6pm · weekends €10.50 for under-4s, €11.50 for over-4s · up to age 8 · no drop-off, you stay.
It's built for the under-8s. If you've an older one too, the tennis below suits them better.
Herbert Park Tennis Courts
South Dublin · Herbert Park, Dublin 4
Herbert Park courts, by Lolly and Cooks café · daily, 9am to 9pm · juniors €3.50 an hour, adults €6 · public courts, junior rate · book online.
€3.50 an hour for a junior is about as cheap as it gets this week without being free. Bring a couple of rackets from home if you can. Then enjoy the park and a coffee after. A lovely couple of hours for everyone.
Details: https://www.herbertparktennis.ie/
West Dublin
Go Kids Go!, Coolmine
West Dublin · Coolmine Industrial Estate, Porters Road, Dublin 15
Go Kids Go!, Porters Road · daily, 9.30am to 6pm · under-3s €7.50, over-3s €9.50, parents free · babies and children · no booking info except for parties.
Parking's free and parents don't pay. That counts for a lot on a wet Saturday.
Details: https://www.gokidsgo.ie/
Reimagining Play at Parthalán Place, Rua Red
West Dublin · Rua Red, South Dublin Arts Centre, Tallaght
Performance Space, ground floor · Saturday 10 October, 3pm · free · over-5s, families welcome · pre-book online.
It's an intergenerational workshop. Kids, parents and older neighbours end up in the same room. That happens less often than it should.
FootGolf
West Dublin · Ballinascorney, Tallaght, Dublin 24
Footee, Dublin Mountains · 10am to 3pm on winter hours or to 7pm on summer hours (ring to check which) · kids €8, adults €10 weekdays or €13 weekends · ages 6 and up · booking advised.
This is the one I'm doing with the nephews (more on that at the bottom). Kids pay the same all week. Adults pay a bit more at the weekend, so a weekday round is cheaper if you can swing it.
Details: https://footee.ie/games/footgolf/
2 IDEAS FOR A NIGHT OUT
With the missus
A couple of things for the two of you. Line up grandma or the babysitter first.
Board & Brewed
South Dublin · York Road, Dún Laoghaire
75 York Road · daily, from 8am weekdays and 10am weekends · €5 each an hour, capped at €15, so €10 an hour for the two of you · 700+ games · walk in or book.
Pizza, coffee and more board games than you'll get through in a year. If one of you is very competitive, maybe start with something co-operative.
Details: https://www.boardandbrewed.ie/
The Bluetones at Whelan's
City Centre · Wexford Street, Dublin 2
Whelan's · Friday 9 October, 8pm, main venue · €32.50 plus a €1 service charge, so €67 for the two of you · online, until 2 hours before doors.
Standing only, in the main room. Tickets were still on sale when I checked on Sunday. Sort the babysitter, then buy them.
2 PICKS · SOLO OR WITH MATES
Useful dad picks
Open Axe Throwing at Axe Club Dublin
City Centre · Central Dublin, just off Gaelic Street, near Connolly Station
End of Gaelic Street · hour-long open sessions, book a slot online · €27 each · 12 and up, at least 1.5m tall · no timetable published.
An hour of throwing axes at a wall. No group needed. The entrance is easy to miss, so walk to the end of Gaelic Street and turn right into the yard.
Details: https://www.axeclub.ie/dublin
Trivia Tuesday at BrewDog Dublin
City Centre · Three Locks Square, Dublin Docklands, Dublin 2
the BrewDog bar · Tuesday 6 October, start time not published · free · teams · book your team.
Free in, and the prize is a bar tab. Their page says the quiz runs all year but doesn't name this week's theme. Book the team before you round up the lads.
1 PICK · COUNTY WICKLOW
Worth The Spin
Just over the county border, and worth the petrol.
Glenroe Farm
Co. Wicklow · Kilcoole, on the North Wicklow coast
The farm · Saturday 10 and Sunday 11 October, 10am to 5pm · €9 each, family (2+2) €32, under-3s free · children's tickets for ages 3 to 16 · book online if you like.
Their Halloween events run 24 to 26 October, so this weekend it's the regular farm. If yours would rather the spooky version, hold off a fortnight.
Details: https://glenroefarm.ie/prices/
2 IDEAS FOR HER DAY OFF
Just for the missus
Ideas for her day off. Mind the kids, send her the link, and don't ring her unless something's on fire.
Helios Floating Sauna
South Dublin · Coal Harbour, Dún Laoghaire
Coal Harbour · daily, 8am to 10pm, 45-minute sessions · €19.95 weekday daytime, €24.95 otherwise · no age policy listed · book online, or walk in if there's room.
A weekday daytime session is the cheaper one. And there's a ladies' night on Wednesdays from 9pm to 10pm if she'd rather it was just women.
Dublin Pottery Painting, Smithfield
City Centre · Smithfield, Dublin 7
2 Queen Street · from 12pm Tuesday to Sunday, BYOB from 5pm · pieces €22 to €55 · under-18s before 5pm · ticket needed, taken off your piece.
It's two hours of painting, then a few weeks' wait. They let you know when it's ready to collect. The evenings are BYOB, so she can bring a bottle and a friend and make a night of it.
Where I'll be
Two of my nephews have birthdays this week, so I'm taking them to FootGolf.
My own daughter is only 3, so she's sitting this one out.
The lads are turning 8 and 11 and they're football mad. As long as they don't kill each other before the end of the round, they should have great fun.
Which part of Dublin are you in? Hit reply and tell me. It helps decide what goes in next week.
Do you know a dad who spends Friday evening scrolling for something to do?
Please forward him this. Or tell him he can sign up directly at newsletter.thedublindad.com.
We're in the early stages here for The Dublin Dad, so any help to grow it and get the word out is much appreciated.
That's it for this week's edition.
Happy days lads.
Alan,
The Dublin Dad