One of the first tasks when planning a hen is finding the perfect location! There’s lots to consider when choosing the best spot to party – how to get there, accommodation, activities in the area and whether it’s accessible for all the girls. To help you with your planning, we asked our experts Claire from Create Your Night and Katie from The Foxy Hen to share some of the most popular hen party locations in Ireland at the mo. Check out their suggestions below…
Claire from Create Your Night – View Profile
I find the most popular locations are Dublin for sure, Galway a fair bit and Cork a lot more lately. With Dublin, we have a huge selection of so many things to do here. We have so many groups from Dublin that book and it saves them having to pay for accommodation going to other counties. Although, with Create Your Night – we will find you the best hotel rates possible if choosing to leave the big smoke!! Galway is a great spot for going out too so bookings have been a lot more popular there lately. Who doesn’t like getting away for a fun weekend anyway?!
Katie from The Foxy Hen – View Profile
Carrick-on-Shannon
Carrick-on-Shannon has been at the forefront of both hen and stag party destinations for several years now and this doesn’t seem to be changing any time soon. It comes down to the phrase ‘go where the party is’ and the hen party atmosphere at Carrick-on-Shannon has been tried and tested many times and it never disappoints. There’s lots to do in Carrick and plenty of tasty restaurants and bars. Carrick-on-Shannon also has one of the greatest variations of original hen party activities to try out like our booze cruises and flockin’ fabulous farming experience. The fact that Carrick-on-Shannon is surrounded by 40 lakes in a 10km radius also does a lot to complement its range of activities, namely water sports. Carrick-on-Shannon is also very easily accessible for hen parties who have a lots of guests travelling from different parts of the country as it’s along the N4. Essentially, there are many reasons that Carrick-on-Shannon has the wonderful reputation for hen parties that it does.
Kilkenny
We have a joke at The Foxy Hen HQ where we say they should have named it Kill-henny because of the huge amount of hen parties that it caters to. It may sound silly but honestly, if you are a seasoned hen party goer then you have undoubtedly been to a hen party in Kilkenny at some point because it’s so popular. People might remember that time that a hen party (blow-up doll in tow I must add) waltzed into a count centre in Kilkenny. It was hilarious! It’s the typical antics that you can expect on a hen weekend to Kilkenny, there’s always tons of fun and surprises along the way. Again, Kilkenny has many great activities and a few nice shopping spots to enjoy during a hen weekend there but it’s the close vicinity of many of Kilkenny’s best night venues that makes it such a hit. Kilkenny also holds lots of great festivals throughout the year that always enhance its brilliant hen party atmosphere, particularly on a nice day. It’s an ideal location for hen parties who like a bit of variety when heading out and let’s face it, who doesn’t?
Galway
When talking about popular hen destinations and parties/festivals, Galway also has to get a mention. The city is well renowned for its great festivals and, of course, race days that hen parties always love to attend. As well as its special events, there are a number of factors that make Galway such a popular hen party destination year round. Considering the fact that it’s known for its beauty and its scenic bay, Galway has a plethora of fantastic spa options in the area which are always great if you want to pamper the bride-to-be before her big day. As a city, it has a huge range of activities yet it still remains relatively small in size for a city. It has a great western charm and it’s quite easy to navigate, particularly when it comes to the night time action. With Galway on the cusp of Ireland’s outback (Connemara), it’s also a great launch pad for hen parties who want to do a little bit of exploring on the big weekend. Our Connemara pub crawl is another unique and adventurous activity that hen parties love. You can check out more of our activities here.
Dingle
Aside from the old reliables, we have seen an absolute surge in hens that are dying to try out Dingle. Dingle is a town that really offers the atmosphere, range of activities and perks of other larger towns but also has maintained that charm and appeal of authentic Irish towns. Of course, the wide range of water activities like surfing and scuba diving and the opportunity to meet Fungie are always bonuses for hen parties. By night, Dingle has loads of busy live music pubs and snugs with character while it also has an obligatory night club. Our booze cruise and party bus takes hens around all the authentic pubs on the outskirts of Dingle and is one of our most popular night time activities in the area. You can check out more of our activities here.
Photo by Morgan Trinker via Style Me Pretty
