It’s the time of the year when our cities begin to look like the greeting cards we receive for Christmas. Everything is festive, lit up and pretty. And even if you’re not in a region where it traditionally snows – skating rinks and ice-skating venues offer you a fun-filled day and more.
So, if you’re in Ireland, where can you head to for some rounds of ice-skating? We’ve a list ready.
Dublin
Ice Skating at Blanchardstown
This is Ireland’s largest ice rink, and it has always been very popular with families. It has a dedicated rink for children and also penguin skating aids. In fact, Travel2Ireland visited the venue, and had a good time (and a fun reel) to show for it! You can watch the reel on our Instagram account, along with many other interesting reels, but if you have any questions, or simply want to book a slot, you can find all the details here.
Dundrum on Ice
To celebrate their 10th year in Dundrum Town Centre, the ice rink has moved to a new location in Building 5, Dundrum South. Less than 5 minutes’ walk from their old home in the Pembroke District, this year’s rink is their biggest and brightest yet. If you want to book your session, find the links and information here.
Swords on Ice
Bring on the festive season with a trip to Swords on Ice at Swords Pavilions this winter. With great music and atmosphere, this is a fun family activity with the benefits on the Pavilions on the doorstep. Details here.
Wicklow
Ice Skating at the Wicklow Christmas market
Glide along the ice to the sounds of your favourite Christmas carols while the smell of mouth-watering delights waft through the air, creating the feeling of Christmas all around you. Whether your skating is as graceful as the Sugar Plum Fairy, swift like Santa’s reindeer on Christmas Eve, or if sitting and watching the world go by is more your speed. Book a magical experience here.
Cork
Alpine Ski Trail at Cork
The Alpine Skate Trail is back to Fota House and Gardens in Cork. It is fully weatherproof so whether you’re a pro skater or not, you will have a good time.
For more information and to book tickets, click here.
Antrim – Northern Ireland
Get your skates on and discover the fun of ice skating at Northern Ireland’s only public Olympic size ice rink, just a short drive from Belfast! Excited? As always, a link with all information at your fingertips here.
We know, you want to ask us about other ice-skating rinks – like Wexford on Ice, Kilkenny on Ice or Galway Skates. But there’s a reason we haven’t made a specific mention of the above events or provided more details about other such popular and well-loved venues of the past. We wanted to give you a list that was just right and so we checked the official social media handles and websites of ice-skating venues. (Yes, we cross-check every little detail before we get a list out for our readers.)
On doing so, we sadly found out that many former ice-skating venues have announced that they will not be operating this year due to rising insurance costs and other complexities.
But be rest assured – if we’ve confirmed details of any more events happening across the Island of Ireland, we will keep you posted. And as always – if you want us to cover something specific or have any information that should make it to our lists, do drop us a line or comment.