Wanderers FC was founded in 1870 which means it is one of the oldest Rugby clubs in Dublin. They…read morecurrently compete in Division 3 of the AIL, but like most other clubs they have more than one team including an under-20s team. I've seen a few of their matches, and because it's Rugby they're great fun to watch and support is always welcome. Even though at this time of year it's pretty darn cold when you're standing around for close to 2 hours watching the lads in their shorts, so you might want to wear a lot of layers. The club is hard to miss, being right at Merrion Road, and it's also easy to get to by bus or DART. The clubhouse is warm and welcoming and the club organises a few events a year as well. The grounds were also used by the Australian National team for training when they were here for the Autumn Internationals, and the club also opens up their parking lot during the day for people working in the area or visiting the RDS.

One of the best clubs in Ireland to play Olympic handball in! They have a female and a male team +…read morethey are currently building up a youth section. The teammates are great and the club probably boasts as many as 20 different nationalities, so international for sure!

I must confess that for most of my life, man and boy, the joys of hockey eluded me. And they still…read moredo; it kind of seems a bit like an under 11s hurling match: low-scoring, the ball doesn't leave the ground - not particularly entertaining overall. Still, never let it be said that I'm unwilling to give things a chance. So, one day in the foreign country that was 2003 (Jesus that was a long time ago), on a particularly long day-time session in a mate's gaff in exotic Ballsbridge, we sat on a back wall of some unfortunate's house to watch our first hockey match. Pembroke Wanderers are, I imagine (from my limited knowledge of such circles) fairly typical of Dublin's hockey clubs. For one thing, they're on the southside (you wouldn't get away with that lark round my way), and for another they have an appropriately West Brit name: "Pembroke". Now don't suggest that I'm lapsing into generalisations here, but surely any young fella that didn't have notions of West Britishness but who did want to swing a piece of wood around as a sporting pursuit would take up the native (and infinitely more entertaining, to my mind) game of hurling. An iománaíocht abú. I digress. I have no idea who Pembroke were playing that night, what the final score was or what exactly was going on. This probably had a bit to do with our consumption of alcohol, but I imagine it was also to do with the deficiencies of hockey as a spectator sport. Anyway, we soon began to tire of our new-found pursuit, and we dared one of the lads to run across the pitch just before the second half started. He did (shouting, "Raheeeny forevaa!" as he went), and we spent the rest of the second half congratulating him for this feat. He was not pursued or otherwise molested by any of the hockey players, despite the fact that he is small and skinny and they were armed with big sticks, so that rather confirms their status as big jessies. After the match was over, some Kuwaiti lads came on the recently vacated pitch and started playing soccer, so we jumped down off the wall and joined them. They all had very good English, but they were extremely bad at the sport of Association Football. In spite of (or perhaps because of) our inebriated state, we were much better than them. Still and all, it was a pleasant way to round off a great day. So, while I have no interest in the sport of hockey, Pembroke Wanderers will always retain a special place in my heart.

Suttonias is a local rugby club with a warm and welcoming atmosphere. Why not drop in to watch a…read more match or have a pint

Amateur run organisation, kick off times are biased towards certain teams. Referees don't…read moreunderstand the simplest of rugby rules, are biased, don't call games evenly are rude and are not open to any sort of discussion with players regarding on field decisions. Avoid at all costs.

Summer is almost over, so I'm a bit late with this, but next summer you should think about trying…read moretag rugby. My friend describes it as "kiss-chasing" but that's not exactly it! Basically, it's a game for mixed teams where you play with a rugby ball and rugby rules but no contact. Instead of a tackle, you take someone's "tag" from their shorts. There are seven people on the pitch at a time, and there must be a minimum of three girls. Boy tries are worth one point but girl tries are worth three points (yay!). It's a bit of fun. You get to see your friends regularly every week, run around for a bit of exercise and then stay afterwards for a drink and a barbecue. It's sociable and good for exercise-phobes like me. It's great fun.

I am not a boxing fan but when I was invited to go watch a match by a boxing fan, I could not say…read moreno. They are one of the fittest athletes and the speed of the boxers in the ring was unreal. Yes I winced and squeezed my friends hand so hard that he had to make sure I was not in labour. 'Why would you think I am in labour?' 'Because you are trying to rip through my flesh with your nails?' 'You think I'm fat don't you?' I nearly ended up in the ring with him. I hate to admit it but I enjoyed myself, I guess I like violence. It was nice to do something different, the stadium is impressive, the atmosphere was good in a loving violence type of way. In all seriousness though, I would recommend it as a good night out if you are up for something different. They also hold concerts and conferences here. Boxing matches of all age groups can be watched too, just keep looking at their events page on their website, although they really should update their website!

I've never actually been to a boxing match here. I have however done the far more boring thing and…read morebeen to a folk concert in the National Stadium. I was really impessed with the stadium as a concert venue. The sound was great, the stadium was easy to navigate and although I was seated off to the side, the gig was briilliant. Apparently they have a night a week dedicated to bingo. And I am very tempted...

A lovely place. Great scenery on top with nice rocks. You can see the whole Dublin…read more Coming here mostly with a road bike. A good challenge to get up there. You may park at the bottom and walk up. Be prepared to sweat a little bit. There're at least two ways. I tried the other one and it was all gravel. No good for road bike. But nice walking experience.

Ticknock has up to 10 km of mountain and forest walks catering to seasoned hikers, mountain bikers,…read moreskateboarders, mountain runners, Sunday strollers and everyone in between with fantastic views from Dublin City to Bray Head. The forest has an extensive network of forest trails managed by Coillte and Ticknock is part of the Dublin Mountains Partnership which aims to improve the recreational use of the Dublin Mountains. The area comprises Two Rock, Three Rock, Kilmashogue and Tibradden Mountains. There are two trails specific to just Ticknock with the addition of the Wicklow Way Trail. The first trail 'Mountain Access Route' starts and finishes at the Ticknock Forest carpark. It meanders through the woodland paths before going straight up to the summit of Two Rock at Fairy Castle. This trail comes back down the same way. It's an 800m walk which takes about 20 mins. It's marked by Coillte and the Dublin Mountain Partnership as moderate and it seems to be used by runners a lot for training, as well as the occasional skateboarder on the lower part of the trail where it is tarmacadamed (I know this isn't a word, but you get what I mean!). I tend not to do this trail as it's a bit too short. The ground is partially forest walk, partially forest road and partially uneven mountain trails. It's a nice short, steep walk to the great views from Fairy Castle. The second trail 'The Fairy Castle Loop' starts and finishes at the same point but covers 5.5km and takes an estimated 1hr 45mins although as we took the wrong path for a little while on Sunday it took us closer to two hours, but hey, it was a lovely sunny day so no harm done The trail is also considered moderate. It's grand, a little uneven in places and some parts are a little on the steep side, but if you have any level of fitness you should be fine. This trail loops past Fairy Castle at the summit and passes Three Rock on the way back down (or up if you go in the opposite direction). Another thing to note is that the Dublin/Wicklow Way also runs through this part of the mountains, and so there are often other walkers coming from further afield. You can also extend your walk by heading along the Wicklow Way to either Tibradden Wood and joining the 'Tibradden Mountain Trail' or to Kilmashogue Forest which is another lovely walk. The Coillte and Dublin Mountains Partnership websites both have handy downloadable free maps which I would recommend taking if you're unsure of the trails and you don't want to bring an OSI map with you. The trails are well marked in places but not at every possible diverging fork. There is quite a lot of parking available at Ticknock as it is a very well used part of the mountains. Apparently the 44B is the closest public transport but I've had a look and it seems the closest stop might be at Lamb Doyle's.