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.

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.

The national governing body for martial arts in Ireland, and linked closely to the Irish Sports…read moreCouncil, IMAC has been central to the recent explosion in interest in martial arts in Ireland. Organising coaching courses, ensuring the adherence to high standards, and providing a centralised body through which policy can be discussed in the often closed world of martial arts, it has played a great role in the development of the arts. With representatives from all the affiliated styles it has brought a level of professionalism to what were admittedly hitherto fairly hodge-podge relations. Of course, it hasn't solved all the problems. Though it probably never will. Egos are such great things!

Who knew badminton was so popular... This centre has courts for hire everyday of the week, rate is…read moredependent on peak/off peak plus if you have a particular time in mind would suggest earlier booking or hey, if you're really in the swing of things you can prebook a number of sessions. This club also has a range of groups and classes you can join so whether you're a beginner wanting to learn the ABC's of badminton or want to advance there's a class for you; there's also a great notice board with groups wanting to sign up members, looking for team mates so it's a great way to socialise and meet people... And get active while you're at it. There's a store inside, although opening hours are limited, it does stock all the supplies you need to enjoy the game, from shuttlecocks to rackets to clothing they've got you covered. The shops is ran by local people so remember shop local, support the independent shops and keep the community spirit alive :-)

Very good! Really enjoyed all the routes I did. Way more use of arêtes than I'm used to, which was…read morea fun change. So many different wall orientations too- made for a great variety as well. The drop in coaching classes seem like they'd be super helpful as well, not something I've seen before- definitely wish they had this at gyms I was able to go to regularly. Color grading for all the routes via their holds was exceedingly helpful, made it really easy to find problems to do.

Writing this review is very difficult for me, not in an emotional sense but because I've been…read moreclimbing a lot lately and it has led to a condition I call, dinosaur hands. For those of you not familiar with dinosaurs or hands it basically means that my hands are feeling very floppy. Holding a pint of Guinness last night took considerable effort and grip revision. To the uneducated eye some may think that I am overtly expressive in a camp theatrical way with my flailing hands. But enough about my hands, what about the wall? €8 to go each time. €5 one time only membership. Plenty of walls of all different intensity levels for you to practise on (bouldering not rock climbing). They have a free drop in class every Monday for beginners. It's not in the sexiest of locations but the inside is very well done, you can get coffee and parents etc can chill out in the seating area and look on. If you are OK with heights and falling from heights give it a go. If you're not you are more than welcome to watch my hands go dinosaur like as I fall from a height. I think that would be very rewarding for those of you that don't like me.

Terenure Sports Club was previously known as CYM Sports Club. It's a multi Sports Club catering for…read moreBowls, Cricket, Rugby, Soccer, Table Tennis and Tennis with facilities to match. As well as that Terenure Sports Club has a snooker room available for members, a pool table, a sports hall, main bar and function room with catering and bar facilities. Membership for new members is €120 for the year (with €50 of that given back to the member in Bar credit) plus a section fee for whatever sport the member wishes to play. If a member only wants membership with no sport affiliation the €120 membership fee applys. The club has a nice friendly atmosphere and staff that are easy to deal with.

I joined Epic MTB and found them to be a race focused MTB club who are proud to be just that…read more They have become one of the largest, most active MTB clubs in Ireland and dominated the 2012 race season across the board. If you want to ride and race with some of the best MTB'ers in Ireland on some of the best trails around and get seriously fit doing it, its the club for you.

From the owner: EPIC supports all off-road cyclingincluding: Cross Country, Enduro, Cyclo Cross & MTB Sportivesread more