I will be heading to a hen night soon. Hen nights, Irish style are fundamentally different to hen nights in most other countries that I have been too and I have been to my fair share. I won’t bore you with the details but let’s just say that Irish girls know how to have read more…
Been putting off this blog post for a week or so coz I really wanted to do it justice!! The weekend before last, our blogging bride Liz Killeen had her Hen Party. And boy, what a weekend it was!! THe whole thing was organised by her best friends and bridesmaids Alison and Claire and they kept the whole thing a secret from Liz, and even managed to keep alot of the hens in the dark too!
So…what did we do that made the weekend so great?!
Firstly, we all met in the Headfort Arms Hotel in Kells, Co. Meath. Random spot eh, for a bunch of women travelling from Kerry, Cork and Dublin. Well, they definitely didn’t disappoint. The Headfort is a very unassuming hotel on the main street in Kells, and what it lacks in impact from the outside it more than makes up for it with the wow factor once you step through the door. The staff couldn’t do enough for us and made us feel so special and welcome. A far cry from when many establishments were turning down Hens and Stags. The team in the Headfort were top class.
On the Friday night, we all checked in and had a drink in the bar before going up to Liz’s large suite-style bedroom ( the plaque on the door read “Hens Nest”!) The girls had brought along the playstation and Liz’s favourite, Singstar Superstar. The girl is a karaoke queen! We got the mics out and after half an hour or so of warming up the vocal chords came a knock on the door. Oh shite we thought to ourselves – the first complaint of the weekend! But no, it was one of the managers Edel delivering pizza and cosmos to the room! Sipping from our martini glasses we felt very Sex-in-the-city I have to say!
No surprise after the potent cocktails getting up on Saturday morning was not pleasant for most of us, but after a full Irish breakfast we managed to get our act together in time for the bus at 12. Decked out in tracksuits and hoodies we landed at Causey Farm to do their farmers wife course! We did some Irish Dancing in a barn and learned the Seige of Ennis , we milked a cow and petted lambs. We each baked a loaf of brown bread and then went for a ride in a tractor trailer. We hiked in the bog (and one of us even fell in a bog hole!) What an absolute scream of a day, one of the funnest things to do for a bunch of women to relax and get to know one another. By the end of it all we had walked off our hangovers and had laughed so much we had pains in our sides.
Back to the hotel and we were whisked into the bar and offered a glass of wine each and they brought out platters of paninis for us to share. We ate and drank our way through the weekend, in the Headfort you couldn’t get hungry! Afterwards, exhausted but happy we chilled out in our rooms for awhile (they were really quaint and had great character – I think we were in the old part of the hotel, so there was a lovely feel to the rooms which were all different).
And then on to the evenings entertainment. Well, we provided most of it ourselves dressing up in Glam Rock 80′s Madonna style and what can I say…we looked like utter lunatics! It didn’t help the fact that the hotel was hosting a hunt ball that evening so all the other residents and guests were in black tie! Thankfully the hotel gave us a private dining room and decorated it with pink balloons, fresh flowers on the table and a special Hen Party Menu with full 3 course meal options.
After the delicious meal and some fun with photos etc we headed to Navan to The Palace late bar/nightclub to dance the night away…. with 1 male addition to the party!! ;)
All in all a fantastic weekend and incredble value at €199 per person for all accomodation, food, the activity and everything. I would highly recommend the Headfort Arms and Causey Farm for any hen party looking for something that bit different and for everyone that looks for great service at a good value price!
You don’t have to take my word for how much fun it was….I put together this short vid to share with ye all!
We have finally had a little taster of spring over the last few days with blue skies and sunshine (though it is still freezing cold!) Well, we heard word here in WD HQ about a new workshop happening in West Cork this May called “Face into Summer” Brides, to be….it’s time to look after Number One! read more…
With the dreaded “recession” jetting off for Hen & Stag parties abroad is becoming rarer and rarer, so more people are looking around for fun and different activities in Irish towns and cities around the country. There are Greyhound Stadiums around the country and they are now actively promoting themselves as a Hen & Stag read more…
This months competition is courtesy of Boo TeeShirts – personalized t-shirts for hen parties. You can win a custom designed t-shirt for the bride and 9 of her friends simply by telling us how your G2B proposed in the comments! (click on the link above to add a comment) We will pick a winner and announce read more…
This week I was invited to the launch of Kate Hyde’s new book “How To Hen Party“. Kate is the woman behind the hugely successful site henparty.ie which you might have seen on last years Dragons Den series on RTE. henparty.ie features loads of advice and ideas for hen nights as well as featured hotels read more…
With many places now getting stricter on hens and stags, its great to highlight the towns and accomodation offerings that not only are hen-friendly, but openly welcome a gaggle of women away for a weekend! One such place is The Surf Lodge in the magnificent Inchydoney Beach, near Clonakilty in West Cork. A stunning part read more…
My cousin is getting married in June, and last weekend we decended on the town of Carlow for her hen party. Girls came from all over Ireland (the bride is from Mayo but works in Kildare) and chose Carlow as a central location. I was initially dubious I have to say (The Stag got to read more…
