Did you know there’s a Vineyard in Dunleer?! Fairy Trees Winery make red, white, rosé and sparkling wines using traditional French methods. They run daily tours of the vineyard, which include wine tasting! Their tours & wine make perfect Christmas gifts. Buy/Book at: www.fairytrees.ie
Land of Light - at legendary venue - Irish National Stud Kildare, is a Spectacular Illumination. This enchanting trail promises an unforgettable experience for families with light displays, cutting-edge lasers, larger-than-life installations and photo opportunities galore! www.landoflight.ie
Christmas Island is a unique Santa experience. Meet the elves, enjoy tubing, mini golf, face painting, boat rides & so much more! https://www.christmasisland.ie/
Skypark Adventure Lights Carlingford is back with more twinkly lights than ever. Toast smores, solve the maze and enjoy all the activities for a fun, festive family evening. https://skypark.ie/adventure-lights-skypark/
Bracken Court Hotel Christmas Party Nights have delicious dining and music to dance the night away! Their Festive Afternoon Tea is sumptuous, and their Gift Vouchers make ideal Christmas gifts.
Magic of Christmas at Airfield Estate is a relaxed and heartwarming experience, created with little ones in mind. https://events.liveit.io/airfield-estate/the-magic-of-christmas-at-airfield/
Farnham Estate is wonderful for winter getaways, spa trips and festive dining. Their new Villa/Apartment accommodation is perfect for groups who want to stay together, while having access to the hotel’s fantastic amenities.
Need Christmas gift shopping inspo? www.wanapix.ie have fabulous, personalised gifts and use mams.ie code ‘XMASWITHWANAPIX’ for 10% off.
With a pool, sensory room and relaxed atmosphere, Pillo Hotel Ashbourne is ideal for family breaks. Close to Emerald Park and Dublin City, it’s ideally located. And Ashbourne is a lovely village too, perfect for a ramble.
Step into the enchantment of Winter Woodland at Beyond the Trees Avondale, where twinkling lights, festive delights, and magical adventures await. Craft markets, Santa visits & yummy food, make it a must visit. Close by is Wicklow on Ice, a real-ice rink in the Great Barn!
Elf Town Dublin is a spectacular, story-led Christmas experience. Combining live performance, beautifully themed environments, interactive activities, Santa’s real reindeer, and a magical private family visit with Santa! Book at https://elftowndublin.ie/
It’s not easy finding family friendly hotels in Dublin City Centre so we were delighted to discover Aloft Hotel in The Liberties.
With interconnecting rooms, a relaxed atmosphere and child friendly dining, it’s perfect for families.
mams.ie has lots of competitions, gift ideas and winter activity suggestions, so make sure you’re following us!
Thinking about a family mini break this October? Farnham Estate Cavan has great Autumnal offers; enjoy Woodland walks, delicious dining, spacious rooms, spa & the spectacular indoor/outdoor pool – we love it here.
Like a fright at Halloween? Farmaphobia is a fun (aka terrifying) experience. Perfect for horror fans!
Pillo Hotel Ashbourne; close to Emerald Park, Bounce & Beyond Ballyboughal and Dublin Zoo is a firm favourite of ours. Generously sized rooms, swimming pool, fab food and a sensory room, makes Pillo ideal for family breaks.
Pumpkins After Dark is back at Newbridge House & Farm and is a no frights family friendly experience. The Haunted Trail at Malahide Castle is another spooktacular, family friendly Halloween event.
Bracken Court Hotel Balbriggan has spacious family rooms, lovely atmosphere, yummy food. A 5-minute walk to the train station and then, only 30 mins into Dublin City. National Concert Hall, The National Wax Museum Plus, Dublinia and EPIC museum are excellent for Autumnal days out in Dublin. For family friendly dining, we love Shake Dog Diners. Their food is affordable, tasty and they have a great menu!
There are lots of great movies running atm and many cinemas, like Arc Cinemas, have special offers for families. Kids clubs on weekend mornings are especially good value.
If you are planning a Santa visit, it’s a good idea to book early as they tend to sell out fast. Here are some of our favourites for 2026…..
ElfTown Dublin at the RDS is an interactive, immersive experience, with two magical ways for families to experience the wonder of Christmas. Choose from the full 75-minute Elf Town Immersive Experience or the shorter 30 minute Santa’s Magical Visit.
Book here: https://elftowndublin.ie/ Elf Town Dublin
Airfield Estate Dundrum is stunning at Christmas, blending timeless traditions and a fun-filled visit with Santa. Explore the breathtaking grounds, visit the Jersey cows, playground, café and garden centre. The elves can’t wait to welcome you! Book at: https://www.airfield.ie/events/the-magic-of-christmas-santa-airfield/
Christmas Island is a stunning experience. Take a journey on Sata’s houseboat to meet Santa, the Elves & Mrs. Claus. Enjoy Indoor mini golf, tubing, crafts, face painting, cinema & lots more! You can even book in overnight! Book here: www.ChristmasIsland.ie
We are giving away Christmas experiences family passes at
www.mams.ie
https://www.facebook.com/mams.ireland/
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September is super busy for Mammies! Kids are back to school, LC exam results are out, JC results are coming, college places are being offered and its Debs season!
For Debs (wedding guest/special occasion), we love MyKindOfDress.com Visit their store Unit 1, Fashion City, Ballymount or order online. The dresses are affordable and beautiful; we especially love the lilac pictured above – stunning for debs.
Baloot Accessories has bejewelled bags, embellished hair bands and fancy belts. See https://www.baloot-clothing.com/
For our daughters Debs we’re heading to Lynda at Neon Trees Balbriggan for make-up. She is incredible (she did my look above). Lynda is friendly, affordable and you can visit her at PA Salon or message about house calls via her Insta https://www.instagram.com/neon_trees_makeup/
Advanced Hair Design is affordable, and the girls are so friendly. Pop in for a chat with Trisha about styles for your daughter.
Corsages are back in fashion and Willow & Wisp Flowers have some gorgeous ones to complete the debs look.
Whatever their Leaving Cert results are, they have completed 14 years of school, and that’s worth celebrating! Hopefully they got the results they wanted but if they didn’t, it’s not the end of the world. There are other ways to their dream course; via a PLC for example. It’s so important they understand these results, from one snapshot in time, do not define them. After all her hard work, we will be treating our daughter!
We love to support Irish brands and here are some of our favourites….
Athlone Hampers ‘Cadbury Chocolate and Prosecco’ is our top pick for Leaving Cert gifting (just leave out the bubbles for Junior Cert Gifting!) See https://athlonehampers.ie/ And for the hard-working mammies, we have a fabulous ‘Thank You’ Athlone hamper to give away on mams.ie and our socials Insta @mams.ie & FB @mams.ireland Get entering gals – you deserve it!
Fíor make beautiful Irish inspired jewellery, the Grá and Mother & Child sets are perfect ‘Well done’ exam gifts.
Absolute Jewellery have beautiful jewellery sets for Debs and exam gifting.
Green Angel Skincare have sets for him and her – ideal for gifting. And Cloud10Beuaty do excellent bundles, of beautiful skincare, hair care and make-up – something to suit everyone who deserves a treat!
If you fancy a little family getaway, Pillo Hotel Ashbourne has lots of family offers this Autumn. Swimming pool, sensory room, fab food, spacious rooms. Go on, you deserve it!
The EPIC Irish Immigration Museum is an award winning interactive, immersive experience. Perfect for all age groups. With 5 star visitor reviews, it’s a must see.
Dublinia welcomes you to the heart of Viking and Medieval Dublin. Travel back to the heart of the old city at Christchurch. Walk where Vikings walked, step into Medieval Dublin, find out about Dublin’s rich past and climb an original Medieval tower!
The Wax Museum Plus in Dublin has a special summer offer, family entrance for only €50, that’s 20% off! Interactive and fun, it’s great to visit.
For lunch on family days out, we love Shake Dog. Yummy hotdogs, burgers, shakes & more. Family friendly and affordable. To win Shake Dog vouchers, go to mams.ireland FB!
Visiting Dublin city? We recommend staying at Bracken Court Hotel Balbriggan. 5 min walk to beach. 5 mins to train station and only 30 minutes by train to Dublin City.
Irish National Stud is another fantastic day out. Meet the baby foals, follow the fairy trail, have a delicious lunch and let the kids run free!
For family getaways, Farnham Estate has a stunning spa, woodland walks, indoor/outdoor pool and award-winning dining. Our children love the pancakes at breakfast The Tomahawk steak for couples is an amazing dining experience!
Bounce n Beyond Ballyboughal has trampolines, soft play area and a Sensory Room. Let the kids bounce themselves tired!
The Gem Treatery Balbriggan has play area, acai bowls, crepés, sandwiches, coffee and multiple ice-cream flavours, including whipped for 99‘s! We had my nephew’s birthday party there. With a dedicated hostess, games and cake decorating, it was brill!
For Back To School we highly recommend personalised products! www.wanapix.ie water bottles, backpacks and pencil cases can be personalised with your child’s name, and they can choose the colour & style! Use code MAMSWANAPIX26 for 10% off.
For school uniforms, coats etc. MyNametags labels and stickers are superb. Personalise with your child’s name and your number and if anything’s misplaced, you’ll hopefully get it back. Cheaper than buying replacements!
Back to school is super busy for Mammies, so we’re giving away Charlotte Tilbury, Flormar & Gionni goodies for you amazing gals. Enter at:
FB: https://www.facebook.com/mams.ireland/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/mams.ie/?hl=en
And www.mams.ie
