Christmas at Barnacles

For some, being away from home at Christmas can be a tough time. Christmas is about getting together with your family and loved ones and sharing some festive cheer (along with a fair bit of booze and pudding of course). So for backpackers on the road, Christmas and the New Year can be sometimes a bit lonely.

But all is not lost! Barnacles Hostels areset to rock this Christmas! Full to the brim with festive cheer, Barnacles will be holding a Christmas like no other!

Of course there will be turkey.......... of course there will be mistletoe and most importantly .................. of course there will be SANTA!!

We will encourage even the Scrooge backpackers to take part in our Christmas festivities. From ice - skating, to Christmas video nights (it is not officially Christmas untill Willy Wonka is watched!) If this doesn't get you in the Christmas spirit nothing will!

So come and join us! Make new friends and experience a Christmas to remember! Click HERE to book our Galway hostel and click HERE to book our Dublin hostel.

20 Things for the Lazy Chef to Cook!

Having a microwave is nearly as important as having a bed! Not just used for heating left over's or making hot chocolate! They are (or should be) the best friend of the lazy chef!



15 Things to Cook in a Micro wave

1. Quesadilla: Easy, chessey. Lay a tortilla down, sprinkle some cheese on it, micorwave. Add salsa if you're feeling extra creative.
2. Microwave Dinners: They can be the diet kind, the healthy kind, the made for large appetite kind. And they can be tasty.
3. Baked potatoes: Grab a potatoe. Wash it. Poke it a few times with a fork. Wrap it in a paper towel. Microwave it for a few minutes. You'll know when it's done when you can easily poke the fork past the centre.
4. Popcorn: The old reliable - perfect for a movie night in.
5. Pasta (and sauce): Take yourself off down to the shop and buy a microwave packet of pasta and sauce. Mr Dolmio can't make it any easier!
6. Porridge: Perfect for brekkie on those baltic mornings we seem to be having!
7. Soup: Can > Micorwave > Bing > Bowl > Mouth > Hmmmm
8. Frozen Veg: Get your 5 a day! Toss frozen veg in a bowl with a little water. Microwave until they're hot!
9. Nachos: Always perfect for a late night :) All you need is taytos & cheese (and anything extra you feel like)
10. Poached Eggs: Careful these can turn out rubbery if you leave them on too long.
11. Rashers: Grab a plate, put down several paper towls, lay down some rashers, and cook until done. Instant hang over cure!
12. Scrambled Eggs: Crack some eggs, put in a bowl - mixing with a fork, and cooking. And feel free to throw in some of those rashers you also cooked, too, for some extra pizazz.
13. Hot Chocolate: We all know how to make this one!
14. Tuna Melt: Make some tuna (tuna + mayonnaise = tuna), sprinkle some mozzarella cheese on it, and voila! Tuna Melt!
15. Who ever said microwave things had to be meals? Heat up a chocolate muffin - get a massive bowl of ice-cream and there you have it! One of the best deserts/pick me up's ever - Enjoy!

So there you have it! Tell all your mammies to relax - you are not fading away from lack of food!

7th Wonder of the Hostel World!

Barnacles Hostel in Temple Bar has scooped one of the industry's top awards in September achieving 7th Best Hostel in the World! The only Irish Hostel to feature in the line up, Barnacles are delighted to have won this award as voted by Hostelworld.com customers. This award will be added to Barnacles Hostels collection as last year we won Dublin's Best Hostel 2009! Definitely moving in the right direction we won't stop until we reach number 1!

What has made us one of the Best? Customers ranked each hostel on 6 categories: Location, Character, Security, Staff, Fun and Cleanliness. With over 20,000 customers booking daily through the hostelworld website this is the top award to achieve in the industry. A variety of nationalities come through Barnacles doors everyday - Barnacles provides a great way to meet new people in a fun atmosphere.

Our central location is one of the aspects our customers rank most highly. Staying in Temple Bar you're close to everything - major tourist attractions, public transport, and of course the bustling atmosphere of Temple Bar!! With countless festivals taking place through out the year, Barnacles Hostel simply soaks up the atmosphere!!

We know our customers are our VIP's!! Everything is about them! That's why we try and make their stay at Barnacles THE BEST EVER!! So no matter what time of day (or night) we're on hand to help our guests. Our guests love our in-house parties and themed nights as there is always loads of craic to be had :) Team all this with our top knotch security, professional cleaning team and of course our fantastic staff........what do you get?? A place on the Top 10 Hostels in the World!

A big thank you to all of our customers who voted for us! We're really chuffed!

Introducing the Full Irish Breakfast cocktail!!

Here at Barnacles Hostels we encourage our guests to try new things and here is our latest.....

Have you ever tried a meat based cocktail?? Does the thought of one make your tummy flip and not in a good way?? Hold on ...don't stop reading just yet...this one is going to be interesting!!

Anyone can eat bacon for breakfast but can you drink bacon for breakfast!

The Full Irish Breakfast Cocktail is a totally new and unusual experience. In England, Michelin-starred chef Heston Blumenthal has had a hit on his hands with bacon and egg ice-cream (Gasp!!) so why not a bacon and egg cocktail??

For many, many years the Bloody Mary has been a great friend to those looking for something the morning after the night before. Maybe in years to come the Full Irish Breakfast will be too!

Ready to give it a try?? Here is what you will need.....

1.5 shots of pancetta infused Jameson's Irish Whiskey

1 shot of Advocatt egg liquer (if egg liquer is not your thing you can add a shot of egg white instead)

0.5 shot of maple syrup

0.5 shot of lemon juice

How to get the Pancetta infused Jameson?

Pan fry 3 slices of pancetta and when it is cooked, dry it with a paper napkin to remove excess grease (you see we're being healthy here). After the Pancetta has cooled down, put it into a jar with 0.5 litre of Jameson's. Let the mixture sit in the refrigerator for 2 days. Scoop out the fat which will have settled at the top of the jar and fine strain the mixture with a cloth napkin or a coffee filter. Once strained, you can store the infused pancetta in the fridge for a long time.

Directions:

Fill up your martini glass with ice so it will be chilled and ready for your drink

Put ice cubes in your cocktail glass and add all ingredients mentioned above

Shake vigorously

Fine strain the cocktail mixture into your chilled martini glass

Garnish with a lemon twist

Followed all the steps? All that's left to do is drink it! Best of luck and if you try this cocktail please let us know what you thought....is it the cure to all hangovers?

Coming to Ireland? why not stay with us in Barnacles hostel in Dublin and Galway? Click here to read more

We're all looking forward to Arthurs Day

23rd September Arthur's Day!!

This September we'll be celebrating the second Arthurs Day! On this day everyone will be out in streets at 17.59 with a pint of Guinness in hand to raise to Arthur Guinness. The echo will be heard throughout the country as every pub takes part in the event. This year to add even more of a party atmosphere Guinness will be staging a number of concerts to ensure the party goes on through the night. With bands such as David Gray headlining the event in Galway with other famous artists such as Sharon Shannon, Newton Faulkner and the Magic Numbers putting on a show. In Dublin the list of musicians is endless with Snow Patrol, Biffy Clyro and Brandon Flowers to name but a few singing the night away.

Galway Races Review

We have survived the madness of the Galway Races! We just about had time to catch our breath after the Galway Arts Festival before the celebrations for Race Week got under way. If you were in Galway this week you would have witnessed style and fashion beyond belief as the ladies strutted their stuff at the racecourse and around town. For those who weren't there, make sure you're here next year for this is the biggest event in Galways festival calendar!

Barnacles Hostel kicked off race week with a Mad Hatter competition. In exchange for 2 race tickets guests had to compete to make a 'mad hat'. Our guests (never shy of a challenge) got busy with materials straight away. There was glitter, glue and feathers flying everywhere and even a few sabotage attempts! But one hat prevailed ....... inspired by the swans at Galways Claddagh this hat had to win first prize.

Barnacles also had a go at predicting the winners........we didn't use any conventional methods such as form, past wins etc .......we based our decisions on the important things like the color of the jockey silks, the look of the horse and when there was a Galway jockey ....we backed him!


Turns out we were spot on with our race tip 'overturn' winning the big race of the day on Thurday.


Our guests also made us proud with their sense of style and taste for adventure with some of their headpieces bordering on the bizzare. But they were not the only ones, as night time on Quay Street brought all the style into the city. The trong of people enjoying the atmosphere and music was huge with Barnacles right in the middle of all the action.


So as of today, we hang up our boots and headpieces for another year. The festival fever still lingers in Galway with plenty more to look forward to in August.

Irish Quirks Uncovered

Grand Soft Day.....it's banjaxed.....stop acting the maggot.....day for the high stool ......Every wonder what Irish people are talking about?? Some of our guests here have been putting pressure on us to unveil the meaning of our quirky phrases. we were reluctant as honestly we sometimes enjoy the look of confusion on your faces! but we'll give in ....here's an explaination of a few.......

1. A Grand Soft Day: This is drizzly rainy weather......not enough to soak you but still enough to frizz your hair (disaster!) Something we get alot of in Galway


2. Banjaxed: The object is completely broken.....never to work again.....like when our dedicated receptionist Anna broke the Twister board game there just was no fixing it - and we still haven't forgiven her!


3. Acting the Maggot: To act up or act the eejit ......Barnacles team member Scott does this on a regular basis always getting himself into trouble and all sorts of sticky situations....Check out our flickr page to see


4. A day for the high stool: One of our personal favourites! When it's raining so hard that there is simply nothing you can do but go to the nearest pub and plonk yourself down on a high stool by the counter and have a few beers. .....



What phrases did you come across when travelling in Ireland? Let us and our guests know .... you'll be helping generations of backpackers to come!

You've Been BARNACLED!! - the Barnalces leg of the IHH Around Ireland For Free Trip

Yesterday, Barnacles Hostel took part in the Galway leg of the IHH Around Ireland for Free Trip. The Barnacles Challenge: To Barnacle 15 people by making them do the Macarena dance in Quay Street, Galway. Here's how the girls got on...........

'Today Melanie and I began our journey in Galway. First stop, Barnacles Hostel. Here we were given our first challenge - in order to earn our first night's stay, we needed to convince fifteen people to dance the Macarena in front of the hostel with us. This was no easy task. Armed with our Barnacles t-shirts and positive attitudes, we were promptly rejected by everyone we tried to convince at the Spanish Arch. Clearly folks are not as keen on making spectacles of themselves as we are. Eventually we decided that the only way to get the participants we needed was to lead by example. And so we danced. And people stared. And we danced some more. And the staff took pictures. And we danced, and hollered at tourists walking by, and eventually some folks took pity on our cause and danced alongside us. It took a few goes, and a few starts and stops of the music, and a few perplexed looks and outright refusals, but in the end we got more than the fifteen people required. We rounded off a good twenty minutes of dancing with eighteen participants and earned our night. We retire with the rhythmic beat and awkward gestures ringing in our memories.' Jennifer Mara














Check out more pictures on our facebook and flickr and video of the people the girls managed to Barnacle on the day

Best of Luck Girls from the Barnacles Team

Bloomsday - The Ulysses Challenge

Well everyone Bloomsday has been and gone ……. so what do we all think? For anyone who was in The Meeting Square, Templebar, Dublin yesterday you would now be enlightened to the joys of Ulysses by James Joyce. It was perfect – the sun was out, there was free ice-cream nothing to do but sit back and enjoy the readings of Ulysses.

But I have to ask the question...... how many people have read Ulysses??

I myself have tried to read Ulysses twice already but failed miserably. The introduction alone to the book is longer than most books I have read!! So this is a challenge we’re setting here in Barnacles…..The Ulysses Challenge! To read James Joyces Ulysses (no cliff notes although tempting - it is cheating). Encouraged by yesterday’s readings, we’re going to dust off our copies and try again. This time we’re going to read it in public places like the bus or train or even behind the reception desk – once you start to read a book in public you are committed to finishing it!! What happens if someone you know spots you reading it and then asks you how you got on?? We can’t face the shame of saying it was too hard!! So if you hear the staff at Barnacles spontaneously quoting from Ulysses or suddenly demanding gorgonzola cheese sandwiches you’ll know what we’re up to.

We’re going to give it go - will you?

Barnacles Hostel Staff Save the Day

In an amazing feat of heroics today, Barnacles staff member Leprechaun Lorenzo tracked down and rescued his kidnapped cousin Seamus of the Four Courts Hostel. Seamus was being held captive by none other than evil Barbie who was torturing Seamus to reveal the hiding place of the luggage room keys. Young Seamus fell victim to Barbies evil way and was lured by Barbie by her exotic Irish dancing. Seamus is very grateful to Lorenzo for the rescue as he had begun to fear for his life!! Lorenzo has been working in Barnacles Hostel since 1993 and when interviewed Lorenzo claims he never gave up hope in finding his missing cousin and never thought of the danger he was in as he stormed Barbies hide out. He claims he understands how Barbie fooled Seamus as all Leprechauns have a weakness for Blonde girls doing what he calls ‘lovely irish dancing’. A big session will be underway as Lorenzo and Seamus base themselves in Barnacles Hostel in Galway for the week and get reacquainted with a few pints of Guinness. As for Barbie she is facing charges of kidnap, assault and Irish Dancing fraud.

IHH Travel Around Ireland for Free

It's that time of year again, where hostels in Ireland have come together to show that our famous Irish hospitality is still alive and kicking. We've found two willing volunteers who are ready to take on the challenge. Their aim is to try and complete a trip in Ireland without spending a penny!! They will have to rely on their gift of the gab as they try to charm their way from Galway to Sixmilebridge in County Clare over the space of the week.

Those two girls don't know what they're in for - We're not going to make it easy! We have been warned that they will be heading our way on the 21st of June. With no money changing hands, what is the price of a warm cosy bed for the night? If they want a free bed they must complete a challenge we set for them. But what challenge?? It must involve embarrassment (on their part!), laughs and good oul Irish craic!

Competition Winner

All of us at Barnacles Quay Street House were delighted to collect our award last week for Best Window boxes 2009 from Galway's Tidy Towns Committee. All the "tomato" feed and talking to the plants paid off in the end!

Our awards include a Winners plaque 2009 and holder of the Bill Madden Perpetual Trophy for the next 12 months, and you can see these displayed at reception.

This is the second time Barnacles Quay Street House won this award, the previous occasion was 2007.

Barnacles Apartment - Galway

If you fancy some space and independence during your weekend away in Galway City then Barnacles apartment could be just what you are looking for.

Our modern two bedroom apartment on Kirwins Lane in the Galway Latin Quarter can be booked online or by reception at Barnacles Quay Street House. The apartment accommodates upto 4 people in 2 double rooms.

Book at galway@barnacles.ie or call us at +353 91 568644

Early start to Summer at Barnacles

The fantastic "Summer" this weekend has brought everyone out on Quay Street, Galway. Lots of good food, drink and fun all on our doorstep (literally!)

All that's missing is you!

We are so glad that St Patricks Day 2010 went down a treat!

With Parties happening on the street.

And good times had by all!

To see more photo's just check out our flickr page
http://www.flickr.com/photos/baranclesdublingalway/

Dublin's hostels break Guinness World Record

Barnacles Temple Bar House as part of Dublin's Best Hostels broke a Guinness World Record on 25th January at the Hostelworld 2010 Hoscar awards in the Button Factory in Temple Bar (across the street from Barnacles).

The Guinness World Record was for "the most amount of people on a bunkbed". Incredibily they managed to fit 29 people on the bunk bed.

You can see more pictures on http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=9016&id=100000448178946&l=f35b8999c8

Australia Day at Barnacles Hostel Galway & Dublin

See what our Aussies were like in Barnacles Galway BEFORE they went out to celebrate Australian Day http://www.youtube.com/user/BarnaclesHostels#p/u/0/uO0Mh0wuH9c

Dublin's Best Hostel 2009

We are delighted that Barnacles Temple Bar House has been voted Dublin's Best Hostel for 2009 by Hostelworld customers at the Hoscar Party in Dublin on Monday night.

And if that wasnt praise enough we are also voted No. 6 in the Top 10 Hostels in Ireland for 2009. Thank you to everyone who voted for us.............. you have made our day!!:)

Australia Day

Barnacles are welcoming all Aussies on Australia Day, 26th January. And to make our welcome extra special we are offering 10% off to all Australians staying on the day, there will be prizes and give aways on the day too...

Guinness World Record

Barnacles Temple Bar House, and our friends at Dublin's Best Hostels are counting down the days to attempting a Guinness World Record on Monday 25th January "the largest amount of people on a bunkbed".

We can't wait! ....Check back with us again to find out how we get on and for a video of the record attempt .