This was so much fun.
No, it wasn’t a stag but, myself and the lads decided we all needed to get together again.
At this day and age, it’s hard to get your group of mates together so we have to plan something and make everyone commit.
Last year was a little trip to London, this year we decided to stay on home soil so we rented a boat and sailed down the Shannon for a weekend.
https://www.instagram.com/p/B2udrxjiZqv/
We rented an eight-man boat which costs around €1,600 for the weekend.
That might sound pricey but it’s only €200 per head for a weekend of accommodation and the craic of being on a boat is pretty priceless.
You also have to pay a decent deposit so don’t mess with the boat!
We rented our boat off Emerald Star which is operated by Le Boat. They were extremely helpful when we got there and showed us the ropes.
The boat is equipped with a full kitchen, four bedrooms, all with their own shower and toilet, dining area, sound system and you can steer the boat from the top and bottom deck.
We didn’t have a whole lot of boating experience but Tim took us through it all.
You set sail in Portumna and after passing the bridge you are free to roam.
Be mindful that the bridge only opens at certain times which is crucial to know for the way back home.
For us, this then turned into a bit of a pub crawl, we stopped in different small towns like Terryglass and Garrykennedy to have a few stout.
Along the way, you can stop the boat and jump into the water which is freezing but great craic.
Friday night was pretty low-key so we played a lot of pool in Ciss Ryans until we popped back to the boat.
Did he make this shot, though?
You continue doing the same for the next couple of days. Beers on the boat while sailing down, stopping in different towns to see what the local pub is like for food and a pint.
Saturday was a lot more lively in Larkins pub where there was trad music playing and a lot busier than Friday.
We genuinely just had the best kind of rural Ireland craic we could have.
Singing, dancing, chatting to a few aul lads at the bar and sipping stout.
I really couldn’t recommend doing this enough.
It’s perfect for a group of mates if you want to rent a bigger boat but I also think it would be extremely romantic as a couple to sail down the Shannon on a smaller one.
