A Secret Bar, An Intimate Gig & Amazing Irish Coffee — This Was The Experience Of A Lifetime

We recently partnered with Jameson to let three lucky winners take over Lovin’s social media over two days for the opportunity of a lifetime — here’s how they got on.

Since Jameson was holding special events around Dublin on March 15 and March 16, we sent our three correspondents — Laura White and two of her mates — to give us the low-down.

The celebrations kicked off on Wednesday March 15 with a gig by folk singer Nathaniel Rateliff with an audience of just 60 people at the Jameson Distillery, which our trio got front row seats at.

Not only did the winners get to see Rateliff and Choice Prize nominees All Tvvins perform up close, but they also managed to have a chat with the artists and learn some deep, meaningful facts about them… like whether they preferred Barry’s Tea or Lyons.

After a thrilling evening, our winners retired back to the luxurious Westin Hotel, where they’d also bagged two nights stay (’tis well for some).

The next morning the trio set off on the Jameson walking tour, where they were met a host of impressive individuals who wanted to share their Sine Metu experience.

First stop on the tour was Fish Shop in Smithfield, a tiny spot but brimming with character, where the tour’s participants heard the inspiring story of how two teachers packed in their jobs to follow their dream of opening their own seafood restaurant and how it paid off.

Next up, just around the corner, was Proper Order Coffee Co. Here our winners learned about one barista’s journey to being one of the finest purveyors of coffee in the city. The café also played host to a photography exhibition which examined the beauty and uniqueness of Tallaght.

In the alley beside the coffeeshop the tour found the street artist El Viz hard at work. Here he was creating a colourful mural of Ireland, his own personal vision of a more diverse country, and talked the crowd through Dublin’s graffiti scene.

Of course, this was a Jameson walking tour, so they couldn’t not swing by the Distillery while in the area. It was here that our winners were given a masterclass in creating whiskey.

Master blender Billy Leighton guided the group through the process, where participants personally adjusted a mixture to create their own unique blend, before making personalised leather labels for their concoctions’ bottles.

After all that hard work, the group was whisked away to Fade Street Social for lunch of a fancy variety (where, as an added bonus, our winners caught a glimpse of Brian O Driscoll).

After being happily fed and watered, the trio hit the streets once again. This time visiting George’s Street’s secret bar The Butcher’s… well, at least it was secret.

From the outside it looks like an actual butcher shop, but this is all a clever rouse. Upon opening the meat fridge door you discover a hidden stairwell which leads down into a charming basement venue. Here they were instructed in the art of making sweet ‘n’ creamy Irish coffee.

After another successful lesson, the tour group strolled over to Francis Street to get a look inside Monster Truck Studio, the workplace of artist Steve McCarthy, the designer of Jameson’s new bottle.

The charismatic McCarthy captivated those in attendance with his story of passion and determination in pursuit of a successful career as a creative. His speech was followed by that of colleague Babs Daly, who packed in a job in retail to pursue her own dream of being a professional photographer and never looked back.

At this point, everyone on the tour was feeling thoroughly inspired.

After everyone had the chance to explore the weird and wonderful studio, our winners headed back to The Butcher’s to interview Steve McCarthy for our Facebook audience’s viewing pleasure.

Unsurprisingly, Laura nailed it.

As the action-packed day and night came to a close, our trio of would-be journos finally logged out of our social channels and looked forward to another Jameson shindig at The Academy — but this time they got to enjoy it off-duty.

Now, after reading all that, do you find yourself being just the tiniest bit jealous? Same here.