Ireland: human warmth and green meadows

Day 1: Early morning departure from Paris and arrival in Dublin. Settling in, followed by lunch at the Radisson Blu Royal. City tour and cocktail reception at The Marker hotel in the docks. In the evening, greyhound race at Shelbourne Park.

The hotel: Radisson Blu Royal

With its contemporary style and prime location just off St Stephens Green, so close to all the Irish capital's hotspots, the Radisson Blu Royal is a tempting upmarket option in the city centre, offering 150 rooms in contemporary tones. Above all, it is a popular venue for business groups, with 15 seminar rooms accommodating up to 400 people.
The hotel also stands out for its bars and restaurants. These include the brasserie V'n V - de Verres en Vers - which serves cuisine based on local products, but with a French twist. The hotel's real plus point is the landscaped terrace at 7^e The Sky Suite Bar on the first floor and the Vintage Room, where you can sample whiskeys and champagnes, provide a cosy, chic atmosphere in which to unwind after a day of meetings. Other benefits include free WiFi and access to the nearby Iveagh fitness club, which has a swimming pool.

Radisson Blu Royal, Golden Lane
Tel.: +353 1 898 2900
Email : info.royal.dublin@radissonblu.com
Internet: www.radissonblu.ie

Alternative : Camden Court Hotel

Behind its brick façade stretching along one of Dublin's slightly bohemian streets, Camden Court is almost hidden by a pub, the Bleeding Horse, mentioned by James Joyce in Ulysse. This charming mid-range hotel, Irish to the core and therefore very welcoming, is a stone's throw from the Grand Canal and a five-minute walk from St Stephens Green. Opened in 1988, the hotel has recently refurbished most of its 246 rooms. Its conference centre offers 12 meeting rooms for up to 250 people. Its Iveagh restaurant can be partly privatised. Plus: free WiFi and a large underground swimming pool.

Camden Court Hotel, Camden Street
Tel.: +353 1 428 39 30
Email : meetingexcellence@camdencourthotel.ie
Internet: www.camdencourthotel.ie

Greyhound racing: a fun version of the trifecta

Grandparents in their Sunday best and children enjoying themselves on the lawn, budding lovers and executives on their way out of meetings: this is a typically Irish scene being played out in the restaurant-tribune at Shelbourne Park, dedicated to greyhound racing. A play in ten thirty-second acts, the time it takes for the six four-legged racing cars to get out of the studs to catch up with the dummy hare that is circling the track at breakneck speed. Companies can play an active part in this canine version of the Grand Prix d'Amérique by sponsoring one of the races, with a mention in the day's programme. It's a relaxed, fun evening, with betting vouchers on the tables, low stakes and low winnings. There's plenty to quench your thirst in the pubs of Temple Bar to finish the evening.

Shelbourne Park South Lotts Road. Dublin 4
Tel.: +353 61 448 080
Email : sales@igb.ie
Internet: www.igb.ie

Docks: looking to the future

Google, Facebook, Accenture: they have all chosen Dublin's docks to house their international head offices. Of course, the "Celtic Tiger"'s attractive tax system has a lot to do with it. However, the modern yet peaceful atmosphere of this district, which rises in the east of the city, a stone's throw from the new conference centre, is certainly not to blame. Homes and offices line the Grand Canal entrance. Among these contemporary buildings, two stand out: the theatre, designed by Daniel Libeskind, and The Marker hotel. Opened in April 2013, this 187-room hotel has quickly established itself as a Leading Hotel. Its urban aesthetic is inspired by the rugged Irish landscape. Separate from the lobby, a vast space is dedicated to meetings, with a 200-seat ballroom and seven sub-committee rooms. The highlight of the Marker is its sublime terrace, ideal for cocktails with a view of the Dublin of tomorrow.

The Marker Grand Canal Square
Tel.: +353 1 687 5100
Email : sales@themarker.ie
Internet: www.themarkerhoteldublin.com

Day 2: Morning meetings, followed by lunch at the Guinness Storehouse. In the afternoon, visit Christ Church Cathedral and the Dublinia Museum. Cruise on the Liffey, then Irish Coffee at Café en Seine. Evening at the Old Jameson Distillery.

Alcohol: national pride

A black beer with a powerful flavour and a whiskey with a very smooth spirit thanks to triple distillation... Dublin is proud of these two drinks bequeathed to the Celtic nation by two visionary alchemists, Arthur Guinness and John Jameson. To go back to the origins of these legends, born at the end of the eighteenth century, we invite you to take a closer look at Guinness.^e Guinness Storehouse, the former fermentation plant dating back to 1904, reveals the mysteries of a success story built on the consummate art of marketing. Guinness Storehouse, the former fermentation plant dating back to 1904, reveals the mysteries of a success story built on a consummate art of marketing. To convince visitors that "Guinness is good for you"The venue offers a wide range of settings in which to enjoy the bitter marvel, and can be used for all kinds of events, from chic cocktails and buffets to full privatisation for 1,800 people. The must: intimate dinners - 70 p. maximum - in the panoramic Gravity bar with views over the whole of Dublin. Guinness cuisine is a must, of course.
On the other side of the river, in Smithfield Village and its refurbished warehouses, the Old Jameson Distillery - the current one is in the south of the country - is just as didactic. A taste of the angels, notes of honey and vanilla thanks to ageing in oak casks: after the tasting, corporate groups will know all about the secrets of Irish whiskey. But there's no doubt that it's the evening of Irish music and dance that extends the visit that makes the distillery a must-see.

Guinness Storehouse St James's Gate
Tel.: +353 1 408 4800
Email : guinness-storehouse@guinness.com
www.guinness-storehouse.com

Old Jameson Distillery Bow Street
Tel.: +353 1 807 23 77
Email : kate.mcmanus@pernod-ricard.com
www.tours.jamesonwhiskey.com

The Liffey: glory and disappointment

The dark waters of the River Liffey... Some say they're used to make Guinness. Nothing could be further from the truth, as it comes from the Wicklow mountains in its purest form, but this local joke just goes to show the extent to which this river is part of the Dublin imagination. The backbone of the city, the Liffey is spanned by 19 bridges paying tribute to Ireland's great figures, its nobellised writers in particular. A cruise on the Liffey departs from the Ha'penny footbridge and travels to the harbour and back in a 48' boat with panoramic views. You'll be immersed in the history of a river that contributed to the wealth of the city, carrying coal and goods, but which also bears the traces of its great miseries: the memorial to the Great Famine of 1847 or Custom House, certainly the most beautiful neoclassical building in the city, but above all the emblem of an English occupation that is still frowned upon today. The Liffey is also a haven for today's hassles, with the future headquarters of Anglo Irish Bank still unfinished. But the closer you get to the docks currently being restored, the more Dublin's future takes shape.

Day 3: Departure for County Wicklow. Gaelic games activities. Lunch at the Johnnie Fox Pub. Visit to Glendalough and its medieval monastery, salmon tasting. Gala dinner at the Powerscourt Estate, then return to the hotel.

Wicklow: Erin's green

The "Garden of Ireland": County Wicklow is bathed in the great green that is so distinctive of the country. The country road from Dublin is lined with ferns and broom and shaded by dense woodland. As you pass through the first valleys, the first sheep appear as you approach Glencullen. Half an hour from the capital, this is where you'll find the most charming of pubs; the most popular, too, with locals and tourists alike, as well as the world's great and good. Almost everyone has stopped here, except the Queen of England. She sent a letter to apologise for not having had time to visit during her historic visit in 2011, the first by a British sovereign since independence. Perhaps she still regrets it... Because the Johnnie Fox re-enacts the atmosphere of yesteryear to satiety. A roaring fire, wood shavings on the floor, a bric-a-brac of jugs and carafes and rural tools found here and there: it's as if nothing has changed since 1798, when this former farmhouse was transformed into a public house. In the evenings and every Sunday, a dance show - Hooley Nights - brings the pub to life. Everyone lines up merrily along tables that can be booked for small groups. Private hire available for 150p.

Johnnie Fox Pub The Dublin Mountains, Glencullen
Tel.: +353 1 295 5647
Email : info@jfp.ie
Internet: www.jfp.ie

Powerscourt estate: gala in Wicklow

The elegance of the Powerscourt residence is in keeping with the ambient green of Wicklow. Its Italian-style gardens, sublimated by the all-British art of chiselling the lawns - the English and the Irish get along just fine on this point - slope down to the Triton lake. To the left, a staircase leads to a delightful little Japanese garden planted with maples and azaleas. Further on, the enclosed garden reveals its rose beds and herbaceous plants. On sunny days, chic cocktail parties are held at the foot of the château before a gala dinner in the ballroom, which can seat between 80 and 160 people. This is an almost identical replica of the original hall, which was ravaged by fire in 1974. As a result, some of the columns, those not made of marble, sound a little hollow... But that's not the point, the main thing is the splendour of the place.
A luxury hotel and two 18-hole golf courses complete the estate.

Powerscourt Estate Enniskerry, Co. Wicklow

Tel.: +353 1 204 6000
Internet: www.powerscourt.ie

Glendalough: the hermit's passions

Finding God far from human passions: in his quest, the hermit St Kevin retained a taste for beautiful things when he settled in solitude at Glendalough in 570. Indeed, his place of retreat had the charm of paradise, nestling on the edge of a lake full of fish at the bottom of a deep valley. Moved by the supernatural beauty of the often misty landscape, other ascetics who were willing to confront a harsh life in spite of everything followed St Kevin. They thus perpetuated this rural monastery with its rigid discipline, which became one of the country's main episcopal see until the 13th century.^e century. This place of pilgrimage lost some of its influence with the union of the dioceses of Glendalough and Dublin under Anglo-Norman rule. But its atmosphere

Day 4: Visit to Trinity College and St Patrick's Cathedral. Lunch at the hotel, then transfer to the airport.

Trinity College: the light of knowledge

Jonathan Swift, Oscar Wilde, Samuel Beckett: they all perfected their culture on the benches of Trinity College, the legendary university in the very heart of Dublin. Beyond the imposing front door, which is flanked by a succession of studious, grassy courtyards, the Old Library is the centre of attention. It houses a library full of rare works and, above all, the Book of Kells, a masterpiece of illumination dating from the 9th century.^e century. You can take a private tour of these jewels before moving on to the Dining Hall, a room used by students for their end-of-year banquets, gala dinners and cocktail parties for up to 1,800 people.

Trinity College
Tel. : +353 1 896 2743
Email : conferences@tcd.ie
Internet : www.tcd.ie

Cathedrals: great fervour

Christ Church the Anglican and St Patrick's the Protestant: in an eminently Catholic Ireland, neither of Dublin's cathedrals belongs to that denomination. Destroyed many times and remodelled many times, they are nonetheless the mother churches of the country. Built on the spring where St Patrick is said to have baptised his first followers, the cathedral dedicated to Ireland's patron saint houses, among other things, the funerary monument of Jonathan Swift, dean of the cathedral for 30 years, the time he also spent writing. Gulliver's travels.