Will Stone
Gentlemen, there’s a great destination for you to mark on your fetish map. It’s Dublin, the Fair City on the Emerald Isle. Dublin is aggressively bursting onto the scene with not one, but two major events that demand your attention.
In October 2021, Rubbermen of Ireland held the first ever Dublin Rubber Weekend, featuring Ireland’s first Mr. Rubber competition in over five years. Rubbermen of Ireland cofounder Pup Astra made sure the weekend’s event schedule ran as tight as the attendees’ rubber outfits. Most of the weekend’s slick gatherings took place at The George, Dublin’s historic gay bar, and Viva, a very gay spot for tapas. (Viva is owned by Rubbermen of Ireland cofounder Gareth aka Gazmask. It’s the home of the regularly held rubber social SLEEK.) Another of the weekend’s venues was Street 66. Although not typically a fetish bar, the boys in rubber were more than welcome. Pup Rolo, the new Mr. Rubber Ireland, was the weekend’s big winner. In addition to the actual contest, highlights of the weekend included dinner in latex, a private tour of National Gallery of Ireland, and a munch for hungry pups. Over 150 shiny-suited kinksters joined in for the weekend of rubbery fun.
Leathermen of Ireland is a club that was birthed during the pandemic as a way for guys to keep in touch. Now they want to touch you in person. In January 2022, they will hold the first ever Dublin Leather Weekend. The weekend was already declared a smashing success three months in advance, when all ticketed events sold out in 24 hours. Street 66 will once again open its doors for gear guys. Pennylane and Pantibar are two more gay bars that will host horny Leathermen over the weekend. Hearty food will be dished up at Leather Dinner on Saturday and Leather Brunch on Sunday. The weekend culminates with Drag Bingo at The George.
Both of these special weekends are expected to happen annually. So put them in your calendar of worldwide goings-on. And every June, you can march with men across the kink spectrum in the annual Dublin LGBTQ+ Pride Parade. I also suggest that you check in with the men of Geared Ireland to see what they may have in store.
But you can come to Dublin for fun anytime. There is no shortage of gay-friendly accommodations for you to use as home base. Jurys Inn Dublin Christchurch is centrally located and is a member of the historic Irish Jurys Inn hotel chain. For something similarly Irish but more unique, there’s Temple Bar Inn, located in its namesake Temple Bar neighborhood. Temple Bar is a hip area teeming with nightlife, gay and otherwise. If you like the familiarity (and loyalty program points) of big international chain hotels, maybe the Conrad Dublin, the InterContinental Dublin, or the Morrison, a DoubleTree by Hilton Hotel, is for you.
Once you’ve settled in and you’re ready to fuck, head straight to the Boilerhouse. It’s a full-service gay sauna on five floors located in the heart of Temple Bar (which gives you extra incentive to get a room at the Temple Bar Inn). Bottoms on the go will appreciate the disposable douches available at the reception desk for a small fee. (Come to think of it, tops will appreciate that too.) Another naughty place in Temple Bar is Basic Instincts, a fully stocked sex shop for him, her, and whomever. There are private video booths in the back for your pleasure.
After you’ve blown off some steam in the steam room or the video booths, pull yourself together, head north across the River Liffey, and grab a bite at Wuff. It’s a place particularly loved for its brunch. And it’s fetish-friendly. So maybe you’ll get WOOF’d at Wuff! Another place to chow down north of the river is Oscars, one of Dublin’s best spots for outdoor dining. Back on the Southside is tapas restaurant Viva. I already mentioned that it was a venue for many of the happenings over Dublin Rubber Weekend, so you know you’ll be welcome there. Same goes for Monto Restaurant, the steakhouse that’s hosting Dublin Leather Weekend’s Leather Dinner.
Likewise, you can sidle up to the bar at the George in your gear even if there’s not a fetish event going on and even though it’s not really a leather bar. Another non-leather bar you should know about: Pantibar (one of the venues of Dublin Leather Weekend). Even the name doesn’t sound very butch. It’s run by Mistress Panti Bliss, Ireland’s premier drag queen. Over the years, Panti has been very supportive of the local leather community. And the leather community enthusiastically supports her bar in return.
Now what are you waiting for? May the luck of the Irish be with you, and go get lucky in Dublin!
For more information or where to find fetish fun in Dublin and cities in around the world, check out my website Leathermen Travel at www.leathermentravel.com.
Links:
Rubbermen of Ireland www.facebook.com/RubbermenofIreland/
The George thegeorge.ie/
Viva vivaespanatapas.business.site/
Street 66 www.street66.bar/
Leathermen of Ireland www.instagram.com/leathermen_of_ireland/
Pennylane www.facebook.com/Pennylane-Bar-339166293327789/
Pantibar www.facebook.com/PantiBarDublin
Dublin LGBTQ+ Pride dublinpride.ie/
Geared Ireland www.gearedireland.ie/
Jurys Inn Dublin Christchurch www.jurysinns.com/hotels/dublin/christchurch
Temple Bar Inn www.templebarinn.com/
Conrad Dublin www.hilton.com/en/hotels/dubhcci-conrad-dublin/
InterContinental Dublin www.ihg.com/intercontinental/hotels/gb/en/dublin/dblic/hoteldetail
The Morrison, a DoubleTree by Hilton Hotel www.hilton.com/en/hotels/dubtmdi-the-morrison/
The Boilerhouse www.the-boilerhouse.com/
Basic Instincts www.basicinstincts.ie/
Wuff wuffrestaurant.ie/
Oscars www.oscarscafebar.com/
Monto Restaurant montorestaurantdublin.com/
