TAG Alliances Fall 2022 International Conference - Dublin

Early Bird Tour: Interactive City Walking Tour and Irish Music Experience

Join your fellow members for an interactive guided walking tour of the city, where we will learn about the rich history of Dublin. Our time will also include visiting Trinity College and the Illuminated Book of Kells. Following our tour, we will enjoy a casual lunch at Brasserie Sixty6.  

After lunch, we will begin our TAG Alliances pub crawl back to the hotel. Irish pubs have had a long history of being where communities gather to get their news and share stories, often through song and music. Traditional Irish music embodies the spirit of the people of Ireland. It is how epic myths and glorious rebel stories are recorded and passed down through generations.

Within each pub we visit, we will meet with local musicians who will share their stories and perform traditional Irish music for us using the whistle, flute, fiddle, bodhran(drum) and Uilleann pipes. Be prepared for your toes to tap, your knees to hop, and your hands to slap the table with your fellow TAG Alliances members!

Companion Tour: A Day at Ballyknocken Farm and Cookery School

When people think of Ireland, one of many images that come to mind is the spectacular emerald green pastures and hills. On our tour, we will set off by coach to explore the charming Irish countryside with a visit to Ballyknocken. Scenically located on the foothills of the Wicklow Mountains, Ballyknocken is a lovely Victorian-style farmhouse surrounded by scented kitchen gardens.

Ballyknocken is an award-winning cookery school and a haven for foodies and budding chefs. It was voted “the winner of the International Cordon D’Or Culinary Academy of the year .”As part of our tour, we will have the opportunity to take a cooking class and use local ingredients to make traditional Irish Scones to have alongside our Irish tea.

We will have a farm-to-fork lunch on the property, created by Catherine Fulvio, celebrity chef and award-winning food writer.

Following lunch, our group will meet the farm’s sheepherders and sheepdogs for a traditional Irish sheep herding demonstration. We will learn about the various commands, hand signals and whistles that the herders use to communicate with their dogs to assist with the herding. You will surely be amazed to see the unique relationship between farmer and their brilliant sheepdogs.

Gala Dinner: Enchanted Emerald Island

Join us for an enchanted journey through rich Irish history under the domed ceiling in the spectacular Round Room of the prestigious Mansion House. Please sit back and enjoy Ireland's wealth of stories and folklore as they are brought to life through dance and music during this unique and memorable Gala. 

Constructed in 1710 by merchant and property developer Joshua Dawson, Mansion House was purchased by the Dublin Corporation in 1715 for £3500 and a yearly rent to Dawson of forty shillings and a loaf of double refined sugar weighing six pounds each Christmas. Since 1715, the Mansion House on Dawson Street has served as the primary house of Dublin's Lord Mayor, as well as the conference venue of the Dáil Éireann from 1919 to 1922. The Round Room has welcomed such dignitaries as Pope John Paul II, Queen Victoria, Prince Rainier III and Princess Grace of Monaco. It has been Ireland's premier events venue since 1821.

Companion Tour: 1916 Rising Walking Tour

The Easter Rising of 1916 was the most dramatic event in the history of Ireland’s struggle for independence from the British Empire. The Rising awakened a generation to the cause of Irish freedom, resulting in the War of Independence, the formation of the Irish Free State and, as a result, the Irish Civil War. Join our expert guide to learn about the 1916 Easter Rising in the places where it happened, around Dublin City.

Following our tour, we will have lunch at Rustic Stone before returning to the hotel to join the rest of the attendees for the networking tour.

Networking Tour: Guinness Storehouse

We will travel by coach to the Guinness Storehouse. Here we will experience the history, heart and soul of Ireland’s most iconic beer. Explore the story of Guinness across the seven floors of its unique building before taking in the 360 views of Dublin city from Gravity Bar.

Be sure to take in the sights from the fourth floor, where you’ll learn to pour the perfect pint at the Guinness Academy.

Networking Activity & Dinner: EPIC Museum – Every Person Is Connected

Don't just visit Ireland; learn about its spectacular history by coming to the EPIC (Every Person Is Connected) Museum. The World Travel Awards named the Epic Museum Europe's Leading Tourist Attraction in 2019. EPIC is a cinematic experience that tells how a little island changed the globe, influencing sports, music, dance, art, charity, politics, science, and technology. Enjoy a trip through Irish culture and heritage told from the perspectives of people who have lived through it. Discover why Irishness is admired around the world. We will sample the best of Ireland's culinary arts and enjoy a Whiskey or Gin Tasting while serenaded by one of Ireland's top cover bands. A U2 sighting may be in order!