In Ireland one distinctive word sums up the nation’s love of socialising — craic. Craic, or crack — it can be spelt either way — means entertaining chat and having great fun. The Irish are great party throwers, often with live music and fancy dress thrown in. Internet travel message boards pay testament to the unique atmosphere the country offers its visitors. Two cities dominate the club scene in the island of Ireland, Belfast in the north, and Dublin, in the south. Belfast is a great Victorian city (the shipyards later built Titanic) and attracts thousands of partygoers every weekend. Since the end of the troubles the city has developed a reputation as a go-ahead, modern European city. Dublin has over 1,000 pubs, and can claim to be one of the greatest party venues in the world. Hen and Stag parties often descend on the city from Britain and Europe because of it’s unrivalled friendliness and hospitality. If you want a once in a lifetime experience go to Dublin for St Patrick’s Day in March. The country runs a St Patrick’s Day festival that goes on for five days and nights! The focal point of the festival is Dublin where there are parades, parties and celebrations involving thousands of performers, and watched by hundreds of thousands of people. But the advice is to book early as hotel accommodation gets scarce the nearer you get to St Patrick’s Day. So what other attractive dates are there in the Irish partying calendar? The Six Nations rugby tournament which runs on weekends throughout February and March draws thousands to Dublin to enjoy the craic, the Guinness, and the live music. Halloween, originally a Celtic festival, in October is popular for the kids and a chance to them to put on fancy dress costumes or masks and pretend to be ghosts, demons or witches! Dublin then concludes its party season with a great New Year’s Eve party.