[COMPETITION] Win one of five Family Adventure Breaks in Ireland

copper04

Leim Siar, Belmullet, Co. Mayo.
My choice would be Leim Siar, Belmullet, Co. Mayo
I am entering this as I would love to take my two children on an adventure break. They are aged nine and five and of couse suffering from boredom even though they have only been off school one week. !!! Can I get through another two months without having a nervous breakdown. !!!!!!! Seriously I would be delighted win this break as we can not get away this year due to having to make cutbacks.
I think this is a great competition and thank and thanks very much to both Boards.ie and Discover Ireland for providing the competition for Boards members.

Mr Magnolia

Thanks firstly to Darragh & Discover Ireland.

3. Shelmalier House, Athlone, Co. Westmeath is the one I'd go for please.

I'd take the family down to show the girls where their mum went to college. It'd be great to have a pint in Sean’s Bar again after all the years that have passed since I last visited. Dining in some of the area's local restaurants would be fantastic as we're great lovers of sea-food. The river cruise on the Shannon would be a new experience for all of us so all in all it's a prize we'd certainly get a lot of entertainment from.

Thanks again

magnumlady

I would pick: 3. Shelmalier House, Athlone, Co. Westmeath

It sounds like a wonderful holiday. My son had major surgery in December and this is the first summer that we have had a break from hospital visits. My husband was also seriously ill at the same time.
So I had one in hospital in Dublin and one in hospital in Sligo.
It would be wonderful to get away for a break. So far we've just had a couple of days in Galway and the car broke down on the way.
My son loves boats as well so the boat trip would be the icing on the cake.

samsausage

Nice prizes. Hard to pick one but would like to see Belmullet especially to play golf in Carne as I've heard a lot of very good reports on it. Failing that I would choose Donegal as I have never been and a visit is long overdue.

oohlala

Ooh hard to choose!!!!

I would choose Shelmalier house in Athlone. My daughter has gotten really into history and learning about Ireland lately and i would love to encourage that by showing her around clonmacnoise and the castle. I can't imagine anything else she'd prefer to do on a weekend tbh!!

Thanks!!!

discobeaker

I would love to enter this competition on behalf of my cousin Ruth cos she and her husband deserve some time away after a difficult year.

Her and her husband have had a tough time lately as their daughter,Hannah, had a problem with her leg and hip and has spend much of the last year getting operations and having her legs and hips in plaster as you can see in the picture i have attached. But thankfully she is somewhat on the way to the road to recovery even though she will have to get operations very regular until she is about 15 but her brother and sister have been great with her through her recuperation.

Also,to add to this my cousins husband getting laid off work i would love to just do something nice for them.

Congrats to everyone who gets the breaks away.

Hope you all have a great time

jordata

All fantastic locations but I'd have to choose
Shelmalier House, Athlone
because Athlone is such a fantastic location. Handy from anywhere in the country and we love to go there and meet up with friends from all around. It's a great spot for families due to the wide range of water and land based activites to choose from. Hoping to make it to Athlone again before the end of the year.

Tazz T

Eagles Nest, Donegal.

Cos my head's already in the clouds if I think I have any chance of winning this.

Caught

I would choose number three - Mayo.

I've chosen this because I'd love to go back to Mayo - I've been there once before to visit my Mams friends when I was five. We've both always wanted to learn to surf, so I think this would be great. It's the closest we'll ever get to surfing in Hawaii I'd say, and if we ever did go, at least we'd know how to surf! I'd also love to bring my family here as I think it would be a nice little relaxing holiday, and we haven't had a holiday that we've relaxed on in ages! :L

amerie2010

1. Eagles Nest B&B, Co. Donegal ok so this is my first ever post and id like to keep it simple my reason for entering this competition is that someone asked me the other day had i ever visited places that are right on my door-step in ireland and i am ashamed to say that i havent and i would love to be one of those people that can big up their country like the americans do maybe even do it as a roadtrip from the south where i live to the north!

mad m

My family and I would love any of the holidays thats up for grabs because we have been to Grand Canyon&Zion national park in past years and they love the out doors as do i. Stayed at a working farm in UK last year also.

But to be honest I would love the opportunity to bring them somewhere in Ireland like the holidays that are mentioned. My Daughter was at Gaelteacht recently and the Country side around An Spidéal was amazing, its a pity I was only driving through it, would love to visit it again and other parts of Ireland like it.

I would love my Family and I to DISCOVER IRELAND more...

Rooneysdaman

I would choose Donegal as the destination if I won.
Last year was a traumatic one for my kids. For reasons too long to go into we made the life-changing decision to move home to Galway from America after many years. This was not entirely by choice and it was hard for the kids to leave their friends, their schools, their way of life etc. They have been SO good here, have really pulled with us and haven't complained and have really given it their all in integrating into Irish life, I'm very proud of them. Finances are crap since we moved and we have all had to adjust to not really having any extra cash anymore (no harm to some of us, I have at last overcome my addiction to shoes that I never wear!).
It would be nice to win so that we could give them a little trip away that we otherwise couldn't afford and also, to show them how incredibly beautiful their new country is.

Katielee

After living in Chad (Central Africa) for the past 14 months and getting to know some of the best Irish soldiers that were serving here, I am taking my annual leave and travelling to Ireland to meet up with them again and to see the country of my ancestors. I would be honoured to stay at any of the locations offered in the competition - however I would put my first preference for option number three - Shelmalier House. I want to have a pint in Irelands oldest pub - I want to eat beautiful meals made with great produce (not a common event in Chad) and I want to gaze in awe from the River Shannon and try and identify every shade of green -- all 99 of them. There is so much to see -- and so little time to see it -- I can think of no better way than living with the locals and seeing the real Ireland with my family - rather than the four walls of an impersonal hotel. Best of luck to all who enter.

deroiste

1. Eagles Nest B&B, Co. Donegal. I have lived all my life in Ireland and ive never seen the beautiful county of Donegal.Shame on me. I would love to change this..Please help me.

lola1

Definitely Donegal! I spent many happy years there as a child in Doochary but unfortunately the house we lived in has now gone out of our family and I miss it so much! I brought my children there a few years ago and met an old man (he was at least 120!!) I had known in my childhood. He said he had seen my children going into the local sweetshop and he remembered me and my brothers and sisters doing the same thing many many years ago. I want to go back there!

marlie2005

I would pick Athlone... With my kids being young still, we have been very busy and haven't had the time or finances to organise a holiday. I would love to let them experience the beauty that ireland has to offer. And as for the boat ride ..... Well lets just say... WOW

dinneenp

I'd choose no 3. Shelmalier House, Athlone, Co. Westmeath.

my wife had our second child a few months ago. We'd love a weekend away somewhere in Ireland this year as we have no holiday planned.
Our eldest (3 years) loves the swimming and the water so a cruise would make her summer. And it'd be great to have a weekend in a new place where we could go for strolls with our newborn.
We have friends who live in Athlone so it'd also be a great chance to catch up with them (and even get them to babysit).

tanoone

Rocksberry B&B,Castlebar, Co. Mayo

Looks like a lovely place to go

Our greatest wish

A chance to fish

and watch my hubby row ,row ,row !

modmuffin

My choice of destination would be:
3. Shelmalier House, Athlone, Co. Westmeath

My fiancé is going back to work after her maternity leave in 3 weeks and id love to be able to bring herself and our little 5 month old away for a short break before she goes back.

Ive picked Athlone as its not a destination I woul normally consider when holidaying in Ireland and I would absolutlely love a trip down the Shannon!

Cheers,

up for anything

I'd love to take my children to Shelmalier House, Athlone, Co. Westmeath. I went to boarding school there many years ago and haven't really been back much on my own and not at all with them. I'd love to show them where I went to school back in the 'dark ages' as they call it and see have my old stomping grounds changed much. There are also some lovely beauty spots, Coosan, Hodson Bay and Clonmacnoise to name a few and when they get fed up of those maybe a trip to the Leisure Zone and Glendeer Pet Farm or Athlone Castle. For myself I'd like to take a trip down memory lane and see is Burgess Park still the same (the scene of many 'fourth year Presentation boarder' type encounters). I could also meet up with my best friend from Junior Infants and onwards that I haven't been able to visit for too many years now owning to circumstances.

p15574

I'd pick Quignalegan B&B Ballina, Co. Mayo.

I was in Mayo recently for the first time in years and was reminded what a great area of the country it is. The surfing would be very popular with the kids as they always enjoy messing in the surf with body boards, but I never really joined in much with them, mainly due to Irish water temperatures! The idea of wet suits keeping us warm and the whole family being shown how to do it properly is very appealing.

cathy01

Hi, todays the day.
How dies it work, do you put a post here or pm the winners first.Im sitting by my computer ALLLLL DAY!!!Bags are packed, fingers are crossed, kids are mad!!!

BrookieD

Would love to win this, a break would be great :-)

KittyeeTrix

cathy01 wrote: »

Hi, todays the day.
How dies it work, do you put a post here or pm the winners first.Im sitting by my computer ALLLLL DAY!!!Bags are packed, fingers are crossed, kids are mad!!!

I was just wondering the same:):confused:

Shelli2

So who won??

cathy01

Hi OP, Can you update who won, my fingers and toes are starting to cramp now!!:D

BrookieD

cathy01 wrote: »

Hi OP, Can you update who won, my fingers and toes are starting to cramp now!!:D

I have lost all feeling in my fingers and toes now....:p

Nevyn

I'll ask Darragh what the story is, but posters to have the right to remain anon if they win,
so don't expect names to be given out.

Darragh

Folks, we're waiting on Discover Ireland to get back to us. Apologies for the delay, but they are aware it has closed

BrookieD

Still in with a chance then..... ;-)

cathy01

yep, going blueish purple , fingers still crossed rigamortis setting in, but hanging in there.:o

Darragh

Delighted to finally be able to announce the winners of this - thanks so much to everyone who entered!

So, we have:

Thaedydal off to Rocksberry B&B

Magicray off to Leim Siar

Moonbeam off to Shelmalier

25 off to Eagle's Nest B&B

Deliverance XXV off to Quignalegan B&B

Massive congratulations to all and well done. Thanks again to Discover Ireland and their PR company for this competition!

Darragh

tanoone

Congratulations to all the winners . I'm so jealous ! Please God you get some nice sunny weather to enjoy your breaks

Nevyn

If anyone has a complaint or issue with the competion they should contact hello@boards.ie.

zuroph

I've taken it to feedback.

Deliverance XXV

Just want to say thanks to Darragh, Boards.ie and Discover Ireland.

Thanks very much. It's greatly appreciated and I intend to share all the pics

zuroph

PS, Congrats to all the winners! Enjoy!

mariaf24

No surprises there with the winners anyway...

Nevyn

Well I was surpised.
Thanks Discover Ireland.

KittyeeTrix

Just wanna congratulate all the winners of the comp....Have a great time on yer weekends guys and well done:)

Look forward to some nice pics deliverance...

Moonbeam

me too:)

Thanks:)

magicray

Whoo hoo I am delighted, thanks a million

rainbowdrop

Thaedydal wrote: »

If anyone has a complaint or issue with the competion they should contact hello@boards.ie.

Done!

:mad:

Darragh

Hi all,

Just to address two things here, as per the thread in feedback and the PM's I've gotten:

Firstly - I'm sorry. I didn't check the list of winners when I received them from Discover Ireland and it was only when I was PM'd today that I copped that they had been the first 6 posters in the thread.

This was not what I had intended and not the way competitions on Boards.ie are normally run. If it is to be the first posters, we'll tell you clearly.

When coming up with competition mechanics and ideas, I always think - like you do - that effort and creativity should be rewarded. I never normally have to check and this morning I should have copped it. I think I was just excited to let people know they'd won a prize because they were a member of the site

So I've contacted Discover Ireland's PR company and will hear back from them on Monday to explain what happened in this situation.

Secondly - and probably more importantly - every member on Boards.ie is entitled to enter a competition - Admins, Moderators and members. The only exception is paid office staff (Dav, Ross, Conor, DeVore and me) and members directly involved in the organisation of a competition, if that happens.

If a moderator's entry - and please bear in mind that a moderator is a member who has been asked to volunteer their time moderating - is good enough to win, then I'm happy for that to happen. They get neither preference or priority for open competitions like this.

It's very important for you to know that we like to run competitions transparently and openly on Boards.ie and will do our best to make them so. We'd prefer to have no competitions than a bad one, and that's why we work only with companies prepared to invest in a good prize for our members.

Mistakes like this - whether it's a miscommunication on my part with Discover Ireland, a mistake they made or just a big mad coincidence that just happens to look dodgy (:rolleyes:) - are as bad for us dealing with it as they are you, and I apologise that it did happen.

I'll discuss this on Monday with Discover Ireland and come back to you. I appreciate your patience and understanding in the meantime.

Thanks

Darragh

KittyeeTrix

No problem Darragh,

It's not the end of the world and I'm sure the majority of people who posted in the competition harbour no resentment at all to the winners!!

Thanks for the explanation and no need to be sorry whatsoever

mariaf24

So when will the real winners be announced?
Good luck to all, i'm just back from Connemara myself and it is just beautiful.

Quality

Congrats to all! I hope you have a great weekend and that there will be more competitions in parenting soon! Hint hint!!

zuroph

Darragh,

Don't worry about it, it's not for you to apologise! Also, there's no real need to get any answers from the marketing company, we all know what happened anyway. I guess its just a case of looking to the future to warn future competition holders about how they judge.

magicray

Have to say Im mortified about this, I didnt realise until Darragh posted that it was the first couple of posters that won

zuroph

magicray wrote: »

Have to say Im mortified about this, I didnt realise until Darragh posted that it was the first couple of posters that won

in that case, you could do with a weekend off