Things To Expect At Student Raceday

Reece O'Connor Drink, Entertainment, Events April 2, 2017

The most eagerly anticipated date of the year is nearly here! Every year, spin 1038’s Student raceday which takes place on April 5th and brings unparalleled excitement, banter and races!

If you have never been to the races, these are some of the things you can expect:

1. There will be horses

But really, these are just a side show to… erm.. horsing around, races are not just for enthusiasts, they attract very varied crowd, which is why this is such a great event!

2. There will be plenty of drinking

Extra bars usually get installed for the day so you don’t have to worry about being thirsty. Hold off on having too many pre-drinks, you’ll face more hurdles than the jockeys at the course and be hung-over by the time you make it to the nightclub.

That counts for your mates too – don’t have your day ruined by being the designated minder.

3. Prepare for the rain

As it is Ireland it will most likely rain at some point of the day, so bring your umbrella and maybe a waterproof jacket to avoid our unpredictable weather from ruining your day.

4. Dress to Impress

The Races are a place that you can go all our and wear your Sunday best, expect suits, dresses and lots of hats & girls, avoid stiletto’s, your feet will be aching by the end of the day, and we all know stilettos aren’t great on grass or uneven terrain.

Block heels or wedges will serve you much better!

5. Don’t expect to win big

We all have that one friend who loves to gamble and is always telling you about how easy it is to always be up, bare in mind if it was so easy the gambling industry wouldn’t be one of the most profitable worldwide. Be wise with your money and don’t be putting stupid bets on just because your mates are, but if you do we wish you the best of luck.

6. The Night Out

Whether you plan to or not the chances are you will end up in town and if you be sensible because there will be plenty of people who have drank a little too much and will ruin your fun for the night. Try to get into town early to avoid queuing and most of all have a good time and if your not sure of where to go we highly reccomend Opium Rooms as its been notorious over the past couple of years as Dublin’s best raceday afterparty.

Top 5 Foods To Relieve Your Paddy’s Day Hangover

Ciaran O'Connor Drink, Food, Life March 18, 2017

The headache is unbearable & THE FEAR soon sets in. A quick check of the bank balance proves you’re a complete fool. Then the group messages begin, followed by a series of flashbacks – All while lying in a pool of self loathe. When the room stops spinning, you have one question to ask yourself…. What hangover food do I need?

Let us, at The Student Hub, help you shift that god awful hangover with our Top 5 Picks.

1. The Trusty Fry.

Whether home made or cafe bought, the trusted grease filled fry will certainly provide you with the post gargle pick me up you need.

We’re all up for a bit of mammy’s cooking, but we also recommend Matt The Rasher Kimmage & Clondalkin. This hidden gem is like a hospital for hangovers.

2. McDonald’s

Thank god for Ronald McDonald & the greasy menu of food he’s brought us. For the same price of a pint you can cure your handover at any one of the 89 stores in Ireland.

Even if you have watched Supersize Me, it’s never going to stop us from craving a €2 Double Cheese Burger.

3. Spice Bag

A Dublin craze that we all love <3 Who knew chips, chicken & (non spicy) spice would be such a great combo? Bravo to the Chinese Takeaway that invented it.

Around since 2010, but only recently achieved the notability that it truly deserves.

4. Bunsen

The best burgers in Dublin, hands down. If you disagree please stop reading here. Cure the sore head with the best type of meat & two buns.

*Drools all over keyboard*

5. Breakfast Roll

You know you’re of serious importance when there’s a song about you…. Mr Breakfast Roll, you sir have made it!

A Staple of Irish culture & available to you, within walking distance. Get them while they’re fresh though, because nobody likes a half stale roll, filled with dried up deli leftovers?

Hair Of The Dog

If all else fails, return to the scene of the crime & pick up where you left off.

Flashbacks – A Dublin Nightlife Documentary

James Tobin Drink, Events, Life, Nightclubs March 18, 2017

Flashbacks – A Dublin Nightlife Documentary Journal

My name is James Tobin and I am a Dublin based event/nightlife photographer and I’ve decided to start writing about my experiences throughout my years of working around different people, venues and in the nightlife scene.

I am a big fan of the nightlife in Dublin, whenever I can I am always in town with my friends enjoying the music in our favorite nightclubs hanging out with our best of friends and of course, having a few drinks along the way. Going to clubs and gigs since I was old enough too and I know for a fact I won’t be stopping anytime soon.

So for having two loves in my life, one being Photography and the other being the Nightlife in Dublin, I decided to try and mix these two activities together and see what would happen.

Currently, I am now working 5 days a week in nightclubs as the club photographer for that night. Different nights of the week I work in different nightclubs with different vibes, different people, different tensions and different stories. Thinking back when I started trying to make this a source of income it felt like I’d never get my feet off the ground, within 2 months of doing club photography my name spread like wildfire, my name started to get around, getting offered more gigs, more clubs and parties and now I can say that I am comfortable with the income I receive from doing what to me doesn’t seem like a job at all, doing the two things that I love most in the world and getting paid for it seems like a bit of a dream for me.

In April I can say that I have worked doing Club Photography for 3 whole years, probably the quickest years of my life because throughout it I’ve done nothing but do what I wanted to do. Getting the opportunity to work with big names in the DJ’ing industry like A-Trak, Bakermat and Kolsch. As well as other big names that are from Dublin and around the area.

A-Trak @ Opium Rooms

Bakermat@ District 8

With these big names come big venues. I have worked in clubs and venues like Opium Rooms, District 8, The Button factory, Hangar, Lafayette’s, Diceys, Krystle, Play Nightclub, The Mezz and The Lost Society. Covering all of these clubs in the space of 1 year seems like something that I would never ever be able to do, but I did.

Some jobs come and go quick, getting the odd job here and there but there are some jobs that I know I will always be at and will always apply my services to the best of my ability.

The Experience:

Taking photos at nights in general can be very intimidating to some people. You never know what might happen, or whom you will meet.

When you step foot into a nightclub with a camera it is a whole new and different experience. You can run into people that will take it easy and just ask you a simple question like “sorry mate, could you get a picture of me with my mates please?” then other times you could get a drunken disaster with heels on spilling their drink on you and hopefully not your camera. These are the people you need to stay away from, apply your services, and then move on. Nightclubs are covered with hundreds of different characters so it is a very interesting place when you go in with a different perspective like a photographer. You meet a lot of new people, maybe even some acquaintances if you visit that club again.

Some nights out with your friends and loved ones can sometimes turn out to be one of the best nights of your life, whether it was because you kissed that girl you have been wanting to kiss for along time, or even just catching up with old friends that you have not seen in ages that you bumped into.

Shot @ Diceys 12^th of January 2015 of me and my two friends.

Sometimes your nightlife experience in Dublin is not all fun and games. I walked into one of the nightclubs that I worked in for a good few months in the City Centre and yes you meet a lot of nice people but then you bump into some of the angry drunks that hate the sight of a camera near them. Threats and verbal comments sometimes get thrown around and even some violence but obviously I would try my hardest to stay clear from these types of scenes while I was working on this documentary, but it gives you a great insight into the different minds of the different types of characters that you would meet on nights out.

Another thing I really noticed when starting this documentary is that everyone is not as they seem. The people you would think that hate the camera and don’t want to see the sight of you could come over and beg you to take a picture of him and his friends and the people you think would want a photo could tell you to F*** off.

It is not only the nightclubs that have the most interesting scenes on a night out in Dublin. There is more going on outside the clubs then there are inside, fights, riots, drunken sleep and chicken fillet rolls. The night never really ends after the nightclub for a lot of the nightlife community in Dublin. The Dublin House music scene has always been a very popular and supported community in Dublin, so good gigs come good after parties. I won’t beat around the bush with this documentary because everyone knows what some people get up to on nights out in specific types of clubs. Drugs happen. A lot of it too, so because of this, people never want the night to end. Thanks to some destinations around Dublin this doesn’t have to happen.

I’ll be posting more of my documentary in the future so keep your eyes peeled and follow me:

Instagram: @jimstogram

Twitter: @jimtobinn