Derek Wallace, the owner of Wallace Travel Group (DMC), is the perfect Irish host. With a twinkle in his eye, and a pint of Guinness in his hand, he can tell an infinite number of jokes properly suited to every audience, or with a wink and a nod, weave elaborate and fantastic tales of the history and folklore of the Emerald Isle. I imagine if I was in a pub with Derek, and push came to shove with some local lay-abouts, he would calmly hand his glass to the barmaid, take off his jacket, and with a war-cry that would curdle a Banshee’s blood, dive in to rescue me from the fray. In the brief moment between pulling me to temporary safety and launching himself back into the brawl, sporting a devilish grin, he would say in a thicker than normal brogue, “Neil, Welcome to Ireland!”

I never actually experienced that last part, but I have the feeling that in his younger days I would not have been far off. Ah yes, the point… if I were in charge of picking a destination for a group, any kind of group, I would try to get it to take place in Dublin. Why, you ask? I’ll tell you why.

The people. They really want you to enjoy Ireland, and go out of their way to make you feel at home. You can be formal, or dance the jig to what I refer to as diddle-de-dee music, immerse yourself in literary history, or lift your glass in a pub. Except I advise you not to make fun of their music. They think it’s good.

From a meeting planner’s perspective, Dublin has the advantage of being a walk-able city, and many sites and venues do not require motor coach transfers from the major hotels. Saves money and time. Funny, it just occurred to me that while the Wallace Travel staff took me to see some “wow” experience venues, Derek himself chose to show me both the Guinness Brewery and the Jamieson Distillery towards the end of the day. Curious.

Where was I?… oh… My favorite venue of the day, Trinity College.

Walk a block or two from your hotel down Grafton Street, Dublin’s main pedestrian shopping street, and on to the campus of Trinity College (founded in 1592). The first stop is a private viewing of the Book of Kells. Who wants to see an old book from the 9^th century? Trust me, you do. From there, proceed into the main library for cocktails. Who wants to have a reception in a library of really old books? Trust me, you really, really do. After thanking me for my recommendation, walk across the main courtyard into the still (very) active College Dining Hall.

Why would a high-end group expecting the finest dining experiences want to dine in a College Dining Hall? Ha! Welcome to Hogwarts. Really. It is an amazing place for a gala or theme dinner and everyone who walks into the room immediately says what I said; “Hogwarts!” You just know that Harry Potter either just left or is on his way (or is sitting there with his Cloak of Invisibility). I want to do an event there, if I only had a group. But I can live vicariously through my meeting planner clients. Do it. Trust me.

Later that day I discovered that if you have tried Guinness, and didn’t like it, then you have never tried Guinness. The brewery has special classes for their bar-people in how to draw a draft of it, and the stuff that gets served on site is the really good stuff. It is, as several Irishman have told me, “mother’s milk.”

The brewery is huge. One enters through a giant pint glass that is actually a 14 million-pint glass. It’s big. You can work your way up seven levels of a guided or self-guided tour, or just go straight to one of the upper levels for a reception, followed by dinner in one of the many private rooms.

There are not many tall buildings in Dublin’s center, and so the higher you go, the more dramatic the view. The culmination of this is another “must-do” for any group, The Gravity Bar. Privatize this place in the evening after the Brewery closes to tourists, and you have a sweeping view of everything. Another wow. And the Guinness they serve there is like no other. Trust me on that, too.

In order to give other forms of alcohol equal time, we visited the Jamieson Whisky Distillery. The first thing I noticed was how happy everyone was, workers and patrons alike. There is a very informative and well-put together tour that ends up in a room for dinners, parties, and of course… tastings. The Jamieson folks are proud of their product and want you to know what makes good whiskey. Even if you think you don’t like whiskey, you’ll become a fan. For those who don’t drink, no problem, they can do a “smelling” and you will soon be able to impress your drunken friends as a whisky connoisseur.

I only had time to look at three upscale city-center hotels, each of them great in their own way. The Westbury, The Shelbourne and the Merrion.

The 205-room Westbury is a modern hotel (built in 1994) tucked away in an old neighborhood of narrow streets, pubs and small shops just off Grafton Street. It really is in the center of everything, just a few minutes walk from St. Stephens Green, Trinity College or the Temple Bar district of restaurants and clubs. It’s five-star and it shows in its impeccable service and personable staff. Great meeting space too. My first choice.

The 235-room The Shelbourne Hotel is now a Marriott/Renaissance property and recently underwent a two-year renovation. Originally built in 1824, it has long been “the place” in Dublin to see or be seen, especially in what they claim to be the most famous bar in town, The Horseshoe Bar. The hotel is located just across the street from St. Stephens Green and is a very short walk either to Grafton Street or to the Irish government offices. It’s an interesting place in that since it was built so long ago, and has experienced so many additions and changes, it is easy to get turned around. But that is part of its charm. It also has a great ballroom.

The 142-room five-star Merrion Hotel makes most of the others seem like newcomers. Set in the heart of Georgian Dublin across from the Irish government buildings, it was originally built in the 1760’s as a row of four manor houses. One of those houses was the birthplace of the first Duke of Wellington, a fact that excites the British, depresses the French, and confuses history-challenged Americans who wonder what all the fuss is about a piece of steak wrapped in puff pastry. The original buildings have been lovingly restored, and some new rooms arranged around a peaceful inner courtyard make this boutique property perfect for a board meeting. It’s high-end. Great cellar pub, too.

This was my second time in Dublin and the changes brought on by the economic boom and the subsequent bubble-burst are evident. First of all, the place looks great and it is evident that a lot of money was invested there. Because of the boom, there are an unusual number (for Ireland) of immigrants living in Dublin, working in the shops and restaurants, and doing much of the manual labor. This is a very new phenomenon for Ireland because, excluding Cromwell and the English, it has always been a country of emigrants. It will be interesting to see how that plays out. One positive (?) effect of the recent “bust” for Americans is that hotel rooms in Ireland are now some of the least expensive in Europe.

Interested in Ireland? Since I know Derek Wallace, I know everything there is to know about it. Ask me.

For pictures of my trip to Dublin, please visit my Facebook page at www.facebook.com/thecramercollection.