Dart to Dublin is the latest in our series of international wide games. Participants will complete a series of activities around Ireland’s capital city.

It’s taking place on Saturday 8 April 2023 from 10am – 4.30pm (approximate timings). This is the Easter weekend; however, we are assured that transport and attractions will be operating as usual on the event day. There may be some local reduction in services on Easter Monday (10 April 2023).

Tickets cost £25 per person and tickets will go on sale at 12pm on Friday 9 September 2022 (pre-sale tickets will be available 24 hours earlier for those who complete the expression of interest form). Adult volunteers and young members are charged the same amount. This will cover all activities on the day and, of course, the event badge; it does NOT include meals, your transport, accommodation, or travel insurance.

This event is open to Brownies, Guides, Rangers, adult members, and Trefoil Guild members. Preference was initially given to members of Girlguiding Scotland; however it is now possible for members of other Girlguiding countries/regions to take part as well.

No, however, it’s our experience that taking part in the game itself is easier in groups of no more than 10. If you intend to travel in a larger group, you should be sure you will have appropriate adult/young member ratios to break into smaller groups for the game.

As this is an international event, at least one adult volunteer per group will need to hold their Going Away With license and the Travelling Abroad module AND have this recorded on GO. If you do not have this, you can still take part, provided an adult volunteer in your group is working towards their Going Away With Travelling Abroad module – they should have already completed the relevant modules of their Going Away With qualification for ‘home’ residentials. More information on what this involves is available here.

If you want to start working on this qualification, get in touch with your county international adviser (or county team if you don’t have a local adviser) for support as quickly as you can.

Each group taking part will need to ensure they have appropriately qualified adult members who hold A Safe Space, 1st Response, etc. You must ensure all qualifications are current and recorded on GO. You will also need to ensure you meet the adult/young member ratio appropriate to your section.

As this is an international trip, you will need to complete the International Residential Event Notification (REN) form. This comes in three sections – Permission to Plan, Part 1, and Part 2. The Permission to Plan should be submitted as early as possible. Forms should be submitted to your county international adviser in the first instance, who will check them over and then send them on for final approval. Currently ALL parts of the International REN must be submitted for approval by the country or region international adviser and the country or region chief commissioner. Alternatively, it is now possible to submit REN forms via GO. This option is in its early stages so, if you are a member of Girlguiding Scotland, you should also email Emma Pettis (the Scottish international adviser) on scotlandintops@gmail.com to confirm submission in this way. This will ensure forms are seen and dealt with promptly.

As part of the International REN process, you will need to produce and submit a risk assessment. You should start thinking about this as soon as you can. Template risk assessments and further guidance are available on the Girlguiding website. Your county international Adviser will be able to support you with completing the International REN and developing your risk assessment before you submit it for final checks and approval.

You will need to collect the usual consent and medical forms for young members. Adult members are also encouraged to also complete a medical form and hand it in a sealed envelope to your group first aider, in case the information is required.

Of course! If you are attending as an adult only group, the process you follow is slightly different. More information is available on the Girlguiding website and, while this is aimed at 18-30 residential events, we would recommend all adult groups follow this process.

Booking travel for your group is your responsibility.

Flights direct to Dublin are available from Glasgow (Ryanair, Aer Lingus), Edinburgh (Ryanair, Aer Lingus, British Airways), Aberdeen and Inverness airports (Loganair). It is also possible to fly from Kirkwall and Sumburgh airports to Dublin, with a connection in Aberdeen (Loganair). Flights typically become available for booking 11 months in advance, with the best deals available for those booking early.

There are flights to Belfast City airport from Aberdeen and Dundee (Loganair), Glasgow (FlyBe), and Edinburgh (Aer Lingus) and there are frequent train services between Belfast and Dublin (known as The Enterprise, bookings are made via Translink).

Stena Line ferries sail to Belfast from Cairnryan several times a day, and there are frequent train services between Belfast and Dublin (known as The Enterprise, bookings are made via Translink).

If you want to build a longer trip, you can also sail direct to Dublin from Holyhead (Stena Line) or Liverpool (P&O Ferries).

UK citizens do not require a passport or visa to enter the Republic of Ireland; official photo identification can be used instead. EU nationals can use a valid passport or a national identity card to enter the Republic of Ireland. Citizens of other countries may need to make additional arrangements. The official Irish tourism website is a good place to start.

It is the responsibility of each group to ensure they have the correct documentation for their group – bearing in mind your travel provider may also require particular identification documents.  The Irish Immigration website has further information on travelling with children.

Yes, the Republic of Ireland uses the Euro.

Booking accommodation for your group is your responsibility.

You will need to think about the specific needs of your group (e.g. do you have particular accessibility requirements?) and your likely budget. As with flights, the sooner you are able to book accommodation, the better. To make it as easy as possible to take part in the game, you should focus your search on Dublin city centre and try to identify accommodation with good local transport links.

Dublin is well served by bus and tram (known as the LUAS) and you can purchase visitor LEAP cards which give unlimited travel over a certain period of time with various public transport operators in the city centre, including some airport links.  Please make sure your accommodation is served by one of the included routes/operators before purchasing.

Absolutely, we will have a range of volunteer roles available! We will need to recruit support volunteers to help run the event which could involve running game stations, perhaps keeping track of social media, and we’ll also need a First Aider for the event team. We would love to hear from you – please get in touch via scotlandintops@gmail.com to discuss further.

• In addition to the information below, please read our general event terms and conditions here
• This event is open only to current members of the Brownie section upwards – unfortunately Rainbows are unable to attend
• The £25 ticket price is for the Dart to Dublin game only. Ticket holders are responsible for arranging their own travel, accommodation, insurance, meals, etc.
• If you reallocate any of your tickets to another group, you must let Rachel@girlguiding-scot.org.uk know so that the numbers held at Girlguiding Scotland can be updated. This is so that we can make up packs with the right number of badges, etc. and if you have not informed us then Girlguiding Scotland cannot be held responsible for groups receiving the wrong number of items
• For those who have extra tickets they cannot reallocate in their local area, or those who need more tickets and cannot source them locally, please contact Rachel@girlguiding-scot.org.uk confirming you are happy for your email address to be shared with other groups to facilitate the ticket exchange. Girlguiding Scotland will hold a list of those looking for tickets and those with extra tickets to pass on and will put groups in touch to trade tickets, but will not take any responsibility for the exchange of money between groups or any issues arising
• The Covid-19 situation will be monitored closely to ensure the right balance between the running of the event and the current situation, and the event may be cancelled at short notice. Please be aware that Girlguiding Scotland are unable to cover financial losses for equipment, transport etc