Finding the time to get some Christmas shopping done in the few weeks leading up to the big holiday can be tough, but shopping centres can be a saving grace with everything you need being easily available under one roof.
All across the country, shopping centres will be packed to the brim with Christmas decorations, gift ideas and shops stocking everything you need. So, here’s a few ideas for places to visit to make life even easier for you during the festive period.
Swords Pavilions and Dundrum Town Centre
Starting in Dublin we all know how crazy the city centre can get, so two other choices for a huge array of shops to pick from are Swords Pavilions in Swords, obviously, or Dundrum Town Centre.
Both are huge, with a wide selection of homeware shops, clothing stores ranging from cheap little pick-me-ups to more expensive, high-brand type of clothes. Cinemas are located in both so that way you can have a little bit of time to rest your feet and watch a nice movie for a few hours. Restaurants and cafes alike flood both of the centres too so you won’t be lost for choice of a snack while you’re busy traipsing through the shops trying to decide what to get.
Swords has two floors to have a ramble around and with a five-storey car park it’s easy to see why people spend so long here. H&M, River Island, Next and Pamela Scott are just a small selection of shops that you’ll find here.
Dundrum has three floors to shop along, including stores like House of Fraser where you’ll find most of the high-class brands you love, as well as a good old reliable Penneys, Bershka and Pull&Bear.
Both have ice-skating rinks near both that can give you another option for a break away from the shops and to get you in the festive spirit even more, coffee shops like Costa and Starbucks are in both centres so you can grab a cute Christmas themed hot chocolate to keep you warm after your skate on the ice.
Kathie Turley has shopped in Dundrum towards Christmas time for years and says it’s the “perfect place to get it all done,” but admitted it gets “incredibly busy and frustrating,” the closer it gets to the holidays.
Kildare Village
Kildare Village is a lovely day-trip idea for a shopping outing. High-street brands like Puma, Tommy Hilfiger, Balmain and Barbour strewn around this outdoor shopping town. Unique dining experiences are also on offer so you can have time to try out some delicious meals, rest your feet and think about your next shop to visit. Parking is free and with plenty of seating available outside along the pathways and Christmas decorations setting the festive atmosphere it really is the place to be to get a luxury holiday shopping experience.
Letterkenny Shopping Centre
The Letterkenny Shopping Centre in Donegal is a handy little place to grab a few bits just in the nick of time. With a great range of shops from clothing shops to houseware good to grocery stores there’s something for everyone here in the lead up to Christmas.
One unique thing about this shopping centre is the quaint traditional sweet shop known by the name of ‘Aunty Nellie’s’. It really is what you would think it is, with boxes of loose sweets and paper bags around the shops surrounded by shelves of chocolate bars and hard-boiled sweets. Behind the counter, you’ll see jars upon jars filled to the brim with different types of sweets and jellies, and the shopkeeper will happily fill you up little bags of whichever ones you fancy to whatever price the weight of the bag equates to.
It really is a lovely stop-off with so much to choose from in the shopping centre, so it’s definitely worth a visit if you’re not far from the area.
MacDonagh Junction Shopping Centre
MacDonagh Junction Shopping Centre in Kilkenny is a great stop off further into the country. It’s quite large, and holds almost 30 retail shops from Jack&Jones, Fields, Pamela Scott and Boots so you’ll have a variety of places to pick from.
Cafes and coffee shops like Starbucks, Quigley’s and the Courtyard Bar and Grill also provide a selection of quick bites to full lunches so you’ll be nice and full to keep your energy going while you go through each shop.
Final year DCU journalism student Brendan Fernando Kelly Palenque, who lives in Kilkenny when he travels home from college during weekends says that the shopping centre is “nothing out of this world, but it gets the job done.”
He continued that he has “never actually been there during Christmas because I don’t shop much,” and added that the centre is “pretty nice.”
Galway Shopping Centre
Along the West coast you’ll find Galway Shopping Centre in the heart of Galway city. Some great shops like Flying Tiger, Easons, Penney’s and ToyMaster are some great reasons to give this place a visit.
Restaurants like Franklin’s will ensure you’re kept warm with a hot meal throughout your visit. After you’re done shopping, Galway town isn’t far at all so it’s a perfect stop off before hitting the town for a great evening full of lively atmospheres, craicin’ pints and great music in one of Ireland’s most cultural cities.
Merchant’s Quay Shopping Centre
Right down in the south-west, Merchant’s Quay Shopping Centre in Cork is our last place on the list. Newbridge Silverware, M&S, Debenhams and Carraig Donn are a few examples of some high-class but affordable shops with some lovely gifts for Christmas.
The centre doesn’t have a huge amount of retail shops for clothes and such, but it has a nice few everyday shops like Boots and Supervalu that are great to grab some extra last few necessities before Christmas finally arrives.
Christmas shopping is definitely a stressful experience, but these shopping centres can make it a really fun experience and thoroughly enjoyable.