For those of you who still think of Ireland as the ‘old-country’ and imagine it through rose-colored glasses where everything is green and Guinness, then you may want to book that Aer Lingus flight to jet over to Dublin this weekend. It’s the annual Leather Pride Dublin which is a weekend of events organized by the community group GEARED, the country’s longest-running leather and fetish group for men.

Forget leprechauns, what you’ll find there are a wonderful array of hirsute and macho men of all shapes and sizes (and none of them green).

The events that start on Friday 26th January are focused on the gay leather and fetish community of Ireland and their international friends. The highlights include ‘Pints and Platters’ at the Galway Bay Brewery, and also a formal Leather Dinner at WUFF, followed that evening by the Mr Leather Ireland contest.

Later that night there will have bondage demos, a cigar smoking area, with resident DJs Steo Dub and El Styra on the decks. Then on Sunday, there’s a fab Fetish Dinner at Viva in Portobello, before the weekend finishes with a dungeon chill out called ‘Sounds and Sleaze’ downstairs in the same venue. If this sounds like the perfect macho escape, then get your Dublin transport maps and find your way down here – just don’t forget the cigars or leather.

So what are you waiting for this is your perfect chance to dispel all those myths that you may have held about Irish men. For more information about Leather Pride, visit leatherpridedublin.ie