RugbyCroke Park will host only two games of the 2009 RBS Six Nations, which means three away fixtures, this time in Rome, Edinburgh and Cardiff.
The Rome game happily, or unhappily for rugby-hating spouses and girlfriends, coincides with St Valentine's weekend.
• Hotels.com has lined up a range of deals in the three cities. In Rome it suggests the four-star Hotel Borromini, with prices starting at €104 per night, the five-star Splendide Royal Hotel, from €261 per night, and the three-star Caprice Hotel, from €66 per night.
• The Scotland game is on Saturday, March 14th, coinciding with St Patrick's weekend.
• Hotels.com has some good deals for that weekend in Edinburgh - the gorgeous, fun-packed Scottish capital is probably the most popular destination for travelling rugby fans. The three-star Murrayfield Hotel and Lodge is just 50 metres from Murrayfield; prices start at €474 per night. The three-star Knight Residence is in Edinburgh's Old Town; from €167 per night. The four-star Tigerlily is a fashionable boutique hotel in New Town; prices from €166 per night.
• Ireland play Wales at the stunning Millennium Stadium, in Cardiff, on March 21st, in what will, with luck, be a meaningful match. Hotels.com suggests the five-star St David's Hotel and Spa, with prices starting at €138 per night; the four-star Parc Hotel, five minutes from the stadium and costing from €124 per night; or the two-star Campanile Cardiff, from a very reasonable €59 per night.
• If you'd rather not get swamped in the revelry, Killester Travel and Munster Sports Travel are offering same-day return trips to Edinburgh and Cardiff, including flights and match tickets, for €250.
• We'll look at some more all-inclusive packages for these fixtures in the coming weeks.