The Palace, we hardly knew you. Even though we were there at least once a week for a solid year or so...
Dublin has no shortage of nightclubs.
We recently reported that Everleigh was voted the best nightclub in Ireland.
You can't really walk for 10 minutes in the city without finding somewhere to enjoy a nice boogie.
But you could walk for 10 minutes, 10 hours, or 10 years and you'd still never come across a nightclub like The Palace on Dublin's Camden Street.
For some horrible reason, The Palace has closed down and Dublin nightlife has never been, and will never be, the same.
But it taught us a valuable lesson. All good things must come to an end.
Cherish what you have when you have it, because the world can be cruel. One day you're texting your mates deciding where you're going to pre-drink, and the next, you've nothing worth pre-drinking for.
But let's not get too upset over the whole thing. Instead, let's remember why we loved The Palace.
The layout
No nonsense. No funky designs. No fancy 'decorations'. Just a big-ass dancefloor, and one bar. Your favourite nightclub had a number of different dancefloors and bars? Not The Palace.
We were happy with the one. It helped to avoid confusion. Couldn't find your mates? Well check the dancefloor and the bar. Not there? They've left.
It was that easy.
Now there was what was perceived to be a 'V.I.P area' which looked out over the entirety of the venue, but in my many times in The Palace, I can count on one hand how often there was ever anyone there.
We didn't need an area to feel very important. We felt that way once we walked in the door.
There was also a second section that they'd open up on busy nights, but those busy nights were few and far between, and even when it was open nobody would ever go back there.
The history
We're not sure if you're aware of this.
Only those of us who have truly studied Camden's Street's greatest nightclub will be aware of its rich history.
Brace yourself for this information, because it's big. You'll feel a strange sense of pride when you hear this.
The video for one of the best pop songs of all time was filmed there.
Yep.
Which one you ask?
'Don't Stop Movin' by S Club 7.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vm262cXxRrU
Clip via S Club 7
Look at them go.
Although it looked quite different back in 1996, you can still see the similarities to the modern-day Palace we know and love... or knew and loved.
Did S Club 7 film one of the biggest bangers of the '90s in
your favourite nightclub? Didn't think so pal.
As well as that, The Commitments was filmed there. Another classic.
The drinks deals
Who could ever forget four jagerbombs for a tenner? That's right,
four jagerbombs for a tenner.
The following mornings may not have been pleasant as a result, but it made for a fairly cheap night...
And yeah, you're reading this correctly. FOUR.
The stage
Ah God, the stage.
For whatever reason, The Palace seemed to fill absolutely everyone who entered with the most bizarre belief in their own dance abilities.
And losing yourself in the music on the dancefloor was one thing, but people in The Palace took it one further.
We got on the stage, right in front of the poor DJ who was just trying to make an honest living, and danced our poor little hearts out. Genuinely, the stage was only a couple of feet from the DJ's booth. He couldn't escape my moves, or the moves of anyone else around me.
I distinctly remember situations where people literally queued to get up on the stage, just to show off their moves. And nobody could dance, but that goes without saying.
But that's what we loved about it all. Going in and making a show of yourself. Comfortable in the knowledge that you'd be coming back to do the same again the next week. Or the next night, in certain people's cases.
The special nights
The Palace played host to some 'once-off' special nights.
They were... an experience.
There was a Justin Bieber tribute night. That was incredible. Hours and hours of Justin Bieber songs. Like a Justin Bieber concert, except the tickets were a fiver and the lads you could hear singing his songs were agricultural science students from Wexford.
Then there was the Michael Jackson tribute night, which was slightly different. I think I counted two Michael Jackson songs that were played before they resorted back to the normal playlist.
But it was the thought that counted. They had the balls to try it.
We miss you The Palace. Thanks for the memories, and feel free to come back anytime you want.
