Hi there, and welcome to the world of Irish paintball.
This FAQ is designed as a guide to start paintball.
The first thing you are probably wondering is: What is paintball?
If you have not already done so, have a read of
this FAQ for an introduction to what paintball is all about.
How do I find a group to go paintballing with?
Several of the paintball sites around Ireland cater for parties or other group occasions. A stag/hen or an office party is a great excuse to go paintballing.
A lot of people on this forum started out paintball in university. A large number of colleges in Ireland now have their own paintball society, which run trips throughout the year. If you join one of these, you should easily be able to go on one of the organised trips. Have a look at the
College Forum.
Finally, the you can always gather a group of friends together and go for a birthday party or some other event, or just go for the fun of it!
Where can I go?
There are several paintball sites around Ireland, each offering a unique experience. Pick a site near you and book your group in for the day you want. All the sites usually have rental equipment available, so you just need to turn up and have fun.
Just contact the site via email or by phone, book the day you want, the time (usually morning or afternoon), and say how many are in your group.
It is a good idea to check the prices in advance, not all sites use the same pricing system, and you don't want any nasty shocks at the end of the day.
Remember to bring a pair of gloves, a spare change of clothes and shoes just in case it rains!
A list of sites from around the country can be found
here
Let us know how your first trip went, we are always interested to hear about peoples experiences in various sites.
That was great! Now what?
Now that you have developed a taste for paintball, you can start looking at some of the other activities available.
If possible, try another trip to a site near you. This should give you a different experience and a chance to compare different sites.
Now is a good time to introduce you speedball, the tournament version of paintball. Have a look at
this FAQ for more info.
Paintballer.ie organises Speedball Open Days (
SOD) every few months. These are open to anyone who wants to come along and try it out. These are a great opportunity to meet other players and see a different side of paintball, as well as try out some fancy equipment.
What equipment should I get?
Paintball is a lot more fun if you get to use your own gear.
The first thing you should get is a mask! Always. This is the most important piece of equipment, and you will be much more comfortable playing with your own one. Have a look at the
Buy and Sell forum, or at any of the
paintball shops in Ireland.
After you have a mask, you can start looking at other gear. A pair of tough paintball gloves is always handy, and some running shoes or boots that you don't mind getting dirty on a regular basis.
You can also start looking at getting your own marker. This can be a fairly big investment, so it is worth looking around for the one that you want. There are usually plenty of markers on show at the SODs, so you can try some of them out there.
Are there any teams I can play on?
There are several speedball teams competing in Irelands at the moment. A number of them are currently competing in the
Irish Paintball League, which runs over the summer. You can come along to any of the IPL tournaments or and
SOD and talk to some of the teams about joining or starting your own team.
Running a team can be a big investment of money and time. It takes a bit of dedication, but is immense fun and well worth it.
Have a look through the rest of the FAQ forum for any more information you might need on starting out (there is a handy Google search tool in the top menu bar), and feel free to ask any questions you might have.
Hope to see you out on the field soon!
FAQ: Getting Started in Paintball 
