First of all, my son and I stayed in one of the double rooms - NOT the dormitories. We also stayed at the satellite site (Rock House), 300 metres up the road.
The Hostel itself has a very warm and cosy feel to it, with the common areas pretty much true to the impression one gets from the photos on the web site.. And Dennis the member of staff in reception when we arrived was a gem.
However, the room we stayed in looked nothing like the room I booked online. Not that there was anything wrong with it - but the rooms in Rock House, all look a lot more tired than the photos on the web. So if you are someone who is affected by the aesthetics of a room, you will be disappointed if you rely on the photos on the web.
It is worth pointing out that a family staying in Rock House with us, were very disappointed with the state of the rooms, the smell, and the noise. And I must say that I have to agree. They were on the ground floor, and it was smelly and noisy down there.
Our room was acceptable, but also suffered from noise. However, the biggest complaint I have is that Rock House appears to have hot water provided by storage heater. In other words, I think we showered after the family of four showered, which meant that My son got two minutes of hot water, and I had to take a cold shower. As you can imagine - I was not very impressed with that.
With regards to breakfast - the dining room is extremely cramped. However, the food was well cooked.
Like I said - perfect for Newgrange.