Dublin, Ireland — Activities
Dublin Culture
Dublin's rich literary culture has led to a flourishing film industry and varied theater repertoire of Irish classical and contemporary works. The Temple Bar district is the main cultural center.
Most tickets can be purchased on the night directly from the venues or in advance at outlets of HMV stores, in Henry Street and Grafton Street, from Dublin Tourism, Suffolk Street (tel: 1850 230 330; www.visitdublin.com; bookings in person only), or from Ticketmaster (tel: 08187 19300; www.ticketmaster.ie).
The fortnightly magazine In Dublin (www.indublin.ie) is good for Dublin events listings. Dublin Tourism (www.visitdublin.com) also has online events listings that are updated daily.
Music
Gaiety Theater
Opera Ireland and the innovative Opera Theater Company perform regularly at a variety of venues, including the Gaiety Theater.
South King Street
Tel: (01) 677 1717.
Website: www.gaietytheater.com
National Concert Hall
Dublin’s main classical music venue is the National Concert Hall, which is home to the National Symphony Orchestra.
Earlsfort Terrace
Tel: (01) 417 0000.
Website: www.nch.ie
Theater
Abbey Theater
Ireland's national theater, The Abbey Theater, was set up by W B Yeats in 1904 and is a historic and reliable venue for high-quality Irish drama. The Peacock Theater, in the same building as the Abbey, has a more experimental repertoire.
Abbey Street Lower
Tel: (01) 878 7222.
Website: www.abbeytheater.ie
The Gate Theater
Orson Welles and James Mason began their acting careers at The Gate Theater, which is still going strong.
1 Cavendish Row
Tel: (01) 874 4045.
Website: www.gate-theater.ie
Projects Arts Center
Offers a varied program of poetry readings, drama and dance.
39 East Essex Street, Temple Bar
Tel: (01) 881 9613.
Website: www.project.ie
Dance
Dance Ireland
Dance Ireland (formerly the Association of Professional Dancers) provides information on performances and festivals, including Riverdance. Dublin's dance groups include CoisCéim Dance Theater, Rubato Ballet and Irish Modern Dance Theater.
Liberty Corner, Foley Street
Tel: (01) 855 8800.
Website: www.danceireland.ie
O'Shea's Merchant Pub
Anyone can join in traditional Irish dancing after a pint or two at the O'Shea's Merchant Pub.
12 Bridge Street Lower
Tel: (01) 679 3797.
Dublin Tours
Walking tours
Dublin Tourism has published a 'Ulysses Map of Dublin', for those who wish to conduct a self-guided walk in the footsteps of Joyce's famous character, Leopold Bloom. They have also created a series of iWalks - 11 podcast audio guides written by local artist, author and historian, Pat Liddy, on various themes telling the story of Dublin (including 'The Historic Northside', 'Georgian Dublin' and 'In the Steps of Ulysses'). Each iWalk is free to download from www.visitdublin.com/iwalks and comes with a full color brochure featuring maps and illustrations by Pat Liddy.
Other themed walking tours include the ‘Dublin Literary Pub Crawl’ and ‘Historical Walking Tours of Dublin’ led by Trinity College history students, who provide insights into the cultural, religious and political history of Dublin.
Dublin Literary Pub Crawl
Tel: (01) 670 5602.
Website: www.dublinpubcrawl.com
Historical Walking Tours of Dublin
Tel: (01) 688 9412.
Website: www.historicalinsights.ie
Bus tours
Dublin Bus offer hop-on, hop-off bus tours covering all the major sights of the city center, with running commentary from a tour guide and 23 stops. Tours commence approximately every 15 minutes from O'Connell Street.
Tel: (01) 873 4222.
Website: www.dublinbus.ie
