Entertainment in Dublin

One thing that you won't be short of in Dublin is entertainment. Dublin is a small city and no one is anonymous. People pass the time of day and talk as if they have known you all their lives. Whole areas of the city, like Temple Bar, buzz with energy and creativity. Dublin has many things to offer, but most of all it offers the visitors a sense of hope, freedom, and excitement. It is the city that spreads its dreams under your feet.

Just walk around the streets and you’ll see the diversity; cool bars, all pale wood and aluminium, alongside traditional old pubs complete with the snug for secrecy; the aroma of freshly brewed coffee mingling with the distinct smell of hops from the Guinness brewery; traditional craft skills wrought in a thoroughly modern and stylish way; fine dining worth every single award, good old-fashioned fish and chips, sushi bars and Victorian tea-shops – they’re all here!

“One hour in Dublin and you’ll be high on the ‘craic’ – its explosive mixture of energy and warmth, music and style. Not to mention a mind-blowing collection of 1,000 pubs. Welcome to the melting pot of European Cultures.”

The traditional diet of Irish and international classics at the 'establishment' theatres is now spiced by experimental or fringe programmes at newer, smaller venues, where tickets are cheap, and drama is accessible and popular. Whatever aspect of theatre you enjoy there will certainly be something to interest you while you are in Dublin. The Dublin Theatre Festival takes place each October and brings together the cream of Irish and international theatre for two weeks. The Festival is accompanied by an exciting and enlivening Fringe Festival.

Music in all its forms is very accessible in Dublin and often experienced with its natural accompaniment - dance. The recent popularity of "Riverdance" has re-ignited interest in traditional Irish dancing, which visitors can try their hand at in numerous venues around the city and county. Or if this is not to your taste, why not dance the night away at one of the many trendy nightclubs that carry on well into the morning hours.

Traditional music is what a lot of people want to hear when they visit Dublin, and there is ample opportunity. The traditional music scene has flourished in recent times, and today it is played and listened with enthusiasm all over the country. The most common place to hear live traditional music is in a pub, but you should also check any of the regular listings in the newspapers and events guides. Seisiuns (sessions) means more or less an impromptu evening of music and song, and it usually takes place in a pub. The instruments can be anything from a fiddle to a bodhran, an accordian and often the spoons. Many pubs have sessions, some of which are genuinely impromptu, although enough regulars turn up to give some coherence to the scene.

Rooted in traditional Irish music, Ireland's characteristically anarchic, driven rock musicians have made a huge contribution on the world stage. Recent success stories such as The Cranberries, Boyzone, and Westlife have joined bands like U2 on the international scene. Dublin's rock scene has always buzzed with new and upcoming bands, performing in a range of venues all over city and county.

But sometimes it's the citizens themselves who provide the best entertainment. On Bloomsday many dress up in Joycean costume and march around the city. They will cavort for garden parties in Trinity, or maybe just brush up their quiffs to stroll around Grafton Street and St. Stephen's Green. All of the city is a stage, and the best entertainment is often spontaneous: someone breaking into song in a pub, a mime artist sending everyone into convulsions, or a street artist painstakingly chalking great works onto pavements themselves.

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