See a film, get festive at a festival or explore the city on two wheels
If one destination could inspire you to pick up a pen or a paintbrush (or even a guitar) purely by walking around it, it would be Dublin. The setting for James Joyce’s most famous works continues to nurture dynamic creativity today. Temple Bar is Dublin’s ‘cultural quarter’ but go further – hear live music pouring from bars all over town, see stunning art in galleries large and small and fall in love with Dublin’s literary pubs.
This city has always attracted international stars as well as producing its own performing legends, and the annual festivals calendar reflects a diverse mix of street culture, roots performance and blockbuster shows. It all kicks off at New Year, with the vibrant NYF Dublin – three days of music, arts, food and unforgettably good times inside and out. In January the TradFest takes over Temple Bar and in May there’s the renowned Dublin Dance Festival.
Want to discover the hidden gems of the city? Forget walking tours – saddle up for a guided electric bike tour. The retro American cruiser bikes are easy to use, letting you concentrate on what you’re looking at as you scoot from landmark to landmark, from Dublin Castle to St Patricks’ Cathedral, the Guinness Brewery and Kilmainham Gaol. You pick up and drop off your bikes at Lazy Bike HQ in Scarlet Row, temptingly close to the bars and eating houses of Temple Bar. After all that pedalwork, you probably deserve something topped with cream from one of the amazing local cafés. Try the Queen of Tarts on Cow’s Lane.
Lazy Bike Tours
4 Scarlet Row
Essex St
Dublin 8
The IFI is a youthful and buzzing place to be. You can see the latest big releases, but its output also extends to workshops and an innovative learning programme. For anyone on a cultural voyage, the highlight is its archive of Irish documentaries and the locally made short films which also feature in the screening schedule. The café-bar does a mean brunch, too.
Irish Film Institute
6 Eustace St
Dublin 2
You’ll find work by old masters elsewhere in Dublin, but IMMA holds the national modern and contemporary art collection of 3,500 pieces by Irish and international artists, focusing on art from the 1940s onwards. With visiting exhibitions, artist residencies and an ongoing series of new commissions, a trip to IMMA, housed in the gorgeous seventeenth-century Royal Hospital set in its own grounds, is an exciting highlight on a day’s art tour. Free to visit.
Irish Museum of Modern Art
Royal Hospital
Military Rd
Kilmainham
Dublin 8
Literature, visual art, food – there are many great arts that thrive here, but music has a mighty heritage in Dublin. You simply can’t go to bed when you know there are a hundred different great nights out happening out there. There are lots of fabulous music venues, large, small and packed to the rafters with cracking atmopshere, but Whelan’s is an enduring favourite. For over 25 years it’s been a popular spot to catch rising stars and seasoned singer-songwriters. Catch a gig then go clubbing at the Opium Rooms next door.
Whelan’s
25 Wexford St
Dublin 2