20 Best Performing Arts Venues in Dublin, Ireland

One of the most fabled theaters in the world, the Abbey is the home of Ireland's national theater company. In 1904 W. B. Yeats and his patron, Lady Gregory, opened the theater, which became a major center for the Irish literary renaissance—the place that first staged works by J. M. Synge and Sean O'Casey, among many others. Plays by recent Irish drama heavyweights like Brian Friel, Tom Murphy, Hugh Leonard, and John B. Keane have all premiered here, and memorable productions of international greats like Mamet, Ibsen, and Shakespeare have also been performed. You should not, however, arrive expecting 19th-century grandeur: the original structure burned down in 1951. A starkly modernist auditorium was built in its place—but what it may lack in aesthetics it makes up for in space and acoustics. Criticisms of a reverential, male, and mainstream approach are being addressed, with more female writers, a new spin on old Irish classics, and a second stage offering more experimental drama. But the Abbey will always be relevant since much of the theatergoing public still looks to it as a barometer of Irish culture.

When this shimmering red-and-gold 19th-century theater is not showing musical comedy, drama, and revues, the sumptuous Gaiety is taken over by Opera Ireland for one of its big shows.

Home to the grandest, big-gig concerts by rock stars and dance luminaries, the 3Arena is a high-tech, 14,500-capacity venue.

Housed in a brash, Daniel Libeskind–designed building in the growing docklands area of the city, this theater has a 2,000-plus capacity, making it Ireland's biggest theater space. Its calendar includes the best of international ballet, classical music, pop gigs, and even Broadway musicals.

A 17-screen theater just off O'Connell Street, Cineworld is the city center's only multiplex movie house; it shows the latest commercial features.

An intimate 371-seat theater in a jewel-like Georgian assembly hall, the Gate produces the classics and contemporary plays by leading Irish writers, including Beckett, Wilde (the production of Salome was a worldwide hit), Shaw, and the younger generation of dramatists, such as Conor McPherson.

Film lovers head here for a fascinating schedule of classic and new independent films.

A long-established, tiny, get-close-to-the-band venue upstairs, the International also hosts theater in the afternoon and comedy on weekends.

The Lighthouse is a serene art-house cinema complex with a regular selection of international and local movies.

Just off St. Stephen's Green, the National Concert Hall is Dublin's main theater for classical music of all kinds, from symphonies to chamber groups. The slightly austere Neoclassical building was transformed in 1981 into one of Europe's finest medium-size concert halls. It houses the cream of Irish classical musicians, the National Symphony Orchestra of Ireland. A host of guest international conductors and performers—Maxim Vengerov, Radu Lupu, and Pinchas Zukerman are just a few of the soloists who have appeared—keep the standard very high, and performances continue throughout the year. The concert year picks up speed in mid-September and sails through to June; July and August also get many dazzling troupes. The smaller, more intimate John Field and Carolan rooms are perfect for chamber music, and also host some interesting talks with musicans, writers, and artists.

A troupe with a political agenda, the New Theatre often favors productions by Irish working-class writers like Sean O'Casey and Brendan Behan in its renovated Temple Bar space.

Dublin's oldest and premier multipurpose theatrical venue, the Olympia hosts drama, pantomime, and live comedy in addition to its high-profile musical performances.

Set in a striking, glass-front building, Opium hosts regular rock gigs or bass-thumping international DJ sets. There's a Pan-Asian restaurant out front if you get peckish.

A theater and performance space in an ugly modern building at the center of Temple Bar, the Project Arts Center premiers a lot of new Irish theater talent as well as contemporary music and experimental art events.

Just across from the General Post Office, the Savoy is a four-screen theater with the largest screen in the country.

Smock Alley is a wonderfully atmospheric theater space tucked down a little lane. Now housed in a lovely 19th-century Irish neo-Gothic structure, it stands on the site of a famous 17th-century Dublin theater.

Under its glorious "pepper canister" cupola, St. Stephen's Church stages a tempting program of choral and orchestral events.

Across from Christ Church Cathedral, Vicar Street is a venue for intimate concerts. It often plays host to folk music, jazz, and comedy, as well as rock performances.

It might look a bit shabby around the edges, but Whelan's is one of the city's best—and most popular—music venues. Well-known performers play everything from rock to folk to traditional music.