Ireland (Lonely Planet, 9th Edition) - Fionn Davenport [105]
Underground@Kennedy’s (Map; 661 1124; 31-32 Westland Row; 11.30pm-2.30am Fri & Sat) Beneath this busy pub is a suitably sweaty, darkened room that plays regular host to some top-class local and international DJs playing a variety of styles from house to hip hop.
Lillie’s Bordello (Map; 679 9204; www.lilliesbordello.ie; Adam Ct; admission €10-20; 11pm-3am) Lillie’s is strictly for big hairs, wannabes and visiting rock stars. Don’t think you’ll get to rub shoulders with celebs though, as they’ll be whisked out of view and into the VIP room in a flash. As you might expect, the music is mostly safe and commercial.
Think Tank (Map; 670 7655; www.thethinktank.ie; 11 Eustace St; admission €6-15) Dance DJs, Battle of the Bands nights, visiting live acts and assorted other festivities make up the menu at this basement club in Temple Bar. Strictly Handbag, Dublin’s longest running club night, takes place on Monday nights and still draws them in with its mixed bag of 80s tunes.
Rí Rá (Map; 677 4835; Dame Ct; admission €5-11; Mon-Sat) This long-established club changed hands in 2007, but the new owners are bent on continuing the long-standing commitment to music without frenetic beats – for now, at least. The emphasis has long been on funky stuff, from soul to hip hop, but there’s plenty of rock thrown in. Upstairs, the Globe bar Click here converts into a chilled-out drink and chat area.
Live Music
Bookings can be made either directly at the venues or through HMV (Map; 679 5334; 65 Grafton St) or Ticketmaster ( 0818-719 300, 456 9569; www.ticketmaster.ie), but they charge between 9% and 12.5% service charge per ticket, not per booking, on credit-card bookings.
CLASSICAL MUSIC & OPERA VENUES
Classical music concerts and opera take place in a number of city-centre venues. There are also occasional performances in churches; check the press for details.
National Concert Hall (Map; 417 0000; www.nch.ie; Earlsfort Tce) Ireland’s premier orchestral hall hosts a variety of concerts year-round, including a series of lunchtime concerts from 1.05pm to 2pm on Tuesdays, June to August.
Gaiety Theatre (Map; 677 1717; www.gaietytheatre.com; South King St) This popular Dublin theatre hosts a program of classical concerts and opera.
Bank of Ireland Arts Centre (Map; 671 1488; Foster Pl) The arts centre hosts a free, regular, midweek lunchtime recital beginning at 1.15pm, as well as an occasional evening program of concerts. Call for details.
Helix (Map; 700 7000; www.thehelix.ie; Collins Ave, Glasnevin) Based in Dublin City University, the Helix hosts, among other things, an impressive array of international operatic and classical recitals and performances. To get there, take bus 11, 13, 13A or 19A from O’Connell St.
Dublin City Gallery – the Hugh Lane (Map; 874 1903; www.hughlane.ie; Charlemont House, Parnell Sq) At noon on Sunday, from September to June, the art gallery hosts up to 30 concerts of contemporary classical music.
Royal Dublin Society Showground Concert Hall (Map; 668 0866; www.rds.ie; Ballsbridge) The huge hall of the RDS Showground hosts a rich program of classical music and opera throughout the year.
ROCK & POP VENUES
Ambassador Theatre (Map; 1890 925 100; O’Connell St) The Ambassador started life as a theatre and then became a cinema. Not much has changed inside, making it a cool retro place to see visiting and local rock acts perform.
Crawdaddy (Map; 478 0225; www.pod.ie; 35A Harcourt St) Named after the London club where the Stones launched their professional careers in 1963, Crawdaddy is an intimate bar/venue that specialises in putting on rootsy performers, from African drum bands to avant-garde jazz artists and flamenco guitarists. It’s attached to the nightclub Tripod.
Gaiety Theatre (Map; 677 1717; www.gaietytheatre.com; South King St; to 4am) This old Victorian theatre