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Nightlife
The nightlife scene in Dublin has changed beyond all recognition in the last few years. Alongside the traditional Irish pubs sit stylish bars and buzzing pre-club haunts. Pubs are generally open Monday to Saturday 1100–2330 and Sunday 1200/1600–2300, although some serve until 0200. Bars close between 2330 and 0100, while clubs stay open until the early hours. The minimum drinking age is 18 years.
What’s on Where (website: www.wow.ie), the free events guide available in cafés and bars throughout the city, and In Dublin, the fortnightly magazine, are both useful guides featuring bar, restaurant and club reviews.
Bars and pubs: Dublin’s watering holes fall into two camps – the traditional drinking haunts and the designer bars for bright young things. Hip bars include Pravda, 2–3 Liffey Street Lower, Zanzibar, 37–38 Ormond Quay Lower, and The Chocolate Bar, Harcourt Street. One of the latest minimalist venues of choice for Dublin’s bright young things to spend their wealth in is No 4 at 4 Dame Lane. For a more traditional pub crawl, head to Temple Bar, where the Palace Bar, the Temple Bar, Oliver St John Gogarty and the Norseman are all to be found. On Baggot Street, there are pubs like Toner’s, O’Donoghue’s and Doheny & Nesbitt, where literary ghosts have taken up permanent residence. The Dawson Lounge, 25 Dawson Street, is the smallest pub in Dublin, with room for about six people in the basement. The George, 89 South Great George’s Street, is one of Dublin’s most popular gay bars.
Casinos: These are limited to private clubs that are not open to non-members. Ireland is somewhat anti-gambling and no public casinos exist.
Clubs: Once a clubbing wasteland, Dublin’s reputation for top rack nightclubs is growing year on year. PoD (Place of Dance), Harcourt Street, is now the style leader and has won awards for its outlandish decor. The exclusive Lillie’s Bordello, Adam Court, Grafton Street, is where all visiting pop stars, actors and celebrities hang out for after-show parties. Ri Ra, Dame Court, combines a chilled bar with a hip club. D2 (formerly known as Velvet), Harcourt Street, was the first club in Dublin to latch on to UK Speed Garage. In addition to Dublin’s clubs, most live music venues host club nights after gigs.
Comedy: Dubliners are celebrated for their gift of the gab and their wit. Top comedy venues include Murphy’s Laughter Lounge, 4–6 Eden Quay, with local and international stand-up talent Thursday to Saturday at 2100. Other places include pubs such as the Ha’penny Bridge Inn, 42 Wellington Quay, on Tuesday nights and the International Bar, 23 Wicklow Street, on Wednesday nights.
Live music: Eclectic is the key word for Dublin’s music scene, with most venues playing something of everything, from jazz, blues and soul to rock and pop, English folk and Irish traditional (known as ‘trad’). Trad is played in countless pubs, often in free impromptu ‘sessions’. Larger venues or venues hosting high-profile performers may charge on the night or tickets may be bought in advance.
The Temple Bar Music Centre, Curved Street, Temple Bar, is a great venue for spotting new talent. The recently opened Spirit nightclub, 57 Middle Abbey Street (website: www.spiritdublin.com), hosts a variety of international and local acts and has a small, intimate feel to it, similar in style to Vicar Street, 58–59 Thomas Street (website: www.vicarstreet.com). The largest concerts (rock and pop) take place at The Point, East Link Bridge (website: www.thepointe.ie) – All Saints, Manic Street Preachers and Fatboy Slim are some of the big names that have performed there over the last few years. The RDS (Royal Dublin Society) Concert Hall, Merrion Road, Ballsbridge (website: www.rds.ie), also caters for both large pop/rock events.
Olympia Theatre, 72 Dame Street, is one of the best venues for broad-ranging styles in a large and lovely three-floor venue, for early evening and post-midnight gigs. On a smaller scale, the 18th-century pub, Whelan’s, 25 Wexford Street, is a hugely popular and innovative live venue, providing a platform for up and coming bands. Jazz can be heard regularly at the Viperoom, 5 Aston Quay, while long-established Slattery’s, 129 Capel Street, offers a wide assortment of music from rock and jazz to traditional Irish. Other popular trad venues include pubs O’Shea’s Merchant, 12 Bridge Street Lower, and O’Donoghue’s, 15 Merrion Row.
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