74 Best Performing Arts in 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.

Ireland's theatrical hub outside the capital, the Druid has pioneered Galway's identity as a center for the arts. Playwright Martin McDonagh debuted here along with many other playwrights. The Druid showcases 20th-century Irish and European plays and is considered a pioneer in the development of Irish theater. Its players have toured extensively and performed at Lincoln Center in New York, and several London venues. The Druid regularly presents a production at Galway Arts Festival in late July.

Ennis comes alive with the beat of the bodhrán for eight days at the end of May in one of Ireland's greatest traditional music festivals. It offers workshops, concerts, trad sessions, parades, and street performances, as well as the opportunity to mix with locals.

Book ahead to avoid staying in the periphery.

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.

An internationally renowned, roving Galway-based troupe of performance artists, Macnas has raised street theater in Ireland to new levels. While their participation in the July Arts Festival's parade is always much anticipated, it's their broody, giant-scale procession at the Galway Aboo Halloween parade that's the annual highlight.

Language is no barrier to the supremely colorful entertainment offered by this theater, which re-creates traditional rural life through music, folk theater, and dance. There are nightly shows May to September, with year-round visual arts exhibitions and less frequent evening shows.

The sleepy town of Miltown Malbay has woken up every July since 1973 to the sound of harps, tin whistles, and uilleann pipes. The weeklong Willie Clancy Summer School, named after the legendary piper, is the largest of its kind in Ireland, with 135 daily workshops and a full program of recitals, concerts, and dances open to the public. 

Ireland's biggest agricultural gathering (and one of its longest established) attracts 60,000 annually in the second week of August, when the largest assembly of cattle anywhere in the country compete in 1,000 classes for 42 national titles. Apart from the many different breeds of cows, there are also sheep-shearing competitions, cooking demonstrations, exhibits of local artisinal produce, displays of vintage farm machinery, and fashion shows. An international visitor center caters to the huge crowds of overseas tourists who flock to the show, which appeals to all generations. Scores of trade stands encourage you to spend money, and an art and photography section features the work of local artists.

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

The 383-seat An Grianán Theatre hosts a wide variety of cultural and artistic events. The program includes drama, comedy, music, and dance, while changing exhibitions feature the work of local artists and photographers. An Grianán also hosts, along with several other venues, the Letterkenny trad week held in January, which features traditional groups and singers as well as bluegrass bands from the United States. The Eatery Café serves light meals and drinks from 9:30 am to 3:30 pm.

Founders of the Gate Theatre in Dublin, partners Hilton Edwards and Micheál Mac Liammóir created the national Irish-language theater, An Taibhdhearc (pronounced "ontie-vark"), to produce first-class Irish works in both English and Irish languages. Watch out for pop-up performances.

This theater, the center of a thriving local arts scene, is on the grounds of the local Gaelic Athletic Association club. Catch a local match before heading into the theater for a dose of drama, dance, classical music, or opera. The theater and club are located a mile outside Longford on the road to Athlone.

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.

Enjoy folk singing, storytelling, trad music, and dancing at the Brú Ború Centre at the foot of the Rock of Cashel. The center also has the Sounds of History audiovisual exhibition open all day and regular arts and music events throughout the year.

Filled with music and storytelling, Bunratty Castle's medieval banquets have been entertaining guests since 1963. Guests are heralded over a drawbridge by a kilt-wearing bagpiper before being ushered by courtiers and ladies-in-waiting to a banquet featuring spare ribs and mead, a locally produced honey wine. The congregation sits on benches while two unsuspecting guests are crowned Earl and Lady Thomond and allotted the responsibility of tossing someone into the great hall's dungeon. Banquets are held subject to demand at 5:30 and 8:45 nightly.

The Carlow Arts Festival is a five-day celebration of visual arts held every June.

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.

Held annually in mid-September since 1977, the Clifden Arts Festival has a great selection of music, arts, and poetry in a friendly, informal atmosphere and scenic environment, making it an excellent time to tune in to local culture.

A few miles outside Dungarvan, you can sit/join in on a ceilí (traditional Irish dance), held most nights in summer at Coláiste na Rinne, the school in this Irish-speaking community known for its strong tradition in Irish language, heritage, and culture.

In the second week of November, this nine-day festival puts on a lively program of world cinema at several city venues, and includes feature films, documentaries, shorts, and other events.

Readings, author interviews, workshops, and award presentations are highlights of this four-day literary event in September.

The city's major hall for touring productions also presents dance, theater, comedy, and music events.

Kinvara's Cruinniú na mBád, meaning "the gathering of the boats," in late August commemorates a time when the Galway hookers—red-sailed, black-hulled timber boats—hauled turf to trade in Galway. It's a great opportunity to see restored craft in all their glory and remember a time gone by.

Carrick's impressive Dock Arts Centre is a former courthouse and now a happening place to take in a concert, play, or arts event. Sympathetically restored as Leitrim's first integrated arts center, it houses a chic theater with seating for more than 100 and the Jury Room café bar. Shows run €12–€25.

One of the city's most distinctive art museums, the Dublin City Gallery The Hugh Lane is a serene home to Sundays@Noon, a series of free Sunday concerts featuring some top Irish and international talent. Concerts attract a full house, so get there early.

This lively arts center has a 240-seat theater, an art gallery, and a friendly coffeehouse (closed Sunday). You may catch a professional production on tour or a local amateur show. The exhibition space displays the work of contemporary Irish artists. It's built into the back of the 18th-century stone courthouse on Church Street in a space that used to be the town jail. Caffe Latte serves sandwiches and salads at lunch, and afternoon tea.

Modest-size theatrical productions are staged at this theater, which has an ornate Victorian interior.

During the first weekend in May, the scenic harbor village of Kinvara hosts the hugely popular three-day traditional music festival, Fleadh na gCuach (the Cuckoo Fleadh), attracting musicians from far and wide.