Dublin Things to Do

Fans of the book from all corners of the world gather in Dublin for the celebration, to commemorate the life and works of the legendary Joyce and to indulge in a tour of Dublin’s Ulysses-inspired sights. The principal pastime of festival participants is to recreate ‘a day in the life of Leopold Bloom’ as told in the book, and many fans take to dressing in early 20th century period clothing (the book is set in 1904) and starting their day with a breakfast of sausages, beans, black and white pudding and toast in honor of their beloved protagonist.

With its penchant for lively Irish dancing and beer-fuelled pub sing-alongs, it’s no surprise that Dublin’s music scene makes a popular haunt for music lovers. While music fans will find plenty of variety in the Irish capital, most popular is the chance to watch some traditional Irish music and many of the city’s historic pubs host live music sessions.

Gaelic football might be the national sport, but rugby is the sport of choice for many of Ireland’s sports fans and such is the popularity of the rough-and-tumble sport, that if there’s a rugby match on, you’ll be hard pushed to find a pub in Dublin that hasn’t tuned their TVs into the game. A major competitor in the annual Six Nations Championship (contested against England, France, Italy, Scotland and Wales) and 11-time champions, Ireland’s love of rugby shows no sign of waning.

Held in honor of the region’s world-renowned prawns – large, flavorsome crustaceans that originated from Dublin’s coast – the Dublin Bay Prawn Festival is one of the city’s most exciting food events, running over 3 days each spring in the coastal suburb of Howth.

From riotous pub-crawls to a packed calendar of city festivals, Dublin knows a thing or two about how to throw a party. Vibrant parades, talented buskers and an endless supply of Guinness are on the agenda at the city’s annual street festivals – here’s the lowdown on the best events.

St Patrick’s Day, held annually on March 17th, is one of Ireland’s biggest celebrations with Dublin at the center of festivities. Held in honor of St Patrick, the Patron Saint of Ireland, St Patrick’s Day, or St Paddy’s Day as it’s often nicknamed, is the most traditionally Irish day of the year, a national holiday on which huge crowds of revelers take to the streets wearing shamrocks, donning green clothing (the symbolic color of Ireland) and downing pints of Guinness.

Whether you’re into effects-heavy blockbusters or hip art house flicks, you’ll likely still enjoy the vibe at Dublin’s coolest cinema, the Irish Film Institute (IFI). In the center of Dublin’s popular Temple Bar District, the institute is home to a cinema, library, bookshop and café, and hosts an ever-changing roster of independent films, many of which are not shown anywhere else in Ireland.

Nobody wants to miss an opportunity to party and Dublin’s epic NYE Dublin festival provides a myriad of options for making New Year’s Eve a night to remember. From street markets and movie screenings to a public fireworks display and an enormous music concert, here’s the lowdown on bringing in 2013, Dublin-style.

There’s no better excuse for celebration than the start of the Christmas season and as the winter chills set in, Dublin hangs up the Christmas decorations and gears up for another year of festivities. For the most atmospheric surrounds, head to the city’s famous Temple Bar district, where some 30 streets are lit up with fairy lights and O’Connell Street hosts a giant Christmas tree.

While there perhaps should be a day that is dedicated to people called Arthur for no other reason than that they are called Arthur, this is not it. This day, Thursday September 22nd, is dedicated to one very special man called Arthur, Arthur Guinness. Unfortunately he has no idea that since 2009 there has been a day in his honour because he died in 1803.