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Comedy Dublin
Some of Dublin's best comic talents have grouped together to create a comedy troupe that takes to the stage Sunday nights in the Belvedere and Tuesday nights in Sheehan's. Some of their stuff is hilarious.
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Comhaltas Ceoltóirí Éireann
The Friday evening traditional céilidh (communal dance) is the big draw at this informal venue, which is really a community club for the preservation of the traditional form, be it played or danced. Other nights feature regular sessions, but you'll find something just as good in the city centre.
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Copper Face Jacks
Dublin's ultimate meat market packs them in and has a reputation for being the destination of choice for off-duty police officers, nurses and anyone looking to avoid music that didn't chart. Don't let the presence of the law put you off though. From what we've heard, they're the biggest miscreants of the lot, especially if there are nurses about!
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Crawdaddy
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 part of the Pod/Tripod entertainment complex.
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Crypt Arts Centre
The beautiful church crypt in Dublin Castle has a space used by adventurous young Irish companies for experimental work.
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Dakota
Surprisingly chilled out for a superpub, Dakota is distinguished by dimmed lights, funky tunes, crafty cocktails and a slick modern layout. Unfortunately, we found the weekend bouncers to be goons, the beer patchy and the bar staff so frosty that if you stuck your tongue out at them it might stick.
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Davy Byrne's
The place where Leopold Bloom popped in for a Gorgonzola sandwich and a glass of burgundy. Davy Byrne's makes the most of its Joycean connection, but the contemporary version bears about as much resemblance to the boozer mentioned in Ulysses as it does a hole in the wall. It is popular with out-of-towners and gets especially packed on rugby weekends.
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Dawson Lounge
To see the smallest bar in Dublin, go through a small doorway, down a narrow flight of steps and into two tiny rooms that always seem to be filled with a couple of bedraggled drunks who look like they're hiding. Psst, here's a secret: a certain sunglassed lead singer of a certain ginormous Irish band is said to love unwinding in here from time to time.
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Devitt's
Devitt's - aka the Cussak Stand - is one of the favourite places for the city's talented musicians to display their wares, with sessions as good as any you'll hear in the city centre. Highly recommended.
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Dice Bar
Co-owned by Huey from the Fun Lovin' Criminals, the Dice Bar looks like something you might find on New York's Lower East Side. Its dodgy locale, black-and-red painted interior, dripping candles and stressed seating, combined with rocking DJs most nights, make it a magnet for Dublin's beautiful beatnik crowds. It has Guinness and local microbrews.
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Doheny & Nesbitt's
A standout, even in a city of wonderful pubs, Nesbitt's is equipped with antique snugs and is a favourite place for high-powered gossip among politicians and journalists; Leinster House is only a short stroll away.
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Dragon
High-concept, high-octane and simply loaded with attitude, the Dragon is the slightly trendier alternative to the long-established George down the street (George & the Dragon; get it?). But neon lighting, loud music and drunken couples slobbering all over each other do not a memorable bar make. Next.
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Draíocht Theatre
This multipurpose arts centre (named after the Irish word for 'magic') is one of the most interesting venues in the city. Two separate theatres feature all kinds of work, from reinterpretations of classic plays to brand-new material by cutting-edge writers and performers.
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Dublin City Gallery - The Hugh Lane
From September to June, the art gallery hosts up to 30 concerts of contemporary classical music. Concerts start at noon on Sunday.
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Eno Wines
A wine bar in a financial services centre sounds like a formula for insufferable pretentiousness, but this remarkable venture is unique to the city so we thought we'd give it a try - and we weren't disappointed. Basically, this is a wine-tasting centre where you buy a card for whatever amount you like and are then free to try any of the 60-plus wines that are available, deducting the cost of it from your card as you go along.
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Fallon's
Just west of the city centre, in the heart of medieval Dublin, this is a fabulously old-fashioned bar that has been serving a great pint of Guinness to a most discerning clientele since the end of the 17th century. Prize fighter Dan Donnelly, the only boxer ever to be knighted, was head bartender here in 1818. It's a genuine Irish bar filled with local Dubs.
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Floridita
Ernest Hemingway's favourite Havana bar is now a multinational chain, and the newest branch of the super-slick bar/club/restaurant opened in the distinctly uncool Irish Life Mall in 2007. Real live Cuban musicians provide the backbeat to a night of rum, cigars and Latin American cuisine.
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Flowing Tide
This beautiful, atmospheric old pub is directly opposite the Abbey and is predictably very popular with theatre-goers - it can get swamped around , after the curtain comes down. They blend in with some no-bullshit locals who give the place a vital edge, and make it a great place for a drink and a natter.
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Focus Theatre
The small Focus Theatre is committed to showcasing the work of new Irish playwrights, which is thoroughly laudable even if the quality of the work isn't always top notch. Still, the company offers challenging work and is well worth checking out.
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Front Lounge
The unofficially gay 'Flounge' is a sophisticated and friendly bar that is bright and airy during the week and positively mobbed on weekends. It's by no means an exclusive place, but its clientele is predominantly gay and preposterously handsome.
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Gaiety Theatre
More than 800 punters cram into the theatre after hours for dancing and plenty of drinking. It's loose, fun and very popular. The music is a mix of Latin and soul.
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Gate Theatre
The city's most elegant theatre, housed in a late-18th-century building, features a generally unflappable repertory of classic American and European plays. Orson Welles' first professional performance was here, and James Mason played here early in his career. Even today it is the only theatre in town where you might see established international movie stars work on their credibility with a theatre run.
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George
The purple mother of Dublin's gay bars is a long-standing institution, having lived through the years when it was the only place in town where the gay crowd could, well, be gay. There are other places to go, but the George remains the best, if only for tradition's sake. Shirley's legendary Sunday night bingo is as popular as ever.
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Gill's
Just a stone's throw from Croke Park, this unashamedly old-fashioned boozer was one of Brendan Behan's favourites and the place where his friends chose to wake his passing when he died. If you're on your way to Croker for a match, or just want to try out a good old-style pub, there are few better.
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Glimmer Man
It's slightly out of the way, to the west of Smithfield, but this is a terrific neighbourhood bar that has benefited from the influx of foreign nationals to the area in recent years. In warm weather, the beer garden out the back is a great place to enjoy a pint.
