An iconic Irish recording studio has opened its doors to the public with a new guided tour experience, allowing visitors to understand the creation and production of albums and songs by some of the world’s most successful recording artists.
Windmill Lane Recording Studios in Dublin has produced some of the most iconic rock and pop albums and songs of the past 40 years, and it's still a busy, working studio space. The original studio buildings opened in 1978 in Windmill Lane but were demolished in 2016. They were famously covered in graffiti by U2 fans that visited from all over the world, as the global superstars recorded many of their albums there.
In 1988, the studios relocated to a historic, Art Deco, three-storey building on Ringsend Road in the Dublin Docklands. It was originally a power station for the old Dublin tram network but was re-developed to house three different-sized recording studios. In 2005, singer Van Morrison purchased the studios for his own personal use, and in 2009 Pulse College became the new owners and reopened the studios for commercial use.
The guided tour uses a balance of technology, audio-visual media and intuitive storytelling to allow visitors to explore the studios, discover their history and see how a recording session works. They'll also be given the opportunity to meet a virtual band and have a go at mixing their own session. The guided tour lasts between 50 minutes to an hour, and as it's a working studio, it is essential to book online and check the studio's calendar first as a recording session might be happening.
To book a visitor experience tour of Windmill Lane Recording Studios, please see here.