Things to do in Dublin, Belfast and Galway
whatsonin.ie is an event guide to venues and events in Dublin, Galway and Belfast. What’s on Today can be seen here the events events can be filtered. See individual categories using the main menu above (under Home). Things to do in Dublin, Things to do in Galway and What’s on in Belfast.
Here’s a selection of what’s coming up:
The Abbey Theatre
Following the death of an elderly docker, his friends gather in the local pub, The Dockside, to celebrate his life. Emotions run high and a powder keg of friction comes to a head as a dockland community come to terms with the challenge of building new lives when old ways get swept away. Over the course of an evening awash with songs, sharp Dublin wit and tales of life on the Docks, hidden tensions expose fault lines in their complex relationships. After the success of Ulysses, Dermot Bolger and Graham McLaren reunite to present this Dublin Port Commission as part of the Dublin Theatre Festival 2019. Dates: 23 September – 26 October Free Performance: Monday 21 October Times: Mon – Sat 7.30pm, Wed & Sat Matinees 2pm Tickets: €13 – €45 / Conc. €13 – €30 Running Time: 3 Hours approx. including a 20 minute interval.
Gate Theatre
The Beacon by Nancy Harris is a new play commissioned by Druid in 2016 and marks Nancy Harris’s Druid debut and her welcome return to the Gate Theatre stage after her brilliantly dark comic adaptation of The Red Shoes in 2017. The Beacon will run as part of Dublin Theatre Festival. In The Beacon, Beiv, a celebrated artist, has moved from suburban Dublin to her holiday cottage on an island off the coast of West Cork. But a dark shadow from the past hangs over her. When her estranged son and his new young wife arrive to stay, she is faced with some difficult questions. Preview: Wednesday 2 October 2019 Opening Night: Thursday 3 October 2019 Matinees: Saturday – 2.30pm Evenings: Monday to Saturday – 7.30pm
The Abbey Theatre
A bleak and beautiful story, told through the folk music of Ireland and America. 1865 – the end of the US Civil War. Eliza Duane Mooney, daughter of an Irish emigrant, walks across America in search of her brother Jeddo, a child soldier in the Confederate army. As Eliza and Jeddo’s stories unfold, they shine a light on the stark realities of war, its invisible rise, and what is left in its wake. Moonfish Theatre follow their acclaimed adaptation of Joseph O’Connor’s novel Star of the Sea with a unique re-imagining of O’Connor’s sequel, Redemption Falls. Presented as a theatre-gig, Redemption Falls weaves traditional folk song and music, visceral imagery and evocative storytelling in a breathtaking and intense theatrical experience. 9 – 19 October | Peacock Stage Free First Preview: 9 October Times: Mon-Sat 8pm, Sat Matinee 2.30pm Tickets: €18 – €25 / Conc. €16 – €20 Running Time: 1 hour 45 minutes plus interval
Dublin Various
DublinTown Food and Drink Festival is brought to you by DublinTown. From the creators of Dine in Dublin, DublinTown Food and Drink Festival is adding more to the table of contents to give food and drink lovers a bigger festival menu. We are delighted to work with so many of the city centre’s restaurants, bars, cafés, bistros and hotels to make a programme of events that highlight the city’s amazing food and drink offerings. Dublin City itself has a wealth of talent behind the scenes and this festival aims to bring a bigger spotlight to their skills. 2018 marked the inaugural year of the newest festival to hit the streets of Dublin. The 2019 festival promises to be bigger and better and we can’t wait for you all to experience the city through this gastronomic programme. This year’s festival is in partnership with Pallas Foods. Watch some of Dublin’s most influential food and drink industry professionals tell us their thoughts on the DublinTown Food and Drink Festival.
Smock Alley Theatre
We are delighted to present the world debut of a new, original Irish musical with book by Grace O’Malley and music and lyrics by Ross O’Connor. A small fish in a big pond finds her way to Smock Alley’s Main Space October 15th-19th. When Dublin girl Anna graduates from drama school in London and finds herself waiting tables instead of waiting in the wings, she struggles to find her place in the world. A story about young adults and their transition into the real world, the challenges they face and how those challenges affect their mental health. Book by Grace O’Malley Music by Ross O’Connor Produced by Grace O’Malley & Karen Lee
Bord Gáis Energy Theatre
The first is his 1986 release, ‘Into The Light’, which Chris had shrewdly envisaged could be the record that might place him fully centre stage as an international artist – and so it proved, thanks to one song in particular: ‘The Lady In Red’. It was the composition which finally established him as a known singer-songwriter around the world and has since become an undeniable evergreen classic. It achieved No. 1 status in 47 countries, including the UK, reached No.2 in America and has now sold in excess of 8 million copies. To this day, it remains one of the most played songs on the planet; in America alone, it has been the recipient of six annual ASCAP (Association of Composers and Publishers) Awards, presented to acknowledge it as among the Top 20 most played records in the United States in a period of 12 months. The second album is ‘Moonfleet & Other Stories’, from 2010, which took Chris on the most ambitious, demanding and evocative journey of his long career which, by then, had resulted in albums sales approaching 50 million worldwide. “I gave myself the biggest challenge in writing and recording that album,” Chris estimates. “It was very […]
Olympia Theatre
First Show Oct 16 Wed 17:30 – Sold Out Second Show Oct 16 Wed 19:00 – Sold Out Third Show Oct 16 Wed 21:45 Television personality, Emmy nominee, and hairstylist to the stars, Jonathan Van Ness has quickly become known in the entertainment industry for his fabulous, unstoppable energy. It is his belief that great hair is best served with a side of witty banter. Jonathan can be seen starring on Netflix’s “Queer Eye,” which premiered in February 2018; the hit reboot of the Emmy Award winning series “Queer Eye for the Straight Guy.” The show, which is Netflix’s first foray into non-scripted, follows the ‘Fab Five’ as they forge relationships with men and women from a wide array of backgrounds and beliefs often contrary to their own, touching on everything from LGBTQ rights and social commentary to how to make the best farm-to-table guacamole. Jonathan shines as the show’s groomer, hair guru and self-care advocate. “Queer Eye” is set to return for Season 2 on June 15th.
3 Arena
Breaking through in 2001 with his debut album Room For Squares, John Mayer is one of the most successful recording artists of the past two decades. Mayer has released seven studio albums in total, his most recent being 2017’s The Search for Everything. Some of the musician’s best-known tracks include Daughters, Who Says, Waiting on the World to Change, No Such Thing and Your Body is a Wonderland. A serial award winner, Mayer has been nominated for a total of 19 Grammy Awards, taking home seven. Alongside music, John hosts a weekly show on Instagram Live entitled Current Mood. Guests who have appeared on Current Mood include Thundercat, Charlie Puth and Diplo. Mayer will be bringing his European tour to London and Manchester in October 2019. There will be no support act on these shows, with John instead performing two career-spanning sets.
Instituto Cervantes
On its opening, ISLA (Irish Spanish Latin American) Festival organized by Instituto Cervantes in Dublin will screen music documentary Love and Death. The Story of Enrique Granados tells the intense and turbulent story of composer Enrique Granados in Barcelona at the end of the 19th and beginning of the 20th centuries, his journeys to Madrid, Paris, New York, his life-long struggles and his early successes… The event, celebrated in Trinity Biomedical Sciences Institute (TBSI), will be followed by a Panel discussion with an introduction by flamenco dancer and neuroscientists Researcher in Trinity College, Ana Belén López, who will discuss with author and cinema director, Arantxa Aguirre. Chaired by professional singer and Assistant Professor in Hispanic Studies at Trinity College, Katerina García. Free in and no booking is required!
Instituto Cervantes
Next 17th and 18th October, ISLA (Irish Spanish Latin American) Festival returns inspired by “Memory and Signs”, by poet Ángel Valente, shares not only title with this key poetry collection, but also the ideas at its core. Disciplines and artistic expression only grow in depth and wealth by blending with each other, by crossing boundaries of genre and formats. Celebrated in Instituto Cervantes and other city venues, ISLA renews its proposal of a platform for Irish, Spanish and Latin American arts to meet and engage with the local audience regardless of their background and language skills (we offer simultaneous interpreting at all events not held in the local language). With Valente’s poetics interpretation of our world as a starting point, ISLA will evoke different artistic landscapes through the dialogues of a filmmaker and a neuroscientist, a photographer and a poet, a storyteller and a comic artist or a journalist and a non-fiction writer, to name just a few of the surprises contained in this year’s festival. On its opening, ISLA will screen music documentary “Love and Death. The Story of Enrique Granados” at Trinity Biomedical Sciences Institute (TBSI). The screening will be followed by a panel discussion with director Arantxa […]
Bord Gáis Energy Theatre
On November 9th 2018, Aled Jones and Russell Watson, two of the world’s greatest classical voices, take to the stage together for their first joint UK and Ireland tour throughout September and October 2019, performing in the Bord Gais Energy Theatre on Friday, October 18th 2019. As two of the classical world’s vocal powerhouses, Aled and Russell have received countless prestigious awards, record-breaking sales and chart successes. Over his extraordinary 30 year career, Aled’s outstanding performances have made smash-hit box office history. He is the original crossover star and has sung for the Pope and the Royal Family, received an MBE, released over 30 albums – with over 10 million album sales and counting – and has over 40 silver, gold and platinum discs. After beginning his career at the age of 12, Aled became one of the world’s most successful boy sopranos, releasing 12 hit albums in 4 years with the defining moment being ‘Walking in the Air’, the hit song from the family-favourite, Christmas animated film ‘The Snowman’.
The Sugar Club
Notes On Rave In Dublin is a roller coaster ride through the birth pangs of dance music in our dirty old town. From the democratic romance of those early loved up dancefloors to how a cold social stratification and commercialisation crept back. Leaving it up to a network of outsider labels, pirates and ravers to establish an indigenous scene that we now call our own. This is a story of how an underground works, mutates and survives. Join Dublin Digital Radio and rabble in the plush surroundings of The Sugar Club as we give Notes on Rave in Dublin another rinse on the big screen. All proceeds go towards Dublin Digital Radio’s upcoming big move ( more details on that to be shared real soon).
Olympia Theatre
The award-winning singer – one of the original cast members of the Olivier Award-winning La Soiree- has stunned audiences around the world with her sell-out performances including Sydney Opera House, London’s Royal Festival Hall, The Roundhouse and a show-stealing appearance on Later with Jools Holland BBC. Recently she sold out her 10 night run at Sydney Festival where she won a prestigious Australian Helpmann Award ‘Best Performance’. Chameleon-like on stage, each song is a different character to inhabit with its story to tell, Dark, light fierce, amusing and mesmerizing, Camille transforms each song into “an intense theatrical experience, drawing her audience into a world illuminated by the dark and the light”. The show has also been described as “an emotional rollercoaster”. “When she sings it’s as though her breath is soaked in paraffin – one spark, and the whole room would ignite” FIVE STARS Daily Telegraph At Wilderness Festival 2015 she performed Radiohead’s music with a forty piece orchestra and performed Brel’s music at Edinburgh Fringe 15 (A masterclass in living a lyric – mesmerising’ ***** – Mail on Sunday) and recently toured David Lynch ‘in Dreams’ music at the Sydney Opera House, dueted with Tim Robbins, Todd Rundgren, Shane McGowan (London 02), […]
3 Arena
Same place, same time next year! Biggest 80’s – 90’s disco is back for the second round! We are preparing an event better night for you in 2019! During the 4hr concert in fabulous 3Arena on 19th of October you will hear all your favourite hits in one night, from: Alphaville Smokie Technotronic 5ive S club East 17 ABBORN – Tribute band to ABBA Dr. Alban Capella C+C Music Factory Vengaboys Captain Hollywood Project Maggie Reilly We promise you will sing your heart out and dance your shoes off! So get your fancy dress ready and prepare for the best party of the year!
Vicar Street
Des Bishop is coming home after spending over a year in China. He has some fun stories to tell about that: from working in a restaurant in the North East for a month to trying to find a wife in a Marriage park; plus some great journeys with Leo his co-worker from the Abrakebabra days. But he also can’t wait to tell you about all the things he missed about home: democracy, milk, sarcasm and so much more. Most importantly though, Des just can’t wait to speak English without being censored. Absence makes the heart grow funnier, so come and check out this unique show.
Bord Gáis Energy Theatre
With over 20,000 tickets sold in Ireland plus successful tours of the UK, Holland and Belgium. Ireland’s most successful touring tribute show returns to Bord Gáis Energy Theatre. The show’s creator and promoter Pat Egan says: “The success of the show is down to the outstanding high quality of the production, brilliant band and singers but ever more so the astonishing voice of Toni Lee recreating to perfection the smoky tones of Karen Carpenter. No other Carpenters show comes near”. The show’s Musical Director and arranger is Eugene McCarthy, a highly experienced musician of over 30 years who has worked with top Irish and international acts. Toni Lee is unique, utterly unique in that she recreates the voice of Karen Carpenter like no one else alive. Her touring show “We’ve Only Just Begun” has been on the road now for over 5 years and its simply the best Celebration of the Carpenters music to be heard anywhere in the world. The show features every Carpenter hit with an 8 piece big band and audiovisuals of the Carpenters career highlights. It’s an evening of pure nostalgia where Toni Lee truly becomes Karen Carpenter. Toni grew up in a music business family. […]
National Gallery
At our weekly drop-in workshop, children and their parents/guardians/carers are encouraged to work together on creative projects. Drop-in and stay for as long (or as little!) as you wish. These workshops are suitable for children of all ages, and take place in the Maples and Calder Creative Space in our Atrium. These free workshops take place weekly, every Sunday from 11.30am. Join us for a special tour designed for children and their guardians, parents and carers. Our aim is to make the artworks fun and engaging for kids, and to welcome families and visitors of all ages and encourage them to feel comfortable in the Gallery. All welcome; no booking necessary. 12:30pm
Olympia Theatre
Widdicombe is best known for the twice BAFTA nominated and multiple Broadcast and RTS award winning show The Last Leg, as well as his critically acclaimed sitcom JOSH, Insert Name Here, QI, Have I Got New For You, A League of Their Own and his hit podcast Quickly Kevin Will He Score.
Bord Gáis Energy Theatre
Experience two of the Beatles’ most iconic albums performed afresh in this special musical collaboration, adding a classical twist and performing beautifully arranged symphonic Versions of these timeless classics, including masterpieces such as Here Comes The Sun, Come Together, The Long and Winding Road and Let it Be. The tour marks 50 years since the release of these final two albums, ‘Abbey Road’ (released 26 September 1969) and ‘Let It Be’ (released 8 May 1970), and will explore the journey to the end of The Beatles, celebrating the music of this era and the legacy that endures to this day.
3 Arena
Joseph “Joe” Gatto, James “Murr” Murray, Brian “Q” Quinn, and Salvatore “Sal” Vulcano are collectively known as the The Tenderloins, the quartet rose to fame on the reality TV programme, Impractical Jokers. Premiering on TruTV in December 2011, the hidden camera series sees the friends coerce one another into doing public pranks. It quickly set itself apart from its contemporaries by filling the show with clever humour rather than slapstick or crude comedy. Recent pranks have seen members of The Tenderloins fall instantly head-over-heels for a stranger, make some unusual suggestions in a city planning meeting, and attempt to gift-wrap shoppers’ groceries in a supermarket. In early 2018, TruTV announced the renewal of Impractical Jokers, taking it into its eighth season. The 26 brand new episodes are set to be aired from February 2019, with a feature-length film also in the works. The Tenderloins have announced that they’ll be returning to the UK in October 2019 with a brand new show. Their live shows see the four-piece bring their improv and comedy experiences to stages across the UK, blended with footage and associated stories from the hit TV show.
Smock Alley Theatre
What can you do in 20 Seconds? Wake up? Fall asleep? Make an enemy? Fall in love? Save a life? Is it enough time? In this debut performance by Thunder and Theatre Company, 20 SECONDS is story of two complete strangers attempting to become friends after circumstance leaves them trapped in an elevator. As tensions rise a struggle leads to the unwilling admittance of a dark secret from one of the men. As they try to adjust to the new atmosphere in their temporary metal prison, we see them grow as friends and each of the men find a new confidence they didn’t have before the silver doors shut, but was it enough? This show is sure to leave audiences laughing, crying, and wanting more. This piece is heart-warming and honest, and Thunder and Theatre are very excited to be sharing this story. Running Time : 75 mins Suitable for all ages 15+ Sexual strong language and sexual references WRITTEN & PERFORMED BY : Liam Wilson Smyth and Kenneth Doran DIRECTED BY : Niamh McGrath LIGHTING AND SET DESIGN : Shannon Cowan SOUND DESIGN BY : Conrad JB About the company… The two company owners, Liam and Kenneth, began their […]
Bord Gáis Energy Theatre
Following two sold-out seasons at the London Coliseum, St Petersburg Ballet Theatre brings the grace and beauty of Swan Lake to Dublin. With magnificent sets and beautiful costumes, the company of 55, led by prima ballerina Irina Kolesnikova, presents Russian Ballet tradition in all its glory. St Petersburg Ballet Theatre is renowned globally from London to Sydney, from Hong Kong and Singapore to Johannesburg and Paris for its superbly trained Vaganova soloists and corps de ballet. Tchaikovsky’s immortal Swan Lake, the world’s most loved classical ballet, will be accompanied by a full theatre orchestra. See it once – remember it forever.
Olympia Theatre
Multi-platinum Icelandic quintet Of Monsters and Men have announced a run of UK and European dates in support of their new album FEVER DREAM, including an Olympia Theatre date on Thursday 23rd October! Of Monsters and Men went from the talk of Iceland to the top of the global conversation on their 2011 debut, My Head Is An Animal. Not only did the record go platinum, but it also produced an international smash in the form of “Little Talks.” The breakthrough single earned a quintuple-platinum certification from the RIAA, made history as “the first song by an Icelandic band to cross 1 billion streams on Spotify,” and landed the band a performance onSaturday Night Live. The group appeared on official soundtracks for franchises such as The Hunger Games, The Walking Dead, and Beat Bugs, to name a few. In the midst of this rapid rise, 2015’s Beneath The Skin bowed in the Top 3 of the Billboard Top 200 and the band starred in an episode of HBO’s Game of Thrones in the same year.
National Concert Hall
An evening of piano, pain and laughter with the inimitable Amanda Palmer.
Olympia Theatre
Orchestral Manoeuvres In The Dark, one of the UK’s most iconic bands, are back with their first new album in 14 years, the appropriately entitled ‘History Of Modern’. And what a return. Andy McCluskey has called it ‘our best album since Architecture and Morality’ – and few would disagree. The album was produced by OMD and mixed by one of the UK’s most in demand producers Mike Crossey (Artic Monkeys/Blood Red Shoes/Razorlight). ‘History of Modern’ is a powerful, pulsating, vibrant and contemporary album with a strong pop sensibility. Tracks such as ‘Pulse’, ‘Save Me’, ‘Sister Marie Says’ and ‘The Future’ are huge future dancefloor fillers while others like the downtempo ‘Bondage Of Fate’, ‘If You Want It’ and ‘Sometimes’ are quite simply beautiful, classic OMD songs.
Smock Alley Theatre
ballet project[d] presents two new and original new works choreographed by Lauren Speirs at Smock Alley Theater October 24th – 26th. “I hate to hear you talk about all women as if they were fine ladies instead of rational creatures. None of us want to be in calm waters all our lives” – Jane Austen, Persuasion. An abstract look at how our world shapes us. An exploration of the grey area between negative and positive persuasion. Rational Creatures and Ensnared (Choreography collaboration with Fiona Kania) feature six professional female ballet dancers and music by Sergei Rachmaninoff, Zoe Keating, and Max Richter. Rational Creatures explores the topic from a more classical, storytelling point of view while Ensnared examines persuasion from a more abstract, contemporary vantage.” Suitable for ages 3+ About the company… ballet project[d] is Ireland’s youngest and most innovative professional ballet company. Born here in Dublin, we began as an ambitious project which set out to lead a renaissance movement in ballet, making Dublin the most educated and entertained audience worldwide. We hope to bring ballet closer to the mainstream and re-invent some of the outdated conventions that are holding the art form back from thriving in the 21st century.
Smock Alley Theatre
ballet project[d] presents two new and original works choreographed by Lauren Speirs at Smock Alley Theater October 24th – 26th. “I hate to hear you talk about all women as if they were fine ladies instead of rational creatures. None of us want to be in calm waters all our lives” – Jane Austen, Persuasion. An abstract look at how our world shapes us. An exploration of the grey area between negative and positive persuasion. Rational Creatures and Ensnared (Choreography collaboration with Fiona Kania) feature six professional female ballet dancers and music by Sergei Rachmaninoff, Zoe Keating, and Max Richter. Rational Creatures explores the topic from a more classical, storytelling point of view while Ensnared examines persuasion from a more abstract, contemporary vantage.” Suitable for ages 3+ About the company… “The classic “Studies in Red,” (choreography: Lauren Speirs), 3 girls 2 boys, twists, turns, high kicks and poses in excellent form was a highlight of the Dance Forms show at Edinburgh (Fringe Festival)” – The Komisar Scoop “All I can say is let’s hope Lauren is not a stranger on the Irish ballet scene in future and that this lady can bring such magic back to our theatres soon.” – Ireland Today News Follow ballet projected[d] on Facebook and Instagram and […]
Dublin Various
Whether you’re a resident vampire or visiting from further afield, Bram Stoker Festival 2019 has something for everyone in its gothically inspired programme of events. Get ready for four days and nights of deadly adventures as Dublin gets gloriously gothic this October Bank Holiday Weekend. The Bram Stoker Festival playfully celebrates the gothic, the mysterious, the after-dark and the supernatural, and delves into the legacy of one of Ireland’s most treasured authors. The packed programme of events devilishly mixes family-friendly adventures with late-night antics for mates, dates and everything in between. From unforgettable spectacles on water, to seances in complete darkness, dress-up screenings in the dead of night to daring theatre in evocative churches, pop-up Victorian fun parks to foodie tours with a devilish twist, there’s intimate performances in unusual spaces, live music, instagram horrors, literary and once-off events – Bram Stoker Festival is full of surprises. Fill your October Bank Holiday Weekend with spooktacular fun! Stay up-to-date on everything happening during the festival using #BiteMeDublin and find us on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram. Bram Stoker Festival is brought to life by Dublin City Council and Fáilte Ireland and presented by Schweppe Curtis Nunn Ltd.
Croke Park
Head to the GAA Museum at Croke Park this midterm for their fun new family-friendly Creepy Creator Halloween Tours, which run from 25th to 31st October. Families will be greeted by the GAA Museum’s mascot, Cluasóg the Irish hare, before taking part in a child-friendly stadium tour which brings to life the magic of the home of Gaelic games for younger visitor. During the guided tour, your little ghosts and ghouls will get to visit the team dressing rooms and run out pitchside through the players’ tunnel. Back at the GAA Museum, the Halloween havoc will begin with a spooky arts and crafts session in the Den. Young visitors will have the chance to create their own Halloween masterpiece by decorating a ceramic pumpkin or bat candle holder to take home. There will also be seasonal scratch art fun, a sticker station and a temporary tattoo table. Tickets for the Creepy Creator Tours include entry to the GAA Museum where the young, and the young at heart, can discover the fascinating story of Gaelic games from ancient times to the present day, see the original Sam Maguire and Liam MacCarthy cups and then test their GAA skills in the Interactive […]
Olympia Theatre
Out April 26, Run Fast Sleep Naked is Murphy’s first full length release since his widely praised 2014 debut Built on Glass (released as Chet Faker) and was co-produced with Dave Harrington. Soulful lead single “Sanity” was written at Rick Rubin´s Shangri-La studio and brings bright piano melodies, off-kilter beats, and radiant synth lines to his unflinchingly self-aware lyrics. Watch the official video, directed by BabyBaby and filmed in the Canary Islands, here: