The Most Fun Things to Do in Dublin
No Museums Need Apply
You're on vacation. There's only so many 'must see' museums you can drag yourself through before your eyes glaze over. Here's a list of things in Dublin that will put a huge smile on your face and wind in your hair. These are the things you'll remember about Dublin long after you've left.
The Fast Goat Boat Tour of Dublin Bay
This is my favorite all the things to do. Go with Captain Ed on the GOAT boat for a fast ride through Dublin Bay. You'll feel wind in your hair, hear stories of Dublin and see the most expensive houses in Ireland from the water. Book it now, don't wait! Here's my review of it.
Sunny Drinks at the Barge
If the weather cracks 23C when you're here and it's sunny, go to the Barge pub along Dublin's Grand Canal around 4pm. You'll be met by a few hundred people who found reasons to skip out of the office early and take in our rare sunshine. A very Dublin cultural event.
Play Hurling
Hurling is our national sport. You'll come to a local club where they'll teach you the game. Don't worry if you're not sporty, it's focus on fun rather than skill. If you have kids, they will love this. There is not a more cultural experience in Ireland than learning how to play hurling. Check times.
Mushroom Butcher
Winner of clever business name of the year (at least in my awards), the Mushroom Butcher is a food truck based around mushrooms. The legal kind. And Ireland's damp climate is mushroom heaven. It's a trip around the world as they do a Brazilian, Japanese and other country themed menus occasionally too.
Ukulele Tuesday
Think karaoke but with ukelele. A room full of people, some who are very skilled on the ukulele, some who are handling one for the first time, all following simply chords on the big screen. Absolutely zero experience needed, it's actually more fun if you don't know what you're doing. It's been going for ten years now and is free! Here's my review of Ukulele Tuesday.
Dublin Pottery Making
Don't buy your souvenirs, make them and new friends too. Throw pottery (yes I just learned that how to say it) in one of these places.
Throwing Shapes is a very Irish phrase and means dancing "you were throwing some serious shapes on the dance floor last night". https://www.dublinpotterymaking.com is another spot to throw shapes.
Park Run
Don't let the run part discourage you, you can walk it too. But all over Dublin, communities come together on Saturday mornings to do a park run. It's all about meeting people, meeting Irish people. It's easy to caught up in the tours and barely talk to an Irish person in your time here. Come to the one in St Anne's Park which conveniently ends at the farmers market. It's free!
Emerald Park
Ireland's only theme park. Yes we have rollercoasters here and it's a cultural experience as much as a thrilling experience. I go every year and have never heard a non-Irish accent. You'll see more Gaelic football jerseys than at Croke Park. An absolutely superb day out. It's just outside Dublin so I am cheating a little here.
Irish Dance Party
Learn how to Irish dance! Instead of sitting in a bar tapping your toe out of tune to traditional Irish music, join in the party and actually dance. Come join my good friend Dan and his dancers as they get you up dancing and teach you have to Irish dance I've been and never seen so many people smiling in one room. So much fun and an afternoon event too. Check schedule.
Trad Music Session
Now you've learned how to dance, come with me on my Trad Music Session Tour as we go to locals only bars to hear Irish traditional music played for an Irish audience who know every word of every song. This is a totally different experience than those touristy bars in Temple Bar.
Forge a Ring
Another souvenir to make. Forge your own Irish ring in a two hour class right in the heart of Dublin's Creative Quarter. You can even make an Irish Claddagh ring too. Reviews are 10/10 for this class.
International Comedy Club
Normal Irish people are funny. Professional Irish comedians are hilarious. The International is where many of them learn their trade. The place is so small that you may end up sitting on stage. A good reason to get there early and not be an easy target for the comedians! Very cheap too.
Silent Book Club
For the introvert, this club meet up and silently read books together. Then chat about them afterwards. What a fabulous idea and another excellent way to meet some locals. Free.
Walk The Roof of Ireland's Biggest Stadium
After learning hurling, walk on the roof of Croke Park, home of Gaelic Games. The 80,000 stadium has the Croke Park Skyline Tour. I've done it and it's brilliant. Don't worry, have no fear of heights concerns, it's very secure but a blast. Literally, as the Irish wind blows in your face 100 feet high. Here's my review.
Yoga At the IMMA
The Irish Museum of Modern Art (IMMA) is across the road from Kilmainham Gaol, yet few visitors go to it and its gorgeous gardens. Well here's your reason, during the summer, they have yoga at the IMMA. Get your stretch in and meet the friendly locals.
Sea Swimming
You think it's cold here, we do too, but we still go sea swimming 365 days of the year. People don't go to pubs to socialize anymore, they go swimming. 2 minutes of cold, 58 minutes of chat. There's plenty of spots around Dublin. Here are some of the best
Seapoint and Blackrock Market
Get the Dart train to Seapoint, it's the easiest spot to swim in Dublin. Nice and sheltered. Afterwards on the weekend, go to Dublin's oldest market in Blackrock. Vintage stalls and superb food there too. You'll be surprised by how much there is here and the food too.
The Vico Baths
These are my favorite baths in Dublin's most glorious bay. Down some steepish steps, you'll find the baths with steps you can jump off into the water or stay in the more sheltered pool. Just don't be swept away because you're too busy taking in the views. I do walking tours in this bay and it's the most beautiful part of all of Dublin. Houses sell for €10M here.
The Forty Foot & Sauna
This is most famous of all, you've probably seen it in Apple TV's Bad Sisters. Go swim at the Forty Foot, be grateful that it's still not an all male nude swimming spot. Warm up afterwards in the Sandycove Sauna next to it.
Sauna In City
After swimming, saunas are the obsession these days in Dublin. Makes sense on out frigid days. Saunas are the new dates spots as the youngest have all given up drinking, but they're all super social too.
You don't even have to go to the sea for a sauna. The Mindful Yard Sauna in the city is under the shadows of the Guinness Storehouse right in the city
Sauna & Lunch
This is more my speed. The Sandycove Store & Yard is a cafe with a sauna too. So get your sweat on and now you've lost 1oz in sweat, go stuff your face with some delicious food. Great part of town too.
Vintage Afternoon Tea Bus
See the sights of Dublin while eating dainty sandwiches and tea from a vintage double decker bus! I've heard nothing but excellent reviews from folks who have done this. Don't worry about anything spilling, they've got that covered. Be sure to snag the coveted front seat on the upper deck.
Gentleman's Afternoon Tea
Afternoon Tea at a luxury hotel overlooking the river that is heavy on the masculine side. Genius idea. I feel I'd have to grow a beard to fit in here.
Meet The Donkeys
Conal and Carroll are the much loved donkeys at Dublin's Working Farm at Airfield Estate. You can also harvest eggs, milk cows or do one of their cooking classes. A great spot for the families.
Go To A Sporting Event
Gaelic football, hurling, League of Ireland soccer, rugby, horse racing. See what's on when you are here and go. The craic & atmosphere with the Irish crowds is brilliant.
Ireland by Locals
Yoga on The Beach
Portmarnock Beach is maybe Dublin's finest beach. Easy to get to. Join locals on Wednesdays and Sundays here for yoga. Swim after in the sea, get coffee with your new Irish friends afterwards.
Salsa Dance With Dubliners
Salsa in Dublin? What? Yeah it's big here. We have a large latin population here and they are teaching us their dancing. Classes are often on quieter nights of the week. Very social, very sexy, very fun.
Irish Coffee Making Class
Instead of making your Irish souvenir, drink it! The pros show you how to make a proper Irish coffee. I've seen so many butchered versions of it when I lived in the US. Pick up a vital life skill here, the art of the Irish coffee.
Try To Get Into La Hacienda
La Hacienda is not the chain restaurant our US visitors know. It is a bar in an old market area of Dublin where you have to find it, there's no sign, then knock on the door and hope Shay the owner lets you in. He doesn't let many in. Taylor Swift had her after concert party here. That's all you need to know.
Pastry Pace Run Club
A pastry fueled run club Tuesday & Sunday in Stoneybatter. Run and eat pastry. 50% of that sounds good to me.
Occasional Events
These are events that only happen every so often, but when they do, book them.
Casual Choir
I would nearly check their events calendar and book my flight based around this night. How Casual Choir works. They pick a song. 400 people get together and sing it together. I've never been and that's something I need to set straight, but their IG videos just look so much fun and so very social. You're going to make new friends here.
Seanoiche Storytelling
Regular people tell stories on stage. But this is Ireland, so they're really good stories. Ordinary people telling extraordinary stories is their tag line. Think Ted Talk but a lot more fun.
More To Come
I'll keep adding to this list as I come across more fun things to do in Dublin.
Ireland by Locals
Ireland By Locals is a reader supported site.
If our guides have helped you, support is appreciated.
