Things to Do in Dublin this Autumn: Events, Festivals and More

By Go City Expert

One of our favourite times of the year, find out why you should visit Dublin this Autumn!

As the leaves change, so does Dublin's events calendar and cultural festivals come to the fore. While you'll have to wait till the spring for the likes of St Patrick's Day, the autumn brings theatrical and literary festivals as well as brand new artistic exhibitions specifically for 2017. Get inspired with our list of highlights below.

Have a drink at one of Dublin's oldest pubs

Grab a pint of the black stuff at one of Dublin's local watering holes, where you'll be able to wash your drink down with a dash of history. Whether you're stopping off at The Gravediggers after checking out Glasnevin Cemetery or basking in the Victorian era Stag's Head establishment, join in the centuries old tradition of unwinding at a pub and check out our full list of oldest pubs to see what's nearest you.

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Guinness Storehouse

While a visit to the Guinness Storehouse isn't restricted to just the autumn months, it's well worth going to see the secrets behind the iconic stout. With several floors to explore and an in-depth exhibition spanning everything from their founder Arthur Guinness' life to its modern day incarnation, it's worth stopping off at the sky-high Gravity Bar afterwards for some gorgeous views over the city.

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Frederic William Burton: For the Love of Art

The National Gallery of Ireland is the region's most important artistic venues, providing a rich look at the world and history of Irish creativity and international artists. Beyond the Caravaggios and Vermeers of the permanent collection, there's an entire exhibit dedicated to Frederic William Burton, an accomplished Irish watercolour artist that would go on to work as director of London's National Gallery. The exhibit opens on October 25 and bookings are recommended.

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New exhibitions at the Irish Museum of Modern Art

If Renaissance and more traditional art isn't your thing, the newer works over at the Irish Museum of Modern Art (IMMA) might be more up your street. With a long and exciting list of exhibitions and cultural events packed into their calendar, this year's Lucien Freud (starting from October 21) and Coast-lines (starting from October 13) exhibitions are definitely worth a visit.

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Image via Dublin Theatre Festival

Get cultural at the Dublin Theatre Festival

See what the brightest of the Irish theatrical scene has to offer at Dublin Theatre Festival, an eighteen day cultural extravaganza. Running from September 28 - October 15, there's everything from Hamnet, an eleven year old's personal exploration of Shakespeare and actual Shakespeare with Venus and Adonis. There's also going to be a stage production of Ulysses, one of Ireland's most seminal literary works, so that's a great way to get insight into the country's heritage.

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Image via Bram Stoker Festival

Bram Stoker Festival

Now here's something you might not have known - Dracula's author Bram Stoker was actually a through and through Irishman. Abraham 'Bram' Stoker was a Dublin native and he's being honoured October 27-30 with a four day festival, which will celebrate the best Gothic literature has to offer. Spend a day at Stokerland, a Victorian fun park that'll take you way into the past, take a pen and paper to a number of talks delving into Stoker's canon and celebrate the end of the festival with an incredible parade.

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Image via Dublin Festival of History

Dublin Festival of History

History buffs, this one goes out to you. For the fifth year running, the Dublin Festival of History brings a diverse range of talks, lectures and more to the capital to uncover the past in an engaging way until October 14. Beyond being totally free, some of its events are going to be held in Dublin Castle including a themed version of Question Time - what better venue to soak in centuries of history than a bonafide castle?

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Shop the Stalls: Guide to the Best Dublin Markets

Find the perfect souvenir and explore the best Dublin markets. Venture away from shopping malls and chain stores and discover what Ireland's artisans have to offer at Dublin's best markets. Regardless of the weather, the scene continues on with both indoor and open-air markets delighting visitors with antiques, books and clothing. Find out where to go below and don't forget to grab a piping hot meal from one a street food stall to end your day on a high note. Image via Pinterest Temple Bar Book Market This weekend market takes over the streets of the Temple Bar district and lovers of literature can get their fill at its numerous stalls. Running from 11am-6pm, there's a wide range of titles including new, second-hand and vintage books lining its shelves. Vinyl heads will also be able to find the occasional stall to beef up their collection. Spend some time exploring the area and its wide collection of street art, then grab a pint of Guinness at the iconic Temple Bar to catch your breath. Open Saturday - Sunday, 11am - 6pm. Image via Liberty Market Facebook Liberty Market As one of Dublin's older markets, Liberty Market has made a name for itself as one of the capital's most popular shopping destinations. Beginning every Thursday morning and running through to the weekend, it has a diverse range of stalls that cover everything from organic food to handicrafts. With the motto 'Why pay more?' at its core, even the thriftiest shopper will be sure to find something in their price range. Open Thursday - Sunday, 10am - 4pm. Image via Dublin Flea Market facebook Dublin Flea Market This monthly market is held indoors at the Co-op in Newmarket Square, which makes it a great activity for when a bad spot of Dublin weather inevitably hits. With over 60 stalls selling all manner of goods including secondhand bikes and homemade baked treats, live music plays throughout the day and adds to the vibrant atmosphere. Open on the last Sunday of the month, 11am - 5pm. Image via Ha'Penny Flea Market facebook Ha'Penny Flea Market Hang out with the cool kids at Ha'Penny Flea Market, where its wide range of stalls veer towards vintage clothing and handmade quirks. Hosted in the Grand Social, visitors are guaranteed to lay their hands on a unique fashion find at a bargain. Open every Saturday, 12 - 6pm. Image via Blackrock Market facebook Blackrock Market Held in a seaside district of Dublin, Blackrock is an old hand at the Dublin market scene and remains a popular choice for locals and visitors alike. While it's slightly smaller than the other spots on the list, it's worth the picturesque visit to Blackrock and has a diverse selection ranging from 19th century furniture to African art. Open Saturday - Sunday, 10:30am - 5:30pm. Image via Howth Market facebook Howth Market Forego a sit-down meal at a restaurant and head to Howth Market, where international street food and fresh organic produce reigns supreme. Held beside a stunning Dublin harbour, it's a great place to pick up some freshly made soda bread at its many bakery stalls and take a chance on new cultural cuisine. Open every Sunday, 10am - 5pm. Main image via Dublin Flea Market facebook
Megan Hills
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Famous Irish Historical Figures

Meet the famous Irish historical figures who shaped a nation Ireland is renowned for many things - its rich culture, global citizens and so on - and a lot of that comes down to the Irish people. Meet some of Ireland's most famous Irish historical figures and learn more about their stories at EPIC: The Irish Emigration Museum below. James Joyce Ireland has birthed some of the world's most adventurous and accomplished literary figures and James Joyce definitely fits the bill. Best known for A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man and Ulysses, his modernist works were truly experimental and while controversial at the time, his writing (spanning novels, short stories, poetry and more) is now held up as some of Ireland's best. Just don't ask us to explain it to you. Oscar Wilde The original dandy, Oscar Wilde was one of the world's first rockstar writers with a colourful personality and even more colourful writing (but only just). He didn't hang around in Ireland for long, drawn to vibrancy of cities like London and Paris, and his works like The Importance of Being Earnest and The Picture of Dorian Gray skyrocketed him to fame. While his life had its incredible ups, it also had pretty harrowing downs and he was was outed as a homosexual after a particularly harrowing and public trial, for which he was arrested and changed the course of his life and writing forever. John F. Kennedy John F. Kennedy, or J.F.K. as he's perhaps better known, was the first Irish-Catholic man to become the American president. Back in the 1900s, his family did as many other Irish families did and migrated to the US from western Ireland to escape the famine and made Boston their new home. He was president during one of the tensest periods of modern American history - the Cold War - and was publicly assassinated during a procession in Dallas, to the horror of people all over the world. Constance Markievicz An unlikely revolutionary hero in the 1916 uprising, Constance Markievicz was born in London and raised on a wealthy Anglo-Irish estate in Sligo. However, she soon identified with Irish nationalism and played a major role in the Irish Citizen Army. She fought at St. Stephen's Green in 1916 and fought on the Republican side in the Irish Civil War, eventually becoming the Minister for Labour in the first Irish government, making her only the second woman in Europe to have a government ministerial role. Ernest Shackleton Ernest Shackleton, a resident of Kildare, left Ireland behind for even colder climates in the early 20th century to launch a highly ambitious (and dangerous) Antarctic expedition.Over the course of his life, he travelled there four times in a number of unfortunate journeys in which he grew gravely ill, was shipwrecked and wrote long detailed logs of his journey. While he wasn't the first to make it to the South Pole (a Norwegian explorer just edged him out of that glory), his dramatic tales of survival against all odds enamoured public imagination. George Bernard Shaw A Nobel Prize winning playwright born in Dublin on 26 July 1856, George Bernard Shaw was an Irish/British playwright and political activist whose influence on theatre, culture and politics extended through his lifetime and beyond. Best known for his play Pygmalion, which was famously adapated for stage and screen with actresses Julie Andrews and Audrey Hepburn bringing the Eliza Doolittle character to life, Bernard Shaw wrote more than 60 plays in his lifetime. He has been rated a second only to William Shakespeare among many English-language dramatists given his extensive influence on subsequent generations of playwrights. St Patrick Whatever your religious affiliations, there's no denying that St Patrick is probably the most iconic figure in Irish history. While he was technically Welsh, he was enslaved in Ireland and later became a Christian missionary that changed the course of Irish culture forever. Numerous myths surround him including tales of how he chased all the snakes out of Ireland and baptised many at a well where St Patrick's Cathedral in Dublin now stands. And of course, he's the patron saint of Ireland and celebratory figure behind the most Irish of holidays - St Paddy's Day. Bram Stoker Best known for his 1897 Gothic novel Dracula, Bram Stoker was born in Dublin on 8 November 1847. His popular novel paved the way for gothic lore and horror in popular culture and in his lifetime he wrote 12 novels as well as collections of short stories. A freelance contributor to The Daily Telegraph in his earlier career, he was also known as the business manager to the actor Henry Irving of the Lyceum Theatre in London. A lifelong lover of art, he founded the Dublin Sketching Club in 1874 and became friends with fellow Irish writers Oscar Wilde and William Butler Yeats.
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