An Táin is Dundalk’s main stage for theatre, comedy and live music, built into the former Táin Theatre in the old Town Hall on Crowe Street. One building holds four very different rooms: a 350-seat main theatre with a traditional proscenium stage, a 55-seat studio for smaller or more experimental work, a basement visual-arts gallery, and a pair of workshop spaces. It runs as an independent arts space, backed by Louth County Council and the Arts Council.
The gallery is the easy win here. Admission is free, and you don’t need a show ticket to wander in during the day and see whatever’s hung in the basement – usually a rotation of local photography, textiles, painting and sculpture. If you’re passing through Dundalk with half an hour, that’s the bit to do.
A name from the Táin
The centre is named after the Táin Bó Cúailnge, the Cattle Raid of Cooley – one of the oldest stories in Irish literature, set on the Cooley Peninsula just to the east. It tells of Queen Medbh of Connacht going to war with Ulster to seize the stud bull Donn Cúailnge, and of Cú Chulainn holding the province almost single-handed. The centre marked its tenth year in 2025.
The theatres
The main theatre seats 350 on a conventional proscenium-arch stage, and it’s where the touring drama, comedy, musicals and concerts land. The 55-seat studio is the flexible room: readings, experimental pieces, panel events and workshops, where being close to the stage is the point. Both are booked by national touring companies and local groups, so the bill swings between a known name on tour and a Dundalk drama society in the same week.
Supporting artists
A good chunk of what An Táin does happens off the stage. Bó Studios offers affordable workspace to working artists, and the centre runs a set of residencies – an Encore Residency, an Emerging Artist Residency and an Open Call Creative Residency programme – aimed at giving people time and room to make new work. It also takes part in An tOireachtas Irish-language residency scheme, which brings Gaeltacht and Irish-medium artists to North Louth. Two workshop spaces host classes and labs across the year, from creative writing and drama to visual arts.
Free Saturday family hangout
On Saturday mornings the centre runs a free Family Hangout, roughly 10am to 3pm. There’s a creative toy box, colouring and puzzles, free run of the basement gallery, and complimentary tea, coffee or juice for the adults. It’s pitched at families with younger children but open to anyone, and it’s one of the more reliable indoor options in Dundalk on a wet weekend.
Getting there and tickets
An Táin sits on Crowe Street in the Townparks area, a short walk from the centre of Dundalk. There’s street parking on Crowe Street and the roads around it, but check the signage for time limits – the town’s paid car parks are the safer bet if you’re staying for a full show. Dundalk is on the main Dublin–Belfast rail and road line, so it’s straightforward to reach without a car.
Book tickets through the centre’s website or the box office; opening times for the box office change with the programme, so check before you travel. For dinner before a show, the centre partners with Square Restaurant next door.
Nearby
- Dundalk Bay – a long sweep of sand on the doorstep, good for a walk before or after a show.
- Cooley Peninsula – the landscape behind the centre’s name, with coastal roads, old ruins and the climb up Slieve Foy.
- Cooley Distillery – whiskey tours out on the peninsula.
- Mellifont Abbey – Ireland’s first Cistercian abbey, down towards Drogheda at the south of the county.
- Millmount Cultural Quarter – Drogheda’s museum and craft quarter on the hill above the town.
The programme turns over constantly, so check the website for current shows, exhibition dates and workshop bookings before you plan a trip around any one event.