Henry Street – Dublin's northside shopping | Dublin

Overview

Henry Street (Irish: Sráid Anraí) runs from the General Post Office and the Spire of Dublin on O’Connell Street west to Liffey Street, where it becomes Mary Street and carries on. With Grafton Street on the southside, it’s one of Dublin’s two principal shopping streets, and the busier of the two for everyday retail: roughly 33 million people pass along it in a year. It has been mostly pedestrianised since the 1980s, so you can wander it at your own pace. If you’re here to shop rather than sightsee, this is the side of the river to be on – it’s less about boutiques than about the big names in one flat, walkable line.

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History

The land was part of the estate of St Mary’s Abbey, granted to James FitzGerald after the 1537 dissolution of the monasteries. The street was laid out in 1614 by Henry Moore, 1st Earl of Drogheda, whose name it still carries. Development picked up in the 1760s, but none of the Georgian fronts survive: a major fire in 1894 and the shelling of the 1916 Easter Rising between them levelled most of the street. Only two 19th-century buildings came through – Arnotts (nos. 9–15) and No. 6.

Arnotts is the constant. A drapery has traded on the site since 1843, took the Arnotts name in 1865, and rebuilt after the 1894 fire destroyed much of the original premises; it’s Ireland’s oldest department store and still the street’s anchor. The Ilac Centre, built from 1977, was Dublin city’s first shopping centre; a €60 million refurbishment in 2006 added a glass façade, over 80 stores and restaurants, and the city’s Central Library. The Jervis Shopping Centre on Mary Street followed in 1996 and brought a raft of UK high-street chains to Ireland for the first time.

What to See & Do

Shopping and landmarks

Arnotts – Ireland’s oldest department store, trading on the site since 1843. The flagship runs to several floors, from fashion and homeware to a food hall, and the building itself is one of only two on the street to predate 1916.
Ilac Centre and Central Library – Over 80 stores and restaurants, plus the city’s Central Library, which is free, quiet and a genuinely useful place to sit down between shops with children in tow.
High-street staples – Dunnes Stores, Marks & Spencer and Next along Henry Street itself; across Liffey Street on Mary Street is Penneys (Primark), whose very first store opened there in 1969.
The GPO Arcade – A covered Victorian passage at the eastern end, linking through to Princes Street North and the GPO. Worth knowing about when the rain comes in.

Street life and eating

Buskers and street performers work the pedestrianised stretch most days – the north side has always had a rougher, livelier edge to it than Grafton Street. For a break, the street and its side lanes have the options:

Butler’s Chocolate Café – Treat yourself to award-winning hot chocolate made with a secret sauce recipe. Every hot beverage comes with a complimentary piece of luxury chocolate, making it a popular mid-shopping indulgence.
Winding Stair Bookshop & Restaurant – A short walk west to Liffey Street places you at this literary institution, offering fine dining and an extensive collection of books with views overlooking the River Liffey.
Moore Street Market – One block north, the open-air market has been a Dublin fixture since the 18th century, and its traders’ cries are one of the last bits of old Dublin street life left in the centre. Good for fruit, veg and character.
Capel Street – Ten minutes’ walk west and worth it: since the street pedestrianised it’s become the city’s best strip for cheap, good food, with Vietnamese and other places well ahead of anything on Henry Street itself.

December on Henry Street

December is when the street earns its reputation.

Christmas market – Through December, stalls line the street selling decorations, gifts and toys. It’s a fixture of the Dublin Christmas, and the crowds prove it.

Pedestrians walking along Henry Street during the Christmas market, with illuminated shop fronts and festive stalls lining the pedestrian avenue. — Henry Street transforms into a festive market every December, drawing locals and visitors for holiday shopping and street entertainment. Courtesy Failte Ireland.

- **8 December** – The traditional day for people from the country to come up to Dublin for the Christmas shopping. If crowds are the thing you most want to avoid, this is the one day of the year to stay away from Henry Street.

Getting there and practical tips

The street is mostly pedestrianised, so you’re on foot once you’re here. Public transport links are good:

Bus: O’Connell Street (GPO) and North Earl Street stops serve multiple routes, including the 747 Airlink from Dublin Airport.
Luas: The Green Line stops at O’Connell – GPO (3-minute walk), while the Red Line stops at Jervis (5-minute walk via Mary Street).
Train: Tara Street Station (DART & commuter services) is a 10-minute walk west, and Dublin Connolly is an 18-minute walk east.

Accessibility – The pedestrianised promenade is level and wheelchair-friendly, with tactile paving at key crossings. Both the Ilac Centre and Jervis Shopping Centre provide accessible entrances, elevators, and toilets.

Opening hours – Retailers set their own, but most stores and the shopping centres run roughly 9.30am–7.30pm Monday to Saturday, with shorter Sunday hours (usually noon–5.30pm). Check individual store sites around public holidays and the sales.

One practical note the guidebooks skip: for parking, the Ilac car park off Parnell Street and the Jervis car park are the two nearest, and both fill fast on December Saturdays. Come by Luas or DART and you’ll skip the worst of it.