Overview
Before it staged a single concert, the building on Earlsfort Terrace was a university. University College Dublin taught here until the college moved out to Belfield in the 1960s, and generations of students sat exams in what is now the 1,200-seat Main Auditorium. It reopened as the National Concert Hall on 9 September 1981, and has run as Ireland’s main venue for live music ever since, with more than 1,000 performances a year spanning symphonic works, opera, jazz, contemporary music and traditional Irish sessions.
If you want to hear the hall without committing to a ticket, aim for one of the free lunchtime concerts. They’re the best introduction to the acoustics, and you don’t need to book.
The location helps: it sits opposite the Iveagh Gardens, within walking distance of St Stephen’s Green, and a short walk from the city’s main cultural quarter and the Abbey Theatre.
History and architecture
The building went up in 1865 as the Exhibition Palace for the Dublin International Exhibition of Arts and Manufactures. Over the next century the stone-and-iron structure changed hands and purpose repeatedly: bought by the Guinness family in 1871, home to the Royal University of Ireland from 1883, and then to University College Dublin from 1908.
When UCD moved to Belfield, the vacant Earlsfort Terrace wing was given over to music. After renovations begun in the late 1970s, President Hillery opened the National Concert Hall on 9 September 1981. It keeps its original grand stone façade and high glass roof; the performance infrastructure behind them is modern.
Performance spaces
The NCH runs four spaces of different sizes:
- Main Auditorium (about 1,200 seats): the flagship room, known for its acoustics and the large pipe organ behind the stage. It hosts the orchestral concerts, opera and the International Concert Series.
- John Field Room (about 250 seats): smaller and more formal, with a Waterford Crystal chandelier; used for chamber music, recitals and pre-concert talks.
- Kevin Barry Recital Room (about 120 seats): a flexible room for chamber and baroque programmes and new work.
- Studio (about 100 seats): used for talks, receptions and educational sessions.
Resident ensembles and programming
Several resident groups form the backbone of the year’s schedule. The National Symphony Orchestra of Ireland and the National Symphony Chorus carry the large-scale classical repertoire, while Cór na nÓg (youth choir) and Cór Linn (community choir) bring on younger and amateur singers. The Irish Baroque Orchestra, Chamber Choir Ireland and the Crash Ensemble are also based here, which is why the programme runs from baroque to contemporary rather than sticking to the standard orchestral canon.
Alongside the headline international artists and Irish singer-songwriters, the free lunchtime concerts are the ones worth planning around, especially with children: no booking, short, and a genuine sample of what the hall sounds like full.
Food, drink and facilities
The Terrace Restaurant serves a seasonal menu built on Irish produce and is open to the public as well as ticket-holders, so it works for a pre-concert meal or an evening drink. A first-floor bar does coffee, craft beers and wines; the bars open about two hours before concerts. There’s also a shop stocking sheet music, recordings and gifts.
Practical facilities:
- Step-free access to the Main Auditorium and John Field Room
- Wheelchair-friendly seating on request
- Hearing-loop technology in the Main Auditorium
- Baby-changing facilities and high chairs
- Free Wi-Fi for ticket-holders
- Coat check on performance days
Getting there and visitor tips
The St Stephen’s Green Luas stop (Green Line) is a five-minute walk, and Dublin Bus routes 145 and 46A stop on Earlsfort Terrace. There is limited parking in the grounds of the hall, but with the Luas at the door it’s easier to leave the car behind.
One thing to know: this isn’t really a daytime drop-in. The public areas open mainly around performances, so time a visit to an actual event rather than expecting to wander the lobby on a quiet afternoon. Book ahead for anything popular, as the big concerts sell out; groups and Friends of the NCH get reduced rates. The box office phone line runs Monday to Friday, 10am to 2pm, on +353 1 417 0000.
The cheapest way in remains the free lunchtime programme. Check the calendar, turn up, and you’ll hear the room that performers rate as one of the best in Europe for nothing.