10 Best Places to See Live Music in Dublin

The National Concert Hall is in the heart of the old Georgian center and offers a chance to see a classical music concert in one of the nation's premier venues. The main auditorium seats up to 1,200 people and features a gigantic organ behind the main stage. An adjoining theater, the John Field Room, hosts small recitals of around 250. Finally, the Carolan Room is sometimes used for small, intimate shows of just about 100 people. Every variety of composed music from classical to contemporary is held here.

Legendary musicians and singers from all over the world have held court here. It's only about 15 minutes north of the city centre.

Whelan's is hands-down Dublin's answer to CBGB in New York, but instead of hosting punk rock bands, it's famed for building the careers of folksy singer-songwriters. Ireland is well-known for this genre of music, and this small 450-seat club offers an intimate vibe that builds on the mystique of distinctly Irish singers where musician and audience feed off each other. If you're looking to catch your favorite up-and-coming YouTube artist here, get tickets in advance or arrive very early. Otherwise, you risk being one of the few hundred souls that couldn't get in.

Whelan's is a fun, intimate, and genuine spot with a vibe that can't be beaten. It's only about 15 minutes south of the city centre.

The Workman's Club is a multipurpose venue in the heart of the Temple Bar neighbourhood in a Georgian building and offers a premier location for all genres. Here, you'll discover the best in local indie music, hard rock, spoken word artists, comedy shows and even EDM club shows. The main floor has a capacity of 300 and offers 2 bars plus a rooftop terrace bar that offers great views and better burgers. The bars and terrace double the capacity. If you're looking to check out the true spirit of indie, this is it.

You never know what you'll get when you pop in here, so keep an open mind. It's also right in the heart of the South Side city centre.

The Button Factory in the heart of the Temple Bar neighbourhood is a state-of-the-art hub for live music and a go-to location for everything from rock to world music. The big stage and tons of floor space make for a venue that's both spacious and intimate at the same time. Big names hosted here include Ghostpoet, Nightmares on Wax and George Fitzgerald, among others. It doesn't restrict the space to big-name underground acts, however. It's also played host to many hot up-and-comers from the local scene.

The Button Factory is the place to go if you want the iconic locale for great music. It's a 10-minute walk from downtown in the heart of the South Side city centre.

The Grand Social has long been praised as a spectacular music venue and is a local landmark for cracking club nights, live music and great beer and cocktails. This place has a huge main floor and boasts both a beer garden and a cocktail bar on the roof. For soccer matches, the club boasts dual screens to watch, so it has poised itself as more than just a music venue, but a hub for local entertainment. Other events held here include weekly Table Quiz matches, weekly Jazz Jellies, regular DJs and other fun.

Some of the names that have graced the stage here include Gruff Rhys and Primal Scream. You'll find it in the North Side City Center.

Bad Bobs in the Temple Bar neighbourhood is decked out in a Victorian house offering 5 floors of eating, drinking, partying, music and celebration of life. Whether you're coming here for a DJ spinning the latest hits, for live rock or acoustic folk bands or you just want to grab a build-your-own-burger and have a craft cocktail, Bad Bobs has you covered. The nightclub where you can catch the live music and DJs spans the first two floors of the venue. This is also where you'll find handcrafted specialty cocktails that are out of this world.

For a quieter vibe, you can check out the posh V.I.P. lounge or hit up the rooftop terrace. It's in the South Side city centre.

3Olympia Theater is a stunning traditional theater that has been here since 1879, offering a luxurious, upscale experience to catch some of the biggest legendary names in music. Just a few of the artists that have graced the stage here include people like Kris Kristofferson, REM, Billy Connolly and Adele, among others. The velvet-upholstered seats, gold-gilt décor and classically-appointed stage give the feel of seeing a pop concert in an opera house. This luxurious theater in the city centre's Temple Bar district offers 1,200 seats and sees artists that could play much larger venues with not a bad seat in the house.

Besides music, the theater hosts children's shows, stand-up comedy and many other types of shows.

O'Donoghue's Pub offers traditional Irish music with great beer, good spirits, a boisterous vibe and a location famed as the spot where The Dubliners were formed. If you're into classic Irish pub music, shanties or just a bit of good craic, you're sure to have a good time here. Even without an act scheduled, at some point, someone will call for silence and you'll hear a bow across a fiddle, then one after another, musicians will join the fray for an outstanding jelly session of traditional Irish folk-rock music.

Many folks come to Dublin looking for the "traditional" or "classic" Irish pub experience; O'Donoghue's is where they find it. It's along St. Stephen's Green in the South Side city centre.

The Cobblestone is in every way a classic, old-fashioned Irish Pub with a busy bar crammed with taps, dark wood panels and informal live jelly sessions with great local artists. This is a venue where you come to hear traditional Irish folk music played off the cuff while generations of thirsty Dubliners raise a glass in toast. The music is often in the form of a classic seisiún, or jelly session in which you can join to play along if you're a musician.

If you're too shy, you can attend a special "Wednesday Balaclava" session where you'll get lessons on how to improvise with others. It's about an 8-minute drive from the city centre.

The Academy on Middle Abbey Street is a full-on nightclub and live music venue hosting everything from international acts to local unsigned bands. The club is divided into 3 different neighborhoods and offers up an eclectic events schedule where most people can find something to suit their tastes. You can catch a top-notch roster of live musicians or head for a club night where outstanding DJs will spin hits of different eras in themed nights like Neon Fridays and Circus Saturdays.

This is a spot where, whether you're looking for grunge, punk, hip hop, house music or EDM, you might well find it. It's dead in the heart of the Dublin city centre.