Open House Dublin is Ireland’s biggest architecture festival, when for one weekend Dublin buildings of all types and periods will open up their doors, many of them buildings to which the public do not normally have access.
The variety of buildings is wide – from private homes to parts of university and public buildings which you could not visit at any other time. In previous years there has been the chance for a peek inside the Google building, to tour the residence of the President of Ireland and get a rare look at the interior of foreign embassies.
Entrace is free – though booking is essential in some cases – and there are special guided tours by hundreds of professionals and enthusiasts, including including architects, planners, students and those who live in or use the buildings. Very often the tours are led by an architect who worked on the building, but they will all be people very familiar with the building they show.
Open House junior is designed to introduce younger people to architecture and there are a number of very imaginative tours in this strand, suitable for children as young as five.
A series of lectures run throughout the weekend and there are also guided walking, cycling and Luas tours, exploring the architecture along various routes through Dublin.
Date and details for 2023 subject to confirmation.
A list of all building open for the weekend is available on the Open House website, as are booking details where booking is required.
