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    The Academy

    2.9 (32 reviews)
    ModerateMusic Venues, Dance Clubs

    The Academy Photos

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    Lava Y.

    The Academy has a lot of gigs going on throughout the year, but I've only come here a few times for college parties. There are 3 floors with various events, but the top floor where I went is quite small but they have a nice stage for live music and an upstairs part to look down from. Entry is pretty cheap and they have some good deals on drinks in Fridays. There's also various bands that play here every week. It's located right near Arnott's on lower abbey street so it's easy to find. Besides the small venue size, it's a pretty good place for live music.

    Jo M.

    Impressive, intimate concert venue in the centre of Dublin 1. The Academy's main venue can accommodate up to 650 people over two levels - downstairs is for the plebs and upstairs for VIPs - what I wouldn't do to be up there with the beautiful people... As far as I'm concerned, The Academy is the perfect sized venue to catch a gig by a band of relatively mid-range fame. Possibly your new fave band that no one else has discovered yet, or a golden oldie that has resurfaced one too many times for most of its die-hard fans. It ain't no Croker, that's for sure, and there'd be a queue the length of Ireland and deathly jostling matches if a band of the likes of U2 were to attempt to play a date there. A wide range of bands finds its way to the Academy's main stage, including The Cribs, Amanda Palmer, Asher Roth and Beatles tribute bands. While attending a gig at this venue watch out for psycho crazy women who will threaten to batter you if you accidentally trip them over with your mad dancing style, and also for 'close dancers' - you know, the ones who decide that your dancing space is their dancing space... ewww!!

    A load of emos outside The Academy. Notice knacks with JD Sports bags to left of frame.
    Cathal C.

    Yeah so, The Academy. When did that all happen, eh? The Academy on Middle Abbey St used to be renowned knack-box Spirit, which specialised in the bad trance so beloved of Dublin's soccer jersey-with-Fred Perry masses. Then, pretty much overnight, it had transformed itself into into a hip indie club. And they have some pretty good acts - Eagles of Death Metal are playing on the 25th of next month. I had cause to go to a sort of Spirit revival at the The Academy recently. After paying €10, my companion and I were greeted with a scene very much reminiscent of Spirit: half empty dancefloors, with howyas occupying the half that was full. We stayed two minutes, and then it was off to the Twisted Pepper with us. So, Spirit is not that terribly missed. One of the things that goes against The Academy as a live music venue, though, is that the main room is vast. Not in terms of square feet, but in cubic feet, if you get my drift. I'll elaborate. The dancefloor of the main room is a nice big size, but the ceiling is really high, so the room seems absolutely cavernous. If a band is playing and the room is in any way empty, even if it is over half-filled, it can still seem very empty and echo-y. It's still fairly good though, definitely worth a night out there. If you do go there, stick to the main floor. Upstairs is alright in that it has a bar and a few booths, but nothing really of note. Not up to much in "VIP Area" terms. And downstairs, when it is open (is it ever open?) - I wouldn't really rate, either. So yeah, stick to the main room. One thing I like about The Academy though, is that, as a non-smoker, the smoking area (or lack there of) is singularly unappealing, so your smoker friends won't have much of an impetus to stand out there all night missing all the good songs. Who'd want to stand out on Abbey St (and you're on the street itself so you can't bring your drink out) and have all the beggars and derelicts buzzing around you? So if you are a chain-smoker, perhaps The Academy is not for you. Otherwise, it's pretty decent.

    Great venue

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    1 year ago

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    4 years ago

    Cannot find any POC in their pictures....hmmm. Makes you wonder? Just check out the video and see how that "special effect" is carried out.

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    3 years ago

    Super rude staff. Sent me and my friend out for absolutely no reason. Will not be returning and will be discourage others from going.

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    8 years ago

    Bouncers and security were nice the coat check was a pain in the ass decent overall but not the best place to go in Dublin

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    The Academy Reviews in Other Languages

    Review Highlights - The Academy

    As far as I'm concerned, The Academy is the perfect sized venue to catch a gig by a band of relatively mid-range fame.

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    Copper Face Jacks - on a sunday night

    Copper Face Jacks

    3.0(70 reviews)
    1.4 kmHarcourt
    €€

    Let me preface this by saying I'm an old guy who loves dancing but doesn't go to clubs. I was on a…read moretour of Ireland and asked about dance venues and my Collette trip advisor name dropped Copper Face Jack's. I got there soon after it opened and I loved it. Loved the venue, loved the energy (although much of it was probably fueled by alcohol, I don't know- I'm part of the rare, lonesome breed who doesn't need alcohol to flail around like a maniac). Point is, the music selection was stuff you could dance to, so no complaints there. The DJ refused my request but I have weird taste so fair play. The bar staff kept me hydrated- they were on top of their game. I stuck around for two hours until there was literally no room left to dance due to the growing crowd. They wouldn't call a taxi for me which I guess is fine because so many cabs are already there, but there were other complications that weren't the club's fault so it's just me having a moan. All told? I'd definitely go again. If I ever come back to Dublin, anyway. Or Ireland in general.

    This may be the worst place I've ever been, but I highly recommend going. I somehow ended up at…read morethis shit-show of an establishment two days in a row while visiting Dublin (for two days...). This was a couple of years ago and we still tell stories of this place to this day. The place is straight raunchy. It's packed and people spill their drinks so much that they've hired a guy to consistently mop the floor, and the dude cuts through the dance floor with his mop like a hot knife through butter. Though I doubt this is helping the situation, since I saw someone collapse on the dance floor at least once every 30 minutes. I actually enjoyed the music. They had a live band play until midnight(?) and then had a DJ after that that played everything from Galway Girl to rap to Galway Girl to country to Galway Girl.... The crowd is mostly made up of young (university age) people walking around plastered with the deadest eyes you will ever come across in a living organism. Some of the best people watching, though; it's like the Walking Dead meets that Project X movie, but everyone is Irish. So, in sum, if you haven't been and are looking for a night to (partially) remember - go this place.

    Photos
    Copper Face Jacks - Company website

    Company website

    Copper Face Jacks
    Copper Face Jacks - Mop

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    Mop

    Capitol Lounge - Nice drink specials on a Saturday night

    Capitol Lounge

    2.8(53 reviews)
    0.8 kmSouth Inner City

    Saturday night in Temple bar area, 8pm. Looking to get an after dinner drink in a place that is not…read moremobbed. This place seems to have room. We walk around the corner and see a crowd of people out front. Ask the doorman if we can pop in for a drink. After a quick look over we get the A-OK to enter. Down a few steps on the left we head for a bar and quickly order our drinks. After a few, friendly words with other patrons we settle in and take a look around. This is going to be controversial, but I swear, this is what I saw for real. Not kidding, not exaggerating. For real. We are sitting to the side of the main bar. A bartender is pouring bottled water into a bottle of Jameson. Another employee came over and is talking to her while she is doing this. She 'squishes' the empty bottle, making that crushed plastic sound, before throwing it into the trash. Then she puts the pour spout back on top of the Jameson bottle and walks back into the main bar area. O.M.G. Really? Why me?! It is at this point I think to look at the Yelp reviews. Whoa. First thing I see is to the effect of 'my white friends got in, but not me'. Second thing I see is 'Asians not allowed'. Holy mackerel! My SO and I take a serious look around and O.M.G., no kidding, not one non-WASP in the joint! I feel dirty and disgusted. I have no idea that anyone in here has a clue of this fact, but now that it has been pointed out, it is so very clear. We left just as fast as we could. I will never return.

    My sore head today is a reflection of this place's cheap cocktails. 5 euros a pop before midnight,…read moreyou can't beat that! Great cocktail menu, the bartender I dealt with was charming, he even deviated from the menu to do my favourite cocktail. It's moderately sized, interior is modern, comfy couches. Music is chart, the DJ was abit too volume happy so we had to shout to talk and then we gave up and just focused on drinking the cocktails. At one point I thought I was at convention celebrating the show Sex & The City which then shifted to me thinking I was in a lesbian bar. It was thronged with well done up young women and hardly any men. Boys if you want to score a chick, this is the place for you! Girls if you want to score a chick this also is the place for you but in a very Sex & The City hook up kinda way, that is they will be straight again the next morning. The only reason why I am giving it three stars is that it would not be my scene and the music is too loud but it's a great place to pre-game it with some cheap well made cocktails before hitting another spot.

    Photos
    Capitol Lounge - Courtesy of Capitol Lounge website

    Courtesy of Capitol Lounge website

    Capitol Lounge
    Capitol Lounge - Courtesy of Capitol Lounge website

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    Courtesy of Capitol Lounge website

    Dandelion - The upstairs bar area (the nightclub is downstairs)

    Dandelion

    2.8(39 reviews)
    1.0 kmSouth Inner City
    €€

    I agree with laura - this is one of those bars you would never even think about going into, until…read moreone day you do... Dandelion reminds me a lot of Cafe En Seine. Its interior is massive and very grandly outfitted, although after the initial 'wow' moment everything seems to take on a bit of a gaudy air. The 5 euro cocktails are fab, and they have drink specials most nights of the week, so this could be a place to go before you really go out. There is a nightclub here, but I can't vouch for its quality. Dandelion also has a very nice restaurant that is suitable for families. This place disappoints a little bit, after giving an amazing first impression, but maybe this is because everyone else in Dublin seems to just walk on by?

    I didn't think Dandelion was any great shakes when I went there for a night out with the girls…read more(Jays, I'm starting to sound like Carrie). It's modern and trendy with plenty of room to mingle but it's not particularly atmospheric or memorable in spite of its 'boutique' claims. I can't imagine ever saying "I'll meet ye in Dandelion later", and I wonder if it has any kind of a regular crowd. That said, €5 for a cocktail in the heart of Dublin is not a bad deal and currently Dandelion are offering to pay the 21.5% VAT on all drinks Monday-Friday, bringing the cost of a pint down to a cool €4.30. Whatever I may say about Dandelion, you'll not get a better deal on the Green and I saw a tanned, chiselled young man handing out flyers to this affect just the other day! We bolted however after about two hours and Dandelion left no great impression except a brief ponder over the wisdom of naming your 'boutique' club after a weed.

    Photos
    Dandelion - A Bikini Martini (left) and Cosmopolitan with an orange peel (right).

    A Bikini Martini (left) and Cosmopolitan with an orange peel (right).

    Dandelion - The "back area" where the pool table is.

    The "back area" where the pool table is.

    Dandelion

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    The Academy - musicvenues - Updated May 2026

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