Abbey Theatre

The Abbey Theatre was founded as a national theatre in 1904 by the famous poet W. B. Yeats and the dramatist and folklorist Lady Gregory with the aim “to bring upon the stage the deeper emotions of Ireland.” The cultural revival of Ireland moved from art to the streets in the following years, peaking in the Easter Rising of 1916 – it is therefore not surprising that many members of the Abbey Acting Company were closely linked to the Rising.

Part of Abbey Theatre is also the Peacock Theatre, which opened in 1927 as an experimental annexe to the Abbey. It was also home to different amateur companies, the Abbey Acting School and the Abbey School of Ballet.

The original building of the Abbey Theatre was tragically damaged in a fire in the beginning of 1950’s. After being in the Queen’s Theatre for ten years after that, it finally moved back into its current home, in 1966.

Abbey Theatre still follows in the footsteps

Today, the Abbey Theatre still follows in the footsteps of its founders and produces an ambitious, courageous and new theatre in different forms. It focuses on the story of Ireland and aims at delivering theatre “for the entire island of Ireland and for all its people” – their plays are not only in English but also in Irish.

Over the decades the Abbey Theatre’s productions have included James Joyce’s Ulysses, Oscar Wilde’s The Importance of Being Earnest or Seán O’Casey’s The Plough and the Stars.

The Spencer is the perfect location for visiting a performance in the Abbey Theatre: it is only 15 minutes on foot or 8 minutes on the Luas Red Line from The Spencer to the theatre.

The Abbey and Peacock Theatres are (partially) wheelchair accessible, with seats either located on the ground floor or being accessible by lift and/or ramp.

Make sure to check their programme online for their current and upcoming shows. Throughout the year the theatre also offers several free previews of upcoming performances: tickets are sold on a first-come-first-serve basis and cannot be booked in advance.

Location: 26/27 Abbey Street Lower, North City, Dublin 1, D01 K0F1

T: 01 878 7222

W: abbeytheatre.ie

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