Irish dinner show with music, dancers and a céilí
Two hours at a hotel on Bachelors Walk: three courses, live traditional music with stories, step dancers and a céilí to join. Drinks extra; non-refundable.
Answer first
Is Celtic Nights in Dublin worth it, and what does the ticket actually include?
The short answer
Yes, for travellers who want a whole Irish evening in one seat: a three-course dinner, live traditional music with stories between songs, step dancers whose set includes the brush dance, and a céilí you are invited to join, all in about two hours by O'Connell Bridge. Two things decide it. Drinks and tips are extra, paid on the night. And the ticket is non-refundable and non-transferable, so GetYourGuide's usual free cancellation does not apply. Book once your date is fixed.
What it is
A dinner show in a city-centre hotel on Bachelors Walk, on the north bank of the Liffey. You sit at a table with other guests, eat while the band plays, watch the dancers, then are invited onto the floor for a céilí. The booking also includes a Dublin city-guide app for your phone.
What it isn't
It isn't a concert hall with raked seats, a pub session where musicians play among themselves, or a show you can watch from the back without being asked to dance. It isn't for children under four, who are not admitted, or for any trip where the date might still move.
The evening in four lines
- Length
- About two hours.
- At the table
- Three courses; drinks paid on the night.
- On the floor
- Live music, step dancers and a céilí.
- Booking
- Non-refundable; no children under four.
The céilí card
The dances, tunes and instruments you may meet
No running order is printed here, because the performers set their own programme on the night. These are the forms an evening of Irish music and dance draws on, each one summarised from Wikipedia's articles on Irish dance and music.
On the floor
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Céilí
Group dances in figures
Social dances for two to sixteen people, built on lines, rounds and squares rather than intricate steps. The easiest are simple enough for a newcomer to follow.
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Step
The solo stage style
A still, upright body over fast and precise footwork, danced in soft shoes or in hard shoes that turn the feet into percussion.
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Sean-nós
The old style
An improvised solo dance, low to the ground, with loose arms and a battering step that sounds out the accented beat of the tune.
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Brush
The brush dance
A specialised form of sean-nós dancing, and one of the dances named in this show's set.
In the tunes
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Reel2/4 · 4/4
Even and driving
Scottish in origin and taken up in Ireland in the late eighteenth century. In step dance it is one of the first soft-shoe dances taught.
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Jig6/8 · 9/8
Bouncing in threes
Called port in Irish. The double jig runs in six-eight; the lilting slip jig in nine-eight.
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Hornpipe2/4 · 4/4
Heavy and syncopated
A hard-shoe dance whose rhythm had taken its Irish form by the 1760s.
On the stage
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Fiddle
Fiddle, flute and whistle
With the uilleann pipes, the most common melody instruments in Irish dance music, playing the tune together and decorating it.
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Pipes
The uilleann pipes
Ireland's seated bagpipe, filled by a bellows under the arm, with a two-octave chanter, three drones and keyed regulators.
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Drum
The bodhrán
A goatskin frame drum struck with a small wooden tipper, the player's other hand changing the pitch from inside.
Sources: Wikipedia's articles on the Irish céilí, Irish dance, Irish stepdance, sean-nós dance, the reel, the jig, the hornpipe, Irish traditional music, the uilleann pipes and the bodhrán.
Table to dance floor
How the two hours unfold
Your confirmation gives the start time. The order of the night belongs to the performers; this is the shape the evening is sold on.
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Arrive
Show your ticket at the hotel
Go straight to the hotel on Bachelors Walk with your ticket downloaded on a charged phone. Seats are kept for your booked slot, so be on time.
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Sit
Take your table
Guests share a room laid out for dinner, close to the band and the dancers. Table service for drinks runs all evening, paid as you go.
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Eat
Three courses
A meal of Irish and European dishes is served while the evening gets going. Dietary needs should be raised with the organiser before your date.
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Listen
Music and stories
Live traditional musicians play, telling stories about Irish customs between the songs. Clapping along is encouraged.
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Watch
The dancers
Irish dancers perform, with the brush dance among their pieces.
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Join
The céilí
The audience is invited onto the floor for a céilí. Join in, or stay seated and keep time.
What your booking covers
Included, extra and the fine print
The booking in plain terms, so nothing about the evening surprises you.
- Format
- A two-hour dinner show with live music and dance in a city-centre hotel on Bachelors Walk, by O'Connell Bridge.
- Included
- A three-course meal of Irish and European dishes, live musicians, Irish dancers, a céilí and a multilingual Dublin city-guide app.
- Extra
- Drinks, ordered by table service and paid on the night, and tips.
- Refunds
- None. The ticket is non-refundable and non-transferable, so GetYourGuide's usual free cancellation does not apply.
- Ages
- Children under four are not admitted.
- Access
- Wheelchair accessible.
- Diet
- Contact the organiser through your booking ahead of your date with any dietary needs.
- Bring
- A charged smartphone with your ticket downloaded and ready to show.
Two ways to hear Irish music tonight
A dinner show with dancers, or a walk between music pubs
Dinner show
Pub music walk
What it is
A seated dinner with live music and dancers
A guided walk through four local pubs
How long
About two hours
About four hours
Food and drink
Three courses; drinks extra
Drink tasters; food extra
The music
A staged show, then a céilí
A traditional session in the last pub
If plans change
Non-refundable, non-transferable
Free cancellation up to 24 hours
Quays, steps and strings
The river, the dancers and the band
The quay the show sits on, the bridges either side, and the dance and music traditions the evening draws on.
Book the show, or build the day around it
The dinner show, a pub music walk, a distillery and the old city
The dinner show is the main event. The other three fill the afternoon or a second evening in Dublin, and each one opens its own booking calendar.
Traditional pub walking tour with tastings
About four hours with a guide through four local pubs, with beer, whiskey and gin tasters and a traditional music session to finish. Food is extra.
Whiskey distillery tour with a tasting
A guided tour of about 45 minutes in the old Bow Street distillery buildings in Smithfield, ending with a comparative whiskey tasting and a cocktail.
Dublin highlights and hidden corners on foot
Two hours through the city centre with an accredited guide, from Viking and medieval Dublin to Trinity College, crossing the Ha'penny and O'Connell bridges.
More to book in Dublin
Reaching Bachelors Walk
Finding the hotel on the quay
Where it is
The show takes place at the Arlington Hotel on Bachelors Walk, the quay on the north bank of the Liffey that meets O'Connell Street and O'Connell Bridge. Go straight to the hotel.
On foot
From Temple Bar, Trinity College or Grafton Street, walk to O'Connell Bridge and cross to the north bank, where Bachelors Walk meets the bridge.
By Luas
The Abbey Street stop is a short walk from the quay. Check services on the day.
Arrive on time
Seats are held for your booked slot only. Have your ticket downloaded on a charged phone, ready to show.
Food needs
Send any dietary requirement to the organiser through your GetYourGuide booking before your date, not at the table.
Choosing a date
Book once your plans are fixed. The ticket cannot be cancelled, refunded or passed to anyone else.
Further reading
Six guides to read before the céilí
- Start here
Celtic Nights Dublin: worth it?
What the two-hour dinner show on Bachelors Walk includes, what you pay for on the night, who it suits, and why every ticket is final once booked. Read the guide → - Compare
Dinner show or pub music walk?
A seated dinner show with dancers by O'Connell Bridge, or four hours between music pubs with a guide: what each includes, costs and suits. Read the guide → - The dancing
Céilí, step and sean-nós dance
The three strands of Irish dance you may meet at a dinner show, from the group figures of the céilí to the improvised, low-to-the-ground sean-nós. Read the guide → - The music
Reels, jigs and the band
How to tell a reel from a jig or a hornpipe, and what the fiddle, the uilleann pipes and the bodhrán each add to an evening of Irish dance music. Read the guide → - Getting there
Bachelors Walk: getting there
Where the dinner show is on Dublin's north quays, how to reach it on foot or by Luas, and what to have ready on your phone before you arrive. Read the guide → - History
How the céilí came back
From travelling dancing masters to the Gaelic League, the first céilí band on Irish radio and the pub sessions of the 1960s: Irish dance's long revival. Read the guide →
FAQ
Questions before you pick a night
Is this Dublin dinner show worth it?
Yes, if you want dinner, live Irish music, step dancers and a céilí in one seated two-hour evening. Book only once your date is fixed: the ticket is final, and drinks and tips are extra.
Can I cancel or get a refund?
No. All sales are final: the ticket is non-refundable and non-transferable, so GetYourGuide's usual free cancellation does not apply to this show.
What does the ticket include?
Three courses of Irish and European dishes, live traditional music with storytelling, Irish dancers including the brush dance, a céilí you can join, and a multilingual Dublin city-guide app.
Are drinks included?
No. Drinks are ordered by table service and paid for on the night. Tips are not included.
Can children come?
Children under four are not admitted. That is the only age rule, so families whose youngest is four or older can book together.
Do I have to dance at the céilí?
No. You are invited to join, and the social dances are easy to follow, but you can stay at your table and clap along.
Is it wheelchair accessible?
Yes, the evening is set up for wheelchair access. To ask for a particular table position, send the organiser a note via your booking ahead of the night.
What about dietary requirements?
Contact the organiser through your GetYourGuide booking ahead of your date with the details, so the kitchen can plan your three courses.
Who sells the tickets?
The tickets are sold on GetYourGuide by Vox City, a reseller, and the show takes place at a hotel on Bachelors Walk. The award billing in its marketing is the seller's own; verified reviews are the better guide.
Is this the venue's own website?
No. Dublin Celtic Nights Guide is written independently for visitors: it is not the site of the hotel, the show or the seller, none of them is affiliated with it, and every booking goes through GetYourGuide.