OUR PROGRAMME
Our programme opens the doors to a working port that is also a place of memory, culture, and community. Through exhibitions at The Substation, public talks, and behind-the-scenes bus tours, we are sharing the stories of Dublin Port’s people, places, and collections, connecting past, present, and future as part of our Port-City Integration initiatives and under the Dublin Port Masterplan 2040.
For tickets and up to date information see dublinport.ie/explore
WHAT’S ON
EXHIBTIONS
At The Substation, our flagship exhibitions share Dublin Port through art and heritage, in collaboration with artists and cultural partners.
11-30 April Substrata
16 June Wordspace
18 June-18 September Shipwrecks
15-23 August
Heritage Week
18 September Culture Night
26 September-11 October Dublin Festival of History
10-18 October Open House
November Exile
TALKS AND LECTURES
Join us in the Substation for talks and lectures on Dublin Port’s history, communities and heritage, with guest speakers sharing research, stories and new perspectives on the port and the city in the Substation.
Highlights this summer are:
History Ireland Hedge School ‘Captain Bligh, hero or villain? Lectures on the 258 year history of the Lloyd’s Register Office in Dublin, Guinness and the River Liffey and a talk by Urban Electrification in 20th Century in Dublin.
See page 12 for full listing.
Claire Halpin, Katherine Sankey, Maree Hensey and Sohrab Uduman’s site-responsive artworks will transform The Substation into a lens on Dublin Port; an in-between world where land meets sea, and permanence sits alongside constant change.
Location: The Substation
Tickets available from: fivelampsarts.ie/events Exhibition 11th to 30th April
SUBSTRATA
Installation 16th June
Wordspace, a sound installation created by Grafton Architects, ANU Productions,Landmark Productions and the Museum of Literature Ireland, comes to the Dublin Port Greenway. Originally developed to mark the centenary of Ulysses as part of Ulysses 2.2, the work features recorded excerpts from Episode 3 Proteus performed by Olwen Fouéré and directed by Louise Lowe, inviting visitors to experience Joyce’s words in dialogue sitting on a bench while overlooking Dublin Bay.
Location: Dublin Port Greenway
For more details visit: landmarkproductions.ie/production/ wordspace/
WORDSPACE
18th June to 18th September
Curated by Dublin Port Heritage and Special Projects and the National Monuments Service, this exhibition explores shipwrecks along the Dublin coastline and their significance to the history of Dublin Bay. In association with NMS, Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage.
Location: The Substation
Tickets available from: dublinport.ie/events
SHIPWRECKS Exhibition
Talks and Lectures
15th to 23rd August
We are delighted to participate in National Heritage Week, coordinated by the Heritage Council, with guided tours and talks that explore Dublin Port’s maritime history, communities and working life.
Location: The Substation
Tickets available from: dublinport.ie/events
HERITAGE WEEK
18th September
We’re pleased to take part in Culture Night by opening The Substation for a special evening at Dublin Port.
Location: The Substation
Tickets available from: dublinport.ie/events
CULTURE NIGHT
Talks and Lectures
26th September to 11th October
We are proud to contribute to Dublin City Council’s Dublin Festival of History with talks that examine the port’s role in shaping the city’s social, economic and maritime story.
Location: The Substation
All talks are free. Tickets available from: dublinport.ie/events
DUBLIN FESTIVAL OF HISTORY
Talks and Lectures
10th to 18th October
This year marks our 10th year participating in Open House Dublin organised by the Irish Architecture Foundation. We will be welcoming visitors to explore key port sites through guided tours of its architecture, infrastructure and evolving port-city relationship.
Location: The Substation
Tickets available from: dublinport.ie/events
OPEN HOUSE
EXILE is a unique theatre and music gig exploring the extraordinary life of Fenian, poet, convict, journalist and orator John Boyle O’Reilly from Dowth, County Meath. The gregarious and gifted John Boyle O’Reilly was arrested for Fenian activity in Dublin in 1866 and transported to Australia. He was the first man to ever escape that merciless penal colony in a daring venture by raft and whale boat, washing up in America where he became one of the country’s most celebrated progressives and writers.
John Boyle O’Reilly has haunted playwright Deirdre Kinahan since she discovered his homeplace during Covid.
In EXILE she joins collaborators and musicians Steve Wickham, Wayne Sheehy, Gerardette Bailey and Jess Kavanagh to explore his radical soul, creating a moving elegy of spoken word, rhythm and rock.
Location: The Substation
Tickets available from: dublinport.ie/events
Talks and Lectures
April to October
All talks and lectures take place in the Substation at Dublin Port.
Exact times and booking details will be available on dublinport.ie/events
APRIL
18 The Five Lamps Arts Walking Tour: Dublin’s Deep Sea Port
25 Family exhibition visits and practical drawing/mapping workshops
JUNE
16 Bloomsday James Joyce and Dublin Bay Cormac Lowth
AUGUST HERITAGE WEEK
15
258 years in Dublin: Lloyd’s Register’s Picture of a Changing Port
Max Wilson
18
Milestone Wreck Niall Coffer
19 Safe harbour Captain Michael McKenna
20 The redevelopment of Dublin Port and archaeological observations: a decade of resolving shipwreck and built structure
Niall Brady
21
Exploring Ireland’s Shipwreck Heritage
Karl Brady
22 A History of Lifeboats around Dublin Bay Cormac Lowth
(Left) Exploring Ireland’s Shipwreck Heritage
SEPTEMBER
28
A Forgotten Dublin Hospital: The Pidgeon House Hospital
Dr Susan Mullaney
OCTOBER DUBLIN FESTIVAL OF HISTORY
01 Guinness and the River Liffey
Eibhlin Colgan
05 Selling Leisure: Urban Electrification in 20th Century Dublin Jazz Burns
06 The sink of the Tayleur Edward Bourke
08
Dublin’s Domestic Architecture, 1664 c.1935
Charles Duggan
07 Defences of Dublin Port Lar Joye Monday Thursday
10
History Ireland Hedge School ‘Captain Bligh, hero or villain?’
Dr David Murphy, Maynooth University, Rob Goodbody President of IHAI and Lar Joye, Port Heritage Director moderated by Tommy Graham, Angela Byrne Saturday
(Above) Defences of Dublin Port (Below) William Bligh
BEHIND THE SCENES TOURS
Discover the hardworking heart of Dublin with our Behind-the-Scenes Bus Tours. Dublin Port is Ireland’s busiest port, handling billions of euro in trade and over a million passengers every year. This guided tour offers rare access to the working port, revealing how goods move through Ireland and how the port connects Dublin to global markets.
Explore our container terminals, ferry operations, the Oil Zone, and the Tolka Estuary Greenway while learning about the port’s engineering history, hidden landmarks, and environmental initiatives. Across the way, discover the people, places and stories that have shaped Dublin Port over the past 300 years.
BUS TOURS
Tours run seasonally from April to October, with dates available on selected Wednesdays and Saturdays.
Duration: approx. 2 hours
Meeting Point: EPIC Museum, CHQ Building
Languages: English (with selected tours in Irish and Spanish)
Alongside these bus tours, we have tours by Birdwatch Ireland and our programme also includes industrial heritage tours of the historic Flour Mill site, please contact us at dublinportarchive@dublinport.ie
We will also have boat tours of Dublin Port so that you can see the Port and City from the water. Finally, we have dedicated school tours, offering different ways to explore the port’s past, present, and future in English and Irish
BOAT TOURS
Tours run on selected dates from June to October.
Duration: 1 hour
Meeting Point: Berth 18, North Wall Quay Extension
GREAT SOUTH WALL
Stretching into Dublin Bay, the Great South Wall is one of the city’s most significant maritime landmarks. New interpretation signage and a recently launched trail on the Dublin Discovery Trails app invite visitors to explore its engineering history, coastal heritage and role in shaping Dublin Port.
DISCOVER OUR ARCHIVE
Stretching into Dublin Bay, the Great South Wall is one of the city’s most significant maritime landmarks. New interpretation signage and a recently launched trail on the Dublin Discovery Trails app invite visitors to explore its engineering history, coastal heritage and role in shaping Dublin Port. For more details visit: dublinportarchive.com
DUBLIN PORT MEMORY & STORY PROJECT
Since 2020, Dublin Port Company has been gathering first-hand accounts from people connected to the Port, creating an evolving oral history that complements the Dublin Port Archive. From dock workers and engineers to local communities, these voices offer a personal perspective on the Port’s daily life, its changes over time, and its relationship with the city.
For more details visit: youtube.com/@dublinportco
Together, they enrich the historical record, bringing lived experience alongside archival material.
If you have a connection to Dublin Port and would like to contribute, please contactdublinportarchive@ dublinport.ie
HAVE YOU VISITED THE DUBLIN PORT GREENWAY YET?
DISTRIBUTED MUSEUM
Dublin Port is more than a place goods pass through, it’s a place with layers of history, community and change. The Port has been transformed over the last 12 years through Masterplan 2040, which set out a vision for future operations and development and examined how land use can be optimised for trade.
Part of that vision is the Distributed Museum - an initiative by Dublin Port Company to promote awareness and public engagement with the Port’s heritage and amenity assets. Our Distributed Museum invites you to experience that heritage across multiple sites and experiences.
ROUTES
From Diving Bell to Berth 18 (1.2km)
Detour to The Pumphouse and The Flour Mill (0.5km)
Tolka Estuary Greenway; Phase 1 (1.9km)
LANDMARKS
Diving Bell
Scherzer Rolling Lift Bridge
Crane 292
Port Centre
Maritime Garden
The Substation
The Pumphouse
ROUTES TO BE COMPLETED
Liffey-Tolka Pedestrian and Cycle
Route (1.4km)
Tolka Estuary Greenway; Phase 2 (1.3km)
LANDMARKS TO BE COMPLETED
North Wall Square
Flour Mill
Tolka Estuary Greenway
LOOKING AHEAD
This work continues to evolve. The next phase of Dublin Port’s transformation focuses on strengthening connections between the port, the city, and Dublin Bay. The Liffey-Tolka Project will reimagine East Wall Road, improving connectivity, public space, and movement between the city and the port. Alongside this, phase 2 of the Dublin Port Tolka Estuary Greenway will extend and enhance this growing network. Together, these projects mark the next step in Dublin Port’s port-city integration, opening the port to the public.
