dublinport.ie/explore
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
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WHAT’S ON EXHIBTIONS
TALKS AND LECTURES
At The Substation, our flagship exhibitions share Dublin Port through art and heritage, in collaboration with artists and cultural partners.
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.
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
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.
November Exile
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Exhibition 11th to 30th April 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
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SUBSTRATA
Installation Summer 2026 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
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Exhibition 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
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SHIPWRECKS
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
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Talks and Lectures 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
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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
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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
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OPEN HOUSE
Performance 26th, 27th & 28th November 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
EXILE
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Talks and Lectures April to October
APRIL
JUNE
The Five Lamps Arts Walking Tour: Dublin’s Deep Sea Port
Family exhibition visits and practical drawing/mapping workshops
Saturday
Exact times and booking details will be available on dublinport.ie/events
Saturday
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All talks and lectures take place in the Substation at Dublin Port.
Bloomsday James Joyce and Dublin Bay Cormac Lowth
AUGUST HERITAGE WEEK
Milestone Wreck
Safe harbour
Niall Coffer
Captain Michael McKenna
Thursday
Wednesday
258 years in Dublin: Lloyd’s Register’s Picture of a Changing Port
Tuesday
Saturday
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The redevelopment of Dublin Port and archaeological observations: a decade of resolving shipwreck and built structure
Max Wilson
Niall Brady
Exploring Ireland’s Shipwreck Heritage Karl Brady
A History of Lifeboats around Dublin Bay Cormac Lowth
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(Left) Exploring Ireland’s Shipwreck Heritage
Saturday
Friday
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SEPTEMBER Monday
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A Forgotten Dublin Hospital: The Pidgeon House Hospital Dr Susan Mullaney
OCTOBER DUBLIN FESTIVAL OF HISTORY
Eibhlin Colgan
Dr David Murphy, Maynooth University, Rob Goodbody President of IHAI and Lar Joye, Port Heritage Director moderated by Tommy Graham, Angela Byrne
Defences of Dublin Port Lar Joye
The sink of the Tayleur Edward Bourke
Jazz Burns
(Above) Defences of Dublin Port (Below) William Bligh
Thursday
Wednesday
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Selling Leisure: Urban Electrification in 20th Century Dublin
Tuesday
History Ireland Hedge School ‘Captain Bligh, hero or villain?’
Monday
Guinness and the River Liffey
Saturday
Thursday
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Dublin’s Domestic Architecture, 1664 c.1935 Charles Duggan
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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.
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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
BOAT TOURS
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
Meeting Point: Berth 18, North Wall Quay Extension
Tours run on selected dates from June to October. Duration: 1 hour
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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.
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DISCOVER OUR ARCHIVE
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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.
THE COLLECTION
For more details visit: dublinportarchive.com
Audiovisual
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Artefacts*
100
Files and records Photographs
over 3 km 78,000
Maps and charts
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Registers
950
Engineering drawings 40,000
(*estimated, research ongoing)
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.
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
For more details visit: youtube.com/@dublinportco
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HAVE YOU VISITED THE DUBLIN PORT GREENWAY YET?
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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.
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 1 2 3
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.
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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 8 9
Liffey-Tolka Project 1.4km
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2 1.2km
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North Wall Square The Flour Mill
1.9km
Tolka Estuary Greenway
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Together, these projects mark the next step in Dublin Port’s port-city integration, opening the port to the public.
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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.
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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.
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The Substation Port Centre Alexandra Road Dublin 1
dublinport.ie/explore