Mac Rating: 5.00 | Votes: 1 | Date: 03/07/2026 00:33:00

A Victorian train shed became Ireland's biggest indoor stage. The 3Arena on North Wall Quay in the Dublin Docklands started life in 1878 as the Point Store, a railway goods depot serving the busy port; developer Harry Crosbie and Apollo Leisure converted it into the Point Theatre in 1988, and for two decades the Point was Irish shorthand for the big gig - U2 recorded part of Rattle and Hum here before the renovation, and Nirvana, Bowie, Oasis and the Spice Girls all passed through. The 2007-2008 rebuild kept little more than the protected facade and north and east walls. Architects HOK Sport rotated the stage ninety degrees and wrapped 9,300 seats around it in a fan the designers likened to the Colosseum, with total capacity reaching about 13,000-14,500 with standing configurations; the furthest seat sits just 60 metres from the stage, twenty closer than in the old Point. The 80-million-euro venue reopened on 16 December 2008 as The O2, then took the 3Arena name on 4 September 2014 when Three Ireland absorbed the O2 brand. Operated by Live Nation, the arena ranks among the busiest venues in the world by ticket sales, running more than 150 event days a year across music, comedy and sport. The Point Village location links to the city by Luas Red Line - the stop sits at the door - and the surrounding docklands regeneration has filled the approach with hotels and restaurants. No corporate boxes interrupt the bowl; the 1878 Club lounge nods to the year the depot rose. For visitors the practicalities are unusually painless by arena standards: the Luas stop delivers crowds to the door, the East Link and Port Tunnel keep coaches moving, and the compact bowl means even the cheap seats read the stage. Alcohol service runs from controlled areas - a deliberate design against underage drinking - and the backstage loading bay swallows the biggest touring productions, which is why the world's heaviest stage shows rarely skip Dublin.