Mac Rating: 5.00 | Votes: 1 | Date: 03/07/2026 17:32:00

A bonded warehouse, a music museum, a superclub and a rock venue - the same four walls, four different lives. The Academy, at 57 Middle Abbey Street in Dublin 1, opened in October 2007 and has been one of the city's essential mid-sized music addresses ever since. The building's modern era began in April 1999 when the renovated warehouse opened as the Hot Press Irish Music Hall of Fame, housing the 650-capacity HQ venue and an interactive museum of Irish music memorabilia; the Spirit nightclub took over all three floors in 2002 before The Academy brought rock and roll back to the address. The Main Room is the heart of the operation - 650 standing on the floor with a further 200 on the upper balcony, about 850 in all - intimate enough that every ticket feels close, big enough for the touring acts that have outgrown the clubs. The opening years set the tone: The Killers played a famous underplay in August 2008 the night before their Marlay Park show, with Stereophonics, Lily Allen, Calvin Harris, Maximo Park, Buzzcocks and The Futureheads all through the doors in the first seasons. The stacked format multiplies the calendar - the 450-capacity Green Room on the ground floor for club nights and electronic acts, Academy 2 in the basement with around 250 for new bands, comedy and record launches, and the Chamber for private hire - four rooms often running simultaneously. A 2014 change of management brought a Victorian music-hall style refurbishment and the retro marquee sign that now defines the frontage, concealing the limestone relief carved by Georgie McCutcheon for the 1999 Hall of Fame opening. Weekly club nights fill the gaps between tours, and the venue's position between O'Connell Street and the Ha'penny Bridge keeps it central to any Dublin gig itinerary - the graduation stage between the city's small rooms and the 3Arena.