In previous years, New Year's Eve in Dublin has been a low-key affair. This December 31st however, Dublin is set to kick off its Gathering 2013 tourism initiative in style with a fireworks display and concert in the city centre. This is the first time the historic Georgian area of Dublin has hosted a fireworks display, which will take place at St Stephen's Green at 8pm. The party will continue directly afterwards at College Green when Dublin acts Imelda May and Bell X1 take to the stage between 8.30pm and 1am.

Tickets are priced at €20 and are available at: www.nye.dublin.ie.

* Fiona is our Been there local for Dublin. You can follow her tips here: www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/travellers/FionaHilliard and read her profile here: www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/trails/been-there-locals.jsp. She also has her own blog: www.traveledits.com

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Rocked up here after dinner and what a great night! It was like going into a slightly moth-eaten boozer populated by art students, fashionistas and Dublin's hipsters.
After some fast, efficient service from the front bar my friends and I wandered through dimly-lit rooms with chairs and tables into the huge beer garden at the back. Here you can have a fag, or wait for a pizza from the Big Blue Bus in the corner, while you admire the graffiti. Back inside the DJ was getting things moving with some house, electro, eighties soul and a whole host of excellent music (although the mixing was a bit plonky for my taste). We stayed all night and danced our socks off. The mojitos were two for a tenner (that's euros) but I've tasted better.
What a brilliant place. Next time I'm in Dublin I'll be back in a heartbeat.

www.thebernardshaw.com
11-12 Sth Richmond Street, Portobello, Dublin
+353 (0)1 857128342
Google map: bit.ly/P6WKwC

Opening hours:
Mon - Thu: 11:00 - 23:30
Fri: 11:00 - 0:00
Sat: 9:00 - 0:00
Sun: 9:00 - 23:30

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M Hughes is the place to stumble upon the type of impromptu sessions made famous by the movies, as well as organised set dancing evenings and traditional music performances. The easiest way to get here is to take the Luas red line and alight at the Four Courts stop.

20 Chancery Street Dublin 7
+353(0)18726540
Google map: bit.ly/K6I8NF

* Fiona is our Been there local for Dublin. You can follow her tips here: www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/travellers/FionaHilliard and read her profile here: www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/trails/been-there-locals.jsp. She also has her own blog: www.traveledits.com

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Ever since the 1960’s, O’Donoghue’s has been associated with Irish trad bands including The Dubliners and the Furey Brothers. Both used to play regular sessions in the pub. Little has changed over the years, including the decor of the pub, which still maintains many of its original features. These days, traditional Irish music sessions take place on a regular basis and are very highly regarded among musicians.

www.odonoghues.ie/
15 Merrion Row Dublin 2, Ireland
+353(0)1 660 7194
Google map: bit.ly/JEE1Z5

* Fiona is our Been there local for Dublin. You can follow her tips here: www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/travellers/FionaHilliard and read her profile here: www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/trails/been-there-locals.jsp. She also has her own blog: www.traveledits.com

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Totally awesome monthly alcohol and drug free nightclub in beautiful space in old building (the RDS). Extremely friendly and everyone really expresses themselves - the dancing is the thing and it is quite an ecstatic feel! Also organic food, chill out area with Buddha Bags, giant Jenga and Twister.

RDS Ballsbridge, Dublin 4
www.dancefree.ie

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You could easily get the wrong impression of Dublin by concentrating your drinking in the wrong places! Temple Bar in general is to be avoided for lots of reasons but there are fantastic bars and pubs in the city.

If you want the authentic pub experience in the city centre, check out Neary's in Chatham Street, McDaid's just off Grafton Street or John Mulligan's in Poolbeg Street. Proper pubs with good pints.

The Smithfield area is full of great pubs: for traditional Irish music (proper sessions) try the Cobblestone or Hughes's where there is trad every night. Also in that area, Walsh's in Stoneybatter is a great pub with a traditional bar and lounge and a great pint of Guinness. Smithfield is easily reached from the centre via the Luas or short taxi ride (€6 or so).

Staying in Smithfield, Ryan's in Queen Street is a strange little pub with an interesting and eclectic crowd on weekend evenings. Across the road is the Dice Bar, a cool spot which plays very very loud funky music if you're in the mood.

Another funky bar with great music and good-looking punters is the South William in South William St. Also along those lines is Solas or The Village in Wexford St. Across the road is more grungy Anseo, a great friendly little place with DJs every night. Check out also the George Bernard Shaw, just up the road in South Richmond Street.

For clubbing, the Pod in Harcourt Street is still going strong and you could also check out the Twisted Pepper down on Abbey Street.

Unless you want to drink an awful pint of Guinness for which you will pay through the nose while listening to a very contrived music session, don't go to the Oliver St. John Gogarty in Temple Bar. The fact that no Irish people do should tell you all you need to know. There's nothing traditional or authentic about most places in that area but that doesn't stop them being packed to the rafters so it all depends what you're after.

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The Bernard Shaw is one of a number of pubs catering to a youngish, trendyish crowd. There's a massive smoking area with a pool table, a dj booth, and decently priced if limited selection of beers.

Decent music nights, recent ones were Dubstep and a celebration of the Rio Carnival with drummers and cheep Brazilian beer. Usually packed at the weekend, always a laugh.

Richmond Street,
Dublin

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The current 'in' place in Dublin city. Cool, without being trendy, energetic, without being raucous.

Some of the best live music venues are situated here, along with a great choice of bars.

Curiously the bars with Irish language names are the coolest. Solas (Light) has a recently opened beer garden upstairs and serves decent food during the day and a great selection of beers - try Murphy's stout instead of Guinness for a change.

Anseo (Here) also has a good selection of imported beers. Both bars have regular DJs playing alternative dance and funk vinyls from when before most of the customers were born. For the best kebabs in Dublin, Zaytoon is beside Anseo.

Other bars and venues worth a visit in the same spot are Whelans, The Village, Carnival and The Bleeding Horse. Not far from the latter is the recently refurbished Tripod venue and the impressive Odeon.

Tram: Harcourt station
Camden St./Wexford St.

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The Smallest Pub in Dublin (officially known as the Dawson Lounge) can be found on Dawson Street, just past Grafton Street in the City Centre.

Go there at around 8 o'clock so you can guarantee yourself a place and avoid the herds of late-night workers coming for happy hour afterwards (they even have backrests on the walls to accommodate those without seats). Though really small (the area of the whole pub must be around ten metres squared), the pub is very cozy and serves the best Guinness I ever tasted, for a reasonable bargain of €3.80.

Definitely a good option, especially if you're with a big group of friends and feel like starting the night out with some drinks and good laughter.

Dawson Lounge, Dawson Street
Telephone: (+ 353) 1 671 0311
Email: dawsonlounge@thomasread.ie
www.dawsonlounge.ie/

Mon - Thurs 12.30 to 11.30
Fri-Sat 12.30-12.30 Sunday 4-11.00
FOOD Mon-sat 12-4.30

The Chester Beatty Library.
Dublin Castle,
Dublin 2,
Ireland
Tel: (+353 1) 407 0750
Fax: (+353 1) 407 0760
Email: info@cbl.ie
www.cbl.ie/

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It's a pub in Dublin. My friend John tells me it is the oldest pub in Ireland. The music is so good and the ambience is priceless. What shall I say about the drinks? Guinness as usual.

The Brazen Head, 20 Bridge Street, Dublin 8.
Tel : 00 353 1677 9549
www.brazenhead.com/

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I am a frequent business visitor to Dublin and have always been disappointed by the homogenised nightlife. There is a high gloss about the club habitués of Dublin yet these shiny people confuse sophistication with formality. The clubs and bars have no concept of edginess. However, on this most recent visit, I discovered Dublin’s best kept secret, Fresh and Clean. This an eccentric and at times unnerving experience where live art meets jazz meets champagne. This is an incredibly exciting club concept, which could change Dublin’s nightscape. Admission is 80 euros. Check it out.

Varying locations in city centre;
tel: +44 77901 853 216

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