Smock Alley Theatre
Smock Alley Theatre lies in an unassuming part of Dublin city. Nestled on the banks of the River Liffey, you would be forgiven for thinking it a quiet little building. Originally built in 1662, The Theatre Royal at Smock Alley gave the world the plays of George Farquhar (The Recruiting Officer), Oliver Goldsmith (She Stoops to Conquer) and Richard Brinsley Sheridan (The Rivals). 300 people attended the theatre each night, seven days a week to be enthralled, entertained and enlightened by actors, acrobats, dancers, musicians and trapeze artists. Now, 350 years after it was first built, the theatre has been carefully and lovingly restored to become Dublin’s Oldest Newest Theatre. It is now once again a bustling hub of theatre, song, dance, art and creativity.
Smock Alley Theatre lies in an unassuming part of Dublin city. Nestled on the banks of the River Liffey in a quiet part of Temple Bar you would be forgiven for thinking it a quiet little building. But its foundations lie in the oldest part of our city. We stand next to the founding site of Dublin, where battles raged amongst Celtic settlers and marauding Vikings. And, in turn, settled Vikings tried in vain to defend attacks from invading Normans. By the time our theatre was built we were part of the Kingdom of England and were under the rule of King Charles II. The city was one of the most important in the Kingdom, so much so, that it was given its own Theatre Royal. Indeed, we were the first and only Theatre Royal ever to be built outside the great walls of London.
