Irish Dinner and Dance Show in the Dublin Mountains

Glencullen and the Dublin Mountains

Glencullen is a tiny village in the Dublin Mountains, the green, heather-covered hills that rise along the southern edge of the city. Although it is still in County Dublin, it feels like deep countryside: narrow lanes, stone walls, sheep grazing on the slopes and, on a clear evening, views across the rooftops of Dublin to the sea. The village sits at a high point of the old road towards Enniskerry and the Wicklow Mountains, and the venue is famous for being one of the highest of its kind in Ireland.

Getting there is part of the adventure. There is no transport in this ticket, so most visitors come by taxi from the city centre or drive themselves, enjoying free parking at the door. If you have a car, arrive a little early in summer to see the sunset light over the hills before the show begins at 19:30.

A historic family-run venue

The venue has welcomed travellers in Glencullen for well over two centuries and is still run by one family. Inside, every room is a little museum: low ceilings, flagstone floors, open fires and walls covered with old farm tools, lanterns, photographs and curiosities collected over generations. Locals and international visitors alike come here for the atmosphere, and the place is well known across Ireland for its traditional nights.

Your ticket gives you entry to the hooley night experience with reserved seating, so you can relax without worrying about finding a table. The staff are known for their warm, attentive service, and the whole evening has a friendly, family atmosphere. The venue is wheelchair accessible, and the indoor rooms are cosy even on a cold or rainy night in the hills.

The traditional Irish dinner

The evening starts with a three-course meal from the hooley menu, showcasing hearty Irish country cooking. Starters include a seasonal vegetable soup, duck pâté with blackberry chutney, a prawn salad and the house seafood chowder, a creamy potato soup full of shellfish and smoked and white fish. Main courses include slow-stewed Irish lamb stew with pearl barley under a puff pastry lid, roast chicken with spring onion mash, a seafood pie and a vegetable and red lentil stew.

To finish there is warm apple pie with cream or ice cream or a banoffi cream pie, followed by tea or coffee. Choices may vary with the season. Other drinks are not included and can be ordered at the venue. If you have special dietary needs, tell our team when you book so we can pass them on before your visit.

The hooley show: music and dance

A hooley is an old Irish word for a lively party, and that is exactly what happens as the lights dim after dinner. Musicians fill the room with jigs, reels and ballads on fiddle, accordion, guitar and bodhrán, mixing in stories and humour that pull the whole audience into the evening. The energy builds song by song, and before long most guests are clapping and tapping along.

Then the dancers take the floor in bright costumes for a high-energy show of Irish step dancing, the fast, precise footwork that made Irish dance famous around the world. Performances change slightly from night to night, but the mix of world-class dancing, live music and warm hospitality stays the same. When the final bow comes, many guests say it is the most authentic Irish evening of their trip.