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Dublin: Street Art Walking Tour
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From €50 per person
Dublin’s street art scene has grown considerably over the past decade, and this three-hour walking tour takes you through its creative heart. The route starts near Smithfield Square on the city’s Northside, winds through some of the most visually striking neighbourhoods, and finishes among the galleries and laneways of Temple Bar.
Smithfield sets the tone right away. The walls around the square carry large-scale murals that tell the story of this part of the city - from the old Jameson distillery workers to contemporary Irish identity. Your guide explains the artists, the commissions, and the local debates behind the work. Some pieces are well known; others are the kind you’d walk past a hundred times without knowing the story behind them.
From Smithfield, the walk takes a darker turn at St Michan’s Church, one of the oldest churches on the Northside. The legends here - including the Strangler of Smithfield - add genuine intrigue to what you’re seeing, and your guide knows how to tell them properly.
The route passes the Four Courts, the imposing legal landmark that played a central role in 1916 and the Civil War. You’ll hear about the architecture and the history before the walk crosses the Liffey into Temple Bar. The narrow streets here are alive with murals, paste-ups, stencil work, and installations. By the end, you’ll find yourself looking at the city’s walls, doorways, and alleyways quite differently.
The tour starts near Smithfield Square - the exact meeting point is confirmed on booking. Bring a camera as there are brilliant photo opportunities throughout. Wear comfortable shoes, as the route includes cobblestone streets. The tour runs in all weather conditions. No entry fees are needed, as all the art is outdoors and publicly accessible.
Smithfield has changed a lot over the past two decades and the street art reflects that shift. What used to be a working industrial square around the old Jameson Distillery has become one of the Northside’s most interesting public spaces, and the murals document that change. Your guide will give you the context that makes the difference between seeing a big painting on a wall and actually understanding what it’s saying.
Bring your phone or camera fully charged. Three hours of walking through some of Dublin’s most photographically rich streets will drain a battery faster than you’d think, and you don’t want to run out halfway down a Temple Bar laneway when there’s a brilliant paste-up on the wall.
Don’t miss the details as well as the big pieces. The large-scale murals in Smithfield are hard to miss, but some of the most interesting work on this tour is smaller and more tucked away - stencil work on a door frame, a paste-up on a junction box, a piece you’d never see unless someone pointed you at it. Keep your eyes wide.
St Michan’s Church deserves a moment of proper attention. The church is one of the oldest on the Northside, and the legends your guide tells here - particularly around the Strangler of Smithfield - are the kind that have been woven into the neighbourhood’s identity for generations. It’s a good reminder that Dublin’s street art exists in a city with a very long and often dark history.
After the tour ends in Temple Bar, the neighbourhood is full of places to sit and look through your photos over a coffee or a pint. If you want to extend the art theme, the Temple Bar Gallery and Studios on Temple Bar Street is one of Ireland’s most important contemporary art spaces, and it’s free to visit.