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Songwriter Tours - Stars, Stories and Songs on the Streets of Dub
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From €35 per person
Dublin has produced a disproportionate number of musicians the world actually wanted to listen to - U2, Thin Lizzy, Luke Kelly, The Dubliners, and the Oscar-winning pair behind the film Once among them. This three-hour walking tour connects the city’s streets to its music by taking you to the actual places where those stories happened.
You’ll hear how Bono wrote ‘Sweetest Thing’ as an apology to his wife for forgetting her birthday, how a Grafton Street busker named Glen Hansard ended up on the Hollywood red carpet collecting an Oscar, and what it is about this particular city that keeps producing musicians people across the world come back to. The tour wraps up with a live street song performed by your guide and a tasting of three Irish whiskeys at the Irish Whiskey Museum - a genuinely good way to finish a walk through the city’s soundtrack.
Groups are capped at 15 people. Available in English, French, and Spanish.
A famous Irish statue - You start at a well-known Dublin statue connected to a traditional Irish song. Your guide shares the story behind the song, its surprising origins, and some of the artists who’ve covered it - then gives you a few lines to take away.
George’s Street Arcade - Strolling through this Victorian arcade, your guide points out where the Oscar-winning song ‘Falling Slowly’ from the film Once was first recorded. The story of how Glen Hansard - a busker from Dublin - and his co-writer Marketa Irglova ended up walking the red carpet at the Hollywood Oscars is one of those genuinely uplifting Dublin stories.
Luke Kelly Statue - One of the co-founders of The Dubliners, Luke Kelly’s voice and melodic influence still resonate. Your guide covers his story, his songs - ‘The Town I Loved So Well’, ‘Whiskey in the Jar’, ‘Scorn Not His Simplicity’, ‘Raglan Road’ - and his enduring place in Irish folk music.
The Gaiety Theatre - Here you explore the pavement of handprints outside the theatre: from opera legend Pavarotti to comedian Billy Connolly to Hollywood star Gabriel Byrne, it’s a street-level hall of fame.
Phil Lynott Statue - Sculpted by Paul Daly, this statue marks the legacy of Thin Lizzy’s lead singer - a charismatic, sensitive writer who toured the US opening for Queen. His rock version of ‘Whiskey in the Jar’ hit the UK top 10, and ‘The Boys Are Back in Town’ was revered by everyone from Bob Geldof to Bono.
Grafton Street and St. Stephen’s Green - After taking in the buskers on Grafton Street, you turn into St. Stephen’s Green. This is where your guide stops for a live street song, performed overlooking the lake.
A Dubliners pub - This bar is practically a museum to The Dubliners, with photos and memories from when they played here regularly. Live music often happens here too, and there’s time for a drink if you want one before heading back out.
Merrion Square and the U2 connection - Your guide brings you to the spot where U2 closed off a street to film the video for ‘Sweetest Thing’ - Bono’s apology song to Ali, with some very famous Irish guest appearances. You’ll also visit the Oscar Wilde Statue, a colourful piece built from three different stones from three different continents.
Trinity College and the Sphere within a Sphere - Inside Trinity’s grounds, you’ll find the bronze sculpture created by Arnaldo Pomodoro in 1982-83 - an unusual piece with a story attached. Your guide also shares a bit about the artists and singers who played the Trinity Ball, including U2, ten years before their Joshua Tree tour.
Irish Whiskey Museum tasting - The tour finishes here with a tasting of three whiskey varieties, including The Busker Whiskey - a fitting end to everything you’ve just heard on the streets.
Meeting point: In front of the Tourist Office, opposite the main entrance to Trinity College Dublin. Look for the tree just outside the Tourist Office - there’s a Spar shop nearby. Your guide will be gathering the group under the tree.
George’s Street Arcade is one of the oldest covered markets in Ireland, built in 1881 and still trading. It’s worth spending a few minutes browsing before or after the tour - secondhand books, vinyl, tarot readers, and small food stalls all sit alongside each other in a Victorian wrought-iron hall that most visitors walk past without going inside.
The meeting point at the Tourist Office opposite Trinity College is busier than it sounds. Dame Street and College Green are two of Dublin’s most trafficked areas, especially around midday. Your guide will be under a specific tree by the Tourist Office - when you arrive, look for the group gathering rather than trying to identify a single person in the crowd.
Grafton Street buskers have to audition for their pitches. Dublin City Council runs a busking permit scheme, which means the standard on Grafton Street is generally high. If you hear something you like while on the tour, you can always come back and listen properly after the walk. The standard of street performance in this city is not accidental.
The whiskey tasting at the Irish Whiskey Museum is a proper finish. Three varieties gives you a real sense of how different Irish whiskeys can be - lighter and more approachable than Scotch for many people, but with genuine range across styles. The Busker Whiskey, one of the three poured, has a direct connection to the busking culture you’ll have spent the afternoon learning about.
If the weather is dry, the Merrion Square section is particularly good. The Oscar Wilde Statue sits in a corner of the park that’s well lit in afternoon sun, and the surrounding Georgian terrace gives you a strong sense of what upper-class Dublin looked like in the 18th and 19th centuries. It’s also the kind of photo that actually turns out well.