Temple Bar Gallery + Studios
Free, non-commercial contemporary art gallery and artists’ studio building in Temple Bar, Dublin, with changing exhibitions, talks and residencies.
Have only individual sections read aloud
About the museum
Temple Bar Gallery + Studios began in the early 1980s, when founding director Jenny Haughton and a group of artists took over a disused shirt factory that they rented from Córas Iompair Éireann (CIE). The early twentieth-century building ran from Temple Bar through to the Liffey quays. Conditions were difficult and sometimes hazardous, but the space allowed the group to create artists’ studios, an exhibition space, a café, a sculptor’s annex and a print studio, and it helped build the area’s reputation as a cultural hub.
When Temple Bar Properties was set up in 1991 to regenerate the district, the gallery was treated as a flagship project and was among the first cultural organisations to be rehoused. The former factory was extensively refurbished to a design by McCullough Mulvin, providing thirty studios of between 21 and 70 square metres over four floors and a ground-floor gallery twice its previous size. The refurbished building reopened on 1 November 1994.
Today the building is home to a community of artists in the centre of Dublin and to a gallery that is free for everyone. More than five hundred Irish and international artists have contributed to its story. Alongside the changing exhibitions, the organisation runs talks and events, publications and international residency exchanges.
Highlights
- Changing exhibitions of contemporary art, free for everyone
- Working building with around thirty artists’ studios
- Public talks, book launches and events
- International residency exchanges for studio artists
- Atrium with a glass roof and rooftop balcony
- Founded
- 1983
Admission & discounts
Admission is free.
Free entry for everybody to all exhibitions and public events.
Accessibility
- Wheelchair accessible
- Elevator
- Accessible restroom
- Accessible parking
- Service dogs welcome
- Tactile models & exhibits: no information
- Sign language tours: no information
- Easy-to-read materials: no information
- Audio description: no information
The gallery entrance is on Temple Bar Street, a step up from a cobblestone road; the second entrance, to the studios and Atrium, is on Fownes Street Lower. Inside, the building is wheelchair accessible with a lift to all floors. There is a wheelchair-accessible toilet and gender-neutral toilets on the ground floor. One disabled parking space is 180 metres from the gallery. Large-print exhibition texts are available in the gallery. Guided tours for people and groups with additional needs can be arranged by email or phone. The layout of the gallery changes with each exhibition.
Kids & families
The museum hasn’t published any information on this.
Getting there & parking
By public transit
Westmoreland (Luas Green Line) · 5-min walk
On foot less than a minute from the Ha’penny Bridge. Luas Green Line to Westmoreland (5 minutes’ walk) or Red Line to Jervis (5 minutes’ walk). Tara Street DART station is a 10-minute walk. Dublin Bus routes 14, 15, 15A, 15B, 15D, 140 and 142 to Dame Street, 54a to College Green, and 660, 761 and 763 to Crampton Quays. A Dublinbikes station is on Fownes Street Upper.
By car
No on-site parking at the museum.
No car park of its own. The Park Rite car park at 52-57 Fleet Street is a 3-minute walk away. A disabled parking space is 180 metres from the gallery.
- Accessible parking
It is a 15-minute walk from Busáras.
Get directionsAmenities & dining
The museum hasn’t published any information on this.
Events & venue rental
- Spaces for rent
Spaces for hire include Studio 6 (events, talks, workshops, screenings), Studio 27 (meeting room or small office), the four-storey Atrium and the rooftop balcony. Enquiries by email; income from hire supports the organisation’s programme.
Inquiries & detailsPlan your visit
| Guided tours | yes |
|---|---|
| Good to know | Guided tours are offered for people and groups with additional needs; contact the learning and public engagement curator to arrange one. |
