Dublin, Ireland
Dublin hookups: cocktail bars, trad sessions and a Nitelink home
Cocktails on Dawson Street, music in Temple Bar, night buses from the city centre. Dubliners looking for something casual are on Joydate, and it costs nothing to look.
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In short
Hookups in Dublin tend to start with a drink in Temple Bar, on Dawson Street or around South Great George's Street, and carry on to a late bar or a traditional music session. Joydate shows you who in Dublin is open to a casual meet, and signing up is free.
- Where to go: cocktail bars on Dawson Street and South Great George's Street, live music in Temple Bar, traditional sessions at The Brazen Head and O'Donoghues.
- Getting home: twelve Nitelink routes leave the city centre on Friday and Saturday nights, and fifteen Dublin Bus routes run around the clock.
- Cost: joining is free and includes a few messages a day; VIP, which makes messaging unlimited, is €16.99 for one week and works out at €2.99 a week on the 12-month plan.
Visit Dublin, the city's official visitor site, lists late bars on Dawson Street, South Great George's Street and Dame Lane, and traditional music from Temple Bar to Smithfield. If you want a Dublin hookup, or just an easy evening with someone new, Joydate shows you who is keen. Your profile says Dublin and nothing more exact, and the two of you decide where to meet.
Temple Bar, Dawson Street or a trad session?
Dublin's late bars and music pubs cluster in the streets south of the Liffey. Temple Bar has the music and the crowds, Dawson Street and South Great George's Street have the cocktail bars that stay open until 2.30 a.m. at weekends, and the traditional music pubs offer a more relaxed first meeting where the band does some of the talking. Prices and opening hours shift, so read each venue's own page before you set off.
Know before you go out
Why Dublin suits a casual night out
Four things that shape a Dublin evening.
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Live music at every turn
Visit Dublin lists traditional sessions in Temple Bar, Smithfield and on Merrion Row, so a first meeting can have a soundtrack.
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Late bars in the centre
4 Dame Lane, Café en Seine and NoLIta are all listed as open until 2.30 a.m. on Fridays and Saturdays.
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Speakeasies and hidden rooms
The Blind Pig, a 1920s-style speakeasy, gives its address only after you book, which makes for a first drink with a little mystery.
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A night bus with a cheap fare
Transport for Ireland says Nitelink fares are €2.40 with an adult Leap Card, and fifteen Dublin Bus routes never stop running.
Dublin at a glance
Good to know before a Dublin first meet
- 12Nitelink routes that leave the city centre on Friday and Saturday nights
- 15Dublin Bus routes that run 24 hours a day, seven days a week
- 2.30 a.m.weekend closing time for several late bars in Visit Dublin's guide
Where Dublin goes out
Where to meet for a first drink in Dublin
Six areas and the places that Visit Dublin's guides name for each.
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Music and cocktails
Temple Bar
Where the guide lists music in the afternoon and again in the evening.
Places to start
- Vintage Cocktail Club: a candlelit cocktail bar with a rooftop terrace; over-23s only and booking needed
- Gogarty's: traditional music upstairs in the afternoon, trad-pop downstairs in the evening
- The Old Storehouse: music in the main bar by day, moving down to O'Flaherty's after dark
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Late cocktails
Dame Lane and South Great George's Street
Two places in the city centre where the guide lists bars that stay open late at weekends.
Places to start
- 4 Dame Lane: leather booths and outdoor seating, open until 2.30 a.m. on Fridays and Saturdays
- NoLIta: an Italian-American cocktail bar with a garden terrace, also open until 2.30 a.m. at weekends
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Dancing
Dawson Street
A street with two late spots in the guide.
Places to start
- Café en Seine: five bars over three floors, dancing until 2.30 a.m. on Fridays and Saturdays
- 37 Dawson Street: several lounges and a whiskey bar with 37 Irish whiskeys, open until 2.30 a.m. most nights
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Hidden rooms
Around Wexford Street
Opium sits around Wexford Street, and the guide lists two more hidden-away bars.
Places to start
- Opium: three floors with DJs, theme nights and an Asian-influenced cocktail menu
- The Blind Pig: a 1920s-style speakeasy; the address arrives when you book a table
- House: a conservatory and a large garden, open until 2.30 a.m. Thursday to Sunday
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Trad sessions
Traditional music
Pubs where the session is the main event, so conversation happens between tunes.
Places to start
- The Brazen Head: nightly sessions starting at 9 p.m.
- O'Donoghues: on Merrion Row, with music on weeknights from 9 p.m. or from 5 p.m. on Saturdays
- The Cobblestone: in Smithfield, with music each weekend
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Trad pubs
North of the Liffey
Three more traditional music venues from the guide, for a first drink away from the Temple Bar streets.
Places to start
- The Cobblestone: in Smithfield
- The Celt: on Talbot Street
- Pipers Corner: on Marlborough Street
Places from Visit Dublin's late-night bars and traditional music guides. Opening times and session nights can change, so confirm them with the pub or bar.
Picture the night
Three Dublin evenings, from Temple Bar to a trad session
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Temple Bar
Music and cocktails
Cobbled streets, with music in the pubs from the afternoon on.
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A trad session
Traditional music
The Brazen Head, O'Donoghues or The Cobblestone, where the band fills any pause.
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Dawson Street
Dancing until late
Café en Seine and 37 Dawson Street, open until 2.30 a.m. at weekends.
What Joydate is
Joydate and a Dublin hookup: how it fits
Joydate is a site for adults who want something casual, from a one-off to friends with benefits. Joining is free; you say what you fancy and see who in Dublin and the towns around it wants the same.
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No reading the room
Members say on their profile what they want, so you know where you stand before you pick a pub for the first meet.
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Dublin, not your address
Your profile shows a username and your town. Your street, your workplace and your surname stay private.
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Real people, verified
A free ID check puts a Verified badge on genuine profiles; look for it before you say yes to a drink.
Join free and see who in Dublin fancies it How Joydate works
Before you go
First-meet tips for a Dublin hookup
Four habits that smooth out a first meet in Dublin.
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Know your night bus
Nitelink buses leave from D'Olier Street, Westmoreland Street and Aston Quay; look up your route on the Dublin Bus timetable before the second drink.
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Begin somewhere busy
Choose a place with other people around, such as Temple Bar, Dawson Street or a session at The Brazen Head, and tell a friend the plan.
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Choose music over noise
A trad session such as The Brazen Head's, which starts at 9 p.m., leaves room for chat between sets.
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Keep the chat on Joydate
Stay in Joydate's messages until you have met; Gardaí list moving the chat to another app early as a warning sign.
Joydate membership prices in Dublin
Signing up is free, and a Classic profile costs nothing to keep. For unlimited messaging you need VIP or VIP Plus, listed here in euro, with the total first and the weekly price below it.
| Plan length | VIP | VIP Plus |
|---|---|---|
| 1 week | €16.99 | €17.99 |
| 1 month | €34.24€7.99 a week | €38.53€8.99 a week |
| 3 months | €77.01€5.99 a week | €89.87€6.99 a week |
| 6 months | €102.60€3.99 a week | €128.31€4.99 a week |
| 12 months | €155.91€2.99 a week | €208.05€3.99 a week |
Plans from a week to six months renew on their own until you cancel; a 12-month plan is paid once and doesn't renew. See every plan in every currency.
Meeting safely in Dublin
- Pick a busy, public place. Choose somewhere with other people around, like Temple Bar, Dawson Street or a trad session; your profile only names Dublin. In an emergency, call 999 or 112.
- Getting home. Transport for Ireland lists twelve Nitelink routes leaving the city centre on Friday and Saturday nights, with fares of €2.40 on an adult Leap Card, and fifteen Dublin Bus routes that run 24 hours a day. Dublin Bus publishes the timetables.
- Getting tested. The HSE lists free sexual health services in Dublin, and says to contact a clinic directly for an appointment. They include the GUIDE Clinic at St James's Hospital, James's Street, Dublin 8 (01 416 2315), and the Sexual Health Clinic at the Mater Hospital, Eccles Street, Dublin 7 (01 803 2063); both take bookings online.
- Spotting scams. An Garda Síochána says warning signs include a stranger who moves the chat off the dating site, asks you many questions while answering few, builds intimacy quickly, mentions money trouble or keeps cancelling meetings. If you think you are a victim, contact any Garda station; reports are treated in confidence, and you should bring copies of messages and account details.
Questions about hookups and dating in Dublin
Where can you find a hookup in Dublin?
You can find a hookup in Dublin on Joydate. Open a free profile, see who is nearby in Dublin and the surrounding towns, and when you hit it off, suggest a drink on Dawson Street, in Temple Bar or at a music session.
Is Joydate an alternative to personals sites in Dublin?
Joydate can stand in for a personals site in Dublin, but it is built differently. A personals board is a pile of ads; Joydate centres on member profiles, with a free ID check that badges real accounts. Read the Doublelist comparison.
Which Dublin bars are open late at weekends?
The Dublin bars open late at weekends include 4 Dame Lane, Café en Seine and NoLIta, which Visit Dublin lists as open until 2.30 a.m. on Fridays and Saturdays, and House, open until 2.30 a.m. from Thursday to Sunday.
How much does Joydate cost in Dublin?
Joining Joydate in Dublin is free, and so is a Classic profile. A few messages a day are free; unlimited messaging needs VIP, which is €16.99 for a week or €2.99 a week on the 12-month plan. Compare the plans.
Where can you get tested for STIs in Dublin?
STI testing in Dublin is available at the clinics the HSE lists, for example the GUIDE Clinic at St James's Hospital and the Mater Hospital's Sexual Health Clinic. Both are free, and both accept online bookings.
How do you get home late at night in Dublin?
You get home late at night in Dublin on a Nitelink bus from the city centre on Fridays and Saturdays, or on one of the fifteen Dublin Bus routes that run 24 hours a day.