Dancefloors of the past: A look back at Dublin's nightclub scene (2025)

Getting dolled up to the nines, dancing until the early hours of the morning and hoping to get the shift- all fond memories we all have from some of Dublin's late-night haunts.

The seventies, eighties, nineties and noughties saw dozens of these places spring up all over the country.

Some lasted and some didn't, but here are some jems we miss, places that remind us of our wild youth, favourite songs and sore feet from dancing the night away.

By the seventies, Dublin was a swinging hotspot. Ballrooms changed into discos to keep up with the young trend. The Four Provinces on Harcourt Street transformed into the Television while the Crystal Ballroom, located on South Anne Street, became McGonagles

Government laws enforced strict licensing laws stating that each place must have a 'substantial meal' available. So where there was a DJ, there would be a curry stand, burger joint, or hotdog stand nearby - and after a night on the dance floor and a good few drinks, this was welcomed by many. We have fond memories of the curry in Hollywood Nights on the Stillorgan dual carriageway.

And while Copper Face Jacks in the nineties, noughties and even now is known as the place where romance can blossom, back in the day, Zhivagos off Baggot Street had their own love slogan: 'Love stories begin.' Closing in 1987, this was soon the grounds for The Sunday Tribune, after the paper's closure was transformed into houses and a gym.

Enter the 1980s, where Friday and Saturday nights saw an influx of young people head to some of the best places north and south of the River Liffey. Joys of Baggot Street was the place to be at 4am when you were looking for a sugar daddy or over a certain age.

Tamangos opened its doors in Portmarnock, North Dublin and created the slogan 'where the gang goes' and for those on the South Side, Blinkers (later Club 92) in Leopardstown racecourse was the place to be. The Kitchen in the Clarence Hotel was another hot spot before it closed in 2002.

Paparazzi will bring it all back for a particular generation. Located on the Marine Road in Dun Laoghaire. According to those online, who would often frequent the establishment, it was open six nights a week (closed on Monday). For those who were short of time for a Sunday drink, they were only £2 - what a bargain!

Buck Whaley's was another hot spot, and when it was announced that it was closing its doors, the Dublin huns were crying. Located on Leeson Street, the club was famous for its multi coloured dance floor.

Celebrities were known to hang out in it for very late night drinks, but in 2015, it was rebranded as the Stone Leaf Bar and Terrace. By 2017, it was up on the market 2017 for €2.75m.

The basements of houses on Leeson Street, Harcourt Street and Lower Baggot Street were slowly being transformed into trendy disco bars- remember Maxwell Plums, Strings and Bojangles?

By the nineties, the country was on the cusp of the Celtic Tiger years. With money beginning to flow, celebrities would touch down from time to time, and there was only one place to be: Lillies Bordello- hard to get into, but if you did, you were guaranteed a night of fun and possibly bumping into a random celebrity.

Kicking off in 1991, it shut down in 2019 to many people's disappointment. Defined as the epicentre of Dublin's nightlife, many stars over the years frequented the popular spot. Krystle nightclub on Harcourt Street would soon take its place.

Some places really tried to think outside the box when it came to special nights, and Bondi Beach Club was one of them. With two locations, one on Ormond Quay and the other in Stillorgan, from time to time, the dance floors were covered in sand, and wild foam parties were a must. But all this came to an end in 2011.

Music in the nineties was diverse. If you liked to rave well, the Pod (1993) found on Harcourt Street where the old train station once stood was the place to be.

Renards was one of the hottest places off Dawson street for a very long time. Run by Robbie Fox for 17 years it closed it doors in 2009 as debts mounted but for a long time this was the place to be seen and even before it opeend it was hugely popular as the Pink Elepant which served legendary cocktails in tall glasses.

Meanwhile the Pod was soon converted into a new venue called Redbox and by the time the noughties came around, the name Tripod was on everyone's lips.

2012 brought great sadness to many clubgoers as, like so many other venues around the country, the club closed its doors.

Those who were rockers had their own venues with their type of music with The Underground (Dame Street), the Baggot Inn, the SFX (Dorset Street) and the Olympic Ballroom(Pleasant Street.)

LGBTQ clubs began to spring up in the city as well. Flikkers was located in the basement of the National LGBT Federation's Hirschfeld Centre in Temple Bar. The Shaft sprang up in the early nineties on Ely place, there was also Sides DC on Dame Lane, The Dragon (Georges Street), which closed its doors in 2015.

On the outskirts of the city, Club Life or as many people would have called it, Lautrex, was a hot spot for those willing to jump on the train (yes, there was no DART back then) to the coastal town of Greystones.

Opening its doors in 1992, the venue had the pub Benigans beside it for those who wanted a few beers or to play a bit of pool before heading in. Over the years many stars performed at the venue including Aslan, Westlife (in their very early days) and Katie Price aka Jordan once visited the establishment. Closing in 2006, the town has since tried to open different venues around the town but nothing will ever match nights out at Lautrex.

Did you know Killiney Castle had a nightclub? Jesters was the place to be in the late eighties, early nineties. With the best DJ's around it was one place you were guaranteed to get 'the shift for posh Killiney folk.

Some called it a club; others had different names for this venue that opened up on Parnell Street in the early noughties.

Yes, Stringfellows Club, located on the north side of the city, cause huge controversy, with protestors spending hours each day outside with, calling for its closure.

For those who may not have been around, Stringfellows was a strip bar and, for locals in the area, a little too 'out there' for their liking.

At the time, 2005, Ireland had plenty of money, or what many refer to as the Celtic Tiger era, and Peter Stringfellow took full advantage of this.

However, he was no match for the Irish people, and after just five months of its opening, it was forced to close due to large objections from people.

For the late eighties babies and some early nineties, the noughties the likes of Bar Code located in Clontarf (famous frozen daiquiris), XX1 Twentyone Club, on D' Olier Street.

What made it perfect for young adults was that if you were sick of dancing, you could head upstairs to the arcade, which had a range of games and pool tables.

Withn so many exciting dancefloors cropping up in Dublin, it is sad to see some of the best spots closed down, but when one set of doors closes, another opens, generally another hot spot for making memories.