Abbey Theatre

Abbey Theatre is a national theatre company in Dublin and occupies a modern building on Lower Abbey Street. The venue includes a main stage with more than 600 seats and a smaller studio for experimental productions.

William Butler Yeats and Lady Gregory established the institution in 1904 as a home for Irish drama. Two decades later it gained recognition as the first publicly funded theatre in the English-speaking world.

The theatre takes its name from an abbey that once stood on the site and became a central space for Irish dramatic art. Visitors experience regular productions in the Irish language alongside English performances, reflecting the country's bilingual tradition.

The entrance sits centrally in the city center and is easy to reach from main streets. For people with limited mobility there are lifts and accessible seating areas available.

A play from 1907 sparked loud protests in the auditorium because it portrayed rural Irish people in ways that many found offensive at the time. These events entered history as a theatre revolt and brought international attention to the venue.

Location: Dublin

Inception: December 27, 1904

Industry: creative industries

Address: 26 Lower Abbey Street, Dublin

Website: http://abbeytheatre.ie

GPS coordinates: 53.34833,-6.25722

Latest update: December 5, 2025 22:23