Meeting People in Dublin: Where to Go

Meeting people in a city is easier when you attend a recurring event: a language exchange on Monday, a games night on Tuesday, a drawing outing every Sunday. You see the same faces again, and a stranger quickly becomes someone you know. This guide only lists events that the organiser describes on its own page.

The options at a glance

Name	Area, venue	Format	When	Price (year)	Signing up
Language Exchange Ireland	River Bar, Burgh Quay; the Arlington, Bachelors Walk	Language exchange, switching every five minutes between English and another language	Monday and Thursday at the River Bar, Wednesday at the Arlington, 6:30 pm	7 €, or 6 € with a student card (2026)	No booking, just come
Pop Up Gaeltacht	Naul, County Dublin, Séamus Ennis Arts Centre	Café and conversation in Irish	Roughly once a month, on a Thursday	Free (2026)	Booking required
Board Games Ireland	The Black Sheep, Capel Street, and other venues	Board games, rules explained	Sunday from 1:15 pm, other days at other venues	Free, please order something at the venue (2026)	An RSVP on Meetup helps
Friendly Dublin Hangouts	Temple Bar, Wild Duck	Icebreaker and party games	Tuesday, 7 pm	10 € with a drink (2026)	Pay at the venue
Quality Time Dublin	Marlin Hotel, Bow Lane	Boardgames Sunday, open tables	One Sunday afternoon a month	5 € at the door (2026)	RSVP on Meetup
Inchicore for All Games Night	Inchicore, Small Changes	Board games, open to the community	Third Tuesday of the month, 7:30 to 9:30 pm	Free (2026)	No booking mentioned
Dublin Sketchers	Venues vary	Drawing together, then a drink and a chat	Sunday, drawing from 2 pm	Not stated	Just come along
TOG Open Social	Dublin 12, TOG Hackerspace, Kylemore Road	Open evening at a hackerspace	Roughly once a month, on a Saturday	Free for the latest one (2026)	Online booking for the latest one
Dublin Salsa Academy	Dublin 1, Harbourmaster, IFSC	Salsa and bachata courses for beginners	Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday, four-week courses	From 45 € for four weeks (2026)	Book online
Timeleft	Venues vary	Dinner, coffee or walk with four to six strangers	Dinner Wednesday and Friday, coffee Saturday, walk Sunday	Dinners: subscription, plus food and drinks (2026); other activities not stated	In the app

"Not stated" means we found no price, not that it costs money.

Talking

Language Exchange Ireland (River Bar and the Arlington)

A language exchange where you switch every five minutes between English and the language you are practising, for example Spanish, French, Portuguese, German, Italian, Japanese or Chinese. All levels are welcome. It takes place on Mondays and Thursdays at the River Bar on Burgh Quay, and on Wednesdays at the Arlington on Bachelors Walk, each time at 6:30 pm. You don't need to sign up in advance; you just come. Taking part costs 7 €, or 6 € with a student card (2026). Language Exchange Ireland on Meetup

Pop Up Gaeltacht (Séamus Ennis Arts Centre, Naul)

A café and conversation group in Irish at the Séamus Ennis Arts Centre in Naul, County Dublin, outside the city centre. According to the organiser, it is for fluent speakers, learners and anyone curious about the language. It takes place roughly once a month, on a Thursday; the dates are on the arts centre's page. It is free, but you need to book a place (2026). Séamus Ennis Arts Centre events

Playing

Board Games Ireland (The Black Sheep, Capel Street, and other venues)

Board game meet-ups where the rules are explained and newcomers are welcome. On Sundays, the group plays from 1:15 pm at The Black Sheep on Capel Street, and on other days of the week at other venues; the dates are on Meetup, where an RSVP helps. Taking part is free; the organiser asks you to support the venue by ordering food or drinks (2026). Board Games Ireland on Meetup

Friendly Dublin Hangouts (Wild Duck, Temple Bar)

On Tuesdays at 7 pm, at the Wild Duck in Temple Bar, people get together over icebreaker and party games that, according to the organiser, are easy to learn. A ticket costs 10 € and includes a drink; you pay at the venue (2026). Friendly Dublin Hangouts on Meetup

Quality Time Dublin (Marlin Hotel, Bow Lane)

Quality Time Dublin holds its Boardgames Sunday, with open tables and games, one Sunday afternoon a month at the Marlin Hotel on Bow Lane. RSVP on Meetup and pay 5 € at the door (2026). Quality Time Dublin on Meetup

Inchicore for All Games Night (Small Changes, Inchicore)

A games night at Small Changes in Inchicore, on the third Tuesday of the month from 7:30 to 9:30 pm. According to the page, it is open to the community and free (2026); it does not mention booking. Inchicore for All Games Night

Making things

Dublin Sketchers (venues vary)

A group that meets every Sunday to draw together at a different place in Dublin: drawing starts at 2 pm, and afterwards there is time to talk over a drink. According to the group, you can simply join in, even the first time. Each Sunday's meeting place is announced on the blog. No price is given. dublinsketchers.blogspot.com

TOG Open Social (TOG Hackerspace, Dublin 12)

TOG is a hackerspace on Kylemore Road, in Dublin 12. At the TOG Open Social, visitors can meet members and other guests and look at the projects. It takes place roughly once a month on a Saturday, often around the third Saturday; check the website for the next one. The latest listing offers free entry and online booking (2026); check the next listing for booking details. tog.ie

Dancing

Dublin Salsa Academy (Harbourmaster, IFSC)

Beginners' courses in salsa and bachata at the Harbourmaster, in the IFSC in Dublin 1. Classes take place weekly on Mondays, Tuesdays and Wednesdays, and a beginners' course lasts four weeks. You need no dance experience and no partner. The starter package costs from 45 € for four weeks (2026); you book online. Dublin Salsa Academy

Sharing a table with strangers

Timeleft (venues vary)

An app that brings you together with four to six people you don't know yet. In Dublin, there are dinners on Wednesdays and Fridays, coffee meet-ups on Saturdays and walks on Sundays. You can book on your own, up to 13 hours beforehand. For the dinners you need a subscription, whose price is shown in the app, and you pay for what you eat and drink (2026). timeleft.com/dublin

Going alone

A shared activity makes it easier to start talking, because it gives you something to talk about: the language, the game, the drawing. The first evening is often the most awkward, and each time you come back, you are more likely to see familiar faces.

Good openers are deliberately ordinary: "Is this your first time too?", "How did you find out about it?", "Do you know this game already?" Ask one follow-up question and listen to the answer.

Making plans to meet again

A good conversation does not turn into a second meeting on its own. Before you leave, suggest something concrete: "Are you coming to the language exchange again on Thursday?" or "I'm going to the board games on Sunday, want to come?" A specific suggestion is easier to answer than "We should do something sometime".

Try it this week

• Pick one format from the table above
• Put the date in your calendar and check it on the organiser's page
• Arrive five minutes early and talk to one person
• Before you leave, suggest a specific plan to meet again

For organisers

If you host evenings like these, you know the moment: people get on well and then lose touch. before is a web app for organisers. Guests check in at the door with a QR code in their browser, without installing an app, and anyone who likes takes a selfie. The day after, the afterparty is open from 10 am to 8 pm. Anyone who shared a selfie sees everyone else who shared one there and can press the button for meeting again for up to five people. At 8 pm everyone finds out at the same time who wants to see each other again, and only then does a chat open. One-sided wishes stay invisible, and nobody receives a rejection. Nobody needs a profile. More on the page before for organisers.