Night-time Advisor says the future looks bright for Dublin after dark
The Dublin Night-time Economy Advisor wants to “change the narrative” that Dublin streets aren’t safe and encourage people to embrace all the city has to offer after dark.Ray O’Donoghue became Dublin’s first Night-time Economy Advisor nearly two years ago and since then has endeavoured to transform the city’s after dark scene through a three-pillar strategy focused on cultural activity, transport and safety. Having spearheaded several successful initiatives over the past 20 months, Mr O’Donoghue believes that the city has been steadily catching up with other European capitals in terms of its late-night offerings.With a background in festival management running the day-to-day operations of Sea Sessions in Bundoran, Mr O’Donoghue is all too aware of the complexities of balancing cultural programming with public safety concerns. Kicking off his career as a DJ, he’s also got first-hand insight into the realities faced by artists, venues, and audiences navigating Dublin’s night-time landscape.While many might bemoan the diminishing offerings of Dublin after dark as they reminisce about the booming club scene of the 1980s and 1990s where venues like The Pod, Buck Whaleys, The Kitchen and Lillie’s Bordello reigned supreme, Mr O’Donoghue says the landscape has since shifted but that doesn’t mean that Dublin’s dead when it comes to nightlife.Rather, it has evolved into a more culture-led night-time economy that extends beyond nightclubs to include live music, late night cafes, theatre, food, and community events. “I’ve supported over 200 events since summer 2024 with over 200,000 people attending,” Mr O’Donoghue said.As a supporter of Dublin By Night Fest, Mr O’Donoghue helped electrify the city as 50,000 attendees revelled in the streets surrounded by live music, street vendors and food stalls. Events like St Patrick’s Cathedral: After Dark and Culture Night’s Late Venue Music Trail ensure there’s regularly landmark spectacles for those looking to embrace all the late-night economy has to offer.Music, culture and events may be the beating heart of a city’s nightlife, but none of this can run smoothly without proper transport infrastructure and this is an issue that has plagued Dubliners for years. With taxis often feeling too expensive or simply not being available at all and a serious lack of late night transport, many have opted to stay in rather than risk being left stranded on the streets in the early hours of the morning.Mr O’Donoghue admits that his powers are limited when it comes to transport but he has advocated for more routes and has seen 15 24-hour bus services, 12 Nitelinks, and helped promote late trains throughout December. His most recent initiative, Dublin Nights Mapped, which has just launched, has also teamed up with Freenow to provide with a 25% discount on journeys taken between 6pm and 12am using the promocode DUBMAPPED.This interactive map came after Google asked Mr O’Donoghue to curate a map and he soon realised “just how much there is to do in Dublin after 6pm that isn’t focused on alcohol.” While he stressed the map is “absolutely not anti-alcohol” as it also features venues selling alcohol, he said that it highlights fantastic alternatives for those looking for something different, whether that’s “a late cafe, a cultural event, indoor golf, pottery painting, or simply walking around the city and seeing it differently.”Mr O’Donoghue is passionate about all that Dublin has to offer and said it’s important to move away from the narrative that the streets aren’t safe and encourage people to get out more. “Every city has their edge, and every city has issues. During COVID 24% of people said they felt safe in the city at night-time. Now we’re up to around 40%,” he explained.“Globally, Dublin is a safe city. I bring international delegates over here and they say this city is amazing and it’s 100% true. I think we can be a bit hard on ourselves as Dubliners and as Irish.”Safety is a central component of one of Mr O’Donough’s flagship projects, the Dublin Nights Help Zone, affectionately known as the ‘Nee-Naw.’ This pilot programme was based primarily on Camden Street and was staffed by a dedicated team of medics, a welfare officer, and trained security staff.As a service intended to support people on their night out whether through medical assistance, welfare support, or general help such as directions, water or flip flops, the presence of such a service gave people a safe space on the streets after dark. While Mr O’Donoghue still has to bring the project to tender to re-establish it on a more permanent basis, he’s confident the Nee-Naw will return in 2026.With the Nee-Naw often serving as a meeting space for people during a night out, Mr O’Donoghue said it's great to see how his night-time initiatives are being embraced and absorbed into the fabric of the city’s after dark scene. "I want to take things to the next level and we now have premises on Camden Street where we can have an information shop, workshops, training, and mini performances,” he said.He also stresses that it's important to provide the kind of night-time environment that people are actually looking for and that plenty of young people are drinking less these days and more interested in vibrant, inclusive, and sober-friendly environments. “The culture has changed and people seem to be going to more big one-off events as opposed to regular clubbing,” he said.One major topic of conversation in recent years relating to the night-time economy relates to late licenses for bars and clubs. While there had been reports the government was due to sign legislation allowing for nightclubs to stay open until 6am, this has yet to be enacted.“I think there should be a choice there. Every capital city in the EU has places open until 5am at a minimum,” Mr O’Donoghue said. He argued that a staggered approach to closing times throughout the night would actually make the streets safer, as people would not all be competing for the same taxis as everyone is collectively booted out the nightclub at 2:30am.“It’s not about how late we stay open, it is about how we wind down. I think we are a little bit set in our ways and need to be similar to other European cities. Even if young people are drinking less, they like to go out and they like to go dancing,” he said.Having already made some major strides as the first ever Night-time Economy Advisor, Mr O’Donoghue believes the future looks bright for Dublin after dark and is keen to continue to shine a light on all the city has to offer.This content is funded by the Local Democracy Reporting SchemeJoin our Dublin Live breaking news service on WhatsApp. Click this link to receive your daily dose of Dublin Live content. 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