abbey theatre

The National Theatre comprises the world famous Abbey and Peacock Theatres. Founded in 1904, by the poet William Butler Yeats, Lady Gregory and Edward Martyn, the theatre stands today on its original site at the corner of Abbey Street. Since its opening of On Baile's Strand by W B Yeats, the theatre quickly gained an impression on audiences with plays such as The Playboy of The Western World by J M Synge (which caused a riot on its opening performance), The Whiteheaded Boy by Lennox Robinson (1916), The Shadow of a Gunman (1923) and The Plough and the Stars by Sean O'Casey (1926).

The Abbey Theatre continues to attract critical acclaim at home and abroad for its productions including Dancing at Lughnasa by Brian Friel, Observe the Sons of Ulster Marching Towards the Somme by Frank McGuinness and The Wake by Tom Murphy.

The prime objective of the National Theatre is to provide a performance space for Irish dramatic writing, the revitalisation of plays from the Irish repertoire and to present classics of the European and world stages.