Open House Dublin festival bringing events for all to Fingal 

Open House, the free festival of architecture brought to you annually by the Irish Architecture Foundation, takes place across Dublin city and county, including in Fingal, over nine days from 12th to 20th October. 

A Georgian mansion tour of Newbridge House, Donabate, guided tours of the historic glasshouses in the gardens of Ardgillan Castle and a tour of the refurbished Carnegie Free Library that has provided Swords with a new arts space.

These are just some of the event highlights taking place for this year’s festival. With the support of Fingal County Council, ambitious restoration works, recently completed public and social housing projects, and examples of Ireland’s grandest historic buildings, will open to the public, offering free guided tours for Open House Dublin next month. 

Overall, the programme for 2024 features more than 200 events for everyone to experience free of charge this October, with guided tours of buildings, outdoor spaces and private houses, conversations on current topics, exhibitions, architects’ studio visits, workshops and more on the line-up. 

This year’s Open House Dublin will start with a dedicated Junior Weekend for children and families on the 12th and 13th of October, with the main programme of events, including tours of buildings, outdoor spaces and residences taking place from 18th to 20th October.

In between, a number of innovative events will be taking place, including at the OHD Info Hub located this year at Charlemont Walk, Dublin 2.  

This year’s Open House Dublin is inviting people to take a second look at familiar places and to consider if they themselves are reflected in the built environment, architecture and infrastructure of Dublin city and county, including in relation to essential aspects such as transport and housing, as well as recreational and green spaces. 

Also on the line-up in Fingal are tours of recently completed social housing at Bowden Court, Swords, and public housing at Monastery Court, Lusk, designed by Fingal County Council’s Architects Department. 

On a guided tour of Malahide Castle and the Great Hall, visitors will get a chance to explore the private rooms, furniture and art collections within the castle.

There will also be a tour of the conservation works completed over the last seven years at Swords Castle. 

As part of this year’s Junior Weekend, children and teens will have the opportunity to create their own miniature dream homes, spaces or places to play, at arts and crafts workshops hosted by visual art facilitator Kim Jenkinson, in Balbriggan Library and Rush Library. 

Tours in Fingal also feature the newly completed Meakstown Community Centre that’s nestled into the south-eastern corner of Lanesborough Park. 

Welcoming the announcement of the programme of events for Open House Dublin 2024, Fionnuala May, County Architect, Fingal County Council said: “We’re looking forward to opening up a selection of Fingal’s public buildings and housing schemes, public spaces, and civic amenities for everyone to visit during Open House Dublin this October.

“We’re pleased to announce new tours this year, such as the recently completed Meakstown Community Centre, Bowden Court in Swords and Monastery Court in Lusk, and to welcome the return of historical favourites, like tours of Ardgillan Castle, Newbridge House and Malahide Castle. There really will be something for everyone.” 

Themed Events  

Open House Dublin is part of Open House Europe, a collaborative network of 12 festivals, which has a theme of access and inclusion for 2024. Events that reflect this theme are taking place elsewhere on the Open House Dublin programme including tactile tours with 3D models for people with visual impairment, developed with architect Tadhg Charles and Emilie Conway, a visually impaired artist and art activist, on 20th October at the Royal College of Surgeons of Ireland and the Museum of Literature of Ireland (MOLI).

The workshop Drawing and Writing in the City will explore buildings and spaces through smell, touch, hearing, taste and sight on 19th September, while Irish Sign Language tours will also be happening at several locations during the festival. 

2024 programme highlights  

New programme strand Open Studios will see 12 studios and offices of architects dotted around Dublin city and county opening their doors to the public and giving behind-the-scenes access to how architects design Dublin and its buildings, between the 15th and 20th October.  

A LEGO? competition will run online as part of the festival, inviting children everywhere to get building, with special prizes up for grabs.

For people who like surprises, a Mystery Tour has been added this year of an OPW-owned building on 19th October. 

Announcing this year’s programme for Open House Dublin, Emmett Scanlon, director of the Irish Architecture Foundation, said: “For the Irish Architecture Foundation, Open House Dublin is our invitation, open to all, to hold a mirror to the county and city and together face what we see.

“I am certain this year, at our nineteenth edition, thousands of people of all ages will go on tours, experiencing Dublin’s architectural marvels and triumphs, past and present; thousands more will bear witness to the work of strong, diverse, communities, champions of their place, who continue to be the foundations upon which the very best of Dublin is built.

“From the runway to the greenway, to the harbour to the home, I hope you all join us at this year’s Open House Dublin.” 

All Open House Dublin events are free.

Pre-booking is required for some events.

Pre-booking for ticketed events opens at 9:00am on the 19th September on www.OpenHouseDublin.com, where full details of the programme, including which events require pre-booking, can be found.