Overview
George’s Street Arcade is a covered Victorian market on South Great George’s Street in Dublin 2. It has been trading since 1881, and its red-brick Gothic front looks nothing like the shops around it. It opened as the South City Market, filling much of the block between South Great George’s Street and Fade, Drury and Exchequer Streets, with a vaulted glass roof pitched over rows of stalls. Independent traders still work side by side inside, from record shops to jewellers to food counters. Entry is free, it’s covered, and it’s a short walk from Grafton Street, which makes it a good hour when the Dublin weather turns.
History
The market first opened in 1881 as the South City Market. On 27 August 1892 a fire gutted the interior. Nobody was killed, but many stallholders had no insurance on their stock and a public relief fund was set up to help them back on their feet. William Henry Byrne oversaw the rebuild using local labour, keeping the exterior and adding the brick-fronted units inside, and the arcade reopened on 13 September 1894. It has traded ever since, keeping the Victorian shell intact while the list of traders turns over.
What to see and do
Independent shops and curios
The appeal is the small traders, not the building. Expect vintage clothes, records, second-hand books, jewellery, homeware, textiles, coins and collectables. Stalls change over time, so the traders’ directory is a better guide to individual shops than any list here. If you are making the trip for one stall, check with the trader first.
Start at the George’s Street arch and walk through towards Drury Street. Look up as you cross the central aisle for a view of the roof and the brick arches above the stalls.
Food and drink
There are food and drink counters inside, with coffee, pizza, juices, pastries and sandwiches among the usual choices. Seating is limited, so most people take away.
When to go, and one caveat
The stalls keep their own hours, and some close for lunch, so a very early or very quiet visit can find a chunk of the arcade shuttered even when the doors are open. Mid-morning midweek is the sweet spot: enough open to be worth it, few enough people to actually browse, and soft light coming through the glass roof if you’re there for photos. Give it 60 to 90 minutes.
Events and seasonal markets
The arcade has hosted pop-up exhibitions, craft workshops and acoustic music in the central atrium, and a Christmas market in December. Check the official website for what’s on before you go.
Practical information
- Opening hours: the operator’s opening-hours page lists 9am–6pm Monday to Wednesday, 9am–7pm Thursday to Saturday and 11am–6pm Sunday. Its newer site shows different hours on some days, so confirm directly if you plan to arrive at opening or closing time, particularly on Sunday. Individual shops vary.
- Location: South Great George’s Street, Dublin 2, in the block between Fade, Drury and Exchequer Streets.
- Getting there: the arcade is a short walk from St Stephen’s Green and the city-centre Luas stops, and from Tara Street DART station. Check current Dublin Bus and Luas timetables for your route.
- Parking: on-street parking is restricted. Check rates at the nearest city-centre car parks before you drive in.
- Accessibility: if you need step-free access to a particular shop, ask the trader about their entrance.
- Admission: free.
Nearby
Everything worth pairing it with is within a short walk: Grafton Street and its street performers, the cobbles and pubs of Temple Bar, St Stephen’s Green, Dublin Castle and Trinity College. The Abbey Theatre, Ireland’s national theatre, is across the Liffey.
For a made-in-Ireland gift, the craft and jewellery stalls here are worth a look before the souvenir shops, and you can be in and out in the time it takes the rain to pass.