How Independent Organisations Are Reclaiming Event Spaces in the Irish Capital
Author: Jamie Noone
Dublin’s independent music scene is fighting back against commercialisation, reclaiming spaces for artists to experiment, connect, and thrive. House of Hibernia, an independent guerrilla event collective, is at the forefront—staging secret shows in unconventional locations, from warehouses to Wicklow’s hills. As major venues fall under corporate branding, grassroots movements like this prove that Dublin’s creative energy remains as defiant and dynamic as ever.
© Kate Lawlor
Dublin has always been known for producing a high calibre of artists, from Thin Lizzy to the Dubliners to Sinead O’Connor or Fontaines D.C. These artists cut their teeth in the pubs, clubs, and halls that sprawled across the Hibernian capital, experimenting or honing in their live sound. Whether it was O’Donoghue’s Pub for the Dubliners or the Silver Spoon Hall for Lizzy, these venues played an integral role. They provided crucial spaces for these artists to build audiences and develop their craft.
Independents Fighting Commercialisation
Today, Dublin is a new landscape with venues across the city having undergone a sort of commercialisation, characterised by the aggressive interest of private corporations in culture. Look no further than two of the city's iconic venues, formerly known as ‘The Point’ and simply ‘The Olympia,’ now named The 3 Arena and the 3 Olympia–the ‘3’ representing the mobile phone network ‘3 Mobile’. There are various arguments that the quantity and quality of venue spaces in Dublin are becoming an increasingly apparent issue, with artists either playing the same venues or being proxy endorsed by brands for their live art. However, several guerrilla gigs have been made by independent organisations to reclaim the spaces that artists hold dear and generally need to reach a wider audience.
One of the organisations challenging the status quo in Dublin is House of Hibernia. Founded in 2021, this independent, guerrilla event organisation has hosted shows and performances in places such as the frosty hills of Wicklow, underneath motorways, and even a warehouse. The endearing charm of these events is that the location isn’t revealed until the day of the performance. People are usually transported to the venue by a bus organised by House of Hibernia themselves. Recently, they have reached the milestone of their third birthday, and intend to celebrate this achievement by hosting the ‘Alt-Jazz night of the year’.
I sat down with the main organiser, known as Schaymon ‘the schemin’ demon’ Dreymon. I started by asking: “What was the main reason for setting up House of Hibernia?”
Dreymon: “It changes because there’s never ever one sole reason you know? Like for starting a business or brand or a collective, it could be any, just like having an idea for so long, it kind of comes to you from seeing the absence of it. And you recurrently keep seeing things that piss you off and those things that do piss you off could be resolved with a fresh idea. There’s no curation at a lot of events. So, all these nuances and frustrations from going out and being in Dublin and being integrated into all the different arts and culture and knowing so many people that are making so many cool things and just feeling like I could do a little bit better, do something different.”
© Kate Lawlor
Keeping Dublin’s Scene Dynamic
When discussing the venue landscape in Dublin, there was a sense that nostalgia had no room in the conversation. Prodding at this by asking: “What venue do you miss most in Ireland?”
Dreymon: “Why can’t we just rebuild? You can still occupy another building. That’s what I don’t get this whole idea of ‘the nightlife is dying’ because this place is closing down. And then that’s it? Every empire is always turned into something else afterwards, I mean everything can shift after.”
Underground music culture, in Dublin at least, has rarely allowed nostalgia to take centre stage. In order for new, dynamic and exciting events and scenes to emerge, there must be an eye firmly on the future, and a way to alleviate the conditions of the present. I wanted to find out what House of Hibernia is in particular, trying to pinpoint its appeal and individuality, I asked: “What sort of energy makes it exclusively a House of Hibernia show? What characteristics can you pick out?”
Dreymon: “I think the whole idea of these events is kind of trying to regain childhood wonder and trails of curiosity, you know? Yeah, I think regardless if it’s not in a guerilla location, whether it’s somewhere really obscure or if it’s in a venue, I still want to keep people on their toes in regards to acts. Like the last one, we did it in a venue, that one was a puppet show. It could be in a privileged location but you’ve to just make it the best show possible.”
Walking away from the conversation, there is a sense that variation and innovation are central to the path that House of Hibernia is definitely paving. One can see in event organisations such as this a way of guiding people toward spaces that are free from the usual commercialisation and unaffordability that can be found in many spaces in Dublin. Independent event organisations such as House of Hibernia will undoubtedly play a crucial role in providing platforms for artists and performers.
© Kate Lawlor
At a time when the cost of living is constantly rising, collective action can be a resource to mitigate its impact. Gigs will always be the space where connection and experimentation are felt between the artists and the audience. There is hope, however, in the work being done in the underground scene. Thanks to House of Hibernia and organisations/collectives such as Bitten Twice Collective, Dublin Digital Radio and others in the city, venues can imagine an independent future without surrendering to commercialisation, artists can thrive and the scene will survive, the art can flourish and the audience can connect.
*A guerrilla gig is a type of concert performed in a non-traditional setting or arranged in an unusual fashion.
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Published on February 4th, 2025
About the author:
Jamie Noone is a freelance writer from Dublin, Ireland, based in Berlin, Germany. Specifically writing about underground music scenes across Europe and beyond.