
Greetings from Third Castle
More festival action!
Dublin Theatre Festival continues, with Druid's A Moon for the Misbegotten at the Gaiety on Saturday, Let Me In at Smock Alley on Sunday and 4.48 Psychosis starting its run at Project Arts Centre on Tuesday.
Improv Fest Dublin fills the Teachers Club from Wednesday to Saturday, and Ólafur Arnalds has three shows at the National Concert Hall over the weekend. Matilda the Musical is at the Bord Gáis Energy Theatre.
This is our pick of what's on this week. As always for a full event list check out the link at the bottom of the email.
Let's dive in 👇
EVENT HIGHLIGHTS

Improv Fest Dublin
Wednesday 30 September to Saturday 3 October · Evening shows · Teachers Club
Billed as Ireland's original international festival of improvised theatre and comedy, the Dublin leg puts Irish and international acts on stage at the Teachers Club Theatre each evening, with a Festival Jam in the late show on Thursday and Friday. Workshops are taught by Navaris Darson, Courtney Pong, Alan Pakosz, Maro Lesioti and Diana Brown.
A Moon for the Misbegotten
Saturday 3 October · 14:00 & 19:30 · Gaiety Theatre
Eugene O'Neill's sequel to Long Day's Journey into Night is set over one day and night in rural Connecticut, where Josie Hogan and James Tyrone each long for escape, she from her life and he from his loss. Druid's production is directed by Garry Hynes, with Marty Rea, Eileen Walsh, Lorcan Cranitch and Rory Nolan in the cast.
Ólafur Arnalds: Falling Apart Together
Saturday 3 & Sunday 4 October · 20:00 · National Concert Hall
The show is described as "an attempt at dismantling the distance between us", built around vulnerability and shared human connection. Past and new compositions are played alongside a team of musicians and craftspeople. Presented by Foggy Notions.
Irish Roulette 1.0
Tuesday 29 September · 19:00 to 23:30 · The Grand Social
Five acts are on the bill with no announced running order, and an audience member spins a wheel to decide who goes on next. The lineup is Soft Rules, Conor Kinsella, Saol, Punter and The Psychs, with Sean FitzGerald of Raiders Comedy Club as MC.
Lute
Wednesday 30 September · 20:00 · The Grand Social
Grammy-nominated Dreamville artist Lute is on his debut international headline tour, and this Dublin date is presented by Foggy Notions.

Glasshouse presents Old Town: The Songs of Philip Lynott
Thursday 1 October · 20:00 · National Concert Hall
This MusicTown 2026 concert from the Irish contemporary classical group Glasshouse draws on Philip Lynott's solo albums Solo in Soho and The Philip Lynott Album, plus selected Thin Lizzy songs. Naoise Dack is musical director, and the guest vocalists are SexyTadhg, Iona Lynch of The Cliffords, Toshin and Paddy Hanna.
NSOI: Ivanov plays Tchaikovsky's Piano Concerto No. 1
Friday 2 October · 19:30 · National Concert Hall
John Wilson conducts the National Symphony Orchestra Ireland in a programme that opens with Grażyna Bacewicz's Overture and ends with Rachmaninov's Symphony No. 3. In between, Emanuil Ivanov, the 2019 winner of the Busoni International Piano Competition, is the soloist in Tchaikovsky's first piano concerto.

Queen of the Night: A Tribute to Whitney Houston
Friday 2 October · 20:00 · 3Olympia Theatre
A live band, vocalists and choreography cover Whitney Houston's hits from three decades, among them I Wanna Dance with Somebody, One Moment in Time and I Will Always Love You. The production is independent and not affiliated with her estate.
DJ Krush
Saturday 3 October · 19:30 · The Sugar Club
The Sugar Club describes the Japanese producer and DJ as one of the most influential figures in instrumental hip-hop and trip-hop. His sound mixes hip-hop beats with jazz, ambient textures and traditional Japanese influences into cinematic soundscapes, and Djackulate supports.

Whole Lotta Zepp
Saturday 3 October · 19:00 · 3Olympia Theatre
At least ten Irish musicians recreate Led Zeppelin's music as it sounds on the recorded albums, with three drummers on three drum sets as their trademark.

Take It To The Limit: A Celebration of the Eagles
Sunday 4 October · 19:30 · Vicar Street
Eagles classics including Hotel California, Take It Easy, New Kid in Town and Desperado are performed by a ten-piece group. Johnny Brady, Simon Casey and Nigel Connell are joined by The Sheerin Family Band, six brothers.
14 Henrietta Street: Offsite Guided Tour
Wednesday 30 September · 11:00 · 14 Henrietta Street
The RDS runs this guided tour of 14 Henrietta Street, on a street it describes as the most intact collection of early to mid-18th-century houses in Ireland. Houses went up from the 1720s for Dublin's wealthiest families, and by 1911 over 850 people lived on the street, more than 100 of them in this one house. The 70-minute tour follows tenement life through the building, with tea, coffee and scones at the nearby café Glas at 10:00 beforehand.

Naomi Klein and Astra Taylor: End Times Fascism
Friday 2 October · 19:00 · RDS
Dublin Book Festival hosts the two authors in conversation about their book on the growing far-right movement and how to build a collective response. Journalist Sally Hayden moderates.
National Gallery of Ireland Irish History Tour
Sunday 4 October · 11:30 to 12:30 · National Gallery of Ireland
This guided tour of the national collection follows Irish history through portraits of key figures and depictions or artistic interpretations of historical events. It is part of the Dublin Festival of History, and the guide meets the group in the Courtyard near the Merrion Square information desk.
Let Me In
Sunday 4 October · 18:30 · Smock Alley
Esosa Ighodaro writes and directs this new play, set in contemporary Ireland, where welcome is offered but belonging is negotiated daily. Lola is a firefighter in every part of her life. The city is on fire and she needs rest, but it is almost Seán's birthday and his friends are coming over. The play runs 75 minutes with no interval.
4.48 Psychosis
Tuesday 6 - Sunday 11 October · Project Arts Centre (Cube)
Sarah Kane's play is staged by Once Off Productions with Dublin Theatre Festival, directed by Tom Creed, with Marty Rea as the performer. It runs 72 minutes with no interval and continues after these dates until Saturday 17 October. The production carries content warnings for strong language and references to depression, psychosis, self-harm and suicide.

Matilda the Musical
Tuesday 29 September to Tuesday 6 October · Bord Gáis Energy Theatre
This Royal Shakespeare Company musical is based on Roald Dahl's novel about an extraordinary little girl who uses her vivid imagination and sharp mind to take a stand. Dennis Kelly wrote the book, and Tim Minchin wrote the music and lyrics. The show runs 2 hours 35 minutes, including one interval.
Dublin Mind Body Experience
Friday 2 to Sunday 4 October · Friday 16:00 to 20:00, Saturday and Sunday 10:00 to 19:00 · RDS Hall 4
A holistic health show with 190 exhibitors and 160 talks, workshops and classes. It combines a Mind Body Soul Expo, a Yoga and Meditation Festival, the Dublin Wellness Expo and a Dublin Psychic Fair.

Dublin Simon Home Run
Saturday 3 October · 09:30 · Phoenix Park
Dublin Simon Community's 43rd annual Home Run invites people to walk, jog, run or roll a new 5K loop, in aid of the charity's work to end homelessness. The race starts at the junction of Furze Road and Chesterfield Avenue.
Adam Rowe
Sunday 4 October · 19:30 · The Ambassador Theatre
Liverpool comedian Adam Rowe's show Fashionism is about trying to see everyone's point of view, "especially those you hate", plus "some other dead funny stuff too". He co-hosts the podcast Have A Word and has appeared on Live at the Apollo.
For a full overview of all events on this week in Dublin City check out our event listings page
UNTIL NEXT WEEK
Thanks for reading The Third Castle
If you enjoy the newsletter or you find it useful here are some ways you can help us:
💌 Forward it to a friend, neighbour, or your local WhatsApp group
📝 If you were sent this and want in on the action, sign up here.
💛 Consider supporting the newsletter with a monthly subscription (coming soon)
See you next week 👋
P.S. Not feeling it anymore? No hard feelings. You can unsubscribe from the email footer below