Ireland keeps its stand-up close to the bar. In Dublin, the Comedy Cellar — Ireland's Original Comedy Club, by its own name — takes the stage at the International Bar on Wednesdays, Battle of the Axe marks thirty years of new acts in October 2026, and the Laughter Lounge on Eden Quay runs headline shows at weekends. Cork's Comedy Cavern keeps Tuesday nights on Douglas Street, Róisín Dubh does the same in Galway and runs the Galway Comedy Festival in October, and Limerick's Dolans brings touring comedians to the Dock Road.
The short answer
D.O.C. lists 10 comedy rooms and nights in Ireland, in 4 cities — Dublin (5), Cork (2), Galway (2) and Limerick — each with a dated show on its own listings when read on 4 October 2026. The festivals ahead: Galway Comedy Festival, Tuesday 20 October to Monday 26 October 2026. Below: each room's nights, its open mic and how comics get on, tickets and the age rule; the comedy on the road; the festivals and awards; and the 5 comedians SUCDb holds who came up in Ireland.
Part of D.O.C.'s International section: the rooms, the nights, the festivals and the awards in the Republic of Ireland, each from its own website, with the comedians SUCDb holds who came up in Ireland.
Stand-up comedy in Dublin
Dublin's comedy runs from the International Bar on Wicklow Street and Molly's Bar in the Liberties to Temple Bar, Eden Quay and Vicar Street on Thomas Street.
Molly's Bar, 101 Francis Street, The Liberties, Dublin 8 D08 Y70F
ShowsA comedy, open mic and singer-songwriter club founded in 1996 by producer Tony Ferns, a launch pad for performers across Ireland and the UK; it now runs online shows and live venue shows through the year. source ↗
ListedThe 30th anniversary Smackdown Knockout Tournament: 16 comedians head to head, hosted by MC Aidan Halpen — Sunday 11 October 2026, 7pm, on its own listings when read on 4 October 2026 source ↗
Open micNew acts compete on its open mic for the Lucky Duck Award, given since 1996 to the act with the loudest cheer and applause. source ↗
Getting bookedNew acts request a seven-minute open spot well in advance, by email with New Act/Open Mic in the subject line. source ↗
TicketsThe anniversary show is donate-what-you-can, with the profits going to the Irish Red Cross Colombia Earthquake Emergency Appeal. source ↗
ShowsFriday Night Live and Saturday Night Live: headline stand-up at weekends on its October and November 2026 listings, with a resident MC and full table service for food and drinks. source ↗
ListedFriday Night Live, with Brian Gallagher, Dane Frisby, Jackwise and MC Gar Murran — Friday 9 October 2026, 8.30pm, on its own listings when read on 4 October 2026 source ↗
Open micNot advertised on its site
Getting bookedIts site publishes no submission route; ask the club in person.
Tickets€31, or €36 at a premium high table; doors at 7pm. source ↗
ShowsStand-up among its concerts in a room that opened in 1998 and seats 1,050: David O'Doherty on 21 November 2026, and Tommy Tiernan for a run of dates between 1 April and 1 May 2027. source ↗
ListedAl Porter: Algorithm — Friday 9 October 2026, on its own listings when read on 4 October 2026 source ↗
Open micNot advertised on its site
Getting bookedIts site publishes no submission route; ask the venue in person.
AlsoDoors at 7pm, with the bars open from 6.30pm. source ↗
ShowsA live music venue since September 2003, holding 500 since 2018, whose listings carry touring stand-up; comedy shows are seated, and shows usually start about 45 minutes after doors. source ↗
ListedRory O'Hanlon — Sunday 18 October 2026, on its own listings when read on 4 October 2026 source ↗
Open micNot advertised on its site
Getting bookedIts site publishes no submission route; ask the promoter in person.
Tickets€27 for Rory O'Hanlon; doors at 7pm. source ↗
Age18 and over unless a show says otherwise; physical, in-date ID required. source ↗
Galway's comedy runs weekly at Róisín Dubh on Dominic Street, and in October the Galway Comedy Festival takes over the city's stages — in 2026 from Tuesday 20 to Monday 26 October.
ShowsThe Tuesday Comedy Showcase, every Tuesday: a different line-up of established and emerging comedians from Ireland and abroad. source ↗
ListedTuesday Comedy Showcase — Tuesday 6 October 2026, 9pm, on its own listings when read on 4 October 2026 source ↗
Open micNot advertised on its site
Getting bookedIts site publishes no submission route; ask the promoter in person.
Tickets€10, with a free pint of Heineken and free entry to the silent disco after the comedy; doors at 8.30pm. source ↗
AlsoRóisín Dubh runs the Galway Comedy Festival and has produced live stand-up for RTÉ, including Stand & Deliver Live from Róisín Dubh in 2010. source ↗
ShowsGalway's municipal theatre, owned and managed by Galway City Council: a 400-seat main auditorium and a 52-seat studio on Courthouse Square, and the Black Box on Dyke Road. source ↗
ListedJack Dee: Jack's Joke Show, at the Black Box Theatre for the Galway Comedy Festival — Friday 23 October 2026, 8pm, on its own listings when read on 4 October 2026 source ↗
Open micNot advertised on its site
Getting bookedIts site publishes no submission route; ask the venue in person.
AlsoMore stand-up on its October 2026 listings: Emma Doran on 24 October, and Mike Wozniak's The Bench for the Galway Comedy Festival on 25 October. source ↗
ShowsTouring stand-up among its music listings: Rory O'Hanlon on 14 October, William Thompson on 15 October and Deirdre O'Kane on 17 October 2026. source ↗
ListedRory O'Hanlon, in Dolans Warehouse — Wednesday 14 October 2026, 7.30pm, on its own listings when read on 4 October 2026 source ↗
Open micNot advertised on its site
Getting bookedIts site publishes no submission route; ask the promoter in person.
Tommy Tiernan's autumn 2026 dates take him to towns such as Athlone, Moate, Carrick-on-Shannon, Glenfarne and Manorhamilton, then to Limerick's Lime Tree Theatre. source ↗
Thursday 8 October 2026 — Dean Crowe Theatre, Athlone (sold out)
Friday 9 October 2026 — Tuar Ard Arts Centre, Moate
Saturday 10 October 2026 — Landmark Hotel, Carrick-on-Shannon (sold out)
Thursday 15 October 2026 — The Dock
Friday 16 October 2026 — Drumhierny Woodland Hideaway, Drumhierny
Saturday 17 October 2026 — The Rainbow Ballroom, Glenfarne
Thursday 22 October 2026 — The Glens Arts Centre, Manorhamilton
Friday 23 October 2026 — Mount Druid, Castletown Geoghegan
Saturday 24 October 2026 — Island Theatre, Ballinamore
Thursday 29 October 2026 — Lime Tree Theatre, Limerick
These nights have gone by; its own site has what is next.
Run by Róisín Dubh: more than 100 acts in over 65 shows across 16 venues, over seven days and nights up to and including the October bank holiday weekend, with an average of 18,000 tickets sold. source ↗
First held in 2026: more than 27 shows in over 15 venues across West Dublin and beyond, from Lucan, Clondalkin and Tallaght to Swords, Maynooth, Dún Laoghaire and Dalkey. source ↗
Battle of the Axe's award for new acts, given since 1996: new comedians compete on its open mic, and the act with the loudest cheer and applause at the end of the night wins, judged by the MC and producer. source ↗
Gilded Balloon's competition for new comedians, decided at the Edinburgh Fringe. Its winners include Dylan Moran (1993), Tommy Tiernan (1996), David O'Doherty (1999) and Aisling Bea (2012). source ↗
For comics: getting on stage in Ireland
The routes to the stage the rooms and festivals publish themselves.
New acts request a seven-minute open spot well in advance, by email with New Act/Open Mic in the subject line, and compete for the Lucky Duck Award. Its 30th-anniversary show on Sunday 11 October 2026 is a knockout tournament of 16 comedians. source ↗
The Comedy Cavern's Tuesday nights at Coughlan's include open mics, such as Open Mic with Christopher O'Leary on Tuesday 6 October 2026: free in, and the audience pays what the night was worth. source ↗
Raw, unpredictable stand-up where fresh faces and seasoned comics battle for the biggest laughs and the audience holds the power: Monday 5 October 2026 at The Workman's Club, Dublin. source ↗
Each room's line above says whether it runs an open mic and how it books. At home in the United States,
Stage Time has open mics by night and the Gig Board has calls for comics.
Irish comedians in SUCDb
The comedians SUCDb holds who came up in Ireland, each with their record — and their next date when the Comedy Calendar has one.
Irish stand-up, actor, podcaster and host of The Tommy Tiernan Show, with the Tommy, Hector & Laurita podcast; he won So You Think You're Funny? in 1996.
No date on the Comedy Calendar just now · their record →
Raised in Queens, New York, he moved to Ireland in 1990 and has worked as a comic there since the late 1990s; In the Name of the Fada, in which he learned Irish well enough to perform an hour of stand-up in it, won the IFTA for best television series, and his releases run from Live at Vicar Street (2004) to Bridge and Tunnel (2026).
No date on the Comedy Calendar just now · their record →
Irish comedian, actor and screenwriter: winner of So You Think You're Funny? at the 2012 Edinburgh Fringe, creator of This Way Up, which won her a BAFTA Breakthrough Talent award, and on the road in the UK and Ireland in 2026 with her first stand-up tour, Older Than Jesus.
No date on the Comedy Calendar just now · their record →
Born and raised in Dublin: winner of the San Francisco Comedy Competition, with the specials Documented (2019), Cultural Appreciation (2023) and Shelf Help (2025), drawing on having lived and worked in twelve countries.
Next on the Comedy Calendar: Thursday 15 October 2026 · Goodnights Comedy Club, Raleigh, NC
Started out in Ireland before moving to New York, where he became a regular at the city's Comedy Cellar; he made his American television debut on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon and appeared on The End in 2026.
No date on the Comedy Calendar just now · their record →
Questions about stand-up comedy in Ireland
Where can I see stand-up comedy in Ireland?
In Dublin, The Comedy Cellar, Battle of the Axe, Craic Den Comedy Club, The Laughter Lounge and Vicar Street; in Cork, The Comedy Cavern and Cyprus Avenue; in Galway, Róisín Dubh and Town Hall Theatre; in Limerick, Comedy at Dolans. Each had a dated show on its own listings when read on 4 October 2026; its line above has the address, the nights and the age rule.
Are comedy clubs in Ireland 18 and over?
5 of the 10 rooms listed here say 18 and over for their evening comedy, but the rule is each room's own: The Comedy Cellar: 18 and over; Craic Den Comedy Club: 18 and over, strictly; The Laughter Lounge: 18 and over; ID checked on arrival; Cyprus Avenue: 18 and over unless a show says otherwise; physical, in-date ID required; Comedy at Dolans: 18 and over, strictly; ID required.
How do new comedians get on stage in Ireland?
Battle of the Axe: new acts welcome — New acts request a seven-minute open spot well in advance, by email with New Act/Open Mic in the subject line, and compete for the Lucky Duck Award. Its 30th-anniversary show on Sunday 11 October 2026 is a knockout tournament of 16 comedians. The Comedy Cavern open mic, Cork — The Comedy Cavern's Tuesday nights at Coughlan's include open mics, such as Open Mic with Christopher O'Leary on Tuesday 6 October 2026: free in, and the audience pays what the night was worth. Battle of the Bits at Craic Den Comedy Club — Raw, unpredictable stand-up where fresh faces and seasoned comics battle for the biggest laughs and the audience holds the power: Monday 5 October 2026 at The Workman's Club, Dublin.
Which Irish comedians are in SUCDb?
Tommy Tiernan, Des Bishop, Aisling Bea, David Nihill and Colum Tyrrell — each with a record of their career and its sources.
Sources
Each fact on this page is from the room's, festival's or award's own website, read on 4 October 2026; the
comedians' lines are from their SUCDb records, which carry their own sources. 15 sites, 37 pages:
