How to Meet

How to meet creatives in Dublin: communities, hubs and events

Looking to meet creatives in Dublin? Discover the best communities, creative hubs, co-working spaces, and events where designers, artists, and makers connect in the city.

How to meet creatives in Dublin
Dublin has grown into a genuinely exciting city for creatives over the past decade. Alongside the well-known tech presence, there's a thriving independent scene of designers, illustrators, filmmakers and makers who have built a community that feels distinctly local and proud of it.The city is compact enough that the creative world here overlaps a lot, and getting to know people tends to happen faster than you'd expect.

Communities for creatives in Dublin

Find communities for creatives in Dublin where you can meet like-minded professionals, share ideas and build lasting connections.

CreativeMornings

CreativeMornings is a global series of free, monthly morning talks that bring creatives together for coffee, inspiration, and good vibes.
creativemornings.com

The Design Kids

The Design Kids is a global community for emerging designers, with city meetups, interviews, jobs, and practical resources to help you build your folio and grow your career.
thedesignkids.org

Friends of Figma

Friends of Figma is a global network of local design groups supported by Figma, where UX, UI, and product designers come together to learn and exchange ideas. Each chapter hosts events like design critiques, community talks, and tool-focused workshops to foster collaboration and creative growth.
friends.figma.com

Creative Hubs and Spaces to Meet People in Dublin

Discover creative hubs and coworking spaces in Dublin where people working in the creative industries regularly gather and collaborate.

Talent Garden Dublin

Talent Garden is a pan-European coworking network with a strong Dublin outpost. The vibe is collaborative and international, attracting designers, developers, and creative entrepreneurs looking to plug into a wider community.
talentgarden.com

Fumbally Exchange

Fumbally Exchange is a not-for-profit coworking space near Dame Street that's been a quiet hub for Dublin's freelancers and creative types for years. It's unpretentious, community-driven, and has a pop-up shop space that keeps things interesting.
fumballyexchange.com

Huckletree

Huckletree runs one of Dublin's more design-forward coworking spaces, based in the historic Academy building on Pearse Street. It's built for startups and creatives who want a well-designed environment with a proper community behind it.
huckletree.com

Hangouts & cool places for creatives in Dublin

Explore the best hangouts, cafes, galleries and cool spaces in Dublin where creatives tend to spend their time.

Winding Stair

Winding Stair is a bookshop and restaurant above the Liffey, named after the Yeats poem. Downstairs is an independent bookshop, upstairs a casual restaurant serving honest Irish food with great river views. Exactly the kind of place that feels specific to Dublin.
winding-stair.com

Scout

Scout in Temple Bar is a curated marketplace for independent Irish designers and makers, the kind of shop that sells the stuff you actually want to give as gifts. Good for ceramics, prints, accessories, and things you won't find anywhere else in the city.
scoutdublin.com

IMMA

IMMA, the Irish Museum of Modern Art, is set in the stunning 17th-century Royal Hospital Kilmainham. It's one of the best galleries in the country for contemporary and modern art, with a strong programme of international and Irish shows throughout the year.
imma.ie

Hang Dai

Hang Dai on Lower Camden Street is a Chinese restaurant with a Blade Runner-esque interior that's become a genuine Dublin favourite. Excellent dumplings, bold flavours, and a soundtrack that actually fits the room. Popular with the creative crowd in Portobello.
hangdaichinese.com

Indigo & Cloth

Indigo & Cloth on Essex Street East is one of those rare places that genuinely pulls off being a coffee shop, concept store, design agency, and photography studio all at once. The coffee is excellent, the curation is sharp, and it's the kind of spot you go for a flat white and end up staying for the afternoon.
indigoandcloth.com

Irish Design Shop

Irish Design Shop on Drury Street showcases the best of contemporary Irish craft and design, from furniture to jewellery to homeware. Founded by two designers, it's been championing Irish makers since 2008 and the standard of work here is consistently high.
irishdesignshop.com

Irish Film Institute

Irish Film Institute in Temple Bar is Dublin's home for art house and independent cinema. Beyond the screenings, it has a good bar, an Irish film archive, and a bookshop. A natural gathering spot for the creative community in the city.
ifi.ie

Queen of Tarts

Queen of Tarts is a Dublin institution, a cozy little cafe near City Hall that's been baking excellent tarts, cakes, and savory pastries for decades. It gets busy for good reason. The kind of place you bring someone visiting the city for the first time.
queenoftarts.ie

The Cobblestone

The Cobblestone in Smithfield is a traditional Dublin pub that's been called a drinking pub with a music problem, and that's exactly right. Live trad music most nights, no stage, and a crowd that actually knows the songs. One of the best pubs in the city.
cobblestonepub.ie

Drury Buildings

Drury Buildings on Drury Street is a New York-inspired bar and restaurant with exposed brick, great cocktails, and a menu that takes itself seriously without being precious. A solid choice for after-work drinks in the Creative Quarter.
drurybuildings.com

Dollard & Co

Dollard & Co on Wellington Quay is a gourmet food hall and grill that doubles as an indoor market. A good spot for lunch on the Liffey, with a relaxed atmosphere and quality produce that draws a mixed crowd of creatives and city workers.
dollardandco.ie

Fallon & Byrne

Fallon & Byrne on Exchequer Street is a Dublin food institution, part deli, part restaurant, part wine bar. The basement wine bar is a relaxed spot for a glass after work, and the ground-floor food hall is great for picking up quality ingredients.
fallonandbyrne.com
Dublin's creative scene has real momentum right now and it's a genuinely good time to plug in. The community is warm, the city is small enough to navigate quickly, and the connections you build here tend to be real ones. Show up, get involved, and you'll find your people without too much effort.

Frequently Asked Questions

What's the best way to meet other creatives in Dublin?
The best way to meet other creatives in Dublin is to show up consistently somewhere rather than hoping a one-off networking event leads somewhere. Creative Lunch Club is a good starting point and a great way to meet other creatives: you get matched with a small group of creatives for lunch, which is a much more natural way to actually get to know people.
Where can I find creative communities in Dublin?
Dublin has a growing number of communities for creatives, from global networks like Creative Lunch Club to local meetup groups and coworking communities. The best place to start is joining a community that meets regularly, so you build real relationships over time rather than just collecting contacts at one-off events.
Are there networking events for creatives in Dublin?
Dublin has a range of events throughout the year where creatives meet, from industry conferences to informal gatherings. That said, traditional networking events can feel forced. Many creatives prefer more relaxed formats like Creative Lunch Club, where you meet people over lunch rather than awkward small talk with a name badge.
How do I find designer meetups in Dublin?
A good starting point is Creative Lunch Club, which runs regular meetups for designers and other creatives in Dublin. Beyond that, keep an eye on local design communities, Instagram, and event platforms for one-off gatherings tied to conferences or design weeks.
Where do graphic designers hang out in Dublin?
Designers tend to gravitate toward independent cafés, creative coworking spaces, and community events. Online, local design groups and communities like Creative Lunch Club are where a lot of the conversation happens and where lunches and meetups get organized.
How do I break into the creative scene in Dublin?
Show up consistently. The creative scene in Dublin is more accessible than it looks -- most people are open to meeting others, especially in a low-pressure setting. Joining a community like Creative Lunch Club is one of the easiest ways in, since you're introduced to a small group of people rather than thrown into a room of strangers.
Where can I meet freelance creatives in Dublin?
Freelancers make up a big part of Creative Lunch Club's members in Dublin. It's a natural fit since freelancing can be isolating and lunch is an easy, low-commitment way to meet people. Coworking spaces are another good bet.
What are the best creative events in Dublin?
Dublin has plenty of events for creatives, ranging from design conferences and film festivals to photography exhibitions and music events. For regular, ongoing connection rather than one-off events, Creative Lunch Club runs monthly meetups in Dublin year round.

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Wanna meet other creatives?

Join Creative Lunch Club and meet other creatives in Dublin

Creatives enjoying lunch together at a Creative Lunch Club gathering
Meet Other Creatives for Lunch

The Creative Lunch Club is a community for people working in the creative industries.

Whether you are a graphic designer, a photographer, a marketer, or a filmmaker, the Creative Lunch Club gives you the chance to regularly meet other creatives in your city for lunch.

Join Creative Lunch Club
I moved to Brussels a year and a half ago, from a small town, to pursue more photography opportunities. The Creative Lunch Club has been instrumental in helping me connect with other creatives and discover the wonders of this city. Sharing lunch with like-minded creatives has opened up new ideas and perspectives for me. The passion and energy from these gatherings never fail to inspire and motivate me.
Whitley Isa

Photographer, Brussels

I am an East London girl with a busy life and have found it hard to meet like-minded creatives but after only using the creativelunchclub once, I met one of my soul mates. Not only are we doing some collaborating with her being a singer and myself working in fashion and modelling which has all been really useful but we have also become best friends. Loved my experience and would highly recommend it for anyone that wants to network in the creative ares and you never know, you might meet your bestie too.
Amber Smith

Model and print designer, London

Thanks to Creative Lunch Club and their beautiful concept I regularly get to meet new creative people in Vienna every month.
Jolly Schwarz

Photographer, Vienna