Quality cultural experiences for junior infants to sixth class
A visit to The Ark will provide the children in your class with an exciting and enjoyable encounter with high-quality culture. Our aim is to allow children to nurture their imaginations in an inspirational, yet structured setting. Valuable curricular links can also be found in all of our work.
Cost
The cost per student for events at The Ark remains deliberately low (typically €6.50), in order to encourage all children to get involved. We offer discounts for DEIS schools and those travelling from outside Co Dublin. Teachers attend events at The Ark with their class for free.
How to book
School groups should contact the box office team on 01 670 7788 to make a booking. Please be advised that as a courtesy to performers and other audience members, latecomers will not be admitted. We advise all visitors to arrive at the venue 15 minutes in advance of our events.
Age policy
The Ark continuously works to to ensure that our programmes are suitable for particular age groups. Most of our events are age-specific, because children’s interests and skills develop with age, and because children generally benefit more from participating in cultural activity with other children of their own age. We ask all visitors to respect the designated age range when booking. Events are not suitable for any children under the recommended age group.
Access policy
Our productions, workshops and exhibitions are open to children with individual requirements and the physical spaces within The Ark are fully wheelchair accessible. Please note that the number of wheelchair spaces available for theatre events varies depending on the scale of the performance. If you or your group have any individual requirements, please let us know when booking your tickets so that we can help you get the most from your visit.
Combined trips
The Ark’s Dublin city centre location enables visitors to combine a trip to our venue with a wealth of cultural and educational institutions in the area. You may be interested in combining a trip to The Ark with a visit to:
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St Patrick's Cathedral, which offers a free education programme to visiting schools. Classes can visit self guided or can choose to avail of a guided tour or workshop. For a full list of these programmes visit www.stpatrickscathedral.ie
- The Old Library and the Book of Kells Exhibition welcomes self-guided supervised school visits, and school groups aged 12 years old and under have free admission all year. See www.tcd.ie for full details and resource packs for your visit.
Getting to The Ark
The Ark is located in the heart of Temple Bar, on Eustace Street, which links Dame Street, at the South Great George’s Street junction, and the Quays, at the Millennium Bridge.
Private hire bus
We generally advise groups attending by private hire bus to use the nearby drop-off points at Central Bank on College Green or on Wellington Quay.
Dublin Bus
Take any bus to Dame Street or College Green. Walk along Dame Street to the junction with South Great Georges Street and turn down Eustace Street towards the River Liffey. The Ark is located halfway down the street on the left.
Dame Street is serviced by the following Dublin Bus services: 15E, 15F, 49, 49A, 50, 51, 51B, 51C, 54A, 56A, 65, 65B, 68, 69, 69X, 77, 77A, 77X, 78, 78A, 79, 79A, 121, 123, 150, 151.
College Green is serviced by the following Dublin Bus services: 16, 16A, 16C, 19, 19A, 19C, 49, 49A, 51B, 51C, 54A, 65, 65B, 83, 121, 122, 123, 150, 151.
For more details and timetables, please see www.dublinbus.ie
Dart
Get out at Tara Street Dart Station and walk along the Quays past O'Connell Bridge, turning left when you reach the Millennium Bridge onto Eustace Street. The Ark is located just up the street on the right.
For more details and timetables, please see www.irishrail.ie
Luas
Red Line Luas (from Tallaght/Connelly):
Get out at the Jervis stop. Walk towards the River Liffey through the Italian Quarter and cross the Millennium Bridge. You are now at the end of Eustace Street. The Ark is just up the street on the right.
Green Line Luas (from Sandyford/St Stephen’s Green):
Get out at the St Stephens Green stop. Walk down Grafton Street. Take the left turn just after Brown Thomas onto Wicklow Street and walk to South Great George’s Street. Turn right and walk to Dame Street. Cross the road and continue down Eustace Street. The Ark is located halfway down the street on the left.
For more details and timetables, please see www.luas.ie
Car
The Fleet Street (Temple Bar) Car Park is located just off Westmoreland Street. As soon as you enter Westmoreland Street turn left for Fleet Street and the car park is on the left (opposite The Morgan Hotel).
The Fleet Street car park rate for visitors to The Ark is €5 for 3 hours. Any additional hours are charged at €3.10 per hour. To avail of the parking rate please present your ticket stub from The Ark, along with your parking ticket, when paying at the cash desk prior to collecting your car.
To get from the car park to The Ark, walk straight down Fleet Street, through Temple Bar Square and East Essex Street. Then take a left turn onto Eustace Street. The Ark is located just up the street on the right.
The Creative Self for teachers
The Creative Self is The Ark’s personal and professional development programme for primary school teachers. Many of the opportunties in the programme run alongside our artistic programme for children, and all seek to empower participants with increased confidence to deliver rich and imaginative learning experiences in the classroom, whilst also enjoying and nurturing their own creativity.
Feedback
We always welcome your feedback. If you have any questions or suggestions for our online schools section, please do not hesitate to contact .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address) or call 01 670 7788.