Dublin city is set to become a "citywide canvas" this weekend, as the country's largest showcase of visual art takes over the streets, galleries and cultural spaces in a celebration of Ireland's contemporary art scene.
The 'Dublin Gallery Weekend' features more than 100 artists across 40 galleries, with 60 free events planned across the city.
Members of the public will be able to take part in art walking trails, gallery brunches and a list of open talks.
Running until 9 November, Dublin's galleries and artistic spaces will "come alive", according to the hosts, Contemporary Art Gallery Association (CAGA).
There are 11 CAGA galleries in Ireland and they have welcomed more than 30 other cultural institutions, galleries and artist spaces to be part of the weekend to help with their mission of making art accessible to all.
Venues such as IMMA, the National Gallery of Ireland, Photo Museum Ireland and the Royal Hibernian Academy of Arts join CAGA galleries, including Solomon Fine Arts Gallery and Green on Red to take part in the event.
CAGA said that the free events form an "open invitation to all" with the event centering on the theme of "creativity, colour, and connection".
Lawrence Taylor, of the family-run Taylor Galleries on Kildare Street, said that DGW brings a special vibrancy to the city across the weekend.
"We grew up surrounded by art, so I was lucky to get a head start," he said.
"But I think that this weekend is special because there is such a vibrancy, and energy across Dublin over the weekend.
"And we just want people to know that galleries aren't daunting places, just come to the door and we will be delighted to welcome you in."
Mr Taylor runs the Taylor Galleries with his sister Jessica, who explained that the family has been involved going back generations for 80 years. Their father began working in the art industry when he was 15-years-old.
Ms Taylor said that her father began working in the art industry aged 15, and that the gallery is the "longest standing commercial gallery in Dublin".
"Weekend like this means so much to us and our artists," Ms Taylor said, "because we're introducing new faces to what our artists have produced to the galleries and it actually means so much to see someone coming in, who maybe haven't been to a gallery before, clutching a coffee, and then they are in and conversations happen.
"I really love to see that," she said.
Fun is a really important part of Dublin Gallery Weekend for Geraldine O'Neill, one of Ireland's critically acclaimed artists.
Speaking at the Olivier Cornet Gallery on Great Denmark Street, she said that she is hoping people "will just have a fantastic time over the weekend, and that if they happen to wander into my exhibition for example, they will think about the kind of confrontation between humans and nature, and the whole flickering of it."
Ms O'Neill is a passionate advocate for the benefits of immersing in art, saying that "art really helps creative thinking, lateral thinking, and it helps people examine things in different ways".
She also said she hoped that people would have fun during the event.
The Guinness Storehouse is one of the buildings taking part in this, with its exhibition called 'These Walls: Landmarks', a newly commissioned exhibition by Irish artists Hazel O'Sullivan and Niall de Buitléar.
Ms O'Sullivan said that they were invited to create art "responding to Guinness's archival content from the ROSC exhibitions of 1984 and 1988, which were held at the Guinness Hopstore".
She said that doing that research has really helped her "understand my own art work in relation to modernist Irish art".
Ms O'Sullivan explained that art has been a central to her life, and that from the age of 13 she knew that she wanted to study at the National College of Arts and Design, so she firmly believes that accessibility offered by DGW is important.
Some of the highlights include a recording of actor Russell Tovey's internationally renowned podcast with Robert Diament, 'Talk Art' featuring a conversation with Irish artist Isabel Nolan who is representing Ireland at the Venice Biennalle 2026.
A children's workshop at the Oliver Cornet gallery in Dublin 1, called "You Can Draw My Car(d)", and the return of the guided gallery tours featuring six free tours across the city over the weekend.
Other events to add to the list include Corban Walker's solo exhibition at the Solomon Fine Art Gallery in Dublin 2.
Other activities on offer include 'Walking Tours: Art in Motion', a limited series of guided walking tours through the streets of The Liberties, exploring existing large-scale contemporary works by Irish street artists such as Aches.
Many events are free but ticketed, so visitors are advised to check the website.
