All port towns have music going on. It’s traditional. It’s where everything comes in to the people and from hundreds of years of history into the land, you gotta have the music for the masses, played  usually in pubs and taverns. Of course that would hold true for Dublin. Dublin has had a very long music tradition, and Rock ‘n’ Roll is at the heart of it. Many Irish bands start playing pubs and small venues. And many bands that tour Europe know to hit up this town. Anywhere a band can get heard, it will happen. College campus, festivals, roofs, anywhere. I have it on good authority, (Coleman), that the best places to catch the new up and coming bands are The Button Factory, The Academy, and Whelans. And why not, it’s in the Temple Bar district where it’s hot and happening.

Also, check out the latest sensation band the Strypes. They will have an exhibit coming up at the museum.

Rock ‘n’ Roll Museum Tour on YouTube

Irish Rock ‘n’ Roll Museum Experience

8 Cecelia St

Temple Bar

Dublin 2

Hours : Open between 11:00 am to 5:30 pm 7 days a week. But check the website.

To help you get ready for your music education, meet Ed Coleman, General Manager for Irish Rock ‘n’ Roll Museum Experience and The National Wax Museum Plus.

How did your museum get it’s start, and how have you seen it grow in the last five years?

The company director Paddy Dunning set up the Irish Rock n Roll Museum in summer 2015 after realising there was nowhere else celebrating the huge amount of talent Ireland has produced over the last 50+ years.

Has there been anything surprising that happened that you just ran with in an opportunity to create an exhibit?

Not that I am aware of.

What do you consider the most challenging part of running a museum of your kind?

Like any new venture the main challenge is getting the word out there. We know we have a great product that people love and have slowly but surely been climbing the tripadvisor ranks as word spreads.

What is the planning process for creating new exhibits? Do you have any behind the scenes video or articles that future visitors can look at?

We listen very carefully to our customers when deciding what our next exhibit should be. For example, we were hearing Cruachan being mentioned time and time again by our German and Nordic customers. We hadn’t realised the impact they have had around the world pioneering folk metal and so we decided they should be our next addition. We approached them and they were happy to donate some amazing items to the museum, including the keyboard most of the early albums were written on. Our fault for not asking them sooner but lesson learned.

Is there a committee that decides to feature something or a finding that becomes available and you build around that? Or does the planning involve a specific structure?

It varies. Sometimes we plan long and hard around a project. Sometimes they just fall into our lap.

It’s the 2017 season coming and what are your plans for exhibits this coming year?

Our next exhibit will be Flogging Molly, the famous celtic-punk band who recorded in Grouse Lodge in Westmeath late last year. And of course it’s a big year for U2 with their tour and 30 year anniversary of The Joshua Tree. So there will be more U2 later in the year.

Do your exhibitions centre on the local only or do you have art and future or contemporary issues come into play occasionally?

The only criteria is that there has to be an Irish connection. An artist might be Irish, of Irish descent, lived in Ireland or maybe recorded or gigged at our venues.