Music Video, Commercial and AI Director in Dublin

Dublin at a glance

Dublin City Council runs its own film office, a one-stop shop for permits, parking, road closures and other council services that deals with everything from student films to series like Wednesday and Normal People. Nationally, Screen Ireland keeps a locations database and a crew and services database, and Ardmore Studios, with eight sound stages, is in Bray, County Wicklow.

music videos in Dublin

Whelan's on Wexford Street, which bills itself on more than 30 years of live music, and Vicar Street on Thomas Street, open since 1998 with room for 1,500 standing, are two long-running live rooms. The 3Olympia on Dame Street began life in 1879 as Dan Lowrey's music hall, and Forbidden Fruit, which reached its 14th year in 2026, puts electronic, hip-hop and alternative acts in the grounds of the Royal Hospital Kilmainham.

commercials in Dublin

Agency work centres on shops such as Droga5 Dublin, part of Accenture Song, along with BBDO Dublin and Publicis Dublin, the three that pitched for the VHI health insurance account. The council's filming guide applies the same rules to commercials, corporate work and music videos as to drama, and it asks for the production type up front because the permits needed depend on budget and content. The council's own pitch to visiting crews is range: period homes, modern offices, beaches, rivers and mountains, all less than 30 minutes from an international airport and sea port.

locations and light

Henrietta Street, which the council describes as the only remaining intact early 18th century street of houses from the start of the Georgian style, is particularly popular with crews, but it carries an extra 25% daily fee, a mandatory on-site briefing and an 8am to 8pm filming window. Beyond it, the film office covers more than 4,000 on-street locations plus bridges, beaches, parks and civic interiors.

working in Dublin

Permits come from the Dublin City Film Office inside Dublin City Council (filming@dublincity.ie): allow at least seven working days for a simple shoot and three to four weeks for anything larger, as late applications pay double. Neighbouring residents and businesses must be told in writing two weeks before filming, and drones must be registered with the Irish Aviation Authority.

Film office: Dublin City Film Office (Dublin City Council).

Ireland's Section 481 tax credit pays 32% of eligible Irish spend (40% for qualifying lower-budget films) on projects certified up to 31 December 2028, but it is aimed at film and TV, animation and creative documentary, and commercials are not among its listed categories.

Time zone: Greenwich Mean Time (UTC+0), Irish Standard Time (UTC+1) in summer.

Dublin Airport is the gateway: Aer Lingus flies non-stop from Toronto Pearson daily, and Air Canada also flies the route non-stop.

AI-led and hybrid pieces can be developed remotely, with a live shoot in Dublin only where the idea needs one.