Tripadviser recently ranked the Irish Rock 'n' Roll museum as the fourth best thing to do in Dublin, so we went for a visit to see what it was all about. Originally operating solely as a recording studio, the museum aspect was opened up about 10 years ago to give the public an insight into the musical history that has been made here.
Located at the heart of the Irish music scene in Temple Bar, we met our tour guide Glen Hughes and began our journey through the underground recording studios (which are still in use) to The Button Factory and finished in the Sun Studios where the likes of Michael Jackson and Rihanna have recorded some of their music.
One of the unique aspects of this attraction that stood out on the tour was that although the venue holds a lot of historical musical importance, it is also still in use today. "Where the Button Factory venue is today was originally the first recording space, but then they decided to make seven recording studios underground for artists to use and turned the original space into the Button Factory as we know it today," Glen explained.
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As soon as you begin the tour there are records and signed frames decorating the walls from all the various artists that have visited and recorded at the venue over the years. When speaking about Michael Jackson, Glen said: "He came in 2006 and hired the studios for two weeks but ended up staying for five months because there's no paparazzi in Ireland and he liked the peace. The work he recorded and was produced by Will.I.am were unfortunately never finished."
Glen explained that the tour groups they take on are usually in groups of around 14 or less people as some of the spaces are small, and this makes for a personalised experience. There is also a 10 minute video about the history of great musicians in Ireland that was very interesting and helped to break up the tour.
Having been a tour guide at the museum for three years, Glen has a wealth of knowledge and there isn't an Irish music related question he would have the answer to. When asked if this tour is just for music buffs or everyone, he said: "This tour is for everyone, and when you come here you can expect a trip down memory lane on the topic of music as a whole.
"I struggle to think of any genre of music that we haven't had walk through our doors." When asked about what people can expect when they visit here Glen told Dublin Live: "We will talk you through Irish music, the Irish and global musicians that have worked here and we will offer people an insight into Thin Lizzy and U2.
"You never know what to expect or what music you might hear when you visit." Glen also told a story of how Sinead O Connor was once recording in one of the studios when she entertained a tour group to an impromptu Question and Answer session.
"It is pretty cool to be ranked in the top 10 things to do in Dublin by Trip Adviser. We have been working hard on the attraction for the last six months and it is amazing to be in the top five and to see a reward for all of our hard work," Glen said. For ticket prices and more information you can check out their website here.
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