Hooley Night at Johnnie Fox's
A three-course dinner, live traditional music and an Irish dance show at a reserved table in a farmhouse pub in the Dublin Mountains. Free cancellation up to 24 hours ahead, and you can reserve now and pay later.
Why make the trip up
Why spend a night up the mountain
A party with a name
Hooley is an Irish word for a noisy celebration, and in Ireland it also means an evening of traditional music and dance. The pub borrows it for its parlour, the best room of the old farmhouse, where the night follows a set order: you are seated, fed, played to and then danced for.
A pub that began as a farm
Johnnie Fox's gives 1798 as its founding year and began as a small holding farm, and its rooms still carry farm names such as the Pig House and the Haggart. Glencullen, the village around it, sits about 300 metres up on the slopes of Two Rock Mountain, among the highest villages in Ireland.
Dancers who train for the stage
The dancers are the pub's own troupe, which describes them as traditionally and classically trained and choreographed for the show. Hard shoes drum, soft shoes float, and the musicians keep the whole room clapping.
The running order
The hooley, set by set
A hooley night follows a fixed order, from the first seat to the last bow. Here is the evening in six sets.
- Set 1
Arrive and be seated
You reach Glencullen, park in the free car park outside the door or step out of a taxi, and are shown to your reserved table in the Hooley room. The pub calls this room the parlour; it was once the farmhouse's best room, kept for special guests.
- Set 2
Dinner arrives
The ticket lists a three-course Irish dinner followed by tea or coffee. Drinks are not included, so a first round at the table is your own call. The menu can change on the day, so raise any allergy with the pub beforehand.
- Set 3
The musicians begin
Traditional Irish music starts, with plenty of humour. Irish trad leans on the fiddle, tin whistle, flute and uilleann pipes, with a bodhrán keeping the beat, though which instruments you hear is the band's choice on the night.
- Set 4
The lights go down
The stage rises and the dance show begins. The steps range from drumming hard-shoe numbers to lighter, flowing dances, and the pub's own troupe performs them in costume.
- Set 5
The room joins in
The pub calls the evening interactive, and a hooley is a noisy party by definition. Expect clapping and foot-tapping from the whole room; whether guests are invited to dance is the performers' choice.
- Set 6
The last bow and the ride home
After the final bow, your ride matters. Tell your server an hour before you want to leave and the server arranges a taxi; if you came by the shuttle bus, it returns to the city hotels.
The order follows the pub's own running order. Start times differ by date, and your confirmation shows the ones for your night.
Pub, valley and stage
Pub, valley and stage
Stills of Johnnie Fox's and Glencullen, with Irish dance and a pub session photographed elsewhere to show the kind of evening.
Inside the farmhouse
A farmhouse that kept its rooms
Johnnie Fox's still names its rooms after the farm it began as, and the Hooley takes place in the best of them.
The Parlour
The Hooley room. The pub says it was the farmhouse's parloir, the best room, kept for special guests, and it gives the word hooley to a slightly wild party held there.
The Pig House
A dining room that was once where farm animals were fed and housed, now with a hearth to warm the winter evenings.
The Top Kitchen and the Haggart
The Top Kitchen is another historic room, with small internal steps and a step-free outdoor entrance. The Haggart was a small enclosure for storing hay, with private rooms around the courtyard.
The valley outside
Glencullen takes its name from the Irish for valley of the holly. The village counted 376 residents in the 2022 census, and the pub stands at its centre.
Ways to spend an Irish evening
Four ways to hear Irish music and see Irish dance in Dublin
| Option | What you get | Who it suits |
|---|---|---|
| Hooley Night at Johnnie Fox's | A three-course dinner, live traditional music and an Irish dance show at a reserved table in a farmhouse pub in the Dublin Mountains. Free cancellation up to 24 hours ahead, and you can reserve now and pay later. | Anyone who wants a full evening with dinner and will arrange the ride from the city. |
| The Irish House Party in a townhouse | Live traditional music, humour and a solo Irish dancer up close in an 18th-century Georgian townhouse, with an optional three-course dinner. About an hour and a half, with free cancellation up to 24 hours ahead. | Visitors who want a shorter, closer-up evening in the city. |
| Dance lesson and live show in a pub | A dance class, then a live music and dance show from a reserved table upstairs in a Temple Bar pub. About two hours; a pint of Guinness is an optional purchase. Free cancellation up to 24 hours ahead. | Anyone who wants to learn a few steps as well as watch. |
| A pub session | Informal traditional music in a pub, with no ticket and no fixed programme. | Visitors happy to leave it to chance. |
Pick your hooley night
Three ways to book an evening
Each card opens the booking page for a night. Beneath them, a rail suggests more ways to spend time in Dublin.
The Irish House Party in a townhouse
Live traditional music, humour and a solo Irish dancer up close in an 18th-century Georgian townhouse, with an optional three-course dinner. About an hour and a half, with free cancellation up to 24 hours ahead.
Dance lesson and live show in a pub
A dance class, then a live music and dance show from a reserved table upstairs in a Temple Bar pub. About two hours; a pint of Guinness is an optional purchase. Free cancellation up to 24 hours ahead.
More to do around Dublin
Plan the night up the hill
Plan your evening
Getting there
Glencullen is in the hills south of the city. The pub has a free car park; otherwise a taxi, with your server arranging the return, or an independently run shuttle bus from city hotels are the usual choices. The getting-there guide has the detail.
Dinner and drinks
The ticket lists a three-course dinner followed by tea or coffee. Drinks are not included. The menu can vary on the day, so raise any allergy or dietary need with the pub before the night.
Children
Children from five up are welcome at the Hooley. Under-fives are not admitted, and the ticket carries the same restriction.
Accessibility
The ticket carries a wheelchair-accessible marker. The pub says its public areas are on the ground floor, the Hooley room is fully accessible and an accessible restroom is on the same level.
Language
The evening runs in English. The music and dance need no translation, but the humour does, so visitors with limited English will enjoy the dancing and playing most.
Cancelling
Through GetYourGuide the ticket is free to cancel up to 24 hours ahead, and the fare can be paid later. Bookings made directly with the pub follow the pub's own terms.
Guides to the pub, the music and the dancing
Guides to the pub, the music and the dancing
Which ticket, and how the night works
Johnnie Fox's Hooley tickets
What the Johnnie Fox's Hooley Night ticket covers, how the evening runs and how it compares with a city-centre show or a pub session.
Read this Hooley guide → Taxi, shuttle, car and the way homeHow to get to Johnnie Fox's
Taxi, shuttle bus or car to Johnnie Fox's in Glencullen: how far it is, what the pub recommends and how to get home after the show.
Read this Hooley guide → What the dancers are doing
Irish dance styles explained
Read this Hooley guide → What you will hearIrish trad instruments guide
Read this Hooley guide → The pub and the valleyThe highest pub in Ireland?
Read this Hooley guide → Families, access and dietsIs the Hooley right for you?
Read this Hooley guide →FAQ
Asked before every hooley
What is a hooley night?
A hooley is an Irish party, and at Johnnie Fox's it means dinner, live traditional music and an Irish dance show in one evening, held in the pub's parlour room.
What does the ticket include?
Entry, a reserved seat, a three-course dinner followed by tea or coffee, live traditional music, the dance show and free parking. Drinks are not included.
How long does the evening last?
The booking page gives about four hours, and each date shows its own start time. Pick a night when you do not need an early start next morning.
How do I get there from Dublin?
Most visitors take a taxi or the independently run shuttle bus; the pub has free parking if you drive. The getting-there guide has the details and the pub's own advice.
Is it suitable for children?
Children from five up are welcome. Under-fives are not admitted to the Hooley.
What if my plans change?
Cancelling is free until 24 hours before the start when you book through GetYourGuide, and the fare can be paid later.
Can wheelchair users attend?
The ticket carries a wheelchair-accessible marker, and the pub describes its Hooley room as fully accessible and on the ground floor. Check with the pub about anything specific to your needs.
Is there a vegetarian option?
The pub's published menu marks some dishes as vegetarian and lists allergens, though items can change on the day. Let the pub know about any dietary need in advance.
A three-course dinner, live trad music and Irish dancing in the Dublin Mountains, free to cancel up to 24 hours ahead.
Reserve a table for the hooley ↗Fares are shown per adult in US dollars; the booking page converts them into your currency before you pay.