Quick answer: Connolly Books is a left-wing bookshop at 43 East Essex Street in Temple Bar, Dublin. It traces its roots to 1932 and calls itself Ireland’s oldest radical bookshop. Come for Irish history, labour and political books, pick up a badge or a Bohemians jersey, and look for the New Theatre at the back of the building.
Most people walk through Temple Bar looking for a pint. On the quieter western end of East Essex Street, a few minutes from the crowds, is a shop with a longer and rougher history than most in the city. Its predecessors were burned out and attacked, and the building was raided, yet it is still open and still stocking the kind of books it always has.
Burned, attacked and still going
In 1932 the Revolutionary Workers’ Group opened a socialist bookshop called Connolly House at 64 Great Strand Street, on the north side of the Liffey. On 27 March 1933, after a Lenten sermon in the Pro-Cathedral warned of the dangers of socialism, a mob marched on the building, ransacked it and set it on fire. Three people inside were lucky to escape.
It took nearly a decade to try again. In 1942 Seán Nolan and Geoffrey Palmer opened New Books at 16A Pearse Street, paid for by a public appeal that raised £100. That shop was attacked too, in 1956. The shop says that through the 1960s it was the only bookshop in Dublin selling Marx, Engels and Connolly.
The shop moved to 14 Parliament Street in 1971 and to 43 East Essex Street in 1977. It became Connolly Books in 1989, named after James Connolly, the socialist and trade union leader executed after the 1916 Rising.
Club Sandino and the 1992 raid
In the 1980s and 1990s the building, which is also the headquarters of the Communist Party of Ireland, ran a late-night club called Club Sandino to raise money for the Sandinistas in Nicaragua. It drew a mixed crowd, from Special Branch men to left-wingers of every shade, and it became a place where lesbian women in Dublin could dance together without trouble. Gardaí raided it in September 1992 and took 132 cans of beer, a keg of Guinness and a bottle of whiskey. That was almost a year before homosexuality was decriminalised in Ireland.
The building and the New Theatre
Number 43 is thought to date from the late 1600s, which would make it one of the oldest buildings in Temple Bar, though its front was largely rebuilt in the late 19th century. The building was renovated in the mid-2000s, and the shop traded from Bloom Lane, off Ormond Quay, until it moved back in February 2007.
At the back is the New Theatre, which began in 1997 in a hall behind the bookshop. It is a small, intimate venue that focuses on new Irish writing, and the theatre was rebuilt as part of the same renovation.
What to buy
- Irish history and politics: the core of the shelves, alongside Marxist classics, trade union history, feminism, environmental writing, philosophy and radical periodicals.
- James Connolly’s Collected Works: the two volumes Connolly Books first published in 1987, still sold in their green covers.
- Bohemian FC jerseys: in January 2026 the shop became the club’s only city-centre stockist, including the Fontaines D.C., Thin Lizzy and Kneecap designs.
- Badges, flags and cards: Easter Lily badges, Irish and Palestinian flags and the shop’s “Happy Marxmas” Christmas cards.
Events
Connolly Books runs a busy programme for a small shop. Regular fixtures include an Irish conversation group on Friday afternoons, a film and reading group, Connolly Conversations talks and book launches. Check the shop’s Instagram for what’s coming up.
Know before you go
- Address: 43 East Essex Street, Temple Bar, Dublin 2, D02 XH96 (map)
- Phone: (01) 672 9274
- Getting there: Luas Red Line to Jervis (the step-free route) or Green Line to Trinity
- Online: connollybooks.org ships internationally · Instagram @connollybooks
Nearby
Project Arts Centre is next door and Smock Alley Theatre is a few minutes west. Cross Grattan Bridge for Capel Street, or walk to Liberty Hall to see the James Connolly statue. For the history behind the shop’s name, the 1916 Rebellion walking tour covers the Rising on the streets where it happened, and the Museum of Literature Ireland suits a bookish afternoon. Our 3 days in Dublin itinerary has more ideas. Opening hours change, so check with the shop before you go.
Connolly Books FAQs
Where is Connolly Books in Dublin?
Connolly Books is at 43 East Essex Street, Temple Bar, Dublin 2, D02 XH96, next door to Project Arts Centre and between Temple Bar and Parliament Street.
Can you buy from Connolly Books online?
Yes. The shop sells books, badges and other stock through connollybooks.org and ships internationally.
How old is Connolly Books?
Connolly Books traces its roots to 1932, when the Revolutionary Workers’ Group opened Connolly House on Great Strand Street. The shop has been at East Essex Street since 1977 and took the Connolly Books name in 1989.
Who is Connolly Books named after?
It is named after James Connolly (1868 to 1916), the socialist and trade union leader who was executed after the 1916 Rising.
What does Connolly Books sell?
Irish history, politics, Marxist classics, trade union history, feminism, philosophy and radical periodicals, plus badges, flags and Bohemian FC jerseys.
Is the New Theatre part of Connolly Books?
The New Theatre is in the same building, at the back of Connolly Books. It began in 1997 and focuses on new Irish writing.
