Francis Street

If there is one street in Dublin that unites all antique lovers, it’s Francis Street. Dublin’s very own Antique Quarter. This beautiful old street is not only a heaven for antique collectors with money in the pocket but for everyone with a taste for fine art and furniture (just because you look doesn’t mean you have to buy).
Take a right turn on Thomas Street (if you’re heading towards Christ Church) and you’ll take a big step back to the past. Both sides of the street are lined with antique shops and art galleries, giving the street an antique fair feel.
Here you’ll find Oxfam Home Johnston Antiques, Sean McGahan & sons, Martin Fennelly, Michael Connell, Lantern Antiques, Esther Sexton antiques, Niall Mullen and O’Sullivan Antiques to name just a few treasure shops, many of whom are family-​run businesses. Art lovers will enjoy The Bad Art Gallery and Monster Truck, Portfolio and Gallery Zozimus.
I’m not an antique fanatic, nor an expert, and I don’t know the whole antique lingo. I do, however, recognize a beautiful piece of furniture when I see one. And I can tell you, Francis street is jam-​backed with stunning things from past till present. After all the browsing and window-​shopping, you can sit down for a pint in The Liberty Belle and make sure to drop by for coffee (and maybe some snack) at Just Off Francis Street (78 Thomas Street), my new favourite lunch-​spot in town.

Francis Street is the antiques mecca of Dublin. Antique shops line the street on both sides, right the way from Thomas Street down to The Coombe. The best one in my opinion is Oxfam Home, where you can pick up retro furniture and antiquey bits for reasonable prices, and for a very good cause.
The Franciscan abbey founded here in 1235 which gave the street its name was replaced in 1830 with the Neoclassical church of St Nicholas of Myra, built in celebration of Catholic Emancipation in Ireland. This church still stands today and is open to the public.
The street is undergoing somewhat of a rejuvenation in recent years, as antiques become popular once more.
There’s a few cosy old-​man pubs along here too.