This Valentine’s Day, coffee dates are out and art galleries are officially in. It’s difficult for sparks to fly while talking about modules and poking at a scone, meanwhile, art galleries are the perfect balance of chill-but-not-too-chill. Not to mention, all of the galleries on this guide are completely free. So delete Hinge and put on your best Meg Ryan sweater: this February, love is brewing in Dublin’s art galleries.
If you’re dating an Art History student… visit The National Gallery of Ireland
Get lost in the eyes of your Valentine—and in the National Gallery of Ireland, because that place is a maze. Lucky for you, I’ve handpicked the top stops for your date with an Art History student. First, head for James Barry’s The Temptation of Adam. This painting features a luminous Eve confessing her sin to Adam while a snake curls at their feet. A bold beginning, but also the perfect chance for your date to flex their art history knowledge. The composition! The symbolism of Christ! (Tip: comment on the Titian influence).
Stop by Rutilio di Lorenzo Manetti’s Victorious Love to gaze at Cupid and his bow and arrow, subliminal(ish) messaging at its finest. Continue on the theme of love with Cupid and Psyche in the Nuptial Bower. Totally romantic, and the perfect chance to ask your date about their Erasmus semester in Florence (the painting is inspired by Italian sculptures). Also, Psyche has butterfly wings—who doesn’t like butterfly wings?
Finish up at the coastal scenes exhibition, which features watercolours from Irish and British artists. Andrew Nicholl’s painting of the Baily Lighthouse is the perfect chance to bring up a second date—a day trip to Howth, perhaps?
If you’re dating a History student… visit the Irish Museum of Modern Art
Build rapport with your Valentine while perusing the nation-building exhibition at the Irish Museum of Modern Art, Self Determination: A Global Perspective. Everyone loves to talk about themselves, and this exhibit will give your history-loving date plenty of opportunities to talk about their favourite political and cultural revolutions (Finland in 1917, anyone?). Don’t forget to check out IMMA’s Poetry Jukebox outside the main reception. Choose a poem from an Irish writer, including Trinity’s own Seán Hewitt, and the Jukebox will play it aloud for you.
In the West Wing galleries, check out Asha Murray’s Washing Machines Live Longer When Tufted (not particularly romantic, but my personal favourite from the exhibition) and pop into the movie rooms (dark, with a bench that only fits two people—perfect).
From there, be sure to head to the IMMA gardens, which give the Iveagh Gardens a run for their money. Once you’re both lost among the green hedges, ask your Valentine to recreate the Mr. Darcy hand flex scene from Pride and Prejudice (2005) with you. Your date will, literally, fall in love with you. Thank you, female gaze.
If this Valentine is particularly special to you, pack a picnic to eat in the gardens. Don’t forget to bring a water-resistant blanket and a sweet treat. If you’re feeling shy, take them to the Camerino Bakery in the basement of the museum. Pro tip: skip the croissant and go for the carrot cake. The bakery also makes wedding cakes—foreshadowing for sure.
If you’re dating an English student… visit Photo Museum Ireland
Entice your English student beau out of the arts block and into your arms (and into Photo Museum Ireland). Currently on view is Trish Morrissey: Autofictions, an exhibit spanning Morrissey’s career that tackles ideas of womanhood and motherhood. If you’re struggling to make conversation with your date, ask them about their thoughts on autofiction. The secret is that no one actually knows what autofiction is—least of all the English students—but they’ll still talk for a good fifteen minutes on its merits.
Especially striking is Front, a series of family portraits where Morrissey swaps places with strangers on beaches, taking up the role of mother while the real mother stands behind the camera. The photos are reminiscent of 18th century family portraits, just with hot pink bikinis and polka-dot bath towels. Your English student Valentine will be frothing at the implications of identity and female performance.
After visiting the museum, pop over to the Irish Film Institute’s Café and Bar, then head for a movie. I recommend Cord Jefferson’s American Fiction, which follows the story of an exasperated novelist. Don’t forget to splurge on some popcorn and candy for your date; the Photo Museum of Ireland is free, so no excuses.
If you’re dating a Classics student… visit The Royal Hibernian Academy of Arts
Penelope fended off 108 suitors while waiting for Odysseus to return to Ithaca, and you’d do the exact same thing for your favourite Classics student. To prove your devotion, take them to the Royal Hibernian Academy of Arts to see John Kindness’ Odyssey. The exhibit is an amalgamation of imagined artefacts from Odysseus’s journey, sharply fusing old and new. Basically, your Classics student Valentine will love it.
Be sure to check out the albums by the Gorgons and the Siren, and the crinkled bags of Poseidon’s brand Doomed Sailors Snacks (salted, obviously). The exhibit allows plenty of chances for your date to flaunt their knowledge of the Odyssey, but is digestible enough for gen pop like you—for example, a toilet seat engraved with Scylla and Charybdis.
If you get hungry looking at Homeward ship’s biscuits II or Boar Hunt, take your date two blocks north to Zakura for the best Japanese tapas and sake in Dublin. Order the crunchy salmon rolls and your Valentine’s other suitors will be officially slayed, Odysseus-style
Whether you’re on a first date or trying to move your situationship into relationship territory, Dublin’s galleries are the place to be this Valentine’s Day. Follow this guide and you’ll surely be love-struck soon. For your second date, maybe you can grab coffee, but stick with galleries for now.
WORDS: Bobbie Norton
