Republic of Ireland · Leinster · Dublin
Phibsborough, Dublin — Area Guide & Where to Stay
Phibsborough sits on Dublin's Northside. This residential quarter lies about two kilometres north of the city centre, gathered around the junction where the North Circular Road crosses the Phibsborough Road. Locals know it as a workaday Dublin address rather than a tourist strip, close to the centre but built around terraced streets and the Royal Canal.
About Phibsborough
Where to stay in Phibsborough
Where you base yourself shapes the visit — here's the character of each area.
Phibsborough suits a quieter, cheaper stay. The area leans residential, so hotels are few and most beds are small guesthouses or B&Bs near the North Circular Road. Base yourself here to reach the centre on foot while sleeping away from its late-night noise.
The Garden of Remembrance and the Hugh Lane Gallery lie a short walk south, with the Spire of Dublin rising over the centre beyond them. For a wider choice of hotels, look to central Dublin.
About Phibsborough
What are the main landmarks in Phibsborough?
Phibsborough keeps few marquee sights of its own; the big draws sit just south, in the city. On Parnell Square, a walk down the Phibsborough Road, sit the Garden of Remembrance, the Hugh Lane Gallery and the Dublin Writers Museum. The James Joyce Centre stands nearby.
Saint Francis Xavier Church rises among the Georgian streets south of the Royal Canal, while the Spire of Dublin marks the top of the city's main street. Further west, along the North Circular Road, Dublin Zoo sits inside Phoenix Park.
What is the history of Phibsborough?
Phibsborough grew as Dublin pushed north beyond the Royal Canal. The canal was dug through the north of the city in the Georgian period to link Dublin with the midlands, and terraced streets filled in around it as the suburb spread through the nineteenth century. Two main roads met at its core.
By the Victorian years Phibsborough had become a working residential quarter on the Northside, its brick terraces lining the approaches to the centre of Dublin.
Where is Phibsborough?
Phibsborough occupies a wedge of Dublin's Northside, with Cabra to the west and Glasnevin to the north. The Royal Canal draws its northern boundary, and the Phibsborough Road runs south from the crossroads toward Broadstone and the centre of Dublin. Drumcondra lies just to the northeast.
From the same junction, the North Circular Road strikes west across the Northside.
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Updated July 2026