DCU: Magpie Murders filming in Drumcondra

What was filmed here

Magpie Murders filmed at Dublin City University’s All Hallows and St Patrick’s campuses. DCU’s venue service publishes a testimonial from the production’s assistant location manager naming both, and describing the usefulness of their historic and contemporary buildings. These are distinct sites in Drumcondra; selecting the main Glasnevin campus in a navigation app will not necessarily take you to either of them. A fan visit should focus on the public neighbourhood and any campus areas open to visitors that day. University rooms, teaching buildings and accommodation are not a drop-in film set. The campus credit gives you a good reason to look at the architectural range of north Dublin without attaching a fictional hospital, office or room name to a building on guesswork.

About the place

Drumcondra is a lived-in district north of Dublin’s centre, with a main road lined by businesses, residential streets and substantial educational sites. All Hallows College was founded in 1842, with Drumcondra House forming part of its history. The DCU site describes a collection of older buildings and a chapel alongside the university’s wider modern facilities. St Patrick’s adds another educational landscape nearby. This combination helps explain why a production moving between the twentieth and twenty-first centuries could find useful material within one institution. The area is also a reminder that a film location does not have to be an isolated mansion or a famous monument. A campus can provide several different visual worlds, while its real purpose continues around the production. Walk slowly enough to notice the transitions between busy roadside frontage, quieter residential roads and institutional entrances, rather than expecting a single instantly recognisable television view.

Getting there

Drumcondra railway station is the natural rail reference for this route. Check Irish Rail and TFI for the service from your starting point, then continue on foot along the Drumcondra Road area. Dublin buses also serve this corridor; use the TFI planner with the exact campus name and your travel date. If arriving from Dublin Airport, compare the airport bus options with a taxi rather than assuming a rail connection from the terminal. By car, Drumcondra lies on the north-city approach from the M1 corridor, but city traffic and parking restrictions make public transport simpler for most visitors. Do not assume staff or student parking is public parking. A booked city car park followed by a bus or walk is usually easier to plan than searching campus gates for a space.

A short self-guided walk

Allow roughly 60–90 minutes for this suggested neighbourhood circuit, longer if you have arranged a permitted campus visit. It does not include an interior tour.

1. Start outside Drumcondra station and orient yourself to the main road. Check the walking route before setting off so that you are heading towards the right campus.
2. Continue along the public pavement towards St Patrick’s campus. Look from the public approach and follow the signs governing any visitor entry.
3. Pause in a safe place away from the entrance to compare the campus’s scale with the surrounding residential streets. This is an architectural stop, not access to a filming room.
4. Follow public streets towards Grace Park Road and All Hallows. Use crossings at the main road rather than trying to save a few steps through traffic.
5. View the All Hallows entrance and any publicly accessible grounds allowed on the day. Do not enter a teaching or accommodation building simply because the door is open.
6. Return towards the Drumcondra Road cafés and station, choosing a meal stop before your onward journey.

Before leaving, save the campus names and your return stop offline. A production location list and a university map answer different questions: the first explains what was used; the second tells you which entrance is suitable now. If a gate is closed, the public-street walk still offers useful context, and there is no reason to look for an unofficial way through. Keep the Botanic Gardens or a booked museum visit as the main activity if you need a guaranteed visitor destination.

Eat and drink nearby

These businesses have current menus, booking pages or visitor listings. Check the venue pages before visiting. Seasonal opening and private events can change your plans.

• Fagan’s — a Drumcondra pub on the main road, useful for a pause after the campus-area walk.
• Shouk — a Middle Eastern restaurant on Lower Drumcondra Road with menus and table booking online.
• Independent Pizza Company — an established Drumcondra pizzeria for an informal meal near the rail station.

Where to stay

• Drumcondra — best for keeping the DCU walk close to your accommodation and using local cafés.
• Dublin city centre — the widest choice of hotels and evening activities, with bus or rail onward travel.
• Glasnevin — a north-city base convenient for the Botanic Gardens and the wider university area.
• Smithfield — a useful alternative for a city break combining museums, the Luas and trips towards Phoenix Park.

Nearby

The National Botanic Gardens in Glasnevin offer a substantial public attraction nearby, while Glasnevin Cemetery has its own organised visitor programme. The GAA Museum at Croke Park is another north-Dublin option, with access and tours booked through its operator. These are independent attractions, not additional Magpie locations. For the series’ major house connection, see Glenmaroon near Phoenix Park, but do not try to combine every north-city stop into a rushed walking route. A half-day in Drumcondra and Glasnevin is a more relaxed plan than crossing the entire city repeatedly.

Best time to visit and accessibility

A weekday can show the campuses at their liveliest, but teaching, events and examinations take precedence over sightseeing. Weekends may be quieter without guaranteeing that gates or facilities are open. Pavement routes are more predictable than access inside historic buildings, and a campus’s modern facilities do not establish that every old room is step-free. If you need accessible toilets, lifts or a particular entrance, contact DCU before going. Allow extra time at crossings and carry a rain layer; the route works best as an outdoor walk with a café backup.

Visiting respectfully

Follow campus signs and staff instructions, and keep entrances clear. Avoid photographing students or looking into teaching and accommodation spaces.

Frequently asked questions

Which DCU campuses were used?

DCU names All Hallows and St Patrick’s in its Magpie Murders production testimonial.

Can I visit the filming rooms?

No public filming-room tour is identified here. Arrange any interior access directly with the university.

What station should I use?

Drumcondra is the useful nearby railway station; check your service and final walk with the current journey planner.

Is this the main DCU campus?

The filming credit names two Drumcondra campuses, so do not automatically navigate to Glasnevin.