The
Abbey Theatre , also known as the
National Theatre of Ireland , in
Dublin, Republic of Ireland, first opened its doors to the public on 27 December 1904. Despite losing its original building to a fire in 1951, it has remained active to the present day. The Abbey was the first state-subsidized theatre in the English-speaking world; from 1925 onwards it received an annual subsidy from the
Irish Free State. Since July 1966, the Abbey has been located at 26 Lower Abbey Street, Dublin 1.