SFX City Theatre, Dublin

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The SFX City Theatre is in Upper Sherrard Street, in the northern inner city of Dublin. It is named after the St Francis Xavier Hall and there has been a theatre or community centre on the site since the middle of the 19th century. In the 1950s it was used by the RTÉ Symphony Orchestra. In the 1960s to 1980s it was used as a concert hall until the National Concert Hall was built in Dublin and was up to that the the home of the National Symphony Orchestra and rehearsals rooms for the Dubln Grand Opera Society. Many leading performers appeared at the SFX or Saint Francis Xavier Hall as it was known then including Shostakovitch.

In the 1980's it became Dublin's foremost "rock venue" and almost every major band of the 80's played there. It was also at the SFX that U2 gave their first big concerts. The Passion Machine Theatre Company created all their seminal work there staging the world Premiers of the plays of Roddy Doyle author of "the Commitments". Actor Brendan Gleeson and Irish Theatre Director Paul Mercier began their professional theatre careers at the SFX at this time

The Original Riverdance show was rehearsed there and in 1996 Michael Flatley held auditions and created his Lord of the Dance show in the theatre.

In 2004, the City Theatre Trust was established as a 'not for profit' company to administer the building. In 2005 Michael Flatley returned to the SFX for auditons of his new show Celtic Tiger.

In 2006 the Sfx City Theatre was demolished to make way for 41 apartments and car parking ending an era of theatre and community work in Dublin's inner city.