ABOUT 200,000 people sampled the cultural side of five Irish cities last night, as a host of venues opened their doors to the public until 11pm for the annual Culture Night.
Galleries, theatres, museums, studios, parks and performance houses in Cork, Limerick, Galway, Waterford and Dublin remained open to host a series of events for the public.
The evening featured activities suitable for the entire family, with dance, drama and art workshops taking place for the more creative, and giant board games and puppet shows for the young at heart.
This is the third year the event has taken place in Dublin, but marked new territory for the other cities involved.
Dermot McLaughlin, chief executive of the Temple Bar Cultural Trust, said the night had been a success, with some 100,000 people attending events in the capital.
"I was delighted with the amount of family groups, children and young people who have taken back the cultural venues and streets of Dublin, which is a fantastic thing to see," he said.
Mr McLaughlin said he would like to cultural venues extend their opening hours to facilitate further access for the public.
"We're not short of venues, organisations or artists in Ireland, but the problem is the times they are accessible are not always user friendly and that will have to change, in my opinion."
One venue which attracted record crowds last night was the Trinity College Science Gallery on Pearse Street in Dublin, where 2,500 people came to see the robot talent show Artbots.
"We have been overwhelmed by the attendance," said Michael John Gorman, a member of staff at the gallery, who believes Culture Night is an excellent idea.
"There's no reason why coming to a gallery, seeing an exhibition and having a drink should be limited to just one night every year."
More than 1,500 people took the opportunity to see the inner workings of Dáil Éireann, when Leinster House offered guided tours to the public.
Derek Ryan from Walkinstown, Dublin, said he thoroughly enjoyed the night, during which he visited City Hall, Dáil Éireann and the National Gallery.
"It's nice to have an alternative to going out drinking," he said. It was great to see places open their doors late, he added.
Culture Night in Galway offered a host of artistic events and the Collegiate Church of St Nicholas hosted a showcase of local music.
In Cork, poetry fans were treated to readings by Mary Noonan and Eugene O'Connell and star-gazers in the south attended a viewing of the Andromeda galaxy at Blackrock Castle Observatory.
