Want to do some adult shopping in Ireland?
Despite the first sex shop in Ireland only appearing in the last 30 years, there are plenty of places to find your lube, vibrators and bondage gear but not all sex shops are created equal with some specialising in fetish whilst others prefer to appeal to a mainstream audience.
Ireland’s sex shops have had a rough ride with licenses only being granted in the last few decades and the first proposed sex shop to be licensed being in 1991; Utopia in Limerick.
However, there are plenty of sex shops around, many of which run online services for discreet home delivery but if you want a bricks and mortar browse shop then we’ve put together our guide to the best sex shops in the Emerald Isle.
A Guide to Ireland’s Best Adult Stores
Ireland’s history of sex shops is a recent one as far-reaching censorship laws banned the opening of sex shops until as early as the 1990s.
Every opening of a new shop on a main street sparked fresh controversy in the press with business owners complaining about moral decency and a proportion of the general public making them a scandal.
In light of the uproar, it is perhaps a surprise that Ireland has so many sex shops just twenty-five years later. From protest ‘pray-ins’ to thriving retail outlets, the sex shop is here to stay.
Dublin Sex Shops
Basic Instincts
8 Eustace St, Temple Bar, Dublin 2
Tel: +353 1 633 4400
Basic Instincts sells a wide range of lubes, sprays and miscellaneous toys but is, perhaps, better known for its fetish range including masks and clothing. They stock a good selection of rubber and leather wear and everything from bondage and chastity gear to extreme S&M accessories.
Not for the faint-hearted, the ‘pin-prick glove’ and ‘extreme piss mask’ might not be your mainstream gear but there are some interesting items here that you won’t find in many other outlets.
The shop is open from 10am to 7pm Monday to Saturday but open from midday on Sundays.
Condom Power
57 Dame St, Temple Bar, Dublin 2
Tel: +353 1 442 6836
A modern, brightly-lit sex shop in the heart of the city, Condom Power sells more than just a dizzying range of prophylactics. You can pick up most mainstream toys such as the WeVibe as well as dressing up and lingerie.
The sales staff have earned a strong reputation for being welcoming, friendly and open which makes Condom Power a popular sex shop in Dublin for ladies and couples.
Condom Power is open as follows:
- Monday to Friday: 9.30am to 7.00pm
- Saturday: 9.30am to 6.00pm
- Sunday: 12.00pm to 6.00pm
Miss Fantasia
25 South William St, Dublin Southside, Dublin
Tel: +353 1 671 3734
https://www.facebook.com/Miss-Fantasia-134452009903421/
One of the Republic’s oldest sex shops, Miss Fantasia has been in business for over 20 years. They stock a wide range of essential toys, equipment and accessories including vibrators, dildos, condoms, lube and strap-ons. They have earned themselves a reputation for their costumes which include corsets, wigs, hosiery and lingerie.
Miss Fantasia also manufacturers its own range of rubber and leather products
The shop is open as follows:
- Monday to Wednesday and Saturday: 10.00am to 7.00pm
- Thursday: 10.00am to 9.00pm
- Friday: 10.00am to 8.00pm
- Sunday: 2.00pm to 7.00pm
Secret Paradise
38 Wellington Quay, Temple Bar, Dublin
Phone: +353 1 515 9741
Secret Paradise has carved a niche in the Dublin sex store market by catering to a female-friendly and couples-friendly crowd.
The store is designed to do away with the seedy image that many Dublin sex shops are associated with. They pride themselves in friendly customer service and a welcoming atmosphere. You can order through their online store if you would rather have their products shipped to your door.
Secret Paradise sells a number of dildos, dongs, cock rings, bondage gear, and anal toys. It even has some app-controlled toys for those looking to add a little extra technology to their private thrills!
Limerick Sex Shops
Angels Adult Boutique
Mungret St, Limerick
Tel: +353 61 319 566
Situated in the heart of Limerick City, Angels is a modern, brightly lit shop with a well-designed interior and friendly staff. The company runs a successful home-order business with its online storefront doing good business in both the essentials, novelty items and magazines/DVDs.
The shop has a good range of clubwear and lingerie in addition to electric sex machines, fetish and bondage gear and sex toys for him and her.
Angels is a family run business and has been operating for 21 years. The store is open as follows:
- Monday to Saturday: 10.00am to 6.00pm
- Sunday: 10.00am to 6.00pm
- Sunday (September to December): 12.00pm to 6.00pm
Thelma & Louise’s
1-2 Lower Shannon Street, Howley’s Quay, Limerick
Tel: +353 61 319 818
Established in 2011, Thelma and Louise’s offers an eclectic range of sex toys, DVDs and accessories. The style is modern and friendly with the shop regularly receiving surprised reviews over the welcome received. Prices are good for the high street and you can even pick up some unexpected bargains. Popular with hen nights, the shop caters for the demand for novelty items and you can almost guarantee to run into a herd of women last thing on a Friday.
Thelma and Louise’s is open from 10.00am Monday to Saturday (opening at 12.00pm on Sundays) and closes at 6.00pm.
Kilkenny Sex Shops
PlayBlue
Unit 1, Pudding Lane, Kilkenny
Tel: +353 56 772 3434
Having established a successful online sex toy retail business, PlayBlue bought out a local bricks and mortar adult store in Kilkenny (formerly Cheri Lee and Scandalous) in 2013. The shop is modern and well designed and offers a great range of toys, lingerie, DVDs and gifts. Because the shop is backed up by a massive distribution business, the stock is pretty comprehensive and you can find 3000 different products in store. Honouring its policy of ‘spend €30 and receive a free gift’, the prices do vary from the website but they will match them, if you request.
You can find anything here from bondage gags, hoods and masks to electro-stimulator toys, vibrating butt plugs and strap-on dildos.
Play Blue is open as follows:
- Monday to Thursday and Saturday: 10.00am to 6.00pm
- Friday: 10.00am to 8.00pm
- Sunday and Bank Holidays: 12.00am to 6.00pm
Mandy’s Delights
Unit A Metges Lane, Navan, Co. Meath
Tel: +353 46 907 4838
http://www.mandysdelightsonline.com
Offering a ‘mature approach to adult pleasure’, the owners of this sex shop in Co. Meath were fined in February 2017 for selling mainstream porn online. The shop sells costumes, footwear and clothing as well as bullets, eggs, vibrators and dongs. The offerings range from your high-street, mainstream products to some specialist goods including S&M plus novelty items.
Northern Ireland
If you are living north of the border, there aren’t quite as many options for adult stores and porn shops.
Belfast Sex Shops
There aren’t many!
Even as recently as 2007, a shop in Belfast was denied a license by the city’s council.
Ann Summers
55 Rosemary Street, Belfast, Antrim BT1 1QB
Tel: 02891 226008
The ubiquitous appeal of Ann Summers is hard to deny and, much like any chain store, you know what you are getting. Though the experience of shopping in Ann Summers in Belfast is no different to one you’d find in London, Bristol or Leeds, the store on Rosemary Street is playful, friendly and offers good value. Though you are unlikely to find anything to take you by surprise, the shop is well-designed and is a good go-to for your basics.
Ann Summers also has a clearance store in Lisburn which offers sometimes heavily discounted end-of-line stock. It’s worth going to as there are some great bargains to be had and, if you are bulk buying, then the management are open to negotiation. Just remember that there is usually a limit on the returns policy for clearance items.
Ann Summers is open from 9.30am to 6.00pm, Monday to Saturday but opens later on a Sunday at 12.00pm.
They also have stores in locations in the Republic of Ireland, including Newry, Cork, Dublin and Limerick.
Online Sex Stores in Ireland
Of course, more and more of us are doing our shopping online and with sex toys, the advantage of a discreet browsing environment is more appealing than a traditional bricks-and-mortar shop. We’ve given you a handful of 100% Irish websites that service niche areas for sex toy shopping online as well as the mainstream markets.
Ireland’s Dungeon
https://www.irelandsdungeon.com
Specialising in fetish and BDSM gear, Ireland’s Dungeon is based in Athlone but services a worldwide market. Stocking a wide range of dungeon gear, CBT & chastity equipment and impact play, many of the products are made using locally sourced materials such as fine Irish leather and wood. They even supply bespoke cages, handmade in Ireland.
Their range of electro and medical sex toys are very popular and include enema and douching kits, urethral sounding kits as well as speculums and other medical tools.
Ireland’s Dungeon services a niche audience with an excellent reputation for service, quality and value. Packages are sent in discreet plain wrapping and they offer a full 30-day returns policy.
Intimate
Another 100% Irish owned company, Intimate sells a high-quality and good value range of essential sex toys including the increasingly popular app controlled sex toys. These simple devices can be controlled using a download for your smartphone or tablet making pleasuring someone remotely a tantalising possibility. Their bestselling range includes rabbit vibrators, cock rings and kegal balls.
The range is playful and more mainstream than Ireland’s Dungeon but is a great site for singles and couples to browse at their leisure. Orders within Ireland over €30 receive free delivery.
Featured image via Condom Power (Google Earth).
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