The National Theatre School of Ireland We have been providing actor training since 1986, and to this day pride ourselves on instilling hundreds of students every year with confidence, creativity and a love of the arts. We offer classes for adults and children and full-time, part-time and short courses. The Gaiety School of Acting is an Irish drama school. It is located on Essex Street West in Temple Bar, Dublin 8. The school was founded in 1986 by actor and director Joe Dowling, who currently serves as the chairman of the school, in response to the lack of full-time actor training in Ireland at the time[citation needed]. In addition to the two year full-time course the GSA also runs many part-time and youth courses in locations all around Ireland.