Irish Government Buildings

To complete our Heritage and Culture tour of Dublin, we rounded off with political buildings. We commenced with Dublin Castle. The function which has changed through its history, from a defensive fortification, evolving into a royal residence and finally into of ceremony such as the inauguration of the President and hosting official State visits. The next political influenced stop and one of the historic buildings which has eluded us for years, was Farmleigh House and Estate, which is the official guest house of the Irish State for visiting heads of State and dignitaries. It formerly was one of the residences of the Guinness family.

Next stop on this political tour began with Bank of Ireland, College Green, the former home of the Irish Houses of Parliament, was the world's first purpose-built two-chamber parliament house. It served as the seat of both chambers, - the Lords and Commons of the Irish Parliament of the Kingdom Of Ireland for most of the 18th century until it was abolished by the Act of Union of 1800, when Ireland became part of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland. In 1803, Bank of Ireland bought the building from the British Government for £40,000 for use as its headquarters. One proviso was stipulated; it was to be so adapted that it never could be used as a parliament again. Certain contents have remained within the building such as the original two tapestries depicting the Siege of Derry and Battle of the Boyne and the Mace of the Hose of Commons. The House of Lords is open to the public, free of charge during the opening hours of the bank. Seeing the tapestries and the elaborate plaster work on the walls and ceiling are worth a visit alone. 

After my visit at the old parliament, I walked to Leinster house for a visit to the public galleries of the Dáil and Seanad and meet my local senator Tony Mulcahy. I arrived in time to watch Taoiseach question time, and what I watched unfold, felt something like a circus. I got so enthralled with this, I missed my tour of Leinster House, therefore will have to return again for the tour. I met with the senator's intern who showed me where the Seanad and canteen where, before I met up with the senator. I met the senator at the Main entrance to Leinster House, who brought me to the infamous Dáil bar, where we chatted bought the workings of the Seanad and local Clare politics. I definitely will return for the tour at the weekend and maybe next time bring +Niamh with me to meet our senators and the Dáil bar. 

On Saturday morning, made my way toward the National Gallery, which was the meeting point for the tour of the Taoiseach office. The tour is free and leaves every Saturday morning from the gallery. We left the gallery, just before half ten, and walked around to the Merrion Square entrance of Government Buildings. Our tour guide gave us the history of the buildings. The foundation stone was laid in 1904 by King Edward VII and only the western half of the site was completed for the college inaugurated by King George V in 1911. The balancing north and south wings were not completed until 1922. The Executive Countil of the Irish Free State in 1922 along with several of its Government Departments, moved into the offices of the north wing because office space in the city was in short supply due to the destruction of buildings. The Royal College of Science which merged with UCD in the 1920's continued in the west wing until 1989 and its transfer to the Belfield campus. The OPW refurbished the west wing into offices for government departments. Inside the entrance hall, one of the first thing you notice is the luminous stained glass window entitled "My Four Green Field" by Evie Hone and dates from 1939 when it was commissioned for the New York World Trade Fair, and depicts the four provinces of Ireland. The Taoiseach Office is located on the first floor, where the walls are panelled with oak and has a Bossi fireplace. To finish off the tour, we visited the Cabinet Room, where a series of portrait drawings of Irish historical figures are hanging on the walls. The current Cabinet table which is made of Irish burr walnet, is the third one since the foundation of the State. The second table which was used from 1959 until 2004, is in the adjacent room to the Cabinet Room. The original table, Eamon de Valera took with him to Áras an Uachtarain, when he became president.

Therefore my next and final stop on the political buildings of Dublin was Áras an Uachtarain. I hopped off the bus near Ashtown Gate, and attempted to find my way towards the visitor centre in Phoenix Park. After getting somehow a tad lost, finally found the centre and got my ticket for the next available tour at 1.30 pm. As I had some time to spare, I went exploring the Castle and its grounds and the exhibition in the visitor centre. The tour is free and occurs every Saturday and leaves from the car park. To my surprise, there was 2 mini buses operating for my tour. The Áras was built in 1751 and is situated in 1,752 acres. Originally used by the Park Ranger, by 1782 it had being acquired by the British government for use by the Viceroys who oversaw British rule in Ireland. The house was the official residence for the Viceroys until 1922 when it became the residence of the Governors General, the Crown's representatives. In 1938, it became the Official Residence of the President. Over the years, there been improvements and additions to the house. In particular the establishment of formal gardens in the 1840's, addition of the East Wing in 1849 for the state visit of Queen Victoria and extension of the West Wing for the visit of George V in 1911. During the tour, the guide highlighted several interesting aspects of the house, such as the Dining Room, where the portraits of the past presidents are hung and the presence of the original Cabinet table. The plaster work on the ceilings and walls are just outstanding, with several depicting Greek Mythology or fable stories. The tour was quite interesting and worth a visit.