COVID-19 advice: Please follow current government advice and check opening times before travel.

Now the Residence of the President of Ireland, Áras an Uachtaráin, started as a modest brick house for the Phoenix Park Chief Ranger in 1751. It was subsequently acquired as an “occasional residence” for the Lords Lieutenants and gradually evolved to a large mansion. After Ireland gained independence, it was occupied by three Governors General between 1922 and 1937, prior to the first president Dr Douglas Hyde taking up residence there.

19th century architects Francis Johnston, Jacob Owen and Decimus Burton, and more recently, Raymond McGrath, as well as stuccodores Michael Stapleton and Bartholomew Cramillion, contributed to its gradual expansion, gardens and interiors. The Irish architect James Hoban may have used the garden front portico as the model for the façade of the White House.

Tickets are issued at the Phoenix Park Visitor Centre on Saturdays from 9.30 am on a first-come, first-served basis. Visitors are advised to arrive early to avoid disappointment. Free transport by bus is provided. Group and/or advance booking is not possible.

Guided tours re-commence (after Covid closures) on Saturday 9th July 2022.

July – December 2022: tours run at 10.00 am, 11.15 am, 12.30 pm, 1.45 pm and 3.00 pm. Closed 24-26 December.

(Please contact the Visitor Centre first to confirm that tours are taking place, as access can be restricted at times due to official State engagements – phone 01-6770095 or email at phoenixparkvisitorcentre@opw.ie)

www.heritageireland.ie

Phoenix Park, Dublin 8.

Tel: 01 6770095

Admission free.

COVID-19 advice: Please follow current government advice and check opening times before travel.

The military cemetery at Arbour Hill is the last resting place of 14 of the executed leaders of the insurrection of 1916. Among those buried there are Patrick Pearse, James Connolly and Major John Mc Bride. The leaders were executed in Kilmainham and then their bodies were transported to Arbour Hill, where they were buried.

The graves are located under a low mound on a terrace of Wicklow granite in what was once the old prison yard. The gravesite is surrounded by a limestone wall on which their names are inscribed in Irish and English. On the prison wall opposite the gravesite is a plaque with the names of other people who gave their lives in 1916.

The adjoining Church of the Sacred Heart, which is the prison chapel for Arbour Hill prison, is maintained by the Department of Defence. At the rear of the church lies the old cemetery, where lie the remains of British military personnel who died in the Dublin area in the 19th and early 20th century.

A doorway beside the 1916 memorial gives access to the Irish United Nations Veterans Association house and memorial garden.

Arbour Hill is located at the rear of the National Museum of Ireland, Collins Barracks.

Open all year
Mon-Fri 8.00 am-4.00 pm
Sat 11.00 am-4.00 pm
Sun 9.30 am-4.00 pm

Free tours of Arbour Hill Cemetery take place on Fridays only at 11.00 am from April 8 to Sept 30. The meeting point is inside Arbour Hill Cemetery’s gates. No booking necessary. Subject to change and weather permitting. Please telephone 01-6770095 or email phoenixparkvisitorcentre@opw.ie for more information.

https://heritageireland.ie/places-to-visit/arbour-hill-cemetery/

Rear of National Museum, Collins Barracks, Dublin 7.

Tel: 01 821 3021.

Admission free.

COVID-19 advice: Please follow current government advice and check opening times before travel.

Visit the former Irish Houses of Parliament. This was the world’s first purpose-built two-chamber parliament house. Built in 1729, the building was purchased in 1803 by the Bank of Ireland (in the wake of the Irish Parliament’s abolition in 1801).

Access may not be allowed to the House of Lords Chamber if the area is closed for a private function.

There is a guided tour on Tuesdays only at 10.30 am.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Irish_Houses_of_Parliament

• Five things you didn’t know about the Bank of Ireland building (www.dailyedge.ie)
• Technical architectural information (www.archiseek.com)

College Green, Dublin 2.

Tel: 07 662 39350

Admission free.

COVID-19 advice: Please follow current government advice and check opening times before travel.

The Casino (meaning “small house”) was designed by Sir William Chambers in the late eighteenth-century as a pleasure house for James Caulfeild, 1st Earl of Charlemont. It is widely acknowledged as the most important example of neoclassical architecture in Ireland.

One of only a handful of buildings in Ireland designed by Chambers, the most celebrated architect of his time, the Casino is full of architectural tricks, devices, and secrets. Although it looks like a one-room Greek temple from the outside, there are actually three floors and sixteen finely decorated rooms hidden inside.

The Casino is the last remaining building of Lord Charlemont’s once-spectacular demesne at Marino in Dublin which, until the late nineteenth century, extended from modern-day Collins Avenue south to Marino Mart in Fairview. The story of the demesne and the Casino itself is told through maps, models, images, and letters on display throughout the building.

The House is accessed via self-guided tours. There are also free guided tours twice per day, at 11.00 am and 2.00 pm.  [Private tours can be booked – email casinomarino@opw.ie].

Opening hours: 
In 2022, the Casino is open seven days a week from June 19 to November 6.
Open 10.00 am-4.30 pm (last entry is at 4.30 pm).

www.casinomarino.ie

Casino Marino, Cherrymount Crescent, Malahide Road, Marino, Dublin 3.

Tel: 01 833 1618.

Admission free.

COVID-19 advice: Please follow current government advice and check opening times before travel.

A masterpiece of European neo-classicism, the building of a new Custom House for Dublin was the idea of John Beresford, who became first commissioner of revenue for Ireland in 1780. In 1781 he appointed James Gandon as architect, after Thomas Cooley, the original architect on the project, had died. This was Gandon’s first large scale commission.

The new Custom House was unpopular with Dublin Corporation and some city merchants who complained that it moved the axis of the city, would leave little room for shipping, and was being built on what at the time was a swamp. Purchase of land was delayed and proved exorbitant. The project was dogged by protests. 

When it was completed and opened for business on 7 November 1791, it cost £200,000 to build.  The four facades of the building are decorated with coats-of-arms and ornamental sculptures (by Edward Smyth) representing Ireland’s rivers. Another artist, Henry Banks, was responsible for the statue on the dome. 

As the port of Dublin moved further downriver, the building’s original use for collecting custom duties became obsolete, and it was used as the headquarters of local government in Ireland. During the Irish War of Independence in 1921, the Irish Republican Army burnt down the Custom House, in an attempt to disrupt British rule in Ireland. Gandon’s original interior was completely destroyed in the fire and the central dome collapsed. A large quantity of irreplaceable historical records were also destroyed in the fire.

After the Anglo-Irish Treaty, it was restored by the Irish Free State government. Further restoration was done in the 1980s.

James Gandon’s architectural masterpiece now houses a fully reimagined exhibition created by award-winning designers whose previous work includes exhibitions at Killarney House and Dublin Castle, with contributions from leading Irish historians and academics, featuring a narrative journey revealing a story with many layers, of people, heritage and history, spanning over 200 years.

The exhibition flows and develops chronologically using each space to tell a chapter in the story, taking visitors from Dublin in the late 1700s through to the 21st century and giving them the unique and authentic experience of being inside the walls of one of the city’s most iconic buildings.

The new visitor experience takes visitors on a narrative journey through the building itself, highlighting the magnificent architecture and using first-hand accounts, personal stories, and artefacts to tell the story of the building and the city from the 1700s up to the present day.

The exhibition shows how the building witnessed some of the most momentous events in Irish history, from the 1916 Easter Rising to the birth of the Irish Free State and eventually the Republic of Ireland. The fulcrum of this story is the burning of the Custom House in May 1921; this event is brought to life though captivating audio visual interpretation and artefacts from the period.

The Visitor Centre is usually open 7 days a week (including Public Holidays) from 10.00 am to 5.30 pm. The Centre is closed from 24-27 December 2021 inclusive, on 31 December and on 1 January.  The Centre is usually open from 28-30 December inclusive.

www.archiseek.com

www.heritageireland.ie

Custom Quay, Dublin 1

Tel: 046 940 7140

Adults €8 (guided tour); Adults €6 (self-guided); concessions

[Historical summary provided by Wikipedia]

COVID-19 advice: Please follow current government advice and check opening times before travel.

Dublin City Hall was built between 1769 and 1779 (designed by Thomas Cooley). It is the headquarters of Dublin City Council and is the place where the Lord Mayor and City Councillors hold meetings to discuss present and future plans for Dublin.

City Hall was originally built as the Royal Exchange and was used by the merchants of Dublin as a financial centre until Dublin Corporation bought the building in 1851. It was renovated and re-opened in 1852. The building underwent a major refurbishment programme in 1998-2000 and has been restored to its former 18th century glory.

Situated in an historic quarter of Dublin, City Hall is neighbour to Christ Church Cathedral and Dublin Castle.

Noteworthy features of the building are the magnificent Hall and Rotunda (an elegant space with a circular dome, like a small-scale version of similar buildings in Rome); statues of Daniel O’Connell, Thomas Davis, Henry Grattan, Charles Lucas and Thomas Drummond; and a set of twelve paintings representing scenes from the history and mythology of the city. There is a detailed brochure available in the lobby explaining the various art works.

Twelve columns support the dome of the Rotunda, with a mural between each one. There are twelve murals in total, eight of which depict a famous legendary or historical scene, such as St Patrick baptising the King of Dublin. The remaining four show the Coat of Arms of the four provinces: Ulster, Leinster, Connacht and Munster. In the centre of the floor, directly under the dome, a mosaic depicting the Coat of Arms of Dublin is encircled by four statues. These four statues are of figures that played an important role in the development of Irish society.

The Rotunda is impressive, not only for its elegance and beauty, but for its rich and vibrant history. Admission to the entrance hall is free and it can also be hired for events such as civil wedding ceremonies, book launches and fashion shows.

Open Mon–Sat: 10.00 am-4.00 pm (except for when weddings are in progress).
Closed Sun, Bank Holidays, St Patrick’s Day, Good Friday, 24-26 Dec & 1 Jan.

Pre-Covid, tours for groups took place by prior arrangement. Exhibitions were also held here from time to time. Sadly, these interesting options have been discontinued.

www.dublincity.ie

Dame Street, Dublin 2.

Tel: 01 222 2204.

Admission free.