Castle, Dublin

1 more image

Dublin Castle (Irish: Caisleán Bhaile Átha Cliath) off Dame Street, Dublin, Ireland, was until 1922 the seat of British rule in Ireland, and is now a major Irish government complex. Most of it dates from the 18th century, though a castle has stood on the site since the days of King John, the first Lord of Ireland. The Castle served as the seat of English, then later British government of Ireland under the Lordship of Ireland (1171–1541), the Kingdom of Ireland (1541–1800), and the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland (1800–1922). Upon establishment of the Irish Free State in 1922, the complex was ceremonially handed over to the newly formed Provisional Government led by Michael Collins.

Dublin castle was the headquarters of British rule in Ireland for over 700 years.
All the remains of the original structure, which was a viking fortress, is the modified record tower, which holds the Garda museum.
Following a fire in 1684, more stately accommodation was built.
In the ballroom or St Patricks hall, there is a ceiling fresco which is considered to be the most important painted ceiling in Ireland.
A neo-gothic chapel royal was added in 1807. This chapel contains carved stone likenesses of a 100 British dignitaries.
In 1990 during excavations an undercroft was discovered and can be visited on a tour where you will see part of the original viking fortress.

The general post office is situated in O'Connell street and was built in 1818.
This building was important during the history of irish independance.
Padraic Pearse (1879-1916) leader of Irish nationalism,proclaimed Ireland a republic and free from British rule.
The post office with the Padriaic and other volunteers resisted the british in a siege that lasted a week.
Heavy bombardment forced the rebels out and left the building severely ruined.
The building was restored and reopened in 1929 and is the headquarters of An post [ the irish postal service].

4 more images

For centuries, this has been the centre of British oppression. Now, it is a remembrance of the past and a governmental building often used for ceremonial purposes. Unfortunately, most parts of the castle are rather new. Some very early structures survived anyway, including a Norman tower from the 13th century. The castle was the official see of the British government until 1922. My only impression from this castle were when I strolled by and saw a local politician giving an interview on St. Patrick’s Day. Another one was when Lorcan (the guy who runs the 1916 walking tour) brought us to the court of the castle and told us something about Ireland’s British past. Guided tours through the buildings are offered, for time reasons I didn’t take one. But from what I heard, they sell out rather quick during the high season. Turn up early, if you want a ticket!
Dublin Castle is a rather underrated tourist attraction. The inner gardens are even more difficult to find and are often used by people for nearby offices to spend their break.

Looking for a huge castle, dungeons, towers, a huge kitchen, and more? Not here. There is only a part of the old castle left and you can see it in a short time if you made the effort to walk in this direction.
If you are in Dublin for only a few days I would suggest to pass this up in favor of other things to do.
see photo

In 1.998 Dublin City Council embarked on an ambitious programme of restoration aimed at returning City Hall to its original Georgian configuration. The Rotunda has been opened up with the removal of 19 th century partitions, allowing visitors to appreciate for the first time since 1852 the proportions of the Cooley original and the wonderful natural light whiche plays around the internal columns. The Portland stone fafric of the building has been carefully cleaned and restored using stone from the same quarry in Dorset. The dome, was completely refusbished and embellished with gold leaf and the fine stone stairscases. The restored City Hall was re-opened to the public on 6 September 2000.

Was walking around Dublin Castle when i saw this beautiful day spa located just beside it.
I had a massage - It was the perfect treat after strolling around town!
The salon is French - so was happy to practice my small bit of French ;)
They also do packages and all other sps treatments.

I would definitely recommend it!

This majestic old lady was built between 1208 and 1220 and the complex represents some of the oldest surviving architecture in the city. It use to be the centre of English power in Ireland for over seven centuries until it was taken of by the Irish Free State in 1922. Today it is used as the focal point for government ceremonial functions, including the inauguration of Ireland's presidents. The newest developments for visitors are the Undercroft, and excavates site on the grounds where an early Viking fortress stood, and the treasury, built between 1712 and 1715, believed to be the oldest surviving purpose-built office building in Ireland. It also houses a new visitor centre in its vaulted basement.

4 more images

The Dublin Castle is smack dab in the middle of everything and is easily found. I think it had tours inside but I could not for the life of me find how to do that. The castle has a gorgeous garden surrounding it that is worth the trouble all by itself. It is hidden in the back but if it's a pretty day, it is amazing. There is also a very sweet cafe that serves lunch and tea. It was reasonably priced.

2 more images

Dublin Castle is a mish mash of buildings in different architectural style, some of them quite old but most dating to after the fire in 1684 that destroyed a good portion of it.

You can go on a guided tour of the state apartments and undercroft, the website also says the chapel royal but I don't recall going in there on our tour, it's possible that it's open for self touring and I just missed it. Go early if it's the height of tourist season, the tours do sell out for the day, I was able to get on the last tour of the day. The guide we had was quite good, full of information and not on auto pilot like some we had during the course of our trip.