Castle, Dublin

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I had read some mixed reviews on Dublin Castle before going, but I very, very much enjoyed my visit. To begin with, our tour guide was excellent - very knowledgeable and quite funny! What I liked the most about the tour is that it touched upon every important event that marked the country's history. Located near the original Viking settlement that gave birth to the city of Dublin, the castle was first built as a fortress shortly after the Norman invasion of 1169. Though not much remains of the original building, the tour includes a visit of the undercroft, which reveals the castle's fascinating past. The building was modified and expanded over the years, and though most of the castle is now comprised of government offices, it is still possible to visit the beautiful State Appartments where the British lords ruling over Ireland used to reside until the Irish government took over Dublin Castle in 1922. Presidential inaugurations still take place in St. Patrick's Hall today. A really nice introduction to the city and its history!

Dublin Castle is open from 10:00 am to 4:45 pm on weekdays, and from 2:00 pm to 4:45 pm on the weekend. Visits are by guided tours only, so you may have to wait a while between the time you get your ticket and the time of your actual visit - if such is the case, you can always go for a nice little walk around the castle's gardens :o)

Behind the castle is a fantastic garden which has a sort of stained glass snake like fountain. There is also a memorial to Veronica Guerin who was assinated in 1996, due to her extensive investigation into Dublin's crimeworld.

The georgian courtyard shows the scales of justice appearing to have her back to the city perhaps to say Justice is for the rulers of the country only.

I did not go inside but I'm sure its very interesting, open on wknds between 2 & 4.45pm & mon - fri 10am - 4.45pm
A guided tour costs Euro 4.50

Dublin Castle is situated in the heart of historic Dublin.
The city gets its name from the Dubh Linn or Black Pool (dubh = black), on the site of the present Castle Gardens and Coach House.
In the 930's, a Danish Viking Fortress stood on this site and part of the town defences is on view at the Undercroft, where the facing stone revetments offered protection against the River Poddle. Their settlement of Dyflinn (a corruption of Dubhlinn) quickly became the main Viking military base and trading centre of slaves and silver, in Ireland. The Norwegian and sometimes Danish rulers had control of the Irish Sea and forayed deep into the centre of Ireland, where monasteries, with their precious ornaments and vessels, were easy targets. Eventually their power was broken, when they and their allies were heavily defeated by an Irish army under the command of King Brian Boru, at the Battle of Clontarft, 1014.

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Also at the south bank of the Liffey you can find one of the oldest buildings in Dublin: Dublin Castle. It is situated on top of a hill and it plays an important role in the history of Ireland. For more than 700 years, the country was ruled from here by the English government.

The Castle was built spread over several centuries, with the most remarkable part, the tower, as oldest part, dating from the 13th century. This tower is called Record Tower and looks very rough from outside, made from rough granite. The rest of the Castle looks friendlier and very classy, with styles from all different eras. At the back of the Castle, you will find a nice, round garden with an artistic geometrical figure in the grass. This part of the Castle looks completely different again with bright colours all over.

Today the Irish government for official meetings and dinners uses the Dublin Castle, but the area around the Castle still is free to visit. It is also possible to get a guided tour through some parts of the Castle.

The Dublin castle is a must, at least for me as I love to see castles.

Unfortunately, we only got to see a small part of the castle due to EU being there for 6 months it will be closed.

Can you see the blue and white sculpture? It has meaning for the snake design.

Dublin Castle is located in the heart of the city.

It gets its name from the Dubh Linn or Black Pool (dubh = black).

Visit the Dubh Linn (Black pool) in the grounds of Dublin Castle, from which the city's name evolved. Now a garden with zoomorphic sinuous snakes embedded in the grass, so make sure you go to the viewing platform overlooking the garden to appreciate the design.

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Our next stop was Dublin Castle, not as large as others we had seen from the outside, however the interior was remarkable and was decorated beautifully for visiting dignitaries. During excavation they found water seeping into the bottom castle floor and they found more subterranean castle which the Irish historians have determined had once been a waterway to the River Liffey. We were fortunate to have toured this dark and damp underground excavation with complete commentary.

This castle was built in 1204 by King John, its history tells of many impaled Irish who hung from its walls. The British Administration has been housed here since 1922. The State Apartments as well as the Undercroft and Chapel Royal are open for visits with regular guided tours.

For more information and 360 degree panoramas of this castle see website address below.

dublin castle is symbol of english rule in ireland ever since the anglo-normans built a fortress here in the 13th century. the castle was destroyed in a fire in 1684 and the only norman structure that remains today is the record tower built in 1226. after the fire sir william robinson designed a new castle which is more like a palace than a castle. as a result dublin castle now is a combination of architectural styles from the 13th to the 19th century. an interesting place to visit when in dublin.

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Dublin Castle is open to visitors only when they join a guided tour (the tours take about 50 minutes). I don’t think you will have to wait too long. I waited 15 minutes for the next tour in English. But Dublin Castle is a building in use so at some occasions the State Apartments are closed because of official use.

Most of what you see of today’s castle is from the 18th century and so are the state apartments, which we walked through during the tour. Then we went out into the Upper Yard. From Bedford Tower, standing there, the Irish Crown Jewels were stolen in 1907 and they have never been found. The tour ended under the Powder Tower where there is a 10th century foundation made by the Vikings. The tour did not include Chapel Royal this day.

I think the entrance fee was 4,5 Euro (February2007).
The castle is open 10-17 on Monday - Friday and 14 - 17 on Saturday, Sunday and Bank Holidays.

Dublin castle was the seat of English Imperialistic power for many centuries.

Rather than destroying it as a symbol of oppression, the Castle has fulfilled a number of functions for the post independent state. The state apartments and various state functions still take place here. A number of government departments also still use areas of the castle for office space.

The Guided tour at 4.50 Euro is well worth catching, as it covers all the main areas of interest, including the impressive library and the Royal Chapel.

A great deal of work went into converting part of the castle into a conference venue, initially for when Ireland held the presidency of the European Union. The authorities in todays mad-for-the-euro capitalism at any price economy seem keener in flogging the castle as a conference venue rather than anything else.

If you have an interest in Dublin's history then a visit here is a must see. If you have little time to explore Dublin, then it perhaps will not figure near the top of your 'to-do' list.