Dublin Castle

For the pub and music venue in London, seeDublin Castle, Camden.

Dublin Castle
Caisleán Bhaile Átha Cliath
The Dubhlinn Gardens, which were completed in 1680, are located adjacent to Dublin Castle.
Location within Central Dublin
General information
Address	Dame Street
Town or city	Dublin
Country	Ireland
Coordinates	53.3429°N 6.2675°W/53.3429; -6.2675
Elevation	9 metres (30 ft)
Opened	1204(1204)
Owner	Ireland
Grounds	44,000 square metres (11 acres)
Website
www.dublincastle.ie

Dublin Castle, seen from the park to the south, outside the walls

Dublin Castle(Irish:Caisleán Bhaile Átha Cliath) is a majorIrish governmentcomplex, conference centre, and tourist attraction. It is located offDame Streetin central Dublin.

It is a formermotte-and-bailey castleand was chosen for its position at the highest point of central Dublin. Until 1922 it was the seat of theBritish government's administration in Ireland.Much of the current buildings date from the 18th century, though a castle has stood on the site since the days ofKing John,the firstLord of Ireland.The Castle served as the seat of English, then later British, government of Ireland under theLordship of Ireland(1171–1541), theKingdom of Ireland(1541–1800), and theUnited Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland(1800–1922).

After the signing of theAnglo-Irish Treatyin December 1921, the complex was ceremonially handed over to the newly formedProvisional Governmentled byMichael Collins.It now hosts the inauguration of each President of Ireland and various State receptions.

The castle was built by the dark pool ( "Dubh Linn" ) which gave Dublin its name. This pool lies on the lower course of theRiver Poddlebefore its confluence with theRiver Liffey;when the castle was built, the Liffey was much wider, and the castle was effectively defended by both rivers. The Poddle today runs under the complex.

Roles

Entry to the State Apartments

Dublin Castle has fulfilled a number of roles throughout its history. Originally built as a defensive fortification for theNormancity of Dublin, it later evolved into an official residence, used by theLord Lieutenant of IrelandorViceroy of Ireland,the representative of themonarch.The second-in-command in the Dublin Castle administration, theChief Secretary for Ireland,also had his offices there. Over the years parliament and certain law courts met at the castle before moving to new purpose-built venues. It also served as the base for a military garrison and later also intelligence services.

Upon the formation of theIrish Free Statein December 1922, the castle temporarily assumed the role of theFour Courts,the legal complex badly damaged during theCivil War;this arrangement would last for a decade.

It was decided in 1938 that the inauguration of the firstPresident of Ireland,Douglas Hyde,would take place in the castle, and the complex has been host to this ceremony ever since. The castle is also used for hosting official State visits as well as more informal foreign affairs engagements, State banquets, including that for the historic visit ofQueen Elizabeth IIin 2011, and Government policy launches. It also acts as the central base for Ireland's hosting of theEuropean Presidency,approximately every 10 years. Two dedicated conference facilities, The Hibernia Conference Centre and The Printworks were installed for the European Presidencies of 1990 and 2013, and are made available for rental by the private sector too.

The castle's State Apartments and their associated collection of historic materials form an accredited museum, and the castle complex is also home to aGarda Síochánaunit and theGarda Museum,some parts of the Office of Public Works, some functions of the Irish Revenue Commissioners – and the Revenue Museum – and the Chester Beatty Library.

History

Soldiers at Dublin Castle in 1830

Dublin Castle and Black Pool

The Record Tower, the sole surviving tower of the medieval castle dating fromc. 1228.To its left is theChapel Royal.

Dublin Castle was first founded as a major defensive work byMeiler Fitzhenryon the orders of KingJohn of Englandin 1204,sometime after theNorman invasion of Irelandin 1169, when it was commanded that a castle be built with strong walls and good ditches for the defence of the city, the administration of justice, and the protection of the King's treasure.Largely complete by 1230, the castle was of typical Norman courtyard design, with a central square without akeep,bounded on all sides by tall defensive walls and protected at each corner by a circular tower. Sited to the southeast of Norman Dublin, the castle formed one corner of the outer perimeter of the city, using theRiver Poddleas a natural means of defence along two of its sides. The city wall directly abutted the castle's northeast Powder Tower, extending north and westwards around the city before rejoining the castle at its southwesternBerminghamTower. In 1620 the English-born judgeLuke Gernonwas greatly impressed by the wall: "a huge and mighty wall, foursquare, and of incredible thickness".In the 17th century, theEarl of Arrandescribed the Castle as "the worst castle in the worst situation in Christendom".

The Poddle was diverted into the city through archways where the walls adjoined the castle, artificially flooding the moat of the fortress's city elevations. One of these archways and part of the wall survive buried underneath the 18th-century buildings, and are open for public viewing.

Soldiers at Dublin Castle,c. 1905

Through theMiddle Agesthe wooden buildings within the castle square evolved and changed, the most significant addition being the Great Hall built of stone and timber, variously used as Parliament house, court of law and banqueting hall. The building survived until 1673, when it was damaged by fire and demolished shortly afterwards. TheCourt of Castle Chamber,the Irish counterpart to the EnglishStar Chamber,sat in Dublin Castle in a room which was specially built for it about 1570. The Castle sustained severe fire damage in 1684. Extensive rebuilding transformed it from a medieval fortress to a Georgian palace. No trace of medieval buildings remains above ground level today, with the exception of the great Record Tower (c. 1228–1230); it is the sole surviving tower of the original fortification, its battlements an early 19th-century addition.

In 1764, an English traveller named John Bush visited Dublin and had the following to say about the castle:"The Castle, as it is called from its having been the situation of one, I suppose, of which at present there are very few remains, is the residence of the lord lieutenant when in Ireland, but has very little of grandeur in its external appearance besides the large square court-yard, which it encloses. But the rooms, some of them, are large and elegant".

United IrishmenGeneralJoseph Holt,a participant in the1798 Rising,was incarcerated in the Bermingham Tower before being transported to New South Wales in 1799.

In 1884 officers at the Castle were at the centre of a sensational homosexual scandal incited by the Irish Nationalist politicianWilliam O'Brienthrough his newspaperUnited Ireland.

In 1907 theIrish Crown Jewelswere stolen from the Castle. Suspicion fell upon the Officer of Arms, Sir Arthur Vicars, but rumours of his homosexuality and links to socially important gay men in London, may have compromised the investigation. The jewels have never been recovered.

Plan of Dublin Castle and grounds with pedestrian entrance highlighted

Carved head ofSaint Patrickon the Chapel Royal

Panorama

At the very beginning of theEaster Risingof 1916, a force of twenty-fiveIrish Citizen Armymembers were able to seize the entrance and guard room of the Castle before reinforcements for the small garrison arrived.During theAnglo-Irish Warthe Castle was the nerve centre of the British effort againstIrish separatism.On the night ofBloody Sundayin 1920, threeIrish Republican ArmymembersDick McKee,Conor CluneandPeadar Clancy,were tortured and killed there.

When theIrish Free Statecame into being in 1922, Dublin Castle ceased to function as the administrative seat. It served for some years as temporary Courts of Justice (theFour Courts,the home of the Irish courts' system, had been destroyed in 1922). After the courts vacated the premises, the Castle was used for state ceremonies. AsPresident of the Executive Council,Éamon de Valerareceived credentials there from newly arrived ambassadors to Ireland on behalf of KingGeorge Vin the 1930s. In 1938,Douglas Hydewas inaugurated asPresident of Irelandat the Castle. All inaugurations of subsequent presidents have taken place there since. PresidentErskine Hamilton Childers' lying-in-state took place there in November 1974, as did that of former President Éamon de Valera in September 1975.

Buildings and architecture

State Apartments

The State Apartments, located in the southern range of buildings of the Upper Yard, contain the rooms formerly used by the Lord Lieutenant for personal accommodation and public entertaining during the Castle Season.Today these richly decorated rooms are used by the Irish government for official engagements including policy launches, hosting of State Visit ceremonial, and the inauguration of the President every seven years. The apartments and their collections form an accredited museum.

The principal rooms of the state apartment complex include:

Saint Patrick's Hall

St Patrick'sHall

This is the grandest room of the state apartments, and contains one of the most important decorative interiors in Ireland. Formerly the ballroom of the Lord Lieutenant's administration, today the room is used for presidential inaugurations. If a President of Ireland dies in office, such asErskine H. Childersin 1974, it is here that he or she lies in state. It is one of the oldest rooms in the castle, dating from the 1740s, though its decoration largely dates from c. 1790, including the most significant painted ceiling in Ireland, executed byVincenzo Valdre(c. 1742–1814). Composed of three panels, the ceiling depicts the coronation of KingGeorge III,Saint Patrickintroducing Christianity to Ireland, and KingHenry IIreceiving the submission of the Irish chieftains. Thestate dinnerhosted by thePresident of Irelandto welcomeQueenElizabeth IItoIrelandwas held here on the evening of 18 May 2011.

Following the disestablishment of theChurch of Irelandin 1871, theOrder of St. Patrick,Ireland's order of chivalry, moved its ceremonial home fromSt. Patrick's Cathedralto St. Patrick's Hall. The banners andhatchmentplates of the knights who were living at the time when most ofIrelandgained a form of independence as theIrish Free State,in December 1922, remain in place.

Throne Room

Originally built as the Battleaxe Hall in the 1740s, it was converted to a presence chamber around 1790. The regal decoration dates from that time and from alterations in the 1830s. It contains a throne built for the visit of KingGeorge IVto Ireland in 1821.

State Drawing Room

Remodelled in the 1830s as the principal reception room of the Lord Lieutenant and his household, today this room is reserved in use for the reception of foreign dignitaries. Largely destroyed by fire in 1941, the room was reconstructed with minor modifications in 1964–1968 by the OPW, making use of salvaged and replicated furnishings and fittings.

State Dining Room

Also called the Picture Gallery, and formerly known as the Supper Room, this is the oldest room in the castle and largely retains its original decoration, having escaped major modification and fire over the years. It dates from Lord Chesterfield's building of the State Apartments in the 1740s, and was intended for use as a supper room adjoining St. Patrick's Hall and as a personal dining room.Today the room is still used for dining when conferences take place in St. Patrick's Hall.

State bedrooms

These former private quarters of the Lord Lieutenant were built as five interconnecting rooms running along the back of the building, adjoining the spine corridor that separates them from the state drawing room. Completely rebuilt in the 1960s following a fire in 1941, the rooms maintain the original courtly sequence and today are used as ancillary drawing and meeting rooms to the principal apartments. The last dignitary to stay in the royal bedrooms was Prime MinisterMargaret Thatcher,who spent a night there with her husbandDenisduring one of theEuropean Councilmeetings held in the 1980s.

State Corridor

The most architectural space of the State Apartments, this expressive, deeply modelled corridor, was originally built c. 1758 to the designs of theSurveyor General,Thomas Eyre. Based on the early 18th-century corridor ofSir Edward Lovett Pearcein the formerParliament Houseon College Green, it features a marching procession of vaults and arches which were originally top-lit. Regrettably, an office storey was built over the skylights following complete reconstruction of the corridor in the 1960s as the result of a differential settlement with the reconstruction of the adjoining drawing room. The corridor features exact plaster casts of the original arch detailing, and the original doorcases and fireplaces were salvaged prior to rebuilding.

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  Throne Room
• 
  State Drawing Room
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  Portrait Gallery
• 
  Apollo Room
• 
  Connolly Room
• 
  Gothic Room
• 
  Yellow Room
• 
  State Corridor
• 
  Battleaxe Landing

Towers

The Bermingham Tower at the southwest corner of Dublin Castle

The castle includes towers at two corners; other towers that once existed within the complex.

Bermingham Tower

The base of the original Bermingham Tower is one of the few remaining parts of the original castle. At the southwest corner of the castle, the tower has a modern upper part. It is unclear which member of the De Bermingham family the tower was named for; perhaps William or Walter or John or Sir Walter.

Record Tower

The Record Tower at the southeast corner is another original part of the castle. Also known as the Wardrobe Tower, it originally dates from the 1220s. It was restored between 1810 and 1813 by Francis Johnston.It hosted the Garda Museum until its 2017 relaunch in the Treasury Building.

Bedford Tower

Construction of Bedford Tower began in 1750, and was completed in 1761 by Thomas Eyre. The Guard House mirrors it.

Powder Tower

The base of this tower can be seen in the basement of the northeast corner of the lower castle yard. It was also known as the Storehouse Tower and was built around 1228. Its calpwalls were 3.7 metres thick, and the internal diameter was 6.1 metres. The base of this tower is still along the flow of the River Poddle. Surviving Viking defences remain under this section of the Castle.

Cork Tower

This tower stood at the northwest corner of the medieval enclosure. The base remains behind the west range of the upper castle yard.

Architecture

John Cornforthdescribed the Castle as "not even a work of architecture" but "a piece of English make-do and mend".

Government offices

The complex houses, among other things, some offices of theRevenue Commissioners,including a Stamping Office in a 20th-century building at the end of the Castle Yard. The modern office block was designed by Frank du Berry, a senior OPW architect, in the late 1960s. The design was denounced by many groups, citing the unsympathetic nature of the four-storey block and the placement, which disrupted the rectangular layout of the Castle. Among the groups that objected were theIrish Georgian Society,An Taisce,and theRoyal Institute of the Architects of Ireland.Construction began anyway in 1970.

Some elements of the OPW are based in an old stables area, and some functions of theGarda Síochánaare also based at the Castle.

Tourism and culture

The complex of buildings is usually open to the public, except during certain state functions. The crypt of theChapel Royalis now used as an arts centre, and occasional concerts are held in the grounds of the Castle.

The castle complex also hosts theChester Beatty Library,in a purpose-constructed facility, with a café, theGarda Museum,in the Treasury Building, and the Revenue Museum.

The former site of the "dark pool" on the Poddle was remodelled into a garden, with a water feature that commemorates fallen Gardaí, and a helipad.

Opposite the garden is a sculpture and plaque commemorating the volunteers of the2003 Special Olympics World Summer Games.

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  Panorama view of Dublin Castle showing from left to right, gateway to the Dubhlinn Gardens, Chapel Royal, Record Tower, gateway to the upper yard, Treasury Building, visitor reception centre, and Palace Street Gate
• 
  Panorama view. The upper yard of the Dublin Castle, Dublin, Ireland. The view shows, from left to right: Conference Centre, Bedford Hall flanked by the Gates of Fortitude and Justice, Revenue Commissioners, entranceway from the Chapel Royal/Record Tower yard, and finally States Apartments and Dubhlinn Tearooms.
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  Panorama view of the Dubhlinn Gardens, showing the Coach House (centre) and the Chester Beatty Library (right)

Operation

Dublin Castle is maintained and managed by theOffice of Public Works(OPW).

Popular media

Film

Dublin Castle has appeared in numerous films includingBarry Lyndon,Michael Collins,Becoming JaneandThe Medallion,as well as the television seriesThe Tudors,where it doubles as theVaticanin the pilot.

Festivals

Part of Dublin Castle appears on the cover of theJandekalbumKhartoum Variations.

Fiction

InGeorge Moore'sA Drama in Muslin,Dublin Castle appears in a number of chapters as the venue for high society events associated with the Viceroy and the British administration in Dublin.

See also

The west part of the south outside wall of Dublin Castle includes these colourfully painted buildings, including the blue Bermingham Tower at far left.

• Castles in Great Britain and Ireland
• Chapel Royal
• Dublin Castle administration in Ireland
• List of castles in Ireland

References

Sources

• Casey, Christine (2005).Dublin: The City Within the Grand and Royal Canals and the Circular Road with the Phoenix Park.Yale University Press.ISBN978-0-30010-923-8.
• Lynch, Ann;Manning, Conleth; Wiggins, Ken. "Dublin Castle: From Fortress to Palace: Volume 2 - The Viking-age Archaeology". Wordwell Books, 2024.ISBN978-1-4468-8096-8
• McDonald, Frank (1985).The Destruction of Dublin.Gill and MacMillan.ISBN0-7171-1386-8.

Further reading

• Murdoch, Tessa (ed.) (2022).Great Irish Households: Inventories from the Long Eighteenth Century.Cambridge:John Adamson,pp. 55–73ISBN978-1-898565-17-8OCLC1233305993

External links

Media related toDublin Castleat Wikimedia Commons

• Official website
• Official Tourist Board Website for Dublin
• Archiseek,entry on Dublin Castle (including pictures)