Office of the Houses of the Oireachtas

Office of the Houses of the Oireachtas Review

Commissioned by the Duke of Leinster and built in 1745, this residence—Dublin's Versailles—almost single-handedly ignited the Georgian style that dominated Dublin for 100 years. It was not only the largest private home in the city but Richard Castle's first structure in Ireland (Castle—or Casells, to use his original German spelling—was a follower of the 16th-century Italian architect Palladio and designed some of the country's most important 18th-century country houses). Inside, the grand salons were ornamented with coffered ceilings, Rembrandts, and Van Dycks—fitting settings for the parties often given by the duke's wife (and celebrated beauty), Lady Emily Lennox. The building has two facades: the one facing Merrion Square is designed in the style of a country house; the other, on Kildare Street, resembles that of a town house. The latter facade—ignoring the ground floor—was a major inspiration for Irishman James Hoban's designs for the White House in Washington, D. C. Built in hard Ardbracan limestone, the exterior of the house makes a cold impression, and, in fact, the duke's heirs pronounced the house "melancholy" and fled. Today, the house is the seat of Dáil Éireann (the House of Representatives, pronounced dawl e-rin) and Seanad Éireann (the Senate, pronounced sha-nad e-rin), which together constitute the Irish Parliament. When the Dáil is not in session, tours can be arranged weekdays; when the Dáil is in session, tours are available only on Monday and Friday. The Dáil visitor gallery is included in the tour, but it can also be accessed on days when the Dáil is in session and tours are not available. To arrange a visit, contact the public relations office.