- Type
- Castle
- Origins
- 1204 · 13th century per Wikidata: founding, first mention or construction
- Coordinates
- 53.3431°, -6.2674°
History
Work on the castle began in 1204 on the orders of King John of England, on the site of a Viking settlement where the River Poddle met the Liffey. For more than seven centuries it was the centre of English and later British power in Ireland and the seat of the Crown's viceroys. After a great fire in 1684, most of the medieval buildings were replaced by Georgian ranges set around two courtyards. On 16 January 1922 the British authorities handed the castle over to Michael Collins's Provisional Government, a moment that came to symbolise the end of British rule. Today the Irish state uses it for ceremonies, including presidential inaugurations.
What to see
The State Apartments include St Patrick's Hall with its painted ceiling, the Throne Room and the drawing rooms of the former viceroys. The 13th-century Record Tower survives almost intact from the Middle Ages, and excavations below ground have revealed parts of the old defensive walls. The grounds hold the Gothic Revival Chapel Royal, and beside the Dubh Linn Garden is the Chester Beatty Library with its collection of manuscripts.
Wikipedia article Official website Wikidata Q742767
Popularity: articles about this site in 39 Wikimedia projects (Wikipedia language editions and others).