Leinster House(Teach Laighean in Irish Gaelic), is a government building in Dublin where Parliament sits. It was once the residence of the Duke of Leinster, then, in 1922, the seat of the Parliament of the Irish Free State, then of the Republic of Ireland…
Leinster House was built between 1745 and 1748 in central Dublin’s Merrion Square. This imposing house went on to inspire some of the world’s greatest architects, including James Hoban, an Irish architect who used it to design the White House in the United States.
In those days, the building was nicknamed “Kildare House”, and was intended to house Ireland’s oldest peer: the Earl of Kildare, an Irish politician and member of the House of Lords. The latter lived there for the duration of his political activities.
When the Earl was finally appointed Duke of Leinster, the name of the building was changed to “Leinster House”.
In 1800, politics in Ireland were shaken by theUnion Act, a text depriving Ireland of its own Parliament. Faced with this sudden change, the third Duke of Leinster decided to sell the building to the Royal Dublin Society in 1815.
The latter then carried out their political activities there, and undertook to renovate and enlarge the house.
The Treaty of London of 1921 heralded a 180° turnaround for Ireland: England seemed prepared to create a Free and Autonomous State of Ireland. A provisional government was then formed, and looked for a place to hold the sessions of Dàil Eireann and the Senate. fter some searching, the Royal Society agreed to lease the building’s amphitheatre to the government.
In 1924, Leinster House was finally purchased by the State as the seat of the Irish Free State Parliament. A new Senate Chamber was built in the former ballroom, and the wings of the Royal College of Science were purchased for use as government buildings. Since then, the building has become the emblem of the Irish Parliament.
Of course, you’ll have a hard time getting into the government building. Nevertheless, you can admire it from the outside! Its architecture is well worth a visit, as are the numerous devices and other monuments surrounding the building.
Starting with the triangular monument facing Merrion Square, paying tribute to the leaders of Irish independence: Michael Collins, Arthur Griffith and Kevin O’Higins.
The site is also said to have housed an impressive statue of Queen Victoria, which was finally removed in 1947 and installed in Sydney, Australia, opposite the Queen Victoria Building.
The statue of Albert, Queen Victoria’s husband, remains in Leinster House.
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