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If you were a fan of the Tudors, chances are that you saw the Dublin castle in the pilot…only it wasn’t portrayed as the Dublin Castle…it appears as the Vatican!
A long way from the Pope’s Italian abode, the Dublin Castle, originally built in the 13th century, on a site previously settled by Vikings, has served many functions…military fortress, prison, treasury, courts of law and the seat of English Administration in Ireland for 700 years.
In 1938, it was decided that the inauguration of the first President of Ireland, Douglas Hyde would take place in the castle. Since this time, the complex has hosted this ceremony ever since as well as official State visits, State dinners, informal foreign affairs engagements, state banquets and government policy launches. The castle also acts as the central base for Ireland’s hosting of the European Presidency approximately every ten years.
The Castle, a major tourist attraction, draws thousands of tourists through its doors every year. On this day, I would be one of them.
Disembarking from the city bus, I walked to the castle’s location on Dame Street and through the arched entrance to the complex. First, entranced by the Royal Chapel, I walked around the building in order to see the complexities and beauty of the architecture, then entered the courtyard of the castle and ticket office.
Paying my entrance fee, I opted for the self-guided tour, which includes access to the State Apartments and exhibits, as I was limited on time and could not wait for a guided tour to begin.
Walking up the beautifully carpeted stairway I began my exploration of the State Apartments including the State Drawing Room, the State Dining Room, the Portrait Gallery, the Apollo Room, the Wedgewood Room, the Gothic Room, State Bedrooms and State Corridor and St. Patrick’s Hall, each decorated in the fashion that one would expect of a castle…lots of velour and gilt!
The first room I encountered was St. Patrick’s Hall, the awe-inspiring ceremonial room. Originally developed as the castle’s ballroom, the hall served for many years as the meeting place of the Knights of St. Patrick, Ireland’s chivalric order of knights whose flags still grace the walls and then becoming the official site of the presidential inaugurations. Glancing upward, the ceiling is the most note-worthy aspect of this great room with its painting by Italian artist Vincenzo Waldre. As you wander throughout the room, you can almost feel the presence of the famous dignitaries that have graced this room, including John F. Kennedy, Princess Grace of Monaco and Queen Elizabeth II.
Next, on my tour, was the Gothic Room, the circular space created as a supper room, in 1775, while the medieval Bermingham Tower was being reconstructed. Being located directly above the State kitchen made it a convenient location for private dinners and a place to serve refreshments during balls. On display in the room is a collection of sixteenth-century religious and mythological paintings on loan from the Schorr Collection.
Walking from the Gothic Room, into the Wedgewood Room, you notice the stark contrast of the gothic style transitioning to the neoclassical. This blue and white room (with its color scheme taken from Wedgewood china) was the castle’s billiard room and remarkably, once a place for a small indoor garden filled with exotic birds, trees and water fountains in the nineteenth century.
My next destination was the State Portrait Gallery and the State Dining Room. The room, filled with a collection of portraits of Irish Viceroys gracing the walls since 1849, has acted as the area where State dinners were held and continue to be held today. The dining table is set with Waterford crystal and the Irish State dinner service, featuring the national emblem, the gold harp, so that tourists can get an idea of what a dignitaries might enjoy.
The Throne Room, the focal point of royal ceremonies in Ireland, was the next destination. Created in 1788, as an audience chamber for the Viceroy to receive guests on behalf of the British monarch, it was also the site where young debutantes were presented at court to mark their formal entry into aristocratic society. The rather plain throne was made for King George IV’s visit to Ireland in 1821 and was later used by Queen Victoria and King Edward VII during their visits to the Castle. Overshadowing the throne are the six mythological paintings by Italian artist Gaetano Gandolfi (1767), over the doorways in the room.
The Drawing Room was built in the 1830s as the principle reception room of the Lord Lieutenant and his household. Though destroyed by fire in 1941, the room was reconstructed from 1964 to 1968 and is now exclusively used for receptions of foreign dignitaries.
The Apollo room was my next stop and a swift glance upward will enlighten you as the origins of its name…the Greek god of the arts and music, Apollo, is in the center of the ceiling. Rescued from a nearby Georgian townhouse in 1912, the ceiling unbelievably arrived at the castle in eleven separate pieces! Looking at the seamless artistry, you would never guess!
The last part of the tour was my favorite. Entering the State Corridor is like entering a mirror maze. A parading procession of vaults and arches lined up before me, beautifully lit from above. Though rather simplistic, I could only imagine the time when the corridor was originally lit by skylights.
As I exited the building, and stepped into the courtyard, I couldn’t help but feel a little disappointed that the Royal Chapel was not included in the self-guided tour. Spying a group headed that way, I watched as another individual tried to slip into the building behind them, unnoticed, but was turned away.
The Royal Chapel…it will wait until another day. In the meantime, maybe I will watch some of the other television shows and movies that have been filmed here…Ripper Street, Penny Dreadful, Michael Collins and Becoming Jane. Maybe I’ll get to see the Royal Chapel, after all.
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Dublin Castle
- http://dublincastle.ie
- Address: Dame Street, Dublin 2, Ireland
- Hours: Monday – Sunday & Bank Holidays, 0945 – 1745 (last admission 1715) Closed: 25th, 26th & 27th December, and 1st January
- Admission: Adult €10.00, Senior (60+) €8.00, Child (6-17) €4.00, Family (max. 2 adults & 5 children) €24.00
- Guided Tours: Guided Tours take approximately 70 minutes and include the State Apartments, the Viking Excavation and the Chapel Royal
- Visitors can choose to self-guide (access to State Apartments and exhibitions only). Brochures are offered on the State Apartments in seventeen languages at the ticket desk as well as additional information resources.
- Getting There: Buses: 13, 27, 40, 49, 54A, 56A, 77A, 123, 150 and 747 Airlink. All bus stops are situated on Dame Street or Lord Edward Street