Leinster House (Irish: Teach Laighean) is the former ducal residence in Dublin of the Duke of Leinster, that has served since 1922 as the parliament building of the Irish Free State and the Republic of Ireland. Irish (ga ''Gaeilge'' is a Goidelic language of the Indo-European language family originating in Ireland and historically spoken by the Irish. A duke is a member of the Nobility, historically of highest rank below the Sovereign, and historically controlled a Duchy or a Dukedom Dublin (ˈdʌblɨn/ /ˈdʊblɨn or /ˈdʊbəlɪn/, bˠalʲə aːha klʲiəh or cliə(ɸ is both the largest city and capital of Ireland. The Duke of Leinster (referring to Leinster, but unlike the province pronounced " Lin -ster" is Ireland's premier peer The Irish Free State (Saorstát Éireann (1922&ndash1937 was the state established as a Dominion on 6 December 1922 under the Anglo-Irish Treaty, signed by Ireland ( Irish: Éire, ˈeːrʲə is a country in north-western Europe. It served as the headquarters of the Royal Dublin Society until 1922. The RDS (also known as the Royal Dublin Society but now rarely expanded or Cumann Ríoga Bhaile Átha Cliath ( CRBÁC) in Irish, was founded The society's famous Dublin Spring Show and Dublin Horse Show were held on its Leinster Lawn, facing Merrion Square. Merrion Square ( Cearnóg Mhuirfean in Irish) is situated on the south side of Dublin city centre and is considered one of the city's finest Georgian The building is the meeting place of Dáil Éireann and Seanad Éireann, the two houses of the Oireachtas, and as such the term 'Leinster House' has become a metonym for Irish political activities. ga '''Dáil Éireann''' ( English House of Representatives of Ireland) is the principal chamber of the Oireachtas (Irish parliament Seanad Éireann (ɕan̪ˠad̪ˠ erʲan̪ˠ English Senate of Ireland) also known unofficially as the Senate, is the Upper house of the Oireachtas The Oireachtas (ɛrʲaxt̪ˠasˠ is the "national parliament" or Legislature of Ireland, sometimes referred to as Oireachtas Éireann. In Rhetoric, metonymy (mɨˈtɒnɨmi is the use of a word for a concept or object associated with the concept/object originally denoted by the word
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Dukes of Leinster
Ireland's parliament over the centuries had met in a number of locations, most notably in College Green, next to Trinity College Dublin. College Green ( Faiche an Choláiste in Irish) previously called Hoggen Green, is a three sided 'square' in the centre of Dublin. Trinity College Dublin ( TCD; Irish Coláiste na Tríonóide Baile Átha Cliath; Latin: Collegium Sacrosanctae et Individuae Trinitatis Reginae Its medieval parliament consisted of two Houses, a House of Commons and a House of Lords. The Irish House of Commons was the Lower house of the Parliament of Ireland, that existed from 1297 until 1800 The Irish House of Lords (Irish Teach na dTiarnai) was the Upper house of the Parliament of Ireland that existed from mediæval times until 1800 Ireland's senior peer, the Earl of Kildare, had a seat in the Lords. Like all the aristocrats of the period, for the duration of the Social Season and parliamentary sessions, he and his family resided in state in a Dublin residence. The Irish Social Season was a period of aristocratic entertainment and social functions that stretched from January to St (For the rest of the year, they used a number of country residences, notably Frescati House in Blackrock. Frescati (sometimes misspelled 'Frascati' was an estate situated in Blackrock Dublin, between the mountains and the sea Blackrock (An Charraig Dhubh is a suburban town and district located south of the city of Dublin, in Dun Laoghaire-Rathdown County, Ireland, northwest )
From the late eighteenth century Leinster House (then called Kildare House) was the Earl's official Dublin residence. The 18th century lasted from 1701 to 1800 in the Gregorian calendar, in accordance with the Anno Domini / Common Era numbering system When it was first built in 1745–48 by James, Earl of Kildare, it was located on the unfashionable and isolated south side of the city, far from the main locations of aristocratic residences, namely Rutland Square (now Parnell Square) and Mountjoy Square. James FitzGerald 1st Duke of Leinster ( May 29 1722 &ndash November 19 1773) was an Irish nobleman and politician Parnell Square ( Cearnóg Parnell in Irish, formerly Rutland Square) and was renamed after Charles Stewart Parnell (1846-1891 Mountjoy Square ( one of five Georgian squares in Dublin, Ireland, lies on the north side of the city The Earl predicted that others would follow; in succeeding decades Merrion Square and Fitzwilliam Square became the primary location of residences of the aristocracy, with many of their northside residences being sold. (They ended up as slums. ) In the history of aristocratic residences in Dublin, no other mansion matched Kildare House for its sheer size or status. When the Earl was made the first Duke of Leinster, the family's Dublin residence was renamed Leinster House. The Duke of Leinster (referring to Leinster, but unlike the province pronounced " Lin -ster" is Ireland's premier peer Its first and second floors were used as the floor model for the White House by its Irish architect, while the house itself was used as a model for the original stone-cut White House exterior. See also Executive Office of the President of the United States The White House, formerly known as the Executive Mansion, is the Official residence
The statue of Queen Victoria in the courtyard was removed in 1947.
One famous member of the family who occasionally resided in Leinster House was Lord Edward FitzGerald, who became involved with Irish nationalism during the 1798 Rebellion, which cost him his life. Lord Edward FitzGerald (15 October 1763 &ndash 4 June 1798 was an Irish aristocrat and revolutionary The Irish Rebellion of 1798 (Éirí Amach 1798 Turn Oot 1798 or 1798 rebellion as it is known locally was an uprising in 1798 lasting several months against the With the passage of the Act of Union in 1800, Ireland ceased to have its own parliament. The phrase Act of Union 1800 (or sometimes Act of Union 1801) (Acht an Aontais 1800 is used to describe two complementary Acts whose official United Kingdom titles are Without a House of Lords to attend, increasing numbers of aristocrats stopped coming to Dublin, selling off their Dublin residences, in many case to buy residences in London, where the new united parliament met.
RDS headquarters 1815–1922
The 3rd Duke of Leinster sold Leinster House in 1815 to the Royal Dublin Society. At the end of the nineteenth century, two new wings were added, to house the National Library of Ireland and the National Museum of Ireland. The National Library of Ireland (Leabharlann Náisiúnta na hÉireann is a National library located in Dublin, Ireland, in a building designed by The National Museum of Ireland (Ard-Mhúsaem na hÉireann is the National museum in Ireland. The Natural History Museum was built on the site. Ireland 's Natural History Museum ( Músaem Stair an Dúlra) a branch of the National Museum is housed on Merrion Street in Dublin. Part of this scheme intended to re-clad the house in more attractive Portland stone and extend the portico outwards (as opposed to being attached). Unfortunately this was not undertaken.
Oireachtas from 1922
The Anglo-Irish Treaty of 1921 provided for the creation of a self-governing Irish dominion, to be called the Irish Free State. The Anglo-Irish Treaty (An Conradh Angla-Éireannach officially called the Articles of Agreement for a Treaty Between Great Britain and Ireland, was a Treaty A dominion, often Dominion, refers to one of a group of autonomous polities under sovereign authority within the British Empire and As plans were made to bring the new state into being, the Provisional Government under W. T. Cosgrave sought a temporary venue for the meetings of the new Chamber of Deputies Dáil Éireann and Senate Seanad Éireann. William Thomas Cosgrave (Liam Tomás Mac Cosgair 6 June 1880 &ndash 16 November 1965 known generally as W ga '''Dáil Éireann''' ( English House of Representatives of Ireland) is the principal chamber of the Oireachtas (Irish parliament Seanad Éireann (ɕan̪ˠad̪ˠ erʲan̪ˠ English Senate of Ireland) also known unofficially as the Senate, is the Upper house of the Oireachtas Plans were made to turn Royal Hospital Kilmainham, an eighteenth century former soldiers' home in extensive parklands, into a full-time Parliament House. The Royal Hospital Kilmainham in Kilmainham, Dublin is one of the finest 17th-century buildings in Ireland. However as it was still under the control of the British Army, who had yet to withdraw from it, and the new Governor-General of the Irish Free State was due to deliver the Speech from the Throne opening parliament within weeks, it was decided to hire the main RDS Lecture Theatre attached to Leinster House for use in December 1922 as a temporary Dáil chamber. The British Army is the land armed forces branch of the British Armed Forces. The Governor-General (Seanascal was the representative of the King in the 1922&ndash1937 Irish Free State.
In 1924, due to financial constraints, plans to turn the Royal Hospital into a parliament house were abandoned; Leinster House instead was bought, pending the provision of a proper parliament house at some stage in the future. A new Senate or Seanad chamber was created in Duke's old ballroom, while wings from the neighbouring Royal College of Science were taken over as used as Government Buildings. Government Buildings (Tithe an Rialtais is a large Edwardian Building enclosing a quadrangle on Merrion Street in Dublin, Ireland The entire Royal College of Science, which by then had been merged with University College Dublin, was subsequently taken over in 1990 and turned into a state of the art Government Buildings. University College Dublin (UCD (An Coláiste Ollscoile Baile Átha Cliath - formally known as University College Dublin - National University of Ireland Dublin (An Both the National Library and National Museum wings next to Leinster House remain used by as a library and museum and are not attached to the parliamentary complex. While plans were often made to provide a brand new parliament house (sites considered included the Phoenix Park and the Custom House), parliament has remained permanently located in Leinster House. The Phoenix Park (Páirc an Fhionn-Uisce is the largest enclosed urban public Park in Europe located 3 km to the north west of Dublin city centre in Ireland The Custom House (Teach an Chustaim is a neoclassical 18th century building in Dublin, Ireland which houses the Department of Environment Heritage
Since then, a number of extensions have been added, most recently in 2000, to provide adequate office space for 166 TDs, 60 senators, members of the press and other staff. A Teachta Dála (ˈtʲaxtə ˈdɑːlə is a member of Dáil Éireann, the lower chamber of the Oireachtas (Parliament of the Republic of Ireland. Among the world leaders who have visited Leinster House to address joint sessions of the Oireachtas are US Presidents John F. Kennedy, Ronald Reagan and Bill Clinton, British Prime Minister Tony Blair, Australian Prime Minister Bob Hawke and French President François Mitterrand. John Fitzgerald "Jack" Kennedy (May 29 1917&ndashNovember 22 1963 often referred to by his initials JFK, was the thirty-fifth President of William Jefferson "Bill" Clinton (born William Jefferson Blythe III, August 19 1946 served as the forty-second President of the United States Anthony Charles Lynton "Tony" Blair (born 6 May 1953 is a British Politician who was Prime Minister of the United Kingdom from 2 May 1997 to Robert James Lee (Bob Hawke, AC (born 9 December 1929 was the 23rd Prime Minister of Australia and longest serving Australian Labor Party Prime Minister François Maurice Adrien Marie Mitterrand ( 26 October 1916 8 January 1996 served as President of France from 1981 to 1995 elected as representative of the Socialist
A number of monuments stand, or have stood, around Leinster House. Its Kildare Street frontage used to be dominated by a large statue of Queen Victoria, first unveiled by King Edward VII in 1904. Victoria (Alexandrina Victoria 24 May 1819 – 22 January 1901 was from 20 June 1837 the Queen of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland The statue was removed in 1947 and was re-erected in the 1990s in Sydney, Australia. Sydney (ˈsɪdniː is the most populous city in Australia, with a Metropolitan area population of approximately 4 For a topic outline on this subject see List of basic Australia topics. Facing its garden front on its Merrion Square side, stands a large triangular monument commemorating three founding figures of Irish independence, President of Dáil Éireann Arthur Griffith, who died in 1922, Michael Collins and Kevin O'Higgins, the Chairman of the Provisional Government and the Vice-President of the Executive Council (deputy prime minister), both of whom were assassinated, in 1922 and 1927 respectively. The President of Dáil Éireann was the leader of the revolutionary Irish Republic of 1919&ndash1921 Arthur Griffith (Art Ó Gríobhtha 31 March 1872 &ndash 12 August 1922 was the founder and third leader of Sinn Féin. Michael John ("Mick" Collins (Mícheál Seán Ó Coileáin 16 October 1890 &ndash 22 August 1922 was an Irish revolutionary leader, Minister for Kevin Christopher O'Higgins (Caoimhín Críostóir Ó hUigín 7 June 1892 &ndash 10 July 1927 was an Irish politician who served as Vice-President of the Executive Council Another statue commemorates the Prince Consort, Prince Albert, husband of Queen Victoria, who held his major Irish Exhibition on Leinster Lawn in the 1850s.
The rear lawn of Leinster House was dug up in 2000 to provide a temporary car park for TDs, Senators and other staff, but has now become permanent, in spite of the fact that planning permission for this change of use was never sought.
External links
- Leinster House is at coordinates Coordinates:
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