The erection of Dublin Castle was commissioned by King John of England in 1204 "for the safe custody of our treasure, for the administration of justice and for the defence of the city".
By 1230 the construction was completed. It was a medium sized castle and it may come as a surprise did not possess a fortified central keep.
With the experience gained on the Crusades best European castle practice had by then dispensed with keeps and square towers had been replaced by stronger round ones. It was surrounded on the two sides outside the adjoining city walls by a huge moat, 22 metres (72 ft) wide and 12 metres (39 ft) deep. The moat was filled by the River Poddle. In 1684 the castle was virtually destroyed by an accidental fire but was largely rebuilt by the early 18th century.
The new buildings provided a variety of administration offices, some richly decorated rooms for state receptions and residential apartments for the Lord Lieutenant. The latter usually lived in the Vice-Regal Lodge in the Phoenix Park but he did reside in the castle during the so-called Castle Season, a six week period of entertainment which reached its climax with a Grand Ball on March 17th, St. Patrick's Day. The area enclosed by the Castle was further extended over the years to provide additional facilities. During the Great War of 1914-1918 the apartments were pressed into service as a Red Cross Hospital. On January 16th, 1922 the Provisional Government of the Irish Free State received the surrender of Dublin Castle from the last Lord Lieutenant, Lord FitzAlan.
Since then the State Apartments, the ancillary buildings and the Castle's modern Conference Centre are used to host visiting heads of Government, meetings of the European Union, conferences, tribunals of enquiry and the inauguration of each new President of Ireland.
See also: Dublin Castle Undercroft
Chapel Royal
Guided Tours of the State Apartments, Chapel Royal and Undercroft are available throughout the year.
Tickets
Adults - €4.50
Students / Senior Citizens - €3.50
Children under 12 years - €2.00
Occasionally, the State Apartments may be closed for official reasons. On these days, an alternative tour (of the Chapel Royal and Undercroft) is offered at a reduced rate of:
Adults - €3.50
Students / Senior Citizens - €2.00
Children under 12 years - FREE
Opening Hours:
10:00 - 16:45 (Monday - Friday)
14:00 - 16:45 (Saturday / Sunday / Public Holidays)
CLOSED: Good Friday, 25th - 24th December, 1st January
For more information on tours, or to make a group booking contact:
Tel: 00353 1 645 8813
Fax: 00353 1 679 7831
Email: tours@dublincastle.ie
For further information, Click Here
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The above information was valid to the best knowledge available to the compiler but responsibility cannot be accepted for any unintentional inaccuracies or out of date data.
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