Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
Fun Fact
Monumental Humor
Dublin boasts countless public monuments, some modest,
others boldly evident. The Irish make a sport of naming them,
giving their irrepressible wit and ridicule yet another outlet.
A sampler:
Sweet
Molly Malone,
a figment of Irish imagination—
inspiring poetry, song, and most recently sculpture—
appears complete with her flower cart, all larger than life,
at the intersection of Nassau and Grafton streets, across
from the Trinity College Provost's house. Ms. Malone's
plunging neckline may explain why she is known as “the
tart with the cart.”
Just around the corner from Molly on Dame Street stands
another sculpture, a silent frenzy of
trumpeters
and stream-
ing columns of water, proclaiming “You're a nation again”—
popularly transliterated as “urination again.”
Then there's Dublin's testimonial to arguably Ireland's
greatest patriot and Dublin's most eminent native son,
Theobald Wolfe Tone.
Born at 44 Stafford St. in 1763 and
graduated from Trinity College, Tone went on to spark a
revolutionary fervor among the Irish. His timeless contribu-
tion to Ireland and the world is commemorated in a semi-
circular assemblage of rough-hewn columns on the north
side of Stephen's Green—better known as “Tonehenge.”
designed by James Gandon and is distinguished by its graceful
Corinthian columns, massive dome (192m/64 ft. in diameter), and
exterior statues of Justice, Mercy, Wisdom, and Moses (sculpted by
Edward Smyth). The building was severely burned during the Irish
Civil War of 1922, but has been artfully restored. The public is
admitted only when court is in session, so phone in advance.
Inns Quay, Dublin 8.
&
01/872-5555.
Free admission. Mon-Fri 11am-1pm and
2-4pm, but only if court is in session. Bus: 34, 70, or 80.
General Post Office (GPO)
With a facade of Ionic columns
and Greco-Roman pilasters 60m (200 ft.) long and 17m (56 ft.)
high, this is more than a post office; it is the symbol of Irish free-
dom. Built between 1815 and 1818, it was the main stronghold of
the Irish Volunteers in 1916. Set afire, the building was gutted and
