Grafton Street & Around - Dublin - page 112

Heading away from the eyesore that is the Revenue Commissioners Building, you ascend
to the Upper Yard. On your right is a Figure of Justice with her back turned to the city,
reckoned by Dubliners to be an appropriate symbol for British justice. Next to it is the
18th-century Bedford Tower , from which the Irish Crown Jewels were stolen in 1907 and
never recovered. Opposite is the entrance to the tours.
Guided Tours
The 45-minute guided tours (departing every 20 to 30 minutes, depending on numbers) are
pretty dry, seemingly pitched at tourists more likely to ooh and aah over period furniture
than historical anecdotes, but they're included in the entry fee. You get to visit the State
Apartments , many of which are decorated in dubious taste. There are beautiful chandeliers
(ooh!), plush Irish carpets (aah!), splendid rococo ceilings, a Van Dyck portrait and the
throne of King George V. You also get to see St Patrick's Hall , where Irish presidents are in-
augurated and foreign dignitaries toasted, and the room in which the wounded James Con-
nolly was tied to a chair while convalescing after the 1916 Easter Rising - brought back to
health to be executed by firing squad.
The highlight is a visit to the subterranean excavations of the old castle, discovered by acci-
dent in 1986. They include foundations built by the Vikings (whose long-lasting mortar
was made of ox blood, eggshells and horse hair), the hand-polished exterior of the castle
walls that prevented attackers from climbing them, the steps leading down to the moat and
the trickle of the historic River Poddle, which once filled the moat on its way to join the
Liffey.
JUSTICE FOR ALL?
The Figure of Justice that faces Dublin Castle's Upper Yard from the Cork Hill entrance has a controversial his-
tory. The statue was seen as a snub by many Dubliners, who felt Justice was symbolically turning her back on the
city. If that wasn't enough, when it rained the scales would fill with water and tilt, rather than remaining perfectly
balanced. Eventually a hole was drilled in the bottom of each pan, restoring balance, sort of.
During British rule, the castle's social calendar was busiest for the six weeks leading up to St Patrick's Day
with a series of lavish dinners, levées and balls for the city's aristocratic residents - even during the Famine
years.