Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
Hall, originally built by Thomas Cooley as the Royal Exchange between 1769 and 1779,
and botched in the mid-19th century when it became the offices of the local government.
Thankfully, the more recent restoration has restored it to its gleaming Georgian best.
The rotunda and its ambulatory form a breathtaking interior, bathed in natural light
from enormous windows to the east. A vast marble statue of former mayor and Catholic
emancipator Daniel O'Connell stands here as a reminder of the building's links with Irish
nationalism (the funerals of both Charles Stewart Parnell and Michael Collins were held
here). Dublin City Council still meets here on the first Monday of the month, gathering to
discuss the city's business in the Council Chamber, which was the original building's cof-
fee room.
There was a sordid precursor to City Hall in the shape of the Lucas Coffee House and
the adjoining Eagle Tavern, in which the notorious Hellfire Club was founded by Richard
Parsons, Earl of Rosse, in 1735. Although the city abounded with gentlemen's clubs, this
particular one gained a reputation for messing about in the arenas of sex and Satan, two
topics that were guaranteed to fire the lurid imaginings of the city's gossipmongers.
The striking vaulted basement hosts a multimedia exhibition The Story of the Capital , which
traces the history of the city from its earliest beginnings to its hoped-for future - with
ne'er a mention of sex, Satan or sex with Satan. More's the pity, as the info is quite over-
whelming and the exhibits are a little text-heavy. Still, it's a pretty slick museum with in-
formative audiovisual displays.
IRISH-JEWISH MUSEUM
MAP GOOGLE MAP
MUSEUM
( 01-453 1797; www.jewishmuseum.ie ; 3 Walworth Rd; 11am-3.30pm Sun-Thu May-Sep, 10.30am-2.30pm
Sun, 11am-3pm Mon Oct-Apr) Housed in an old synagogue, this museum recounts the history
and cultural heritage of Ireland's small but prolific Jewish community. It was opened in
1985 by the Belfast-born, then-Israeli president, Chaim Herzog. The various memorabilia
includes photographs, paintings, certificates, books and other artefacts.
COLLEGE GREEN STATUARY
The imposing grey sculptures adorning College Green MAP GOOGLE MAP are monuments to two of Ireland's
most notable patriots. In front of the bank is Henry Grattan (1746-1820), a distinguished parliamentary orator,
while nearby is a modern memorial to the patriot Thomas Davis (1814-45). Where College St meets Pearse St,
another traffic island is topped by a 1986 sculpted copy of the Steyne (the Viking word for 'stone'), which was
erected on the riverbank in the 9th century to stop ships from grounding and removed in 1720.
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