Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
Royal Hospital Kilmainham
The inspiration for the design came from James Butler, duke of Ormonde and Charles II's
viceroy, who had been so impressed by Les Invalides on a trip to Paris that he commis-
sioned William Robinson to knock up a Dublin version. What the architect designed was
Dublin's finest 17th- century building and the highpoint of the Anglo-Dutch style of the
day. It consists of an unbroken range enclosing a vast, peaceful courtyard with arcaded
walks. A chapel in the centre of the northern flank has an elegant clock tower and spire.
This was the first truly classical building in Dublin and was a precursor for the grand Ge-
orgian constructions of the 18th century. Christopher Wren began building London's
Chelsea Royal Hospital two years after work commenced here.
The spectacularly restored hospital was unveiled in 1984, on the 300th anniversary of
its construction. The next year it received the prestigious Europa Nostra award for 'distin-
guished contribution to the conservation of Europe's architectural heritage'.
Guided Tours
There are free guided tours of the museum's exhibits at 2.30pm on Wednesday, Friday and
Sunday throughout the year, but we strongly recommend the free, seasonal heritage itiner-
ary 50-minute
tour
( hourly 11am-4pm Tue-Sat, 1-4pm Sun Jun-Sep)
run by the Office of Public
Works. It shows off some of the building's treasures, including the
Banqueting Hall
, with 22
specially commissioned portraits, and the stunning
baroque chapel
, with papier-mâché ceil-
ings and a set of exquisite Queen Anne gates. Also worth seeing are the fully restored
formal gardens
.
Irish Museum of Modern Art
In 1991 it became home to IMMA and the best of modern and contemporary Irish art. The
blend of old and new works wonderfully, and you'll find contemporary Irish artists such
as Louis Le Brocquy, Sean Scully, Barry Flanagan, Kathy Prendergrass and Dorothy
Cross featured here, as well as a film installation by Neil Jordan. The permanent exhibi-
tion also features paintings from heavy-hitters Pablo Picasso and Joan Miró, and is topped
up by regular temporary exhibitions. There's a good cafe and
bookshop
on the grounds.
