Government Buildings

Lonely Planet review

This gleaming Edwardian pile was the last building (almost) completed by the British before they were booted out; it opened as the Royal College of Science in 1911. When the college vacated in 1989, Taoiseach Charlie Haughey and his government moved in and spent a fortune refurbishing the complex. Among Haughey's needs, apparently, was a private lift from his office that went up to a rooftop helipad and down to a limo in the basement.

Free 40-minute guided tours (Saturday only, tickets from National Gallery ticket office) take you through the Taoiseach's office, the Cabinet Room, the ceremonial staircase with a stunning stained-glass window - designed by Evie Hone (1894-1955) for the 1939 New York Trade Fair - and many fine examples of modern Irish arts and crafts.

Directly across the road from here, and now part of the Merrion Hotel, 24 Upper Merrion St is thought to be the birthplace of Arthur Wellesley (1769-1852), the first Duke of Wellington, who downplayed his Irish origins and once said 'being born in a stable does not make one a horse'. It is also possible that the cheeky bugger was born in Trim, County Meath.