Architectural, Cultural sights in Dublin
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A
Number 29
Built in 1794 for the widow of a wine merchant, Number 29 reconstructs genteel Dublin home life from 1790 to 1820. Discover how Georgians bathed twice yearly and how ladies used a latter-day mini gym, the leather exercise horse. See the discreet dining-room mirrors that allowed servants to respond to orders without listening in to round-table gossip. The 30-minute tour is a fascinating taste of the city’s social history.
reviewed
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B
James Joyce Centre
Denis Maginni, the exuberant, flamboyant dance instructor and ‘confirmed bachelor’ immortalised by James Joyce in Ulysses, taught the finer points of dance out of this beautifully restored Georgian house, now a centre devoted to promoting and preserving the Joycean heritage. Although Jimmy probably never set foot in the house, he lived in the ’hood for a time, went to a local school and lost his virginity a stone’s throw away in what was once Europe’s largest red-light district. We couldn’t imagine a more fitting location for the centre.
The centre owes its existence to the sterling efforts of Senator David Norris, a charismatic Joycean scholar and gay-rights …
reviewed
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C
Mansion House
Built in 1710 by Joshua Dawson – after whom the street is named – this has been the official residence of Dublin’s mayor since 1715, and was the site of the 1919 Declaration of Independence and the meeting of the first parliament. The building’s original brick Queen-Anne style has all but disappeared behind a stucco façade added in the Victorian era.
reviewed
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D
Farmleigh
Another splendid feather in architect James Gandon’s cap, this fine Georgian-Victorian pile, once part of the Guinness estate, was restored to immaculate standard by the state in 2001. Only the ground floor, with a fantastic library and glass conservatory, is on view, but the vast pleasure gardens with lake, and walled and Japanese gardens are a delight to stroll.
reviewed
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E
Newman House
Part of University College Dublin, Newman House consists of two exquisitely restored Georgian town houses with spectacular 18th-century stucco interiors. Don’t miss the Apollo Room and the Saloon by Paolo and Filippo Lafranchini, and later work by Robert West. Former students of Newman House include writer James Joyce and former president Eamon de Valera.
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