Historic sights in Dublin
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Newgrange
From the surface, Newgrange is a somewhat disappointing flattened, grass-covered mound, about 80m in diameter and 13m high. Underneath, however, lies the finest Stone Age passage tomb in Ireland and one of the most remarkable prehistoric sites in Europe. It dates from around 3200 BC, predating the great pyramids of Egypt by some six centuries. The purpose for which it was constructed remains uncertain. It may have been a burial place for kings or a centre for ritual – although the alignment with the sun at the time of the winter solstice also suggests it was designed to act as a calendar. The name Newgrange derives from ‘new granary’ (the tomb did in fact serve as a re…
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St Mary’s Abbey
Where now the glories of Babylon? All that remains of what was once Ireland’s wealthiest and most powerful monastery is the chapterhouse, so forgotten that most Dubliners are unaware of its existence. In its medieval day, this Cistercian abbey ran the show when it came to Irish church politics, although its reputation with the authorities was somewhat sullied when it became a favourite meeting place for rebels against the crown. On 11 June 1534, ‘Silken’ Thomas Fitzgerald, the most important of Leinster’s Anglo-Norman lords, entered the chapterhouse and flung his Sword of State on the ground in front of the awaiting King’s Council – a ceremonial two-fingered salute to Kin…
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St George’s Church
If you’re on the north side, the steeple of this deconsecrated church may catch your eye. The church was built by Francis Johnston from 1802 in Greek Ionic style, and the 60m-high steeple was modelled on that of St Martin-in-the-Fields in London. Although this was one of Johnston’s finest works, and the Duke of Wellington was married here, the church has been sorely neglected – probably because it’s Church of Ireland and not Roman Catholic, it has to be said. The bells that Leopold Bloom heard in that book were removed, the ornate pulpit was carved up and used to decorate the pub Thomas Read’s, and the spire is in danger of crumbling, which has resulted in it be…
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St Mary’s Church
Designed by William Robinson in 1697, this is the most important church to survive from that period (although it’s no longer in use and is closed to the public). John Wesley, founder of Methodism, delivered his first Irish sermon here in 1747 and it was the preferred church of Dublin’s 18th-century social elite. Many famous Dubliners were baptised in its font, and Arthur Guinness was married here in 1793.
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Unitarian Church & Royal College of Surgeons
Across the road from the western side of St Stephen’s Green is the 1863 Unitarian Church and the Royal College of Surgeons, with a fine facade. During the 1916 Easter Rising, the building was occupied by the colourful Countess Markievicz (1868–1927), an Irish Nationalist married to a supposed Polish count. The columns still bear bullet marks.
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Royal College of Surgeons
The early-19th-century Royal College of Surgeons has one of the finest façades on St Stephen’s Green. During the 1916 Easter Rising, the building was occupied by rebel forces led by Countess Markievicz (1868–1927). The columns are scarred from the bullet holes.
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