Architecture of Ireland. Must see and must visit landmarks

» The Christ Church Cathedral is the main cathedral of Dublin situated in the historic part of the city.
» That’s one of three ancient cathedrals.
» The temple was founded in 1031 by the Viking king Sitrig Silkenberd for the first archbishop of Dublin Donat.
» In 1487 the coronation of Lambert Simnel as King Edward VI was held there; once he unsuccessfully tried to overthrow the King of England.
» The cathedral crypt is the oldest structure in Dublin. It contains treasures of the Christ Church, manuscripts, tabernacle, candlesticks and other artifacts.
» The vast crypt under the cathedral houses works of art on par with a mummified rat and cat that chased it found in the organ in 1860.

» The Dublin Castle is the main government complex of buildings in Dublin; it was the main outpost of the British in Ireland in past.
» Created initially as a fortification of the city, the castle has been used for various purposes throughout its history. It was the residence of the king; the castle housed the Parliament and the courts.
» Since 1922 the Dublin Castle served as a court complex for 10 years, and in 1930 it was decided to hold there the inauguration of the President of Ireland.
» In 1938, the castle housed the residence of the first President of Ireland, Douglas Hyde.
» Currently, the castle holds routs of foreign heads of state, as well as foreign delegations and banquets on national holidays; dungeons of the castle are used for concerts.
» The Dublin Castle is open to the public, except cases of public ceremonies.

» The Dublin Writers Museum is located in the building of the 18th century, where the exposition, library, gallery and administration are situated.
» The extension to the building of the museum houses a cafe and a bookstore on the first floor, and exhibition and lecture halls on the upper floors.
» The Ireland Writers Center is in the next building. The basement of both buildings is occupied by The First Chapter restaurant.
» The museum was founded in order to attract public attention to Irish literature. It acts as a nationwide center complementing museum exhibitions devoted to individual writers such as James Joyce, George Bernard Shaw, William Butler Yeats and Patrick Pierce.
» The museum features works of internationally renowned and local Dublin writers.

» The Irish Museum of Modern Art was opened in 1991 in the old building of the Royal Hospital constructed in the 17th century.
» The Museum of Modern Art is one of the most beautiful buildings in Ireland.
» During conversion, glass stairs and aluminum railings were built for needs of the museum. Its space is lit according with exhibits order.
» The museum organizes temporary exhibitions, arranges theatrical performances, concerts and other cultural events.
» The park, the meadow and the medieval burial are also included in the museum complex.

» The National Botanic Gardens is located 5 kilometers north-west of Dublin city center and has an impressive territory.
» The Botanical Garden was founded in 1795. The initial purpose of the National Botanical Gardens was the study and development of agricultural practices.
» In the early years plants useful to humans, animals and medicine were grown in the garden. Eventually they started to breed plants that contributed to the study and systematization of botanical knowledge, as well as amazingly looking species.
» Now the collection of the garden houses more than 300 endangered plant species and 6 species, which have disappeared from the wild.
» In 1992, a large-scale program to restore and upgrade the plant base of National Botanical Gardens was launched. In 1999, new greenhouses have been restored and opened, specialized library was opened, an information center for visitors offering a tour of audio tours, free guided tours and a film dedicated to the National Botanic Garden was created.
» The National Botanical Gardens is open from November to February.

» The National Library of Ireland is the largest public library in the country.
» The library was founded in 1877.
» The library organizes collection, storage and promotion of documents about the history of Ireland.
» It houses more than 500 thousand volumes, including books, maps, manuscripts, newspapers, magazines and photographs.
» The library regularly hosts art exhibitions and different social and cultural events.

» The National Museum of Ireland is situated in the heart of Dublin. The museum specializes in Irish art, culture and natural history.
» A rich collection of the National Museum includes prehistoric gold jewelry, Celtic outfits, numerous early Christian jewelry and relics, forging metal and more.
» Clonycawan Man, a well-preserved body of a man of the Iron Age, found in Clonycawan can be seen in the museum. The height of the former was 1.57 cm.
» Ethnographic museum collections were gathered in the farthest corners of the world: Polynesia, South America, West Africa, etc. Collections of applied art and history tell us about the culture of the country and its people over the past two millennia.

» The President Residence was designed by Irish politician and financier Nathaniel Clements, who served as superintendent of the Phoenix Park in Dublin. Construction of the mansion began in 1751.
» The house was empty before adoption of the Constitution of Ireland in 1937, which introduced the post of president of the country. In 1938 it was settled by the first President of Ireland, Douglas Hyde, who planned to demolish the building and replace it with a new presidential palace, but this plan wasn’t implemented due to the outbreak of World War II.
» By 1945, the President of Ireland has become so identified with this building, that it was decided to keep the house, despite its heavy wear and tear. Since then, restoration work is carried out in the mansion from time to time.
» The interior of the building is not as luxurious as in many other European royal and presidential palaces, but at the same time, the mansion is a relatively comfortable residence for the head of state.
» The mansion has the reception hall, large and small dining rooms, the President's Office, the library, the large hall and a presidential corridor along which the busts of the Presidents of Ireland, as well as several bedrooms decorated in the style of the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries are seen.

» The St. Patrick Cathedral is the largest cathedral in Ireland.
» Throughout the history, this shrine has always been inextricably associated with the Irish culture. Jonathan Swift, the famous writer and satirist, was the dean of the cathedral from 1713 to 1745; many of his famous sermons and "Irish tracts" were written during his deanship.
» Since 1783 to 1871 knights were accoladed in the Cathedral. The cathedral is still possible to see the emblems of those conferring knighthood.
» The Cathedral is the venue for many public and national ceremonies. Every November there is the Day of Remembrance; the President of Ireland attends the ceremony.
» The Cathedral is the burial site of two Irish presidents; Douglas Hyde in 1949, and Erskine Childers in 1974.
» In 2006, the cathedral took 18 Afghan refugees seeking to obtain political asylum, and housed them for a few days.

» The Custom House is one of the main Classical architectural attractions of the Irish capital.
» Its façade is decorated with heraldic images and sculptures by Edward Smith symbolizing rivers of Ireland. The statue on the dome of the building and some other sculptures were created by sculptor Henry Banks.
» At the time, the use of the building for the collection of custom fees has lost relevance, so it was used as the headquarters of the local government in Ireland.
» During the War for Independence in 1921 The Irish Republican Army has burned the building. The original interior of the building was completely destroyed by fire and the central dome collapsed.
» After declaring the independence of Ireland, by the decision of the Government of the Irish Free State the building was completely renovated.