Áras an Uachtaráin
Áras an Uachtaráin | |
---|---|
Former names | Viceregal Lodge |
General information | |
Status | Completed |
Classification | Private |
Location | Phoenix Park |
Town or city | Dublin |
Country | Ireland |
Coordinates | 53°21′35″N 6°19′03″W / 53.359676°N 6.31745°W |
Current tenants | President of Ireland |
Completed | 1751[1] |
Renovated | 1840s, 1849, 1852, 1908, 1911 |
Owner | Government of Ireland |
Design and construction | |
Architect(s) | |
Renovating team | |
Architect(s) |
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Other information | |
Number of rooms | 92 |
Website | |
president |
Áras an Uachtaráin (Irish pronunciation:
Origins
The original house was designed by park ranger and amateur architect Nathaniel Clements in the mid-18th century. It was bought by the Crown in the 1780s to become the summer residence of the Lord Lieutenant of Ireland, the British viceroy in the Kingdom of Ireland. His official residence was in the Viceregal Apartments in Dublin Castle. The house in the park later became the Viceregal Lodge, the "out of season" residence of the Lord Lieutenant (also known as the Viceroy), where he lived for most of the year from the 1820s onwards. During the Social Season (January to Saint Patrick's Day in March), he lived in state in Dublin Castle.
Phoenix Park once contained three official state residences. The Viceregal Lodge, the
Some historians have claimed that the garden front portico of Áras an Uachtaráin (which can be seen by the public from the main road through the Phoenix Park) was used as a model by Irish architect James Hoban, who designed the White House in Washington, D.C. However, the porticoes were not part of Hoban's original design and were, in fact, added to the White House at a later date by Benjamin Henry Latrobe.
Phoenix Park Murders
In 1882, its grounds were the location of the
Residence of the Governor-General
In 1911, the house underwent a large extension for the visit of
Residence of the President
The house was left empty until 1938, when the first
President Hyde lived in the residential quarters on the first floor of the main building. Later presidents moved to the new residential wing attached to the main house that had been built on for the visit of King George V in 1911. However, in 1990 Mary Robinson moved back to the older main building. Her successor, Mary McAleese, lived in the 1911 wing.
Though Áras an Uachtaráin is possibly not as palatial as other European royal and presidential palaces, with only a handful of staterooms (the state drawing room, large and small dining rooms, the President's Office and Library, a large ballroom and a presidential corridor lined with the busts of past presidents (Francini Corridor), and some fine eighteenth and nineteenth century bedrooms above, all in the main building), it is a relatively comfortable state residence.
All
Áras an Uachtaráin also houses the headquarters of the Garda Mounted Unit.
The Office of Public Works completely furnishes the private quarters of Áras an Uachtaráin for the presidential family.[5]
Visitors
This section needs additional citations for verification. (February 2013) |
Various visiting British monarchs stayed at the Viceregal Lodge while Ireland was part of the United Kingdom, notably
.On 17 May 2011,
Guests do not normally stay at Áras an Uachtaráin. Although it has 92 rooms,
On 1 May 2004, during Ireland's six-month presidency of the European Union, Áras an Uachtaráin was the Venue for the European Day of Welcomes (Accession Day) in which ten new members joined the EU. All 25 heads of government attended the flag-raising ceremony in the gardens of the building. A large security operation involving the Garda Síochána and the Irish Defence Forces closed off Áras an Uachtaráin and the Phoenix Park.
Like most OPW buildings, Áras an Uachtaráin is open for free guided tours every Saturday.
References
- ^ "Outline History of Áras an Uachtaráin". Áras an Uachtaráin. Archived from the original on 23 January 2013. Retrieved 7 January 2013.
- ^ History of Áras an Uachtaráin, p8
- ^ Ayto, John & Crofton, Ian (2005). Brewer's Britain and Ireland. Weidenfeld & Nicolson. p. 873. Consulted 5 April 2014.
- ^ "7 things you probably didn't know about Áras an Uachtaráin". RTÉ News. 23 October 2018. Archived from the original on 27 October 2020. Retrieved 23 October 2020.
- ^ "Mammoth task of moving out done in military style". Irish Independent. 10 November 2011. Archived from the original on 11 November 2011. Retrieved 10 November 2011.
- ^ "US President rings Peace Bell at Áras an Uachtaráin". 23 April 2023.
- ^ "Queen lays wreath on Republic of Ireland state visit". BBC News. 17 May 2011. Archived from the original on 23 November 2016. Retrieved 17 May 2011.
- ^ "Áras an Uachtaráin". IrishTourism.com. Archived from the original on 26 October 2020. Retrieved 23 October 2020.
External links
- President of Ireland website – Áras an Uachtaráin
- Virtual tour of the state rooms
- Visiting information at Heritage Ireland
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Garden party held at the Viceregal Lodge for the visit of the Duke and Duchess of York, Dublin 1897.
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Viceregal Lodge, 1897.
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Viceregal Lodge, Phoenix Park, 1913.