This building, now the Bank of Ireland headquarters, was actually the first Parliament in Ireland and also the first parliament in the world built for this specific function.

The original building was designed by Edward Pearce and was built between 1729 and 1739, what we see today is only part of the existing structure. The east porch, which represented the entrance to the House of Lords was added by James Gandon between 1785 and 1787 and was connected to Pearce’s work by a large curved wall. The building is adorned with sculptures by Edward Smyth arranged above the portico of the House of Lords which symbolize wisdom, justice and freedom.

The Irish Parliament of the XVIII

The 18th century Irish Parliament was largely controlled by England.

It was August 1800 when the parliamentarians voted to close Parliament by approving the Act of Union; from that moment the center of power moved to London and the city of Dublin was practically abandoned.

After a few years the building was finally bought by Bank of Ireland which is still housed inside.

Parliament consisted of two houses, the House of Commons and the House of Lords. The first today houses the Bank of Ireland while the Lord’s chamber has remained partly intact and can still be visited free of charge from Monday to Friday.

The most beautiful part of the House of Lords is certainly the coffered ceiling, the two tapestries by John van Beaver depicting the battle of the Boyne and a pendulum clock which was given by the Parliament of London in the early 1700s. Parliamentary work began on the Irish parliament. The watch is still working!

Today Bank of Ireland a hidden beauty of Dublin city.