This
centre of 20th century commerce is one of the most striking of
Dublin's 18th century buildings. Built in 1729 to house the Irish
Parliament, it became redundant when the British and Irish Parliaments
were united in London, when the Irish Parliament voted itself our
of existence.
It
would be a shame to leave our noble city without spending a few moments
in one of Europe's most unique chambers, the Irish House of Lords
where the Irish Parliament once sat in this magnificent chamber with
woodwork in Irish oak, you can see the 18th century tapestries, and
a sparkling Irish crystal chandalier of 1233 pieces dating from 1765.
The
Bank of Ireland Arts Centre, in the old bank armoury, Foster Place,
is host to the Story of Banking Museum. This exhibition reflects the
role played by Bank of Ireland in the economic and social development
of Ireland over the past 100 years.
Just 3km from the city centre in the grounds of the Phoenix Park is
Dublin Zoo.
The Zoo is set in 30 acres of landscaped grounds around ornamental lakes
where over 700 animals and tropical birds from around the world can
be seen.
A daily "Meet the Keeper" and feeding programme operates which
gives you the opportunity to learn about the many rare and endangered
species that live in Dublin Zoo. In addition, there are always new babies
or animals on breeding loan from other Zoos and Wildlife Parks to be
seen.
Be sure to visit the New World of Primates and see the monkey islands.
Fringes of the Arctic features polar bears, snowy owls and arctic foxes.
Afterwards take a train ride around the Zoo.
Malahide Castle, set on 250 acres of park land in the pretty seaside
town of Malahide, was both a fortress and a private home for nearly
eight hundred years, and is an interesting hotch-potch of architectural
styles. The Talbot family lived here from 1185 to 1973, when the last
Lord Talbot died.
The house is furnished with beautiful period furniture together with
an extensive collection of Irish portrait paintings, mainly from the
National Gallery. The history of the Talbot family ( who lived there)
is recorded in the Great Hall, with portraits of generations of the
family telling their own story of Ireland's stormy history. One of the
more poignant legends concerns the morning of the Battle of the Boyne
in 1690, when fourteen members of the family breakfasted together in
this room, never to return, as all were dead by nightfall.
Many additions and alterations have been made to this romantic and beautiful
structure, but the contours of the surrounding parklands have changed
little in eight hundred years, retaining a sense of the past. The grounds
are also open to the public, and appeal to all visitors, young and old.
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