The Best

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  • #707738
    Boyler
    Participant

    What is the best building in Ireland? I think it’s the Custom House in Dublin. 😀

    #752307
    Anonymous
    Inactive
    #752308
    Boyler
    Participant

    I like the main building of the Four Courts but not the side buildings. They’re very dull compared to the main building.

    #752309
    GrahamH
    Participant

    The greatest loss to the Four Courts is its restricted portico. If that had been allowed to project out in true Roman style as intended, it would have truly given the building the temple-like quality it struggles to achieve as is.
    It’s such a crying shame – imagine the depth and power it would’ve contributed to the raking view of the building, minus the trees.

    Still, it’s still the most picturesque of all the classicals in the capital, if not the country.

    #752310
    Anonymous
    Inactive

    Spot on Graham and the building as a result is best viewed from Merchants Quay, the most impressive aspect of the building for me is the interior and the way it is utilised on a daily basis.

    You have raised an interesting point about the ancilliary buildings Boyler and nothing more than Aras Ui Dhaliagh damages the view of the Four Courts. There is a huge irony that Aras Ui Dhaliagh of all buildings was named after the former President of Ireland and founding member of An Taisce.

    #752311
    Boyler
    Participant

    What bank owns the building on College Green that has a French chateau roof and Italian Gothic base? That’s my favorite bank building.

    #752312
    GrahamH
    Participant

    Ulster Bank – it is magnificent alright, the chimneys in particular.
    It was well designed, so as to be taller than the others and act as a centrepiece for the terrace.

    #752313
    Rory W
    Participant

    @Graham Hickey wrote:

    Ulster Bank – it is magnificent alright, the chimneys in particular.
    It was well designed, so as to be taller than the others and act as a centrepiece for the terrace.

    Is it not the National Irish Bank on the corner of Church lane and College Green – Ulster bank having retained a part of an old facade and tacked on a 70’s piece of tat (the corner of Church Lane and wraps around O’Neills on Suffolk St)

    #752314
    Paul Clerkin
    Keymaster
    #752315
    GrahamH
    Participant

    Well Ulster Bank has a French chateau roof too – and a nicer one at that 🙂
    Although admittedly the ground floor isn’t so much Italian Gothic as West End Baroque.

    The NIB’s banking hall is just magnificent, though the exterior could do with a good scrub at this stage.

    What’s your favourite modern building in Ireland Boyler?
    And your favourite older/classical building other than the Custom House (that everyone just says by default :))

    #752316
    Boyler
    Participant

    Even though it hasn’t been built yet, my favorite modern building is the U2 tower.
    My other favorite older building is the Baggot St. Hospital. I forget the name of the hospital.

    #752317
    Anonymous
    Inactive
    #752318
    Anonymous
    Inactive

    Phil you can’t show the hospital without including its former School of Nursing. 😀

    http://www.irish-architecture.com/buildings_ireland/dublin/ballsbridge/eastmoreland_place/eastmoreland_hotel_lge.html

    #752319
    Boyler
    Participant

    The hospital that phil has a picture of is my 2nd favorite building in Dublin. 🙂

    #752320
    Anonymous
    Inactive

    Boyler.

    There is whole section of this site, entitled Buildings of Ireland, which shows images of various pictures taken by Paul (I think). It is accessable from the side-bar of the hospital image.

    #752321
    kefu
    Participant

    And Boyler, if you like those – you’ll definitely like this one. It’s now a court complex, formerly a hospital.
    http://www.irish-architecture.com/buildings_ireland/dublin/northcity/brunswick_street/brunswick.html.
    And also, this one. The Eye and Ear Hospital on Adelaide Road.
    http://www.irish-architecture.com/buildings_ireland/dublin/southcity/adelaide_road/eye_ear_hospital.html

    #752322
    ctesiphon
    Participant

    The ‘best’ aims for objectivity, which is impossible. ‘Favourite’ seems more appropriate.
    Custom House by default, Graham? Please. (Though I suspect a gag…?)
    Favourites, in no particular order:
    Parliament House, College Green (the original 1730s E.L. Pearce part, not the Gandon/Johnston add-ons).
    Berkeley Library, Trinity.
    Carnegie Library, Lismore.
    Court House, Loughrea.
    City Hall, Dublin (the basement is my favourite ‘room’ in the country).
    And that 3-storey over basement bow-fronted building in Waterford City opposite the Assembly Rooms (recently comprehensively refurbished).
    I’m sure there are plenty more- this is a top-of-the-head list.

    #752323
    Boyler
    Participant

    The Rock of Cashel is beautiful

    #752324
    Boyler
    Participant

    Liberty Hall in Dublin has to be one of the worst buildings in the country.

    #752325
    hutton
    Participant

    For my twopence, Marino Casino wins hands down! :p That said maybe theres a bit of bias in this thread towards historical/ classical architecture… Or then again, one can always make the case that it was par for the course for pre-20th C architecture to have its emphasis on outward appearance – rather then the form-follow-function dogma since. Ah yes who needs function when you can have proportion!

    From: http://www.iol.ie/~stdavids/The_Casino_at_Marino.html

    “The Casino at Marino is a magnificent building situated on a hill just off the Malahide Road, north of Fairview a suburb in the north side of Dublin. It was built for James Caulfield the Earl of Charlemont. The building commenced around 1759 and was not finished until 1771

    As a building it is one of the finest in Europe. Architectural experts rank it with Andrea Pallido’s “Villa Rotunda” at Vicenza in Italy built around 1567 and Inigo Jones’ “Queens House” at Greenwich in London built from 1619-1622. It is the only Irish building which has a high international reputation.”

    For more click link above –

    H

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