Re: Re: New street idea sun only

Ah that’s an old one now PTB ;). Never fails to impress though.

The enormous model of the George’s Street/Dublin Castle plan is still languishing in the delightful EU 1980’s timewarp that is the West Range of the Castle’s Upper Yard. It proposed a tall po-mo style red brick terrace elevation with advanced feature bays and a stone-clad ground floor. Lots of then-fashionable copper cladding about the place too. Presumably the plan has since been ditched and/or will be substantially different when/if it ever re-emerges. I’ll try and get a pic some day.

Nothing less than a masterplan is required for the entire Dublin Castle complex. It doesn’t know what it is, and hasn’t done since 1922. Until this is resolved, this incredibly multi-faceted place is going to remain in its respective fields the half-hearted conference centre, tourist attraction, office complex and ceremonial location that it continues to be.

With the development of the National Conference Centre one wonders even to its use as seat of European Presidencies anymore. Given the State interest in the NCC and the now inadequate Castle conference centre for an enormously expanded EU, I suspect the Castle will only be used for State Apartments receptions from here on in.

In spite of impressive investment and adaptation by the OPW over the years, the time has now come to reassess the entire site.