The Best

It very well could be but you could also check out

For civic buildings

http://www.irish-architecture.com/buildings_ireland/cork/cork/courthouse.html

http://www.irish-architecture.com/buildings_ireland/dublin/northcity/henrietta_street/kingsinn.htm
or a church

https://archiseek.com/content/showthread.php?t=3810

http://www.irish-architecture.com/buildings_ireland/dublin/rathmines/rathmines_church.html

or the odd one off house

http://www.irish-architecture.com/buildings_ireland/kildare/celbridge/castletown/index.html

http://www.nationaltrust.org.uk/hbcache/property169.htm#

http://www.nationaltrust.org.uk/hbcache/property171.htm

For my money it has to be

http://www.irish-architecture.com/buildings_ireland/dublin/northcity/quays/inns/4courts.htm

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.

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.

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.

@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)

http://www.irish-architecture.com/buildings_ireland/dublin/southcity/college_green/nib_collegegreen_lge.html

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 :))

Is this the hospital you are referring to Boyler?

http://www.irish-architecture.com/buildings_ireland/dublin/southcity/baggot_street/hospital.html

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

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.

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

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.

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

“It is th only Irish building which has a high international reputation”??? (I presume this is a quote from that link?)

By way of refutation, I mention the Parliament House in College Green by Edward Lovett Pearce (c.1729—) (see also my list, above). I have seen it included in exhibitions in three different non-Irish cities. It was the first purpose-built bicameral legislature in the world (i.e. two-chamber parliament), and is important for placing the House of Commons on the central axis with the House of Lords off to one side, i.e. for symbolically placing the ‘people’ above their masters.

For that, and the fact that it’s an astonishing building, it is certainly known more widely than these here shores.

The Casino may have the highest international profile, but not the only one.

Also Leinster House is very well-known, being as it is the inspiration for the residence of the American President.
Pictures of it feature extensively in the exhibitions at the White House visitor centre.