Dublin's Historic Buildings and Monuments Quiz

Answer: Viceregal Lodge

Áras an Uachtaráin is the home of the Irish Presidents, but originally was the home to the British Viceroys. Building began in 1780 and was deigned by Nathaniel Clements. In 1911 saw the construction of the West Wing for the visit for King George V and Queen Mary of Great Britain. Douglas Hyde was the first President of Ireland and first presidential occupant to move into the house in 1937.

Answer: Arthur Wellesley, 1st Duke of Wellington

Arthur Wellesley was born in Co. Dublin and won the Battle of Waterloo which defeated Napoleon in June 1815. A Dublin legend say that a banquet was held in an underground vault under the Wellington Testimonial in the 1820s to raise money to finish the project.

After the dinner the vault was sealed, and one week later the butler, who had not been seen since then, was found in the vault after falling unconscious after drinking too much wine. The Obelisk would have been taller but funds had run out.

Answer: 1922

The Four Courts building was originally designed by James Gandon and Thomas Cooley. In 1922, during the Battle of Dublin, the Four Courts was seized by Rory O'Connor a Republican leader. Most of the building was destroyed by the Free State Army and O'Connor was executed after the building was taken back by the Free State Army.

The building reopened in 1932 and has been used a Ireland Supreme and High Courts. Until 2010 it was used as Central Criminal Court and Dublin Circuit Court.

Answer: The US Ambassador to Ireland

The United States Ambassador to Ireland lives in the Chief Secretary's Lodge in the Phoenix Park in Northwest Dublin City. Up to 2010, three different American Presidents have stayed there on official State visits to Ireland. In the 1970s, the wife of the Ambassador changed the name of the Lodge to Deerfield due to the wild fallow deer that roam the park.

Answer: King John

The Normans invaded Ireland in 1169 and in 1204 King John ordered a castle to be built to protect the city of Dublin. Many extensions have been completed through the centuries. The Crown Jewels of Ireland were stolen form the Castle in 1907, and Douglas Hyde, Ireland's first President, was inaugurated in the Castle in 1937.

Answer: Leinster House

The Dáil, the lower house of The Oireachtais (House of Representatives), is where most official Government duties are held. A TD (Teachta Dála) represents his/her constituency in the Dáil, and there are 166 TDs in the Dáil. The Seanad (Senate) debates new legislations; there are 60 Senators in the Seanad.

Answer: Poor famine victims

During the Famine, many petty crimes were committed by children, men and women becasue they were guaranteed to get a meal and shelter in prison. With an official capacity of two thousand, Kilmainham Gaol housed over one hundred thousand during the Famine.

It was originally built in 1796 mainly for the United Irishmen, an illegal freedom-fighter organisation. It was closed in 1924 by The Irish Free State Government, and since the 1980s has served as a museum.

Answer: General Post Office

The GPO on Sackville Street, as it was then known, was famously taken over by the rebels of 1916 as their headquarters. Today it is still used as a post office, although the street has been re-named O'Connell Street, and bullet marks from 1916 can still be seen on its Corinthian columns.

Answer: James Gandon

The Custom House is a large building, which cost £200,000 when it was built. It was burnt to the ground in 1921 by the IRA, and many renovations have taken place to bring it back to the former glory of Gandon's design.

Answer: Former President Douglas Hyde

At the time of his death in 1949, Douglas Hyde was in a wheelchair and unable to move back to his Roscommon home 'The Ratra'. He lived in the Phoenix Park house from 1945-1949 until his death, and named the house `Little Ratra` after his Roscommon home. It was used as an Army training ground and was once called Little Lodge.