Downloadable Resource | The Palladian Style: Development & Design in Ireland
National Library of Ireland architect's drawing; NLI bird's-eye view | NLI Call Number PD AD 3577_LBR 7279
The Palladian style was introduced to Ireland in the 1720s with the design and build of Castletown House in County Kildare. Today Palladian architecture widespread influence can be seen across Ireland in designs such Parliament House on College Green, Dublin and Bellamont House, Cavan.
The National Library of Ireland building on Kildare Street was completed in 1890, thirteen years after its founding in 1877. Designed by Dublin architects Thomas Deane and Son, the building opened to great fanfare in August of that year, and the architects were knighted for their service by the Lord Lieutenant.
This achievement of the Victorian Palladian style marked the latest in a series of changes to the Kildare Street site over the years. The site was developed initially with Leinster House as the home of the Fitzgeralds, Dukes of Leinster and later Earls of Kildare starting in 1745. In 1815, it housed the Royal Dublin Society before becoming the home to the Oireachtas in 1922. During the 1850s, the National History Museum and National Gallery opened on either side of Leinster House on Merrion Square. As the area was being developed, it was important that the new buildings harmonised with the architecture of Leinster House. As Leinster House was designed by the architect Richard Castle in the Palladian style, the design for the new National Library had to follow suit.
In this resource, students will learn about Palladian architecture and the introduction of this style to Ireland, through several notable homes and buildings. Prints, drawings and photographs from the collections of the National Library of Ireland are utilised to illustrate this history.
Students are encouraged to discover a wide range of topics through this resource—discussions of Palladianism which relate to art history and architectural styles; the development of the area around Leinster House and Kildare Street; the shifting functions of the various buildings on one city block that point to the growth of Dublin’s national institutions and collections.
These relate back to various courses and strands within the Irish national curriculum such as Junior Cycle Art, Senior Cycle Art and Leaving Certificate Design and Communication Graphics.
You can download the resource below.
If our team can be of any assistance, please contact us at learning@nli.ie.
