James Gandon certainly had more than a passing influence on Irish architecture...not only did he design the Four Courts, but much of the Bank of Ireland/Irish Parliament on College Green, and of course the Custom House. And the similarity is not to be missed. All are beautifully-designed buildings, domed and majestic. And the Four Courts are no different. Located, like its sister, on the northern banks of the Liffey, it still remains home to the High, Supreme, Central Criminal and Dublin Circuit Courts to which it lends its name. It is a central feature in both modern and historical Ireland, currently as the seat of the most powerful courts in the land, and previously as a rebel stronghold in 1916 before being burned during the tragedy that was the Civil War. Of course, like all other buildings involved in 1916, the bullet holes in the exterior have been preserved. Though why we revere the mother of all cock-ups as our common national uprising is still one of the perfectly Irish eccentricities. We couldn't even do Pearse's 'blood sacrifice' right...typical!!!
But the Four Courts are somewhere everyone should see...if only to catch a glimpse of the most recent drugs baron to grace it with their presence.... read more