Dublin's Mansion House

The Mansion House Dawson Street Dublin 2
Welcome to the Mansion House — the official residence of Dublin's first citizen, the Lord Mayor, and one of our city's finest and most loved buildings. Elegantly crafted and beautifully decorated, it tells a powerful story of history and tradition, of respect and honour, of courage and affection. A Masterpiece In The Making The Mansion House has been at the heart of city government since 1715. It was originally  built as a townhouse in iZo5 for the developer in the of Dawson Street and Nassau Street,  Joshua Dawson, but was seldom lived in bythis esteemed gentleman. Ten years later and still partly unfinished, it was sold to Dublin Corporation for £3,5oo (euro4,444), in addition to an annual rent of 4o shillings and an agreement to provide a loaf of double refined sugar, weighing six pounds at Christmas. Dublin preceded London by some i5 years in providing an official house for its mayor.
From The Outside In Boasting many fine features and rooms that have rightly allowed it to be compared with other renowned Dublin attractions such as Trinity College and the National Art Gallery And City Hall. The Mantion House started it's life faced with brick but was later plastered and has the city coat of arms added to the pediment. The metal portico at the frone entrance was erected in advance Queen Victoria's visit in 1900 to ensure the queen was sufficiently protected from the elements. Similarly The Round Room beside the house had being built in 1823 for a visit by King George 1V . The round room has since become better known as The Venue for the first Dail which here in January 1919.	Lord Mayor's Mace
The Oak Room Moving inside the house itself, oil portraits of former Lord Mayors adorn the walls, although it is the stained glass window located on the main staircase that captures immediate attention. Made in 1900 by the Dublin firm of Joshua Clarke and Sons, it features the official Lord. Mayor's coat-of-arms, surrounded in turn by the coats-of-arms of the four provinces of Ireland. Built as part of the purchase agreement with Joshua Dawson, the Oak Room as its name suggests, is panelled entirely of oak, with most of the original panelling still in place. Designed almost 3oo years ago for civic receptions, it is still used for this purpose today. The room contains a number of fine portraits including that of Charles Stewart Parnell, founder of the Home Rule Party. Also on show here are the individual coats-of-arms of Dublin's Lord Mayors,each of whom adds his or her own at the end of their term of office.	Oak Room Mansion House Dublin
The Dining Room The dining room, although used for formal lunches and small receptions is also used for occasional meetings. It was originally two rooms but was converted into two rooms in 1760. The carpet in this room is supurb early 20th century example of the Le Tene style based on early Celtic motifs which can be found on the Tara Brooch. It was made for The Mantion House Dun Emer Guild Company run by the two sisters of the poet W.B. Yeats.   The room also has an intresting black marble chimney piece in Egyptian style which dates back to 1830. The brass fender and black marble mantel clock are victorian, as are the golden oak framed brass circular dining gong and beater. The pier mirror over the mantelpiece is late Georgian and is a pair to the mirror in the entrance hall. Finally the mahogany extending dining table is also Victorian while the accompanying chairs and carvers are Edwardian	Mansion house dining room
Role Of The Lord Mayor - Mansion House The office of The Lord Mayor of Dublin dates  back to 1229 when Richard Muton became the first  Mayor. The first ''Lord Mayor'' was Danial Bellingham who was elected in 1665 and  the City's first modern Lord Mayor was The Liberator Danial O'Connell who was elected in 1841.   Elected each year by Dublin City Council from it's own members, the Lord Mayor presides at council meetings and signs it's record of proceedings. While the term itself lasts for one year , Alfie Byrne was Lord Mayor of Dublin for nine consecutive years from 1930-1939 and again in 1954-55	Lord Mayor's Sword
City Seal Of Dublin Since the arly 13 century Dublin has had a City Seal, a stamp placed on civic documents to make them official. The ancient city seal is a disc shaped stamp with a motif on each side. This was stamped on sealing wax which was in turn attached to documents. The bronze moulds of the 13th century Dublin seal were displayed in City Hall. The two discs [seal and counter seal] measure 3 inches in diameter and have 4 pierced tags at the sides into which pins were placed to keep the discs together so that they fitted accurately over each other duringsealing.     At least 102 sealed royal charters held by Dunlin City Council are known to have been granted by verious kings and queens between 1172 and 1727. The charters were isued as a means of securing loyalty from the citizens by conveying various rights and privileges on them.These charters form the basis of municipal legislation and government in Ireland.	City Sword And Mace The Dublin City Sword and Mace are magnificent examples of metalwork and are used today in civic ceremonies such as the conferring of the Honorary Freedom of Dublin. , City Sword. The medieval. City Sword was originally the personal weapon of Henry 1v of England and was presented to Dublin by the King in 1409. The sword comprises an iron blade and a silver-gilt handle inscribed with Henry's floral device, the forget-me-not. The scabbard is from the i7th century and is made of wood covered in red velvet, with silver-gilt mounts. Great Mace. The Great Mace was made in 1665 for th.e city's first Lord Mayor, Sir Daniel Bellingham, and is a fine illustration of restoration craftsmanship. Just over five feet long, it is in silver-gilt over a wooden staff. The shaft is ornamental with a chased floral design. The base is ii inches long by 17 inches round and is chased and fluted on top. Underneath there are four ornamental panels displaying Rose and Thistle on one stem for Great Britain (twice), the Fleur de Lis for France, and the Harp for Ireland. The head of the Mace, 19 inches in height,, is supported on the shalt by four ornamenial brackets And armless figures, a circlet of crosses and fleur de lis adorn the top
Chains Of Office - Dublin Lord Mayor The Lord Mayor has a choice of two chains to wear at offical functions. The Great Chain and The Clancy Chain. Great Chain. The Great Chain was made in 1698 and is made up of gold links shaped into roses, knots and other symbols. A large  gold medal stamped with the bust of King William III [1680-1702] hangs from the front of the chain. The medal is of such fine workmanship that there are copies of in Holland and The Hague, and in the U.K in London and Oxford.   Clancy Chain - The Clancy Chain was made in 1914, it is named after Alderman John Clancy o whome it was presented by a group of Dubliners. The chain is also made of gold and made in the Celtic tradition with motifs from The Book Of Kells The Tara Brooch and The Irish Harp. It also supports an inscribed meddalion bearing the city's Coat Of Arms in Blue and Red enamel.   Chain Of The Lady Mayoress-A modern gold chain and  medallion was presented in 1961 to Dublin Corportation by a Dublin jeweller for use by The Lady Mayoress. It is worn by her at official functions when in the company of The Lord Mayor.	Coat of-Arms Dublin's coat-of-arms is the identifying emblem of the City of Dublin and has been in use in one form or another for at least 400 years. The full coat-of-arms shows three burning castles on a shield, flanked by two female figures.One holds a scales depicting Justice (without the usual blindfold) — the other, a sword representing Law. Each holds an olive branch.Below the shield on a scroll is the motto of the city, Obedienta Civium Urbis Felicitas, which translates as "the obedience of the citizens produces a happy city". The origin of the coat-of-arms is unknown and the meaning on it obscure - which provides plenty of opportunity for both imaginative and informed speculation. One theory is that it symbolises the three castles which were situated outside the city and used as garrison outposts or watch towers. Another is that it is Dublin Castle repeated three times because of the mystical connections of the number three, while a third speculates that they are not castles at all, but the three gates of the old Viking city.

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