General Post Office (Dublin)
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The General Post Office (GPO) (Irish: Ard-Oifig an Phoist) in Dublin was at first held in a small building on the site of the Commercial Buildings, and was afterwards removed to a larger house opposite the bank on College Green (since converted into the Royal Arcade;) and on January 6, 1818, the new post-office in Sackville Street, later O'Connell Street, was opened for business. It is now the headquarters of An Post, the postal service of the Republic of Ireland.
The foundation-stone of the building, which is built after a design of Francis Johnson, was laid by Charles Whitworth, 1st Earl Whitworth on August 12, 1814, and the structure was completed in the short space of three years, for the sum of £50,000.
The front, which extends 220 feet, has a portico (80 feet wide), of six fluted Ionic columns, 4 feet 6 inches in diameter. The frieze of the entablature is highly enriched, and in the tympanum of the pediment are the royal arms. On the acroteria of the pediment are three statues by John Smyth: Mercury on the right, with his Caduceus and purse; On the left Fidelity, with her finger on her lip, and a key in her hand; and in the centre Hibernia, resting on her spear, and holding her shield. The entablature, with the exception of the architrave, is continued along the rest of the front; the frieze, however, is not decorated over the portico. A handsome balustrade surmounts the cornice of the building, which is 50 feet from the ground. With the exception of the portico, which is of Portland stone, the whole is of mountain granite. The elevation has three stories, of which the lower or basement is rusticated, and in this respect it resembles the India House of London, where a rusticated basement is introduced, although the portico occupies the entire height of the structure. Over the centre of the building, a cupola contains the chimes and bell on which the clock-hammer strikes.
During the Easter Rising of 1916, it served as the headquarters of the uprising's leaders. The assault of the British forces extensively damaged the building and it was not repaired until the Irish Free State government took up the task some years later. The original columns outside are still pocked with bullet-marks. The building has remained a symbol of Irish nationalism and Irish national history. In commemoration of the failed Rising, a statue depicting the death of the mythical hero Cúchulainn is housed in the front of the building. This statue was featured on the Irish ten shilling coin of 1966 and on the "B Series" £20 currency note. As of 2005, the Irish government intends to transfer all postal business from the GPO and dedicate the entire building to the commemoration of the Easter Rising. [1]
Formerly Nelson's Pillar was in front of the building, however this was destroyed by the IRA in an explosion in 1966. The Spire of Dublin now takes a dominant position in front of the building. Draws for Prize Bonds are held weekly, on Fridays, in the building.
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 The General Post Office in an engraving from about 1827 |
 GPO in 2005 |
 GPO at night in 2006 |
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 A plaque commemorating the Easter Rising at the GPO, with the Irish text in Gaelic script, and the English text in Latin script |
| Irish state & public buildings pre- & post-independence |
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Áras an Uachtaráin (formerly the Viceregal Lodge) | Central Bank of Ireland | Chapel Royal | Chichester House | Chief Secretary's Lodge | Collins Barracks | Custom House | Dublin Castle | Farmleigh | Four Courts | General Post Office (GPO) | Government Buildings | Green Street Court House | Old Parliament House | Leinster House | Little Ratra | Under Secretary's Lodge |
