Aeriel view Leinster House, Kildare Street with potential piazza arrowed
As I stood outside the gates of Leinster House this afternoon, I found myself admiring the vast open space that lies between the admirable buildings of the National Museum and the National Library. Modelled on the Pantheon of Rome, these temples of intellect built in the Victorian Palladian style complement, in the best possible fashion, the aesthetic facade of our Oireachtas.
It is a great pity that a public square does not exist to enhance the splendour of these surroundings and provide us with what could be called our very own parliamentary piazza.
Instead, we are faced with an ugly car park – covered in tarmac, restricted for use by the official classes, and confined by a large unflattering surround of black iron railings.
Surely there is need for a vast improvement.
ARAN McARDLE,
Kilmainham,
Dublin 8.
A parliamentary piazza? (Irish Times letters)
Pic: Donnelly Turpin Architects
similarly the UCD running track……’paved paradise to put up a parking lot’!
Nah. Sure they’d put you off your lunch.
At least you could throw them your scraps when they’re locked in stocks? …Oh, the idea!
Funny, I was thinking about stocks and public floggings too.
Make public?
Great place for the water protesters to camp out if so…
What’s a water protester?
usually scumbags
you know that comment says more about you than it does about any protestor.
Where would the cars go?
Underground?
TD’s spend billions on underground car park. A government spokesman commented, it did seem like a lot of money, but it would help improve security.
Ask Arcade Fire
They’d probably just tarmac Merrion Sq…
The Merrion Square side looks way nicer.
Merrion square side is the front, Kildare street the back. Presumably that’s why there’s a difference in stature.
It says everything you need to know about Irish politicians that the Ducal mansion they work in is surrounded by a poxy carpark.
guy has no concept of security.
Lazy excuse.
You’re not wrong, Aran.
It used to be an open space, there are a number of photographs online from the time it was the home of the RDS and before it was requisitioned to serve as a temporary home for our parliament (note I don’t use the faux Gaelic word on a point of principle) but the feckers never moved to a purpose built home.
Hey Louis, you’re such a fan of the Irish language that I know you’ll be delighted to learn that francach means both a French person and a rat.
Nach iontach an teanga í?
It’s a real Irish word. Countries call their Parliaments different names.
Security would be a serious problem if this went ahead.
The Palace of Westminster actually has less of a defensible zone – and no railings around most of it.
Close the Daíl bar while ur at it – another thing they don’t need.
It doesn’t look like pizza at all. for a start most pizzas are round, except the fancy oblong ones you can but in Tesco. How can this guy claim to be an expert on architecture when he doesn’t even know about pizzas?
You really should take better pun lessons… although I’m afraid you’d kneed a lot of dough for such pizza pun classes
That’s a lousy pun. Pizzaface.
“the official classes”?
What a weirdly self-segregating turn of phrase.
They’re not going to open that as a square. However, right next to it, between the Department of Agriculture and the national museum is a small square cut off by a wall at the back of government buildings. There’s potential to restore a lovely square there – Kildare Place
http://archiseek.com/2014/1756-nos-1-4-kildare-place-dublin/
They should actually move the Govt out of there entirely- do a swap with IMMA Kilmainham. Make the whole area a proper culture quarter and move the civil servants and politicians out.
Indeed, reinstate the geological collections into Leinster House – like the good old days.
Perhaps we could open up the square, with a big statue, just like it used to be ;P
https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Queen_Victoria_%22visits%22_Library_Towers_%288409924813%29.jpg
Stick them out in an office block in Sandyford.
Stick them in an office block in a disadvantaged area and watch it become advantaged. Nice parks, restaurants, good roads, excellent public transport links.. lots of policing..
Thats too true to be funny.
Also if the car park wasn’t there they would have their parking costs paid for in the local multistory car park. Then we’d be complaining about this absorbent wastage as they’d probably be charged double the going rate (and pay it instead of going for bulk discount), then there would be calls to tarmac over the park again and turn it into a car park.
GIven that what’s in the picture would only provide for a fraction of the people who need parking, you’d assume that most of them park in private car-parks and have it paid for by the state.
Maybe building a bigger underground car-park on the site would actually save the Government money in the long-run?
Ohhhh Public square… thought that said pubic square.. does look like a well maintained bush, mind
Good idea