The State Apartments of Dublin Castle have been reserved for the O’Brien Clan on Wednesday, April the 23rd., 2014 for a reception and banquet commemorating the millennium of the Battle of Clontarf, and death of High King Brian Boru.

Dublin Castle, on Dame Street in Dublin, was until 1922 the seat of British rule in Ireland. Most of it’s remarkable history dates from the 18th century, though a castle has stood on the site since the days of King John, the first Lord of Ireland, fictionalized as the King John of Robin Hood. The Castle served as the seat of the British government of Ireland under the Lordship of Ireland (1171–1541), the Kingdom of Ireland (1541–1800), and the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland (1800–1922). Upon establishment of the Irish Free State in 1922, the complex was ceremonially handed over to the newly formed Provisional Government led by Michael Collins.

Originally built as a defensive fortification for the Norman city of Dublin, it later evolved into a royal residence, resided in by the Lord Lieutenant of Ireland or Viceroy of Ireland, the representative of the monarch. In 1938, the inauguration of the first President of Ireland, Douglas Hyde, took place in the castle; it has been host to the ceremony ever since.

Dublin Castle was first founded as a major defensive structure on the orders of King John of England in 1204; some time after the Norman invasion of Ireland in 1169, when it was commanded that “a castle be built with strong walls and good ditches for the defence of the city, the administration of justice, and the protection of the King’s treasure.” Through the Middle Ages the wooden buildings within the castle square evolved, the most significant addition was the Great Hall, of stone and timber, used as Parliament house, court of law and banqueting hall. The building survived until 1673, when it was damaged by fire and demolished shortly afterwards. No trace of medieval buildings remains above ground level today, with the exception of the great Record Tower (ca. 1228-1230); it the sole surviving tower of the original fortification, its battlements an early 19th-century addition.

The State Apartments of Dublin Hall

The State Apartments in which the banquet will be held, contain the rooms formerly used by the Lord Lieutenant for personal use and public entertaining during the Castle Season. Today these richly decorated rooms are used by the Irish Government for official engagements including policy launches, hosting of State Visit ceremonial, and the inauguration of the President every seven years.

Saint Patrick’s Hall is the grandest room of the State Apartments, and contains one of the most important decorative interiors in Ireland. Formerly the ballroom of the Lord Lieutenant’s administration, today the room is used for presidential inaugurations. It is one of the oldest rooms in the castle, dating from the 1740s, though its decoration largely dates from c. 1790, including the most significant painted ceiling in Ireland executed by Vincenzo Valdre (c. 1742–1814). Composed of three panels, the ceiling depicts the coronation of King George III, Saint Patrick introducing Christianity to Ireland, and King Henry II receiving the submission of the Irish Chieftains. The state dinner, hosted by the President of Ireland to welcome Queen Elizabeth II to Ireland, was held here on the evening of May 18, 2011

O’Briens interested in attending this once in a life time event, set within the imperial spender of historic Dublin Castle’s St. Patrick’s Hall, the great gilded hall where Ireland’s Presidents are inaugurated, and in which Queen Elizabeth II was recently guest of honor, are asked to register here.

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