Take a tour of Iveagh House and the Physical Laboratory at Trinity College on Dublin Open Day. Find out if Iveagh House is worth visiting.
Open House Dublin offers an annual glimpse
inside many of Dublin’s historic buildings. You can pre-book a place for some attractions. For others, you'll need to queue up outside. We’ve visited Customs House and Casino Marino in past years. This year we targeted Iveagh House and the
Physical Laboratory at Trinity College Dublin.
Iveagh House
Iveagh House is home to the Department of
Foreign Affairs. We waited in a sizable
queue outside for about 45 minutes whiling away the time by admiring the purple
glass lamps out front.
We were finally ushered into the house
for a guided tour. We nonchalantly had a
look around the minister’s office (yes, we were touring a government official’s
office). This would never be possible in
the U.S. at least not without massive security checks. It was so refreshing to be in such a trusting
environment. We glided up the ornate
central staircase into the grand ballroom where U.S. President John F. Kennedy
was entertained back in the 1960s during his visit to Ireland. The other thing that impressed us about this
place was the amazing array of chandeliers decorating the various offices. What a place to work!
Physical Laboratory at Trinity
A retired Professor of Physics from
Trinity College Dublin decked out in gown and top hat whisked us inside for a
tour of the historic lab which was built over 100 years ago.
The building features a fascinating array of
historical lab equipment in period cases.
We also sat in a historic lecture hall where Erwin Schrödinger gave a lecture titled What is Life? Back in the day, students didn’t do lab work
but rather relied on demonstrations of the front of the room carried out by
professors and their trusted assistants to convey certain principles in action.
Our Open House Dublin experience this year
was an optimal mix of fascinating architecture at Iveagh House and a healthy dose of
history at the Physical Laboratory. We’re looking forward to the
next session!
