Government Buildings

A working hub for the business of the state

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Admission

Tours of Government Buildings are available every Saturday

Free tickets can be collected on the day from the National Gallery of Ireland, Clare Street, Dublin 2, from 10:00

Getting here

Governments Buildings
Upper Merrion Street
Dublin 2
D02 R583

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Government Buildings

The imposing complex of Government Buildings on Upper Merrion Street, next door to Leinster House, was the last major public building the British constructed in Ireland. It was intended as accommodation for the Royal College of Science and various departments of the administration.

Fortuitously, it was complete by 1922. When independence dawned, the new Free State government moved in.

In more recent times, former Taoiseach Charles Haughey converted and entirely refurbished the building to form state-of-the-art accommodation for a number of departments, including the Department of the Taoiseach, the Department of Finance and the Office of the Attorney General. Despite criticism of the expenditure involved, the renovated building won awards for its architectural design when it opened in the 1990s.

There are free guided tours every Saturday, although they are subject to occasional cancellation for urgent government business.