| General Post Office | |
|---|---|
Ard-Oifig an Phoist | |
 The General Post Office in 2025 | |
  Location in central Dublin | |
| Alternative names | GPO |
| General information | |
| Type | Post office and administrative offices |
| Architectural style | Greek Revival,neoclassical |
| Location | O'Connell Street Lower Dublin 1 D01 F5P2 |
| Coordinates | 53°20′58″N6°15′40″W / 53.349334°N 6.261075°W /53.349334; -6.261075 |
| Construction started | 12 August 1814 |
| Inaugurated | 6 January 1818 |
| Cost | 50,000pounds sterling |
| Owner | Office of public works |
| Design and construction | |
| Architect | Francis Johnston |
TheGeneral Post Office (GPO;Irish:Ard-Oifig an Phoist) is the former headquarters ofAn Post — the Irish Post Office. It remains itsregistered office and the principalpost office ofDublin[1] — the capital city of Ireland — and is situated in the centre ofO'Connell Street, the city's main thoroughfare. It is one of Ireland's most famous buildings, not least because it served as the headquarters of the leaders of theEaster Rising againstBritish rule in Ireland. It was the last greatGeorgian public building to be erected in the capital.
The foundation stone of the building, which was designed byFrancis Johnston, was laid by theLord Lieutenant of Ireland,Charles Whitworth, 1st Earl Whitworth, on 12 August 1814, attended by thePost-Masters-General,Charles O'Neill, 1st Earl O'Neill andLaurence Parsons, 2nd Earl of Rosse.[2][3] The structure was completed in the short space of approximately three years at a cost (depending on sources) of between £50,000[4] and £80,000.[5]
The frontelevation is 67.1 metres (220 ft) long. It features aportico (24.4 metres (80 ft) wide) of six flutedIonic columns, 137.16 centimetres (54 inches) in diameter. Thefrieze of theentablature is highly enriched. Thetympanum of thepediment originally carried the royal arms; following restoration in the 1920s, they were removed. On theacroteria of the pediment are three statues byJohn Smyth:[6] when facing the buildingMercury on the left, with hisCaduceus and purse;Fidelity on the right, with a hound at her feet and a key held in her right hand (due to these features it is possible that the statue is in fact ofHecate); andHibernia in the centre, resting on her spear and holding aharp. The entablature, with the exception of thearchitrave, is continued along the rest of the front; the frieze, however, is not decorated over the portico. Abalustrade surmounts thecornice of the building, which is 15.2 metres (50 ft) from the ground.
With the exception of the portico, which is ofPortland stone, the main building is of mountaingranite. The elevation has three stories, of which the lower or basement isrusticated. The portico occupies the entire height of the structure.
The GPO Arcade is an art deco style shoppingarcade at the rear of the complex, with access fromHenry Street and Princes Street North.[7][8] It was built by theOffice of Public Works following the Rising.[9] Local radio station,Millennium 88FM was based here.[8]
The General Post Office in Ireland was first located inHigh Street in Dublin moving toFishamble Street in 1689, to Sycamore Alley in 1709 and then in 1755 to Peter Bardin's Chocolate House at Fownes Court on the site where the Commercial Buildings used to be (later theCentral Bank building).[10][5] It was afterwards removed to a larger house opposite theBank of Ireland building onCollege Green. On 6 January 1818, the new post office in Sackville Street (nowO'Connell Street) was opened for business.[11]
During theEaster Rising of 1916, the GPO served as the headquarters of the uprising's leaders. It was from outside this building on 24 April 1916, thatPatrick Pearse read out theProclamation of the Irish Republic.[12] The building was destroyed by fire in the course of the rebellion, save for the granite facade, and not rebuilt until 1929, by theIrish Free State government. An original copy of the Proclamation of the Irish Republic was displayed in themuseum at the GPO.
In anticipation of the 80th anniversary of the Easter Rising, in 1996,An Post commissioned a series of ten, large format, oil-on-canvas paintings by Irish artist Norman Teeling depicting key events of the Rising, including scenes at the GPO. The suite was displayed in the GPO's main hall until 2005.[13]
The museum was closed at the end of May 2015 and replaced by a new visitor centre to commemorate the 1916 Rising, "GPO Witness History", in March 2016.[14] The building has remained a symbol ofIrish nationalism. In 1935, in commemoration of the Rising, a statue depicting the death of the mythical heroCúchulainn sculpted byOliver Sheppard in 1911 was installed at the command post in the centre of the GPO main hall and is now housed in the front of the building. The statue was featured on theIrish ten shilling coin of 1966, marking the fiftieth anniversary of the Rising. Despite its significance in the history of Irish independence, ground rent for the GPO continued to be paid to English and American landlords until the 1980s.[15]
The broadcasting studios of2RN, which later becameRadio Éireann, were located at the GPO from 1928 until 1974.[16] Draws forPrize Bonds are held weekly, on Fridays, in the building.
Nelson's Pillar was located in the centre of O'Connell Street adjacent to the GPO, until it was destroyed by Irish republicans in an explosion in 1966. TheSpire of Dublin was erected on the site of the Pillar in 2003.
TheHibernia statue was depicted on theobverse of a commemorative2 euro coin marking theCentenary of the Easter Rising in 2016.[17]
The postal serviceAn Post moved its headquarters from the General Post Office building to new premises at North Wall Quay in Dublin, in June 2023.[1]
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The whole building was built in less than 4 years at a cost of about £50,000
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