Bulletin from the office of PuBlic Works Issue 20 : DecemBeR 2008

OBAIR
Bulletin from the Office of Public Works
Issue 20 : December 2008
Wexford Opera House, Battle of the Boyne Visitor Centre,
Castletown - NUI Archive and Research Centre,
Appreciation of Cholmeley Dering Choleley-Harrison,
The Phoenix Park Visitor Centre

Contents
3 Introduction
4 Wexford Opera House
7 Phoenix Park Visitor Centre
10 David Byers
12 Castletown House/NUI partnership. Strokestown
14 Websites relaunch
16 Tribute to Chomneley Harrison
19 Dublin Zoo/Haughton House refurbishment.
22 Pearse Museum
26 INIS and PSA openings, Tipperary. Town
28 Battle of the Boyne improvement works
30 Staffing Lists
Images: Deer
in Phoenix Park;
Wexford Opera
House (above).
Interior of Major
Cholmeley-
Harrison’s estate
at Emo, Co Laois
(opposite page).
Pearse Museum in
Rathfarnham (cover)
2

Welcome
Welcome to
Issue 20 of Obair
Magazine, the
year-end edition
for 2008
2008 was another busy and challenging year for the
OPW and in this edition we bring you details of some
of the projects on which the office has been working
over the last six months.
We feature articles on the newly refurbished
Haughton House, which opened in Dublin Zoo recently
and new premises for both the Irish Naturalisation and
Immigration Service and the Private Security Authority
in County Tipperary. September saw the opening of the
newly redesigned Wexford Opera House, a landmark
cultural building for the South-East, which garnered
great praise for the many OPW staff who were
involved on the project. We also bring you further
details of the Visitor Facilities at the Battle of the
Boyne site in Oldbridge, County Meath which opened
in May 2008 and featured heavily in the last issue
of this magazine. On a similar theme we bring you an
item on the Phoenix Park Visitor Centre and on a new
partnership between the NUI and Castletown House.
You may have noticed that some of our websites
have undergone a transformation in recent months.
We bring you details of the new Content Management
System whereby trained staff can now make
changes to our websites locally.
Sadly, tragedy touched the office in the second half
of 2008 with the sudden and premature deaths of
both Commissioner David Byers and Eamon Healy,
GSA, Claremorris. To both their families we offer our
sincere condolences. Also this year, the man who
donated Emo Court to the State, Major. Cholmeley D.
Harrison passed away, just short of his hundredth
birthday, and this issue features an appreciation of
his life and extraordinary benevolence.
Thank you, as always, to all our colleagues who
contributed articles for inclusion in this edition of the
magazine. We welcome all contributions, no matter
how big or how small. Keep them coming!
We hope you enjoy this edition of your Obair magazine.
George Moir
Kevin Kennedy
Jenny Dimond
Obair Editorial Team
Obair - December 2008 3

Wexford
Wexford Opera
House
Design Team, which included OPW M+E Services and
Keith Williams Architects, working in collaboration with
OPW Architectural Services; Arup Acoustics, Carr and
Angier, Arup Consulting Engineers and Nolan Ryan, QS.
This project began in 2003 when the OPW was
requested by the Dept of Arts, Sport and Tourism,
in its role as major funding provider, to review
various options then under consideration for the
redevelopment of the Theatre Royal, home of the
world-famous Wexford Opera Festival. The condition
of the existing theatre was deteriorating, and its
facilities were extremely cramped both for audience
and performers. It had been operating at full capacity
for the nine previous Festivals, and a major increase
in capacity was required in order for the Festival to
continue and develop. Early OPW feasibility studies
indicated that the existing theatre could not be
usefully extended any further, and the selected
development option was complete new-build, on a
site now doubled in size. OPW Architectural Services
worked in collaboration with the Client’s specialist
consultants – who advise on acoustic and theatre
planning matters - to produce an agreed brief and
budget at the end of 2003. The OPW submitted a
planning application in July 2004, and permission
was granted in November 2004. Matters then lay in
abeyance whilst final funding arrangements were
being finalised, and the momentum of the project
resumed in September of 2005, with a construction
budget of €30 million and the appointment of a full
The project timetable was extremely tight, as it
would not have been feasible for the organisation
to produce more than two annual Festivals without a
premises of its own. Full detail design was developed
over the subsequent seven months, and the contract
documentation was sent to tender in April 2006. In the
meantime, the last Opera Festival in the old Theatre
Royal concluded on 6th November 2005, and the
building was cleared for demolition the following week.
Separate contracts for demolition, soil contamination
testing, archaeological investigations and the
construction of a new ESB substation, were carried
out over the following months, and the site was
handed over to the selected contractor, Cleary Doyle
Contracting Ltd, on July 3rd 2006, three days after the
archaeologist’s team vacated the site. All the major
milestones of the project were achieved practically to
the day, and the completed building was handed over
on 1st August 2008. OPW continued to be involved,
particularly through its M+E Engineering Services, in
commissioning the very complex installations over
the subsequent months, whilst the opera festival
organisation established itself in the building and
performers, directors, designers and technical teams
arrived in early September, to begin rehearsal for the
2008 Festival.
Images: Wexford
by night (above).
Wexford Opera
House interior
(opposite page).
Wexford Opera
House exterior
(page 6).
4

Obair - December 2008 5

The new Wexford Opera House was formally opened
by An Taoiseach, Brian Cowen TD, on Friday 5
September 2008, and the occasion was marked with
a broadcast of RTE’s The Late Late Show, bringing
this publicly-funded, unique cultural asset to the
immediate attention of a nationwide audience.
The building is the first purpose-built opera house
in Ireland in modern times. It features a main
auditorium for 780 persons, and a multi-purpose
“black-box” performing space for 170, in addition to
several rehearsal spaces, production and front
of house facilities and offices. The main auditorium
contains two double-decker orchestra pit lifts, which
allows for many different configurations, for opera,
dance, drama, conferences, smaller recitals, etc.
Two principal objectives inform the design of the
auditorium: traditional horseshoe-shaped balconies
bring the audiences in the upper tiers into closer
contact with the action on stage, and populate
the side walls at three levels, enlivening the room;
and, uniquely in a music venue, all the surfaces of
the auditorium are clad in walnut, while precisioncrafted
lighting bridges hang from the ceiling,
the combination calling to mind the materials and
craftsmanship of a stringed instrument. Externally,
the bulk of the building is concealed behind the
reinstated houses of historic High St, whilst the fly
tower over the stage becomes the only element
visible from distant viewpoints, a landmark indicating
the presence of a unique new building. As such, it is
clad in copper, a material long associated with civic
buildings in Irish towns and cities; and its shape,
opening outwards and upwards to the sky, evokes
the aspirations for the artistic activities within.
Ciarán McGahon
Architectural Services
6

Phoenix Park
The Phoenix Park
Visitor Centre
The Phoenix Park Visitor Centre is situated on
the grounds of the old Papal Nunciature and
is signposted from the Phoenix Monument on
Chesterfield Avenue, the main road in the park.
The complex comprises the modern Visitor Centre,
the restored seventeenth century Ashtown Castle,
The Phoenix Cafe, a cobbled courtyard for eating al
fresco, the nineteenth century walled garden and a
state of the art new childrens playground.
Aras an Uachtarain and the American Ambassador’s
residence are the other two main buildings within
hailing distance.
The Visitor Centre, a two storied structure in the old
stables of the Papal Nunciature, was opened to the
public in September 1992 and is set in an attractive
landscaped environment. The Phoenix Park is
renowned for its beautiful trees of oak, beech, horse
chestnuts and lime and the Visitor Centre is beside
an arboretum incorporating many beautiful old trees
such as yew, cypress and giant redwood.
Besides the spacious car parking facilities close to
the Visitor Centre there is now a hop-on hop-off
Phoenix Park Shuttle Bus with commentary, which
provides direct access to the Visitor Centre from
ParkGate Street every 30 minutes from 7am – 7pm
Monday to Friday and 10am – 7pm Saturday and
Sunday and Public Holidays, stopping at Dublin Zoo,
Farmleigh, St. Mary’s Hospital, Papal Cross amongst
other stops of interest.
The Visitor Centre provides an enjoyable
interpretation of the park, one the largest enclosed
recreational spaces within any European capital city.
The Phoenix Park is larger than all of London’s city
parks put together and more than twice the area of
New York’s Central Park.
Visitor numbers to the Visitor Centre in 2007 were
38,427. This year’s numbers will show a marked
increase on last year’s due to the many new
initiatives implemented by the Park Superintendent/
Historic Properties along with free admission to the
site from January 2007.
Staff at the Visitor Centre have a wide range of
activities as part of a normal days work - dispensing
admission tickets, answering queries on the history,
flora and fauna of the park, operating audio visual
equipment, liaising with Park Rangers re reporting of
lost dogs, etc., and giving information on the Visitor
Centre and places of local interest to groups that
include school groups and visitors from all over the
world. Visitors can step back in time with free guided
Obair - December 2008 7

tours of Ashtown Castle which are available daily at
11am, 12.00pm, 2.00pm, 3.pm and 4pm. There is also an
audio visual on the Phoenix Park through the ages
or on the history of Aras an Uachtarain which takes
about 20 minutes for visitors to enjoy.
Sundays are usually the busiest day with a free
children’s Workshop from 10.30am – 12.30pm
incorporating themes of nature awareness, history/
heritage and arts and crafts into a creative and fun
learning environment for children on the Art Kart
area on the first floor. Talks and walks and other
events from discovering ecology with live exhibits
of creepy crawlies, lizards and frogs to historical
re-enactments with visiting re-enactors along with
guides dressed up in medieval costume take place
every month. A full programme of events is published
every six months and is available from various
outlets including the Visitor Centre, 51 St. Stephens
Green reception and the OPW Intranet.
Art exhibitions and demonstrations change on a
monthly basis in the Exhibition Room with local and
Images: Deer at
the Papal Cross in
Phoenix Park, Dublin
(previous page).
Margaret McGuirk,
Roy Barron, and
Alex Gomez Martin
in medieval costume
(above), Pauline
Kennedy in medieval
costume (left). Duke
exhition at Phoenix
Park Visitor Centre
(opposite page).
8

national artists’ exhibits enhancing the stone walls
and cobbled floor of the restored old stables.
Free guided tours to Aras an Uachtarain take place
on Saturdays from the Visitor Centre every hour
from 10.30am to 3.30pm and the cycle lanes in the
park are seeing an increase in use with a bike hire
facility which is available at the ParkGate Street
entrance (contact 086 2656258). The first Saturday
of every month is also a busy time for the Phoenix
Park Gardeners who are available to the public in
the restored Victorian kitchen walled garden from
10.30am answering questions on soil preparation,
plant propagation and much more.
This summer saw new OPW Summer Camps for
children in association with Eco Unesco launched
at the Visitor Centre with almost 300 children
discovering nature in the Phoenix Park through fun
activities in a safe and educational environment.
We hope to continue with this successful venture
next summer and in addition are rolling out modules
on environmental awareness from January 09 to
Primary schools on trees, mammals, heritage, eco
art and sustainability based on the Primary School
curriculum.
The interpretive and educational programmes at
the Phoenix Park Visitor Centre increase visitor
awareness of the significance of the Park and its
features and for the wider work of the OPW in
general. The Park has something for everyone
to enjoy whether in passive or active recreation
and we hope you will pay us a visit in the not too
distant future.
Contact details:
01 6770095 or email phoenixparkvisitorcentre@opw.ie
Open Wed – Sun. 9.30am – 5.30pm November –
February inc and 10am – 6pm March to October inc
Buses 37, 38, 39 and 70 From Hawkins Street to the
Halfway House roundabout on Navan Road.
Train to Ashtown Station from Connolly Station.
Pauline Kennedy
Heritage Services
Obair - December 2008 9

David Byers
Commissioner
David Byers
I saw David before I met him. He was standing in
the Upper Yard in Dublin Castle. Tall, manly and
prepossessing in appearance – that was my
initial impression and it’s also my abiding memory.
I first met David in March 1996. In the intervening
years I got to know him well. As a colleague he was
dynamic and inspirational. As a friend he was loyal
and supportive.
David loved all things visual. He had a great eye
for style. You can see this in the projects that
he was involved in, Leinster House, Farmleigh,
Castletown House, Dublin Castle and Government
Buildings, Glencree, Avondale and many, many more
throughout the Country.
David was never afraid to challenge convention.
He was never shy about introducing bold and
imaginative ideas. The vibrant colours on the back
of Dublin Castle is pure Davidesque. It was highly
controversial at the time but loved by the public,
and international T.V. crews, and it is now part of
the city’s fabric.
David was a unique character with extraordinary
talents. He also had an amazing range of interests;
literature, music, art, military history, concerts, and
sport, were just some of his many interests.
His passion for motor racing was well known. Less
well known was his love for football. A regular
supporter of the League of Ireland, his tall frame
could easily be spotted in the small crowds at soccer
venues around Dublin.
As a supporter of West Ham United he surprised
many visitors to his office with “I’m Forever Blowing
Bubbles” permanently scrolling on his computer
screen.
His sense of style was also very evident in the way
he dressed. His neckties were regularly the topic of
conversation in the Office. One of our younger female
staff described a particular tie as “way out there”. In
many ways she was describing David himself –
He was way out there from the rest of us.
Apart from his immense contribution as an architect
David was also a gifted event organiser. The bigger
the event and the shorter the notice, the bigger the
buzz he got. He just hit the turbo button and off he
went. Decisive and practical, you could have absolute
confidence that everything would not only work, but
work extremely well. He was involved with all high
level State functions, State Funerals, Presidential
Image: Commissioner
David Byers
10

Inaugurations, Heads of State and European
Presidency meetings and most recently the hugely
successful launch of the Battle of the Boyne Visitor
Centre.
David was a visionary but never lost sight of the
smallest detail. That was his genius and that is why
he was so successful in everything he managed.
In his role as Commissioner he was responsible
for the transformation of the management of the
State Property portfolio. Through clever and timely
property deals he swelled the State coffers by
hundred of millions of euro in the space of a few
years. And there was more to come.
David, above all, was a doer, a finisher, a deal
maker. “Don’t write about it, do it”, was his mantra.
He always felt that the paperwork would take care
of itself …. eventually. Most of his colleagues will
know what I mean.
In business, David was fearless, occasionally feisty
but always fair. He had strong views and was not
afraid to forcefully express them. With David Byers
there was no hidden agenda – what you saw was
what you got. You knew exactly where he stood and
what he stood for. He was a pleasure to work with
and an inspirational and dynamic force within the
OPW management team. His enthusiasm, his energy
and his commitment were infectious.
David also revamped and streamlined OPW’s Building
Maintenance Services to the point where clients now
enjoy a better service and quicker turnaround times.
He spearheaded the redevelopment of the State
owned property at Heuston Station and more
recently was focussing his attention on the Mountjoy
area and the GPO complex.
These are massive projects and will serve as lasting
monuments to his memory.
David was particularly proud of his role in the
management of our country’s national monuments
and historic properties. His ambition was to make
them accessible to the widest possible audience and
in the process foster a greater public awareness of
our history and the importance of our built heritage.
In pursuing his ambition he was never afraid to
take risks. Who else but David would have had the
courage to stage rock concerts in the Upper Yard of
Dublin Castle.
I find it extremely difficult to verbalise the sense of
devastation that we all shared when the tragic news
broke. However, I received a text the evening he died,
which describes more eloquently than I ever could
our deep sense of loss. It read;
“Sean, we are all deeply shocked at the
news of David’s tragic death. He was such
a fine man, a charismatic leader and very fair
and decent, inspiring loyalty in all of us who
had the privilege of working with him. While
our thoughts are with Anne, Sarah and Jenna
we will also miss him enormously”.
That text was from a colleague, and I know she
speaks for all of us.
David will never be forgotten by his colleagues
in OPW.
Seán Benton
Chairman
Obair - December 2008 11

Castletown House
Launch of
the OPW-NUI
Maynooth
Archive and
Research Centre
at Castletown
A new centre for the care and study of archives
and other sources dealing with the history of
Irish estates, their houses and inhabitants, was
launched by President Mary McAleese at a reception
on Thursday, 13 November in Castletown House in
Celbridge, County Kildare. The OPW-NUI Maynooth
Archive and Research Centre at Castletown opened
its doors to the public for the first time, marking
an exciting new collaboration between the Office
of Public Works and the National University of
Ireland, Maynooth.
The Reading Room will be officially open to researchers
at a later date in 2009 when professional work on the
archives has been completed.
Built between 1722 and 1729 for William Conolly,
Speaker of the Irish House of Commons and the
wealthiest commoner in Ireland, Castletown House
is Ireland’s largest and earliest Palladian style house.
After decades in the care of Desmond Guinness
and the Castletown Foundation, it passed in 1994 to
the ownership of the Irish state. The Office of Public
Works has since refurbished Castletown, and in
2007 reopened it as a major cultural and community
resource.
Amongst the treasures of the new centre is the
Strokestown Estate Archive, which provides a unique
glimpse into the Anglo-Irish lifestyle of the Pakenham
Mahon family in County Roscommon between the
eighteenth and twentieth centuries. Containing both
family and estate papers, the collection includes
correspondence, photographs, maps and plans,
property deeds, rent books, labour returns, pamphlets
Images: President
Mary McAleese with
Prof. John Hughes,
President N.U.I.
Maynooth and
Roisin Berry
Archivist OPW/ NUIM
Archive & Research
Centre examining
the Strokestown
Papers (above).
12

and press cuttings. The archive reflects both the
private and public lives of different members of the
family, addressing a variety of different subjects
including marriage and family life, war, estate
management, rent collection, evictions and emigration,
agrarian outrages, and local education.
Of particular importance, however, are the papers
relating to the Great Famine which provide a truly
moving account of Ireland’s greatest social disaster
on record, whilst offering a voice to its many victims.
This part of the collection includes a document relating
to an ancestor of President Mc Aleese, Mary Lenahan
of Elphin Street in Strokestown. Her name appears on
a list of individuals who received meal on Strokestown
Estate in 1846.
Images: From left to right: The Hon Desmond Guinness, Knight of Glin Desmond
Fitzgerald, Mr Dan Flinter Chairman of the Governing Authority NUIM, Michael
Finneran TD Minister for State for Housing, Urban Renewal and Developing
Areas, Chairman Seán Benton, Commissioner Clare McGrath, President Mary
McAleese, Professor John Hughes President NUIM, Minister of State Dr. Martin
Mansergh TD, Professor Kevin Nowlan Chairman of Castletown Foundation and
Mary Heffernan, General Manager Farmleigh. (above, top).
President Mary McAleese with George O’Keeffe, Caoilfhionn Murphy and
Josephine Higgins, OPW Castletown (above bottom).
For further information contact
Róisín Berry, Archivist, at the OPW-NUI Maynooth
Archive and Research Centre at Castletown
(roisin.berry@nuim.ie)
Roisín Berry
N.U.I. Maynooth
Obair - December 2008 13

Web sites
OPW Web Sites
The OPW has had a presence on the ‘Internet’ or
‘World Wide Web’ since 1995. From its initial role
in providing basic information to the public on
various OPW activities, to meeting our 2002-2005
E-government requirements. Since the development
of that first OPW web site, we have had a number of
Business Unit ‘specific’ web sites developed to meet
our ever changing needs. These included; Iris Oifigiuil,
Hydro-data, Farmleigh, Flooding.ie and the more
recent Floodmaps.ie, all of which have concentrated
on delivering important information to the public.
In 2004, with the return of the Heritage Services
to OPW, we inherited two more web sites,
heritageireland.ie and botanicgardens.ie, both of
which required major changes in design to reflect the
OPW’s involvement in these functions.
All of the web sites have had, in the main, static
information with little or no staff interaction.
We originally outsourced the management and
maintenance of the sites which didn’t lend itself to
keeping the sites updated with fresh content and
was quite haphazard in developing and maintaining
standards.
In November 2008, a new look and refreshed
OPW.ie web site was launched. This followed on
the very succesful and well received redesign of
the ‘heritageireland’ web site and the newly created
‘Castletown’ web site. The new OPW web site is more
publicly focused on the range of activities which the
Office undertakes when compared to the previous
web site which centred on the internal structure
of the Office. The new site also uses a ‘Content
Management System’ (CMS) which allows staff to
update information by adding content and amending
as the need arises. It also allows for the uploading
of documents or images and can include links to
external web sites if necessary. Over fifty OPW staff
have now been trained in its use and web sites such
as Farmleigh, Iris Oifigiuil, Castletown and the more
recent Kilkenny Castle and Battle of the Boyne web
Images: Site
management
system (above).
HeritageIreland and
Castletown Websites
(opposite page)
14

sites, along with Visitor Services section in Claremorris
are managing their own information locally.
sites are hosted on behalf of the OPW by the Local
Government Computer Services Board (LGCSB).
New features such as ‘virtual tours’ or ‘live’
broadcasting of events are possible as we
witnessed on Friday December 21st 2007 - the
shortest day of the year and the celebration of the
Winter Solstice at Newgrange - when, for the first
time ever, a live broadcast of the Winter Solstice
was made available on HeritageIreland.ie. This was
so well received all over the world that we have
subsequently produced a fine DVD of the occasion
from this footage along with other sourced archive
material and which is now on sale.
In the coming months we look forward to launching the
next OPW web site, Phoenixpark.ie, and no doubt we
will continue to add more and more web sites to our
OPW family of sites well into the future.
George Moir
Press Officer
Needless to say, getting all these web sites ‘live’
would not have been possible without the assistance
of the OPW staff in each of the business units and
indeed the staff of OPW Organisation Unit in the
implementation of the Content Management System
and providing the necessary I.T. infrastructure
throughout the OPW. The CMS is located on a
server within OPW head office and the actual “live”
Obair - December 2008 15

APPRECIATION
APPRECIATION
OF CHOLMELEY
DERING
CHOLMELEY-
HARRISON
of the London Stock Exchange for 32 years. During
the second world war he joined the Royal Marines and
reached the rank of Major. In 1945, after demobilisation,
he moved to Ireland and bought Woodstown House in
Waterford, where he lived until the mid sixties. A keen
sportsman, he noticed the “for sale” signs outside Emo
Court while on his way to the races in the Curragh and
on impulse he decided to buy the house and estate.
Emo Court had been in institutional use as a Jesuit
novitiate for many years.
Who would think of giving a Gandon-designed
Palladian mansion worth many millions to the State
after having spent decades and a great fortune on
restoring it to its original splendour? Nevertheless
that is precisely what Major Cholmeley- Harrison did in
1994 when he handed over his great house and estate
at Emo, Co Laois to the OPW to be held in trust for the
Irish people.
Cholmeley Dering Cholmeley- Harrison was born in
Bearsted in Kent in 1908 and was educated in Stowe
School and Trinity College Cambridge where he read
Classics. A successful businessman, he was a member
The adaptions made for its previous use presented
many challenges. However the elegance of the exterior
of the house had struck Major Cholmeley-Harrison
and privately he began to plan his great project. The
restoration of Emo Court became the central ambition
and driving force of his life. Over three decades of
restoration Major Cholmeley-Harrison spent many
millions of pounds on the house and gardens while
providing a great deal of work locally.
So why should this quintessential English gentleman
make such an altruistic gesture to the Irish people?
At the time of the handover he said simply
Images: Emo Court,
Driveway (above).
Emo Court, County
Laois (opposite
page, top) Emo
Court, Sitting Room
(opposite page,
bottom).
16

Obair - December 2008 17

“I have no sons and my daughters have other hopes
and homes.....the future of the house is safer this
way. It can’t be sold or turned into a country club”.
The Major, as he was known locally, lived on for many
years in Emo Court after the handover and had
the satisfaction of seeing his handiwork appreciated
by the many visitors who toured the house and
the many more who came to walk , ride and jog in
the estate.
Having never managed to make a century in cricket,
the Major was determined to live to be a centenarian
but he died just short of his hundredth birthday.
In September 2008 a memorial service was held to
celebrate his hundredth birthday in Coolbanagher
Church where he lies, hard by his beloved Emo.
Minister Martin Mansergh later hosted a reception
for his friends and family in Emo Court to honour the
memory of this great philanthropist and benefactor
of Ireland.
Dermot Burke
Heritage Services
Images: Minister
Mansergh plants
memorial tree with
Councillor Tom Jacob
(above left); Minister
Mansergh speaking
at the memorial with
Major Chomneley’s
daughters, Charlotte
and Caroline in the
background
(above right)
18

Haughton HOUse
Haughton House
Dublin Zoological
Gardens
Phoenix Park
Dublin 8
In 2006 the decision was taken that, as the culmination
works of the three-phase Asian Elephant Project,
Haughton House would be restored to its 1898
splendour. The Asian style Pavilion, nestled among
the bamboos of the Kaziranga Forest Trail, would be
brought back to near its original size. It was also
agreed that this landmark building would be reinstated
as an education centre for Dublin Zoo.
No original drawings could be sourced and as a result
extensive survey work was carried out by the Office
of Public Works Architects under Kevin Wolahan. In
addition to this, dimensions of the verandah timberwork
had to be ascertained from old photographs and the
few original samples retrieved from site that had been
found hidden under layers of construction.
Haughton House was erected in 1898 to the memory
of Dr. Samuel Haughton, the renowned scientist, who
was secretary of the Royal Zoological Society of
Ireland for twenty years. Among his accomplishments
was the development of the original equations for
hanging as a humane method of execution, whereby
the neck was broken at the time of the drop, so that
the condemned person did not strangle to death.
Haughton House was designed by the late
Mr. L. McDonnell (now McDonnell Dixon Architects,
Ely Place). Originally built for around IR£1,300, the
colonial-style building was located in the heart of
the Zoological Gardens and was to house marsupials,
monkeys and British and foreign birds on the ground
floor with a large tearoom and verandah on the first
floor. The tearoom was also to host ‘Lectures on
Zoological Subjects’ during the summer months as
well as accommodate visiting school children.
Obair - December 2008 19

The original footprint of the building was approx.
210sqm with a further 45sqm for the open-air animal
enclosures. Access to the upper floor was by means
of two external staircases at the front balcony, which
were later removed and access was through an
additional staircase at the rear. It has had numerous
alterations and extensions over the years, starting
as early as 1905. Extensions continued to be added
in an ad-hoc fashion over the succeeding decades,
destroying the fabric of the original building and
growing to a total floor area of 1,250sqm.
The main contractors, JP Castle, started reconstruction
in September 2007. The structure was stripped back
to its bare bones. The floor and walls of the original
Lecture Room were propped up. The original roof was
examined, the tiles were removed and repaired and
then reinstated on the original rafters and beams.
As much as possible of the original structure was
salvaged. The animal holding areas on the ground
floor were absorbed into a new footprint. The
verandah was reconstructed entirely from Forest
Stewardship Council certified European White Oak.
The chimney was repaired, repointed and relined and
the building was upgraded to meet modern insulation
standards.
Dublin Zoo have since installed an Asian Rainforest
and Elephant themed ‘Learning and Discovery Centre’
on the ground floor, with a real elephant skeleton
as its centrepiece. Through this, Dublin Zoo hopes to
promote awareness of the natural habitats of these
magnificent creatures and educate children in the
dangers now facing the rainforests.
The main first floor room is to be used for lectures
and meetings where attendees may take advantage
of the spectacular views from the verandah; the
Great Lawn to the east, the lake to the south and the
Elephant Exhibit to the west.
It has been a wonderful opportunity and rewarding
experience for OPW to reinstate Dublin Zoo’s historical
core with one of its landmark buildings. The project
was completed in August 2008 and the Total Project
Budget was €1,975,000. This was brought in on time
and within the overall budget.
Former Taoiseach Bertie Ahern TD has shown a
personal interest in developments at the Zoo over
many years. At the launch of ‘A Vision for Dublin Zoo’
on 25th September 2006, Mr Ahern said the Zoo
‘has always had a special place in my heart’ and
‘Your strong investment in education means that the
beautiful Haughton House will acquire a new found
purpose as a place of learning and discovery. All this
is for the future and we look forward to it immensely’.
It was therefore very appropriate that the refurbished
House was officially opened on 3rd November 2008 by
Deputy Ahern, accompanied by Dr. Martin Mansergh TD,
to much public acclamation.
Images: Haughton
House, Dublin
Zoological, Gardens,
Phoenix Park, Dublin
8 (previous page).
Haughton House
opening ceremony
(above). Haughton
house, side view
(opposite page).
20

Design Team
• OPW Project Management Services: John Mc Mahon,
Catherine Kennedy and Eithne Dunford.
• OPW Architectural Services: Finbarr Wall, Kevin
Wolahan, Bianca O’Neill, Charles Moore, Danyal
Ibrahim and Caroline Leaden.
Eithne Dunford
Project Management Services
Obair - December 2008 21

PEARSE Museum
The Pearse
Museum Re-opens
The Pearse Museum in Rathfarnham was re-opened
by Dr. Martin Mansergh T.D. Minister of State with
special responsibility for the office of Public Works
and the Arts on November 27, 2008. Over 230 invited
guests attended the opening ceremony, including
former Taoiseach Bertie Ahern T.D. and Olivia Mitchell
T.D. It marked the completion of a €3 million project
which saw the construction of a new entrance and
stairwell as well as much improved visitor facilities.
The basement area of the building has also been
completely refurbished for future use as the location
of an exhibition on the life of Patrick Pearse.
Surrounded by fifty acres of landscaped parkland,
the museum is located in the former home and school
of Patrick Pearse, the leader of the 1916 Rising. He
founded his school, Scoil Éanna, in 1908 in Cullenswood
House, Ranelagh. His initial interest in education
stemmed from his involvement in the Gaelic League
and the Irish language movement. He soon developed
a passionate interest in education. His ideas on
teaching were progressive and radical and he had
little time for the exam-focussed education system
of the time. He felt that schools should nurture the
talents of all their pupils, even if those talents lay
outside the traditional school subjects.
For Pearse the key to real learning was inspiration,
and he felt that to be a success his school needed
a suitably inspiring setting. He was anxious to find
a home for his school which would allow his pupils
direct access to the natural world. He discovered The
Hermitage in Rathfarnham in 1910 while on a historical
pilgrimage to sites associated with the revolutionary
Robert Emmet. Nestled in the foothills of the Dublin
Mountains, it was the ideal location for Pearse’s
inspirational school.
The house was also Patrick Pearse’s family home. His
mother, brother and sisters all assisted in the running
of the school. In 1916 he and his brother William left the
house to fight in the Easter Rising, never to return.
Pearse was the leader of the uprising and the author
Images: Pearse
Museum interior
(above). Pearse
Museum exterior
and interior
(opposite page).
22

Obair - December 2008 23

of the Proclamation of the Irish Republic. He also
oversaw the surrender of the rebel forces once all
hope of victory was lost. While revolution was raging
in Dublin, his mother and sisters waited for news in
Rathfarnham. It was there that they received the news
that both brothers were to be executed. His mother
and eldest sister lived on in the house and ran the
school there until 1935. Following the death of Pearse’s
last surving sister in 1968, the house and grounds
were handed over to the State.
The museum’s current exhibitions seek to recapture
a sense of the spirit of the house during Pearse’s
time. His study and the family sitting room allow
very personal glimpses of the lives of the former
occupants. Side by side with these rooms are the
more public spaces in which Pearse’s pupils lived and
worked. Visitors can now see the school dormitory,
study hall and chapel. The aesthetic surroundings of
the school were important for Pearse, in the School
Prospectus he wrote that ‘beautiful pictures, statuary,
and plants replace the charts and other paraphernalia
of the ordinary schoolroom.’ The school art gallery has
been recreated in its original location and features
pieces by Beatrice Elvery, Patrick Tuohy, W.B. Yeats and
Count Casimir de Markievicz. The pupils themselves
ran a Museum within the school, and elected a
curator every year from among the student body.
One of the original museum cases has survived
and it now contains many of the original displays. In
addition, using contemporary accounts of what the
museum once held, it was possible to commission
reproductions of objects which would have been
there in Pearse’s time.
The Pearse Museum is in fact dedicated to both
Pearse brothers, in Irish it is known as Músaem
na bPiarsach. Pearse’s brother William is often a
neglected figure, and his output as a sculptor is
largely forgotten. For the first time a gallery in the
museum has been exclusively devoted to his work.
The works on display in the museum show him to
have been a promising and sensitive artist, but
unfortunately his artisitic output was quite small.
He initially joined the staff in Scoil Éanna as an art
teacher, but ended up assisting in its management and
was unable to properly pursue his artistic career.
One of the most exciting developments for the future
of the Pearse museum is the provision of a temporary
exhibition space. It will play host to a diverse
programme of exhibitions, both artistic and historical,
Images: Pearse
Museum interior
(above). Pearse
Museum interior,
Patrick and William
Pearse (opposite
page).
24

as part of the Museum’s long tradition of nurturing
and encouraging creativity. Together with the other
changes at the museum, it will ensure that the Pearse
Museum and St. Enda’s Park can continue to inspire
and delight visitors for many years to come.
The Museum is open seven days a week
(Nov-Jan 9.30-16.00, Feb 9.30-17.00,
Mar-Oct 10.00-17.30, weekends/bank holidays museum
opens at 10am) and admission is free.
Brian Crowley
Heritage Services
(Images, courtesy of Con Brogan DoEHLG)
Obair - December 2008 25

TIPPERARY
Private Security
Authority
Formerly R.I.C. Barracks, Davis Street, Tipperary Town
The Private Security Authority (PSA), which was
established pursuant to the Private Security Services
Act 2004, is the statutory body with responsibility for
licensing and regulating the private security industry
in Ireland. The Authority is independent in the exercise
of its functions and is charged with introducing,
controlling and managing a comprehensive licensing
system. The key responsibilities of the Authority are
to control and supervise people providing security
services with the core objective of improving and
maintaining standards in the provision of these
services. These services include security guards,
door supervisors, suppliers and installers of security
equipment, private investigators, security consultants,
cash in transit, locksmiths and suppliers and installers
of safes.
OPW was requested by the Department of Justice
to provide accommodation for the Private Security
Authority in the former RIC Barracks in Tipperary
Town as part of their decentralisation programme. The
building had previously been occupied by an Garda
Síochana and also the Departments of Agriculture and
Social, Community and Family Affairs. This landmark
building was seen by the Department of Justice as
offering a degree of solidity and permanence for the
fledgling Private Security Authority.
The former R.I.C. Barracks was built around 1876 as
a barracks for the Royal Irish Constabulary. The
address at that time was Meeting House Lane. The
1898-1939 Property Valuation records show that the
street name was changed from ‘Meeting House Lane’
to ‘Davis Street’ in 1898. The 1881 records show the
barracks as: ‘Modern building accommodating S.I.’
(Superintendent) ‘and 29 men including three married
families’. The site area is recorded as 2 roots and
15 perches. The 1840 Ordnance Survey map show
property developments north from Main Street half
way along ‘Meeting House Lane’. The 1880 Ordnance
Survey map shows the barracks building and land
on Meeting House Lane. The lease with the Smith-
Barry estate was signed in 1871. The cost of the R.I.C.
Barracks was £7,000 and was built by a Limerick
contracting firm, Messrs. Kenna. A metal tank at the
top of the building, supplied from a well at the rear,
held four thousand gallons of water. The entrances
were protected by gun ports in the gable ends. The
gun ports can be clearly seen high up on the walls.
In the basement were four cells, each with a capacity
for twelve prisoners. On 3 March 1922, the last of
the R.I.C. pulled out of this barracks, as part of the
Anglo-Irish Treaty of the previous December.
Images: Ministers
and dignitaries
on stage (above).
Minister of State
Dr. Martin Mansergh
TD with Minister
for Justice Dermot
Ahern TD
(opposite page).
26

OPW carried out the refurbishment and extension of
this prestigious building for the PSA, funded through
the Decentralisation Programme. The building is a
protected structure, 4 storeys high including semibasement.
The structure has 5 bays on the central
building with single bay gable projections on either
side. The façade is rendered in wet dash, painted
with smooth plaster reveals. Windows are original
sash type and have been restored. The roof is hipped
on the main building and gabled on the returns all
covered with slate. The boundary has a masonry wall
with wrought iron railings. The building was designed
to include 63 work stations and there are currently
42 staff who were previously located in temporary
accommodation in Tipperary town.
traditional materials and practices used. Where
replacement was necessary, like was replaced
with like.
The official opening of this significant and prestigious
building by Mr Dermot Ahern, T.D., Minister of Justice,
Equality and Law Reform and Dr Martin Mansergh, T.D.,
Minister of State at the Department of Finance with
responsibility for the Office of Public Works, took place
on 18th July, 2008.
Eithne Dunford
Project Management
A contemporary extension has been constructed to
define the old from the new which is best conservation
practice. The extension provides universal access onto
all levels of the entire building. When the building was
originally constructed there was universal access only
to areas at basement and ground floors. The building
materials used for the extension are natural stone,
zinc, Kalwall, hardwood and glass. A platform lift has
been installed at the main entrance for staff with
disablities.
All conservation work has been carried out in
accordance with the best conservation practice.
Original material was retained where possible and
Obair - December 2008 27

OLDBRIDGE
Battle of the
Boyne Visitor
Centre
Project Team
Client
OPW Historic Properties
Architects
OPW Property Maintenance
Furniture
OPW Furniture Branch
Craftwork & Specialist Metalwork
OPW Building Maintenance Service & OPW Central
Engineering Workshop
The new facilities for the Battle of the Boyne Visitor
Centre opened on the 6th of May 2008, in a ribboncutting
ceremony performed by An Taoiseach, Bertie
Ahern and First Minister of Northern Ireland, Dr Ian
Paisley. The site is situated on a substantial portion
of the original battleground, which is cradled on
three sides by the River Boyne. The visitor centre
is accommodated within Oldbridge House and its
associated outbuildings, which make up Oldbridge
Estate, an 18th century demesne of rolling hills
and mature landscape. Property Maintenance
have designed the new facilities and landscaping,
integrating the reuse of the existing property with
newly designed structures.
Commanding a prominent view over the estate,
Oldbridge House is where the tour begins, containing
the reception and key exhibition spaces of the visitor
centre. Property Maintenance supervised major
restoration works to this 18th Century Manor House,
including substantial repairs to the roof. A long
approach to the house is created by the re-use of the
original sunken ha-ha, a characteristic feature of 18th
Images: Oldbridge
House (above).
Courtyard, Tea
Pavillion interior
and exterior
(opposite page).
28

century estates, designed not to interrupt the view of
the manor house.
After the exhibition, the visitor is led through a series
of contemporary glazed canopies into a courtyard
enclosed between Oldbridge House and the adjacent
stables. The courtyard has been recobbled and the
shell of the stables now houses the new audio-visual
room. A surviving section of the original stables has
been preserved and forms part of the exhibition.
to the south, sitting comfortably into the geometric
composition of the stables and manor house. Five
bays of folding doors open on to the deck area, within
the realm of the 18th century walled garden, creating
an area of respite at the conclusion of the tour.
Dan Costelloe
Property Maintenance
Via the central axis of the stableblock, the transition
is made from the stables into the newly constructed
tea pavilion. The dominant materials of the tea pavilion
are steel and timber, beginning with the structure of
cruciform columns supporting larchwood beams. The
pavilion itself is a simple monopitch form, which opens
Obair - December 2008 29

staff
Staff Movement (July – December 2008)
Paul Costello engineer Grade ii career Break 10/07/2008
Emma Stephens Assistant Librarian career Break 25/07/2008
Daniel Hegarty heo career Break 26/09/2008
Donal Lynch aPo career Break 01/10/2008
Peter Dockrell co career Break 14/10/2008
Rónán O’Scolaí eo career Break 17/10/2008
Tony Collins district Inspector commenced 07/07/2008
Robert Nolan co commenced 21/07/2008
George Lynch Quantity Surveyor Grade 2 Commenced 21/07/2008
Gerard Horan district Inspector commenced 11/08/2008
Eamon O’Dwyer co commenced 11/08/2008
Alexandra Dunne Valuer Grade iii commenced 29/09/2008
Jarlath Carr district Inspector commenced 20/10/2008
Mary Nugent Valuer Grade III Promoted to Valuer Grade II 19/06/2008
Joseph McNamara Engineer Grade III Promoted to Engineer Grade II 31/07/2008
Alexander Fennell Engineer Grade III Promoted to Engineer Grade II 31/07/2008
Catherine Fitzpatrick CO Promoted to SO 18/08/2008
Margaret Hogan EO Promoted to HEO 01/12/2008
Caoimhe Allman EO Promoted to HEO 01/12/2008
Patricia Ryan eo Promoted to HEO 01/12/2008
Barry Nangle eo Promoted to HEO 01/12/2008
John McMahon PO Promoted to Commissioner 04/12/2008
Marion Dillon co Promoted to Executive Officer 08/12/2008
Helena Fagan co Promoted to Executive Officer 08/12/2008
Monica Smyth so Promoted to Executive Officer 08/12/2008
Neill King co Promoted to Staff Officer 08/12/2008
Caroline Byrne co resigned 23/09/2008
Brian O’Connell Eng. Tech. Grade ii resigned 21/11/2008
30

Jim Roche heo retired 05/07/2008
Patricia Ward so retired 19/08/2008
Margaret Clerkin heo retired 02/09/2008
Patrick Ryan ass. Chief Technical Officer Retired 18/09/2008
Michael Brennan Architectural Ass. Grade I Retired 09/10/2008
Patrick Herbert co retired 10/10/2008
Noreen Brehony heo retired 08/12/2008
Michael Brown co retired 18/12/2008
Virginia O’Hehir co retired 19/12/2008
Denise McLoughlin co return from CB 25/08/2008
Cyril McCarthy Engineer Grade II return from CB 03/11/2008
Jack Brennan heo return from CB 15/12/2008
Margaret Taheny Moore APo transfer In 28/07/2008
Kristine Higgins co transfer In 18/08/2008
Ciara Glynn eo transfer In 20/10/2008
Sandra Moyles eo transfer In 10/11/2008
Margaret McHugh eo transfer In 08/12/2008
Frances McGrath co transfer In 15/12/2008
Willie McIntosh APo transfer Out 28/07/2008
Ann Corrigan heo transfer Out 08/09/2008
Gabriel Gleeson APo transfer Out 10/11/2008
Lynsey Smith co transfer Out 15/12/2008
David Byers commissioner deceased 06/09/2008
Eamon Healy eo deceased 13/10/2008
We also remember our friends and colleagues David Byers and Eamon Healy who both sadly died during
this period.
Obair - December 2008 31

Published by
Office of Public works, 51 St.Stephen’s Green, Dublin 2, Ireland
Tel: 353 0 647 6000 / Email: info@opw.ie / www.opw.ie