Historic Palace is now Garda Station
Historic Palace is now Garda Station
1 Sep 1967In a few years time a main road will pass over part of what was once sacred and historic ground in Dublin. Nowadays hundreds of peopl padd the spot every day oblivious as to the significance.
When Bishop Street is extended in the Central Dublin Plan it will continue across Bride Street and padd behind the large impressive gateway of Kevin Street Garda Station.
This building was once the Palace of the Protestant Archibishop of Dublin but was handed over to the British Government in 1806 during the ??? of Charles Agar Earl of Normanton.
The place was ancient even then. The Palace of St. Sepulchure was build by Archbishop Comyn, the first Anglo Norman to rule the see of Dublin and Glendalough and successor of St. Laurence O’Toole, probably between 1186 and 1191 before he built the Cathedral of St Patrick (consecrated on St Patricks Day 1192).
Small Church
On the land, where both buildings arose there had always stood a “small church dedicated to Ireland’s national spirit, on the traditional spot where he was Said to have stood when making converts in the area. The Palace got the name of St. Sepulchre from the efforts of the Crusaders to recover the Holy Sepulchre from the Muslims. Heraclitus, Patriarch of Jerusalem had gone to England in 1184 to interest Henry II in the project for the recovery of the Holy Sepulchre.
The Palace was ideally situated at the time, for it was beside the ancient Slighe Cualaon (the highway to Tara) whioh crossed the Ford of the Hurdles near where Queen Street Bridge now stands, went on to the Coombe. eventually reaching the Da Dearga’s hostel at Bohernabreena.
Fortification
As it was a time when clergy and laymen buckled on their armour, the Palace was originally fortified, the River Poddle serving as a barrier between its . walls and. the countryside to ‘the south, from where the native Irish, might attack.
An account in 1326 says: “It contained a stone nail, badly roofed with shingles and weak, a kitchen, a chapel badly roofed, valued at nothing, and a certain prison now broken and thrown to the ground.” This damage was caused by the fighting during the Bruce Invasion or 1315.
The Palace was the main residence of – the Archbishops throughout the centuries, although occasionally they lived in their manors of Swords, Finglas, Shankdll, Oulenswood or Tallaght. The lands of St. Sepulchre extended from the Palace up to Harold’s Cross and Rathmines throughout Oulenswood and Milltown to Taney or upon reaching Donnybrook on the east and Crumlln on the west.
Mill on river
Adjoining the Palace was what was the suburban district of Patrick, Kevin, and New” streets. In-the 14th Century the Archbishop held: 56 holdings in Patrick Street, and a mill on the Poddle, 41 buildings in New Street,- and about 34 in Kevin-Street with a mill. The occupiers were all English, with the natively Irish having been squeezed out, of the most famous residents in the Palace was Archbishop Marsh who lived there at the time of Dean Swift and which became the first public library in Ireland and England (called after him) next door,
After the police took over the building it eventually became the headquarters of the Dublin Metropolitan Police Force, and they, did their training on the grounds inside, the gate. The large handball alley was also built for them. This patch of ground was originally the graveyard of the old- St. Patrick’s Church, and during repair work some years ago, some skeletons were found.
There are few traces of the old St. Sepulchre’s left to-day, but on the lefthand side, over a 16th Century window, there are traces of’ several coats of arms of Archbishops’, at least one going back to the 13th Century. This is part of the original wall, and was where the original gateway to the Palace stood. Part of the vaulted kitchens also may be seen.
Most of the main building dates back to the 16th Century and there is fine wooden, staircase, leading to what was, the Archbishop’s drawing room and dining room “(the present I recreation hall for the Gardai in residence). The doorway to this is elaborately carved with ornate fruit.
One hopes that when the new street plan Is put into operation this ancient, section will be preserved, though it would possibly be too much to expect that the massive 16th Century gateposts will be re-erected.
