Royal Hospital Kilmainham

The Royal Hospital, Kilmainham, was established and built between 1680 and 1684 as a retirement home for soldiers who had served in the British army.

Permission for the project was granted by King Charles II at the instigation of James Butler, the Duke of Ormond. The cost of the construction was approximately £22,500 and was met by a levy on soldiers' pay. Standing on a 60 acre site, the hospital is the oldest classical public building in Ireland.

Erected on the ruins of the medieval hospital and monastery of the Knights of St. John of Jerusalem (Knights Hospitallers), the Royal Hospital in Kilmainham has been witness to centuries of Ireland's history.

Protected and maintained by the Historic Properties section of the Office of Public Works (O.P.W.), the building has, since 1991, been the home of the Irish Museum of Modern Art.
Come and visit and see for yourself, the history of not only the building but also Kilmainham and how through the centuries, the development of this area has had the Royal Hospital at its core.