Overview
The Ionic columns of the GPO still carry bullet holes from Easter week 1916, left there deliberately, and they tell you most of what you need to know about this building. It is the place where the Easter Rising was headquartered and where Patrick Pearse read the Proclamation of the Irish Republic from the steps – and it remains a working post office to this day, with the award-winning GPO Museum upstairs. If you do one history museum in Dublin, make it this one: it covers modern Ireland from revolution to the Good Friday Agreement, and it does it in the actual building where the story turned.
The façade
Designed by Francis Johnston and finished in 1818, the GPO was built to project imperial confidence over O’Connell Street. The front is Greek Revival: a portico of six fluted Ionic columns in Portland stone, set against Johnston’s granite. Both survived the 1916 fire that gutted the interior, and the columns still show the scars.
Above the entrance, the triangular pediment carries John Smyth’s allegorical figures – Hibernia at the centre, flanked by Mercury for communication and Fidelity for loyalty. The royal coat of arms that once topped it was removed after independence, which is why the pediment reads clean and plain today.
The 1916 Rising and Cú Chulainn
On Easter Monday, 24 April 1916, a garrison of Irish Volunteers and Irish Citizen Army members occupied the GPO and declared it the Rising’s headquarters. From the steps, Pearse read the Proclamation to the crowd. What followed was a week of urban fighting; British artillery gutted the interior and left only the outer stone standing.
Rebuilding, overseen by the Office of Public Works, was finished in 1929, the interior redesigned with restrained Art Deco lines. In 1935 Oliver Sheppard’s bronze Cú Chulainn was placed inside the front hall – the dying Ulster warrior chosen as an emblem for the fallen leaders of the Rising. It’s still the focus of wreath-laying ceremonies and a quiet corner in a busy building.
Inside the GPO Museum
The exhibition opened in March 2016 for the centenary of the Rising, and it’s built as a chronological, multimedia walk rather than rows of glass cases. It begins with 1916, moves through the War of Independence and Civil War, and carries on to the Troubles and the 1998 Good Friday Agreement.
Real artefacts anchor the narrative – prisoners’ letters, uniforms, weapons, a preserved copy of the Proclamation – with touchscreens and archival footage filling in around them. The complimentary audio guide, included with your ticket and available in several languages, adds commentary from historians, descendants and political figures, and it genuinely improves the visit. Give it about ninety minutes.
Planning your visit
The museum opens Monday to Saturday, 10am to 5pm, with last admission at 4pm; it’s closed on Sundays, public holidays and Christmas Eve. Adult entry is €15, which is not cheap for the time it takes – booking online shaves a few euro off, and family and concession rates soften it for groups. Under-fives are free, and carers of disabled visitors go free too.
The whole centre is step-free with lift access throughout. When you’re done, the light-filled courtyard café does scones, soups, salads, sandwiches and coffee, and it’s open to the public without a museum ticket. One thing to expect: this is a functioning post office with hundreds of staff, so the ground-floor hall is genuinely busy, especially around lunchtime – that’s part of the character, not a fault.
Parking is the usual central-Dublin headache. The handiest option is Arnotts car park, which offers a €10 day rate to GPO Museum visitors if you show your booking confirmation at the ticket office. By public transport it’s simple: Luas Green Line to the O’Connell–GPO stop (Marlborough southbound), Red Line to Abbey Street, and there’s a Dublin Bikes station on Prince’s Street beside the building.
Nearby
The GPO is a natural starting point for the north-city sights. Walk west for the Spire and Henry Street, where the Art Deco GPO Arcade runs through the back of the complex. North lies Arbour Hill, with its 1916 museum and the graves of several executed leaders. South of the river, the Abbey Theatre is Ireland’s national stage, the Central Bank Visitor Centre sits just around the corner, and Christ Church Cathedral is a ten-minute walk through the oldest part of the city.
One small thing worth doing before you leave: the front steps are free to stand on any time, and they’re one of the best spots in the city to watch O’Connell Street go by.