Overview
James Gandon designed his last building here, and most people who make the trip come not for the architecture but for a tree. King’s Inns, at the top of Henrietta Street, is Ireland’s oldest school of law – founded under a charter from Henry VIII in 1541 – and it still trains the country’s barristers. Its grounds are open to the public: you can walk through the wrought-iron gates into a quiet courtyard, look up at Gandon’s façade, and find the ‘Hungry Tree’ that has made the place a fixture of Dublin photo feeds.
A Gandon building
The building is the last public commission of James Gandon, architect of the Custom House and the Four Courts. He laid the foundation stone on 1 August 1800, then resigned from the job; his pupil Henry Aaron Baker saw it finished around 1816. The Portland-stone façade carries four caryatids by Edward Smyth – figures usually read as Plenty, Bacchante, Security and Law – and later architects Frederick Darley and Jacob Owen added fireproof strong rooms and workshops through the 19th century.
Its corridors and interiors have stood in for period settings on screen, appearing in productions including Penny Dreadful, Becoming Jane, Evelyn and Ordinary Decent Criminal.
The courtyard and the Hungry Tree
The courtyard is free and open during daylight hours all year, a genuinely quiet corner a few minutes off O’Connell Street. Its headline act is the ‘Hungry Tree’: a London plane of around 21 metres (69 ft) near one of the gates, whose trunk and roots have folded around a cast-iron bench until it looks caught mid-swallow. Green Party politician Ciarán Cuffe once ran a campaign to have it protected, and it has become one of the city’s most photographed oddities – most people pair it with a stroll along Henrietta Street’s row of preserved Georgian townhouses, the finest in Dublin.
Inside the Inns
The interior holds a library of more than 110,000 volumes, about half of them legal texts; its earliest records, the so-called Black Book, date from 1607. The grand dining hall, finished around 1816, still hosts legal ceremonies and member events.
You can only get inside on a handful of days a year. Free guided tours run on Culture Night (usually mid-October), during the Open House Dublin weekend and in Heritage Week, taking in the entrance hall, the Bar Room and the dining hall. They’re free but need booking in advance, and places go quickly.
Practical information
Getting there – King’s Inns is about a 20-minute walk from O’Connell Street. The LUAS Green Line stops at Broadstone, five minutes from the gates, and Dublin Bus routes 11, 11A, 13A, 16, 41, 41B, 41C, 51A, 746 and 83 serve Constitution Hill.
Parking – For events, the grounds have secure off-street parking, including coach spaces. For a casual visit, street parking nearby is metered and limited, and public transport is the easier option.
Opening times and tours – The courtyard and grounds are open daily during daylight hours. The interior opens only for Culture Night, Open House Dublin and Heritage Week; check the official website or Eventbrite for dates and to book.
Admission – The courtyard is free, and the guided tours are free too, but they require advance registration.
Accessibility – The main entrance and courtyard are level access, and guide dogs are welcome. Contact the office about interior access and lift availability before visiting.
Contact – The office is open Monday to Friday, 9am–5pm, on +353 1 874 4840. For venue hire, email venue@kingsinns.ie.
Come on a quiet weekday morning to photograph the caryatids and the Hungry Tree without a crowd, and if you want to see inside, plan around Culture Night or Open House in October.