General Post Office (Dublin)
From Biocrawler, the free encyclopedia.
The General Post Office (GPO), designed by Francis Johnson is located in Dublin's O'Connell Street, is the headquarters of An Post, the Irish postal service. In 1916 it served as the headquarters of the leaders of the Easter Rising.
During the Easter Rising, the building was extensively damaged and not repaired until the Irish Free State government took the task to itself. The building has remained a symbol of Ireland's nationalism and history; a statue of Cúchulainn is housed in the front of the building, this design was featured on the Irish ten shilling coin of 1966. The original columns outside are still pocked with bullet-marks, as a testimony to its violent history.
Formerly Nelson's Pillar was in front of the building, however this was destroyed by the IRA in an explosion in 1966. The Spire of Dublin now takes a dominant position in front of the building.
 |  Easter Proclamation, read by Pádraig Pearse outside the GPO at the start of the Easter Rising, 1916. |
External links
- Irish Architecture Online: GPO history and pictures (http://www.irish-architecture.com/buildings_ireland/dublin/northcity/oconnell_street/gpo.html)
- Project Gutenberg Article (http://www.gutenberg.org/dirs/1/2/5/9/12595/12595-h/12595-h.htm)
