A New Home for Poetry & Heritage

Following a major conservation-led restoration, this historic Georgian building is now home to the Irish Heritage Trust, Poetry Ireland and the Irish Landmark Trust — bringing together organisations dedicated to protecting, celebrating and sharing Ireland’s heritage and culture.

Located in the heart of Dublin’s historic cultural quarter, No.11 combines over 250 years of architectural, civic and literary history with a renewed purpose for the future.

One of Dublin’s most distinguished Georgian townhouses

Completed around 1755, No.11 forms part of the original Georgian development of what was then Rutland Square — one of Dublin’s earliest and most architecturally significant planned civic spaces.

Over the centuries, the building has served many roles: aristocratic residence, political club, civic headquarters and now a shared home for organisations working in heritage and poetry.

Thanks to the generosity of Fingal County Council, both the Irish Heritage Trust and Poetry Ireland now have their headquarters in this historic building, alongside the Irish Landmark Trust.

Conservation work on No. 11 includes the magnificent oak-panelled Dublin County Council chamber of 1901, which is known from James Joyce’s Ulysses and his short story “Ivy Day in the Committee Room” (Dubliners, 1914).

Image courtesy of McCullough Mulvin Architects

The Official Opening | 07 May 2026

The restored building was officially opened by Uachtarán na hÉireann, Catherine Connolly on 7th May 2026 at a special event attended by partners, supporters and representatives from Ireland’s heritage and cultural sectors. The opening marked the completion of a major conservation-led restoration and the beginning of a new chapter for the historic building as Ireland’s Home for Poetry and Heritage – a significant milestone in the development of Parnell Square’s growing cultural quarter.

A carefully restored historic building

Led by the Irish Heritage Trust in partnership with Poetry Ireland and architects McCullough Mulvin, the €5.5 million conservation project restored and adapted the building for long-term sustainable use.

Key works included:

Conservation of the Georgian façade
Restoration of historic parquet floors
Preservation of the timber-lined Council Chamber
Accessibility and fire-safety upgrades
Energy-efficiency improvements achieving an A3 BER rating

The project was supported through the Urban Regeneration and Development Fund under Project Ireland 2040, alongside philanthropic support secured by the Irish Heritage Trust and Poetry Ireland.

Home for poetry and heritage

Today, No.11 serves as a shared headquarters for:

Irish Heritage Trust
Poetry Ireland
Irish Landmark Trust

While No.11 is primarily a working building, it also supports cultural activity, collaboration and engagement connected to Irish heritage and poetry.

Photos courtesy of McCullough Mulvin Architects by Ste Murray

Infinity loops by Méadhbh O’Connor

Commissioned by the Irish Heritage Trust and Poetry Ireland / Éigse Éireann to mark the restoration and reopening of the historic No. 11 Parnell Square, Infinity loops by Irish artist Méadhbh O’Connor is a suspended sculptural work situated within the building’s grand entrance hall.

The sculpture takes the form of two interlinked Möbius loops tracing figure-eight paths— forms long associated with infinity. Its structure draws on the Celtic knot, an enduring emblem that reveals the deep mathematical knowledge of past, often nameless, peoples in Ireland and beyond, preserved in the ornamentation of their sacred objects.

Reimagined through contemporary materials such as Plexiglas, the work bridges past and present, acknowledging continuity in knowledge and tradition while looking toward the future. Its form and materiality also respond to the architectural details of No. 11, including stained glass; scroll motifs carved into the stone stairs and echoed in the wrought iron balustrades and wooden bannisters; and the chain-linked light fixtures, allowing the sculpture to resonate with the visual language of the space.

Per Cent for Art public art commission, funded by the Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage under the Project Ireland 2040 URDF scheme, through the Department of Tourism, Culture, Arts, Gaeltacht, Sport and Media.

In the heart of Dublin’s cultural quarter

Parnell Square has long been associated with Dublin’s heritage, literary and cultural life.

No.11 sits alongside institutions including the world-renowned Gate Theatre, Hugh Lane Gallery, Irish Writers Centre, nearby James Joyce Centre and in time, the new city library contributing to the continued development of the area as one of the city’s most important cultural destinations.

The History of No. 11 Parnell Square

Balance & Harmony: Emergence

(c. 1753)
Bartholomew Mosse (1712-1759) oversaw the development of Rutland Square, conceived as a landscape of urbane elegance and genteel architectural refinement.

Georgian Legacy

(c. 1770 – 1830)
John Butler, Earl of Ormonde (1740-1795) and his wife Lady Susan (1754-1830) resided in the ‘magnificent town mansion… an embrace of splendid suites of drawing rooms.’

Victorian Transition

(1839-1887)
Squires, professionals, and merchants shaped No. 11’s Victorian identity, their rising prosperity and confidence defining the character of the house.

Bishops & Politicians: The National Club

(1887-1900)
From fashionable abode to private political club where principles of ‘moral, social and intellectual improvement’ guided members in their cultural and civic endeavours.

Social Evolution

(1900-1978)
Dublin County Council took up occupation, installing a ‘handsome chamber of solid oak design’: the space later featured in James Joyce’s Dubliners (1914)

Continuing Cultural Centre

(1978-2009)
On 12 June 1978, the Council moved their meetings to nos. 46-49 Upper O’Connell and continued to meet there until 1993 when three new Councils were established. No.11 continued as a library and local studies centre under Fingal County Council.