THE Taoiseach, Mr Bruton, yesterday reopened Academy House in Dawson Street, Dublin, the home of the Royal Irish Academy since 1851. The building contains a historic library of more than 2,500 ancient and medieval manuscripts, mainly in Irish, with some in English, Latin and other languages.
The Office of Public Works has completed major structural and decorative work on the house, which is believed to have been built bin 1756. The chandeliers and much of the furniture date from the period when the building was constructed.
The horse was originally named Northland House, after Lord Northland, one of its first owners and a friend of Wolfe Tone, who was a frequent visitor.
The Royal Irish Academy provides a focus for scholarly activity at the highest level in both the sciences and the humanities throughout the whole of Ireland. It, is engaged in conservation and a continuing study of Ireland's heritage in language, literature and material culture.