No.70
Named after Lord Simon Harcourt, Lord Lieutenant of Ireland from 1772 to 1776, Harcourt Street is precisely what one expects of Georgian Dublin. A sheer cliff face of dark red brick penetrated by a grid of rectangular apertures. Doorcases to send the snappy happy into a battery zapping frenzy. Stuccowork in abundance indoors. No.70, Harrington Hall, fills a two bay townhouse and its three bay neighbour. It’s now a hotel, one of several in the immediate vicinity such as The Dean (opposite) and Iveagh Garden (a few doors down). Harcourt Street has always been the epicentre of society. It was the location of Noelle Campbell Sharp’s Origin Gallery (before she upped sticks to Fitzwilliam Street Upper) and the first Hugh Lane Gallery (which is now plonked on Parnell Square). William Butler Yeats went to school on the street.
