The Royal Hospital Kilmainham is Ireland's oldest surviving classical building, completed in 1684 as a home for retired soldiers on the model of Les Invalides in Paris. The long formal façades around a central courtyard are a revelation — few visitors realise Dublin contains a baroque building of this scale and quality.
The complex now serves as the campus for the Irish Museum of Modern Art (IMMA), with the galleries occupying the wings while the formal rooms — including a magnificent banqueting hall — are used for events. The grounds, formal gardens, and riverside meadow are freely accessible and much less visited than the museum itself.