Ireland’s Museum of Modern Art 

The Royal Hospital is considered to be Ireland’s finest 17th-century building. It was built in 1684 as a home for retired soldiers and was designed by the eminent architect Sir William Robinsons. It was inspired by ‘Les Invalides’ in Paris with its formal baroque facade, courtyard, and formal gardens that now look over Phoenix Park. Following the creation of the Irish Free State in 1921, it was considered a potential home for the new Irish Parliament however it was decided to keep the parliament in its city center location in Leinster House. After 250 years as a hospital, the Garda Síochána used it as a storage location for property belonging to the National Museum of Ireland. This included a large statue of Queen Victoria and the spectacular state coach of the Lord Chancellor of Ireland. The Hospital was finally restored by the Irish Government in 1984 (its 300th anniversary) and controversially opened as The Irish Museum of Modern Art (IMMA).

Thanks to I M M A for informative video