Ireland's most significant modern historical building, the General Post Office served as headquarters of the 1916 Easter Rising. The bullet-scarred columns and interactive museum inside tell the story of the rising that created modern Ireland.
The General Post Office on O'Connell Street opened in 1818 as a Greek Revival building designed by Francis Johnston, and it became the epicentre of Irish history on Easter Monday 1916, when the Irish Volunteers and Irish Citizen Army under Patrick Pearse and James Connolly seized the building as headquarters of the Easter Rising. From its steps Pearse read the Proclamation of the Irish Republic, and the GPO withstood days of British artillery bombardment before the garrison evacuated as fire consumed the building, with Pearse issuing the surrender order nearby on 29 April 1916. The building's facade, including its Ionic columns, still bears bullet and shrapnel scars from the fighting, preserved deliberately during post-Rising restoration as a visible record of the event. The GPO was rebuilt in the 1920s and remains a fully functioning post office today, with the public able to enter the main hall free of charge. Since 2016, the adjoining GPO Witness History visitor centre has occupied part of the building, using interactive exhibits, film, and artefacts to trace the events of Easter Week and the Rising's long-term consequences for Irish independence, including the executions of the rebellion's leaders at Kilmainham Gaol in the weeks that followed. The exhibition situates the Rising within the broader context of Irish nationalism from the late 19th century through the War of Independence and the founding of the Irish Free State in 1922. A statue of the mythological Irish hero Cú Chulainn by sculptor Oliver Sheppard, installed inside the GPO in 1935, serves as the state's official memorial to the Rising's fallen.
Why it matters
The General Post Office served as the headquarters of the 1916 Easter Rising, where Patrick Pearse read the Proclamation of the Irish Republic, and the building's role in the rebellion makes it the single most symbolically important site in the founding of the modern Irish state.
Highlights
- Bullet-scarred Ionic column facade on O'Connell Street
- Cú Chulainn memorial statue to the Rising's fallen
- GPO Witness History interactive exhibition
- Site where the Proclamation of the Irish Republic was read
- Still a functioning post office with free public access to the main hall
Tips for visiting
- The exterior facade and main post office hall are free and always accessible during opening hours
- Visit the Witness History exhibition before other 1916 sites like Kilmainham Gaol for context
- Allow roughly an hour for the exhibition alone
- Look closely at the columns facing O'Connell Street for surviving bullet damage
- The building gets busy with postal customers, so the historical areas are calmer in early morning
Frequently asked questions
Is the GPO exhibition presented in English?
Yes, the Witness History exhibition and all signage are in English.
How long does a visit take?
The free exterior and hall can be seen in a few minutes, while the ticketed Witness History exhibition takes about an hour.
Is this a suitable stop for children?
Yes, the exhibition uses interactive displays that engage school-age children, though some content on the executions is intense for very young children.