Wynn's Hotel is a hotel located on Abbey Street in Dublin, Ireland. Originally opened as a boarding house in 1845, the hotel played a vital role leading up to the

1916 Easter Rising The Easter Rising ( ga, Éirí Amach na Cásca), also known as the Easter Rebellion, was an armed insurrection in Ireland during Easter Week in April 1916. The Rising was launched by Irish republicans against British rule in Ireland with the a ...

and other significant Irish events. The hotel was rebuilt and opened on and is one of the best known hotels in Dublin.

History

Early years

The hotel opened in 1845 as a boarding house at 36 Lower Abbey Street by Phoebe Wynn. Wynn was well connected with the Church of Ireland and the establishment was popular with Church of Ireland clergy staying in Dublin. Wynn ran the boarding house until 1852 when it was sold. The change of ownership meant, however, that it now became the favoured city haunt of the Catholic clergy. In 1878, the hotel's name changed to Telford's Commercial Hotel but when the hotel was acquired by the Clarence Hotel Company in 1898, the name was reverted back to Wynn's. The first proprietor, Phoebe Wynn, died on aged 84.

Foundation of the Irish Volunteers, Cumann na mBan and the Easter Rising

Wynn's hotel was the venue for a meeting of

Irish nationalists Irish nationalism is a nationalist political movement which, in its broadest sense, asserts that the people of Ireland should govern Ireland as a sovereign state. Since the mid-19th century, Irish nationalism has largely taken the form of cu ...

, held on , with a view to forming an armed body. The meeting was arranged by Bulmer Hobson and

The O'Rahilly , birth_date = , birth_place = Ballylongford, County Kerry, Ireland , death_date = , death_place = Dublin, Ireland , resting_place = Glasnevin Cemetery , nationality = Irish - British subject ...

, and chaired by Eoin MacNeill which resulted in the creation of the Irish Volunteers. Within hours of the meeting, the hotel was visited by two detectives who advised the manager not to hold such meetings in future; nonetheless, subsequent meetings of the committee were held at the hotel. A plaque in the hotel bar commemorates the first meeting. On , Cumann na mBan, a women's auxiliary of the Volunteers, was formed at a meeting of nationalist women in Wynn's, chaired by Agnes O'Farrelly. During the

Easter Rising The Easter Rising ( ga, Éirí Amach na Cásca), also known as the Easter Rebellion, was an armed insurrection in Ireland during Easter Week in April 1916. The Rising was launched by Irish republicans against British rule in Ireland with the a ...

of April 1916, the hotel was burned to the ground as it was set on fire by incendiary bullets which were hitting a street barricade erected outside. Due to the fighting going on at the time within the city, firefighters were unable to save the hotel. Guests and staff were accommodated in the

Clarence Hotel The Clarence Hotel is a four-star 51-room hotel located at 6–8 Wellington Quay, Dublin, Ireland. It is in the Temple Bar neighbourhood, on the River Liffey. It was built in 1852, and bought by U2 lead singer Bono and lead guitarist The Edg ...

located on the opposite side of the River Liffey on Wellington Quay.

Rebuilding Wynn's

In 1921, the hotel began being rebuilt using

mass concrete Mass concrete is defined by American Concrete Institute Committee 207 as "any volume of concrete with dimensions large enough to require that measures be taken to cope with the generation of heat from hydration of cement and attendant volume change ...

, the first building to do so in the city of Dublin at the time. Due to the

Irish Civil War The Irish Civil War ( ga, Cogadh Cathartha na hÉireann; 28 June 1922 – 24 May 1923) was a conflict that followed the Irish War of Independence and accompanied the establishment of the Irish Free State, an entity independent from the United ...

in 1922-23, construction was halted indefinitely. By 1925, the hotel was nearing completion with the management planning for a grand reopening by the end of 1926. The hotel reopened after being rebuilt by

G&T Crampton G&T Crampton (founded 1879) is an Irish property development and construction company. It entered liquidation in 2021. History G&T Crampton was founded in 1879 by George J. Crampton. George Crampton formed a partnership with his nephew Tom Cram ...

on , ten years after its destruction.

References

{{reflist Hotels in Dublin (city) Hotels established in 1845 1845 establishments in Ireland Abbey Street