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Ratra House ( ga, Teach Ráth an tSratha), sometimes called Little Ratra, is one of the minor state residences located in
Ratra House ( ga, Teach Ráth an tSratha), sometimes called Little Ratra, is one of the minor state residences located in Dublin
Dublin (; , or ) is the capital and largest city of Ireland. On a bay at the mouth of the River Liffey, it is in the province of Leinster, bordered on the south by the Dublin Mountains, a part of the Wicklow Mountains range. At the 2016 c ...
's Phoenix Park
The Phoenix Park ( ga, Páirc an Fhionnuisce) is a large urban park in Dublin, Ireland, lying west of the city centre, north of the River Liffey. Its perimeter wall encloses of recreational space. It includes large areas of grassland and tre ...
. Until 2006 it was used as the Civil Defence School.
The building, which dates from the early 19th century, was originally known as the ''Little Lodge''. From 1876, it became the official residence of the Private Secretary to the Lord Lieutenant of Ireland, who lived out of season in the next door Viceregal Lodge. Its first resident in this capacity was Lord Randolph Churchill
Lord Randolph Henry Spencer-Churchill (13 February 1849 – 24 January 1895) was a British statesman. Churchill was a Tory radical and coined the term 'Tory democracy'. He inspired a generation of party managers, created the National Union of ...
, who was appointed as Private Secretary by the then Lord Lieutenant, his father John Spencer-Churchill, 7th Duke of Marlborough
John Winston Spencer-Churchill, 7th Duke of Marlborough (2 June 18224 July 1883), styled Earl of Sunderland from 1822 to 1840 and Marquess of Blandford from 1840 to 1857, was a British Conservative cabinet minister, politician, peer, and noblem ...
. Churchill lived there with his wife Lady Randolph Churchill
Jennie Spencer-Churchill (; 9 January 1854 – 29 June 1921), known as Lady Randolph Churchill, was an American-born British socialite, the wife of Lord Randolph Churchill, and the mother of British prime minister Sir Winston Churchill.
Early ...
and his young son Winston Churchill
Sir Winston Leonard Spencer Churchill (30 November 187424 January 1965) was a British statesman, soldier, and writer who served as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom twice, from 1940 to 1945 during the Second World War, and again from ...
. Winston Churchill in his writings described his four years, from the ages of two to six, spent in the Little Lodge as among the happiest of his life. It was claimed that he developed his interest in the military from watching military parades at the Lodge.
Following Irish independence in 1922 the house was used for some years by staff of the Governor-General of the Irish Free State before becoming the official residence of Adjutant General of the Irish Army, Major General Brennan between 1926 and 1940.
It was the last Irish state residence to be connected to the ESB grid, eventually becoming connected in 1937.
In 1945, the wheelchair-using retiring first President of Ireland
The president of Ireland ( ga, Uachtarán na hÉireann) is the head of state of Ireland and the supreme commander of the Irish Defence Forces.
The president holds office for seven years, and can be elected for a maximum of two terms.Constitu ...
, Douglas Hyde
Douglas Ross Hyde ( ga, Dubhghlas de hÍde; 17 January 1860 – 12 July 1949), known as (), was an Irish academic, linguist, scholar of the Irish language, politician and diplomat who served as the first President of Ireland from June 1938 t ...
was judged too ill to return to his Roscommon
Roscommon (; ) is the county town and the largest town in County Roscommon in Ireland. It is roughly in the centre of Ireland, near the meeting of the N60, N61 and N63 roads.
The name Roscommon is derived from Coman mac Faelchon who buil ...
country house, Ratra. It was decided instead to move him into the vacant residence in the grounds of the Lodge (then renamed Áras an Uachtaráin). Hyde named the residence ''Little Ratra'' in honour of his old home. Hyde died there in 1949.
On 18 June 1951 it became the headquarters of the newly formed Irish Civil Defence and renamed ''Ratra House''. The Irish Civil Defence School was relocated to Roscrea
Roscrea () is a market town in County Tipperary, Ireland, which in 2016 had a population of 5,446. Roscrea is one of the oldest towns in Ireland, having developed around the 7th century monastery of Saint Crónán of Roscrea, parts of which rem ...
, County Tipperary
County Tipperary ( ga, Contae Thiobraid Árann) is a county in Ireland. It is in the province of Munster and the Southern Region. The county is named after the town of Tipperary, and was established in the early 13th century, shortly after t ...
in 2006, but Ratra House remains in use as an administrative building. Parts of the complex are still used by the Civil Defence, such as the purpose-built training range used by firemen and rescue personnel.
Today, Ratra House is the headquarters of Gaisce – The President's Award
Gaisce – The President's Award ( ga, Gaisce – Gradam an Uachtaráin) is an award in Ireland, earned by young people between the ages of 14 and 25 for participating in several activities for a certain period. There are three awards: bronze, ...
.
References
{{Irish governmental buildings Buildings and structures in Dublin (city) Phoenix Park