Wynn's Hotel is a historic hotel located on

Abbey Street Abbey Street () is a major street, located on the Northside of Dublin city centre, running from the Customs House and Beresford Place in the east to Capel Street in the west, where it continues as Mary's Abbey. The street is served by two L ...

Dublin Dublin is the capital and largest city of Republic of Ireland, Ireland. Situated on Dublin Bay at the mouth of the River Liffey, it is in the Provinces of Ireland, province of Leinster, and is bordered on the south by the Dublin Mountains, pa ...

Ireland Ireland (, ; ; Ulster Scots dialect, Ulster-Scots: ) is an island in the North Atlantic Ocean, in Northwestern Europe. Geopolitically, the island is divided between the Republic of Ireland (officially Names of the Irish state, named Irelan ...

. Originally opened as a boarding house in 1845, the hotel played a vital role leading up to the

1916 Easter Rising The Easter Rising (), 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 aim of establishing an in ...

and other significant Irish events. The hotel was rebuilt and opened on 17 December 1926 and is one of the best-known hotels in Dublin.

History

Early years

The hotel opened in 1845 as a

boarding house A boarding house is a house (frequently a family home) in which lodging, lodgers renting, rent one or more rooms on a nightly basis and sometimes for extended periods of weeks, months, or years. The common parts of the house are maintained, and ...

at 36 Lower Abbey Street by Phoebe Wynn. Wynn was well connected with the

Church of Ireland The Church of Ireland (, ; , ) is a Christian church in Ireland, and an autonomy, autonomous province of the Anglican Communion. It is organised on an all-Ireland basis and is the Christianity in Ireland, second-largest Christian church on the ...

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 John Bulmer Hobson (14 January 1883 – 8 August 1969) was an Irish republican. He was a leading member of the Irish Volunteers and the Irish Republican Brotherhood (IRB) before the Easter Rising in 1916.D.J. Hickey & J. E. Doherty, ''A New D ...

and

The O'Rahilly Michael Joseph O'Rahilly ( or ; 22 April 1875 – 29 April 1916), known as The O'Rahilly, was an Irish republican and nationalist. He was a founding member of the Irish Volunteers in 1913 and served as Director of Arms. Despite opposing the ac ...

, and chaired by

Eoin MacNeill Eoin MacNeill (; born John McNeill; 15 May 1867 – 15 October 1945) was an Irish scholar, Irish language enthusiast, Gaelic revivalist, nationalist, and politician who served as Minister for Education from 1922 to 1925, Ceann Comhairle of D ...

which resulted in the creation of the

Irish Volunteers The Irish Volunteers (), also known as the Irish Volunteer Force or the Irish Volunteer Army, was a paramilitary organisation established in 1913 by nationalists and republicans in Ireland. It was ostensibly formed in response to the format ...

. 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 Cumann na mBan (; but in English termed The Irishwomen's Council), abbreviated C na mB, is an Irish republican women's paramilitary organisation formed in Dublin on 2 April 1914, merging with and dissolving Inghinidhe na hÉireann, and in 191 ...

, a women's auxiliary of the Volunteers, was formed at a meeting of nationalist women in Wynn's, chaired by

Agnes O'Farrelly Agnes O'Farrelly (born Agnes Winifred Farrelly; 24 June 1874 – 5 November 1951) (; nom-de-plume 'Uan Uladh'), was an academic and Professor of Irish at University College Dublin (UCD).Ríona Nic Congáil, ''Úna Ní Fhaircheallaigh agus an Fhí ...

. During the

Easter Rising The Easter Rising (), 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 aim of establishing an ind ...

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 first opened in 1852, and bought by U2 lead singer Bono and lead guitarist The ...

located on the opposite side of the

River Liffey The River Liffey (Irish language, Irish: ''An Life'', historically ''An Ruirthe(a)ch'') is a river in eastern Ireland that ultimately flows through the centre of Dublin to its mouth within Dublin Bay. Its major Tributary, tributaries include t ...

on Wellington Quay.

Rebuilding Wynn's

In 1921, the hotel began being rebuilt using mass concrete, the first building to do so in the city of Dublin at the time. Due to the

Irish Civil War The Irish Civil War (; 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 Kingdom but within the British Emp ...

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 17 December 1926, ten years after its destruction.

References

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