Rotunda Hospital

Founded in 1745, this maternity hospital at the top of O'Connell Street is one of the oldest continuously operating maternity institutions in the world. Designed by Richard Cassels, its complex once included assembly rooms and pleasure gardens whose ticket sales helped fund the hospital's charitable work. The adjoining Rotunda, a circular assembly room that gave the hospital its name, and the chapel are notable for their Rococo plasterwork. The building remains an important part of Dublin's Georgian architectural and social heritage.