Rogues' Gallery

Open House weekend again, and this year I won two tickets for a tour of Leinster House - our <sarcasm>beloved</sarcasm> parliament.

Originally designed by Richard Cassells for James, 20th Earl of Kildare and his wife and 19 kids - yes, 19! Well, it was before TV… The house was renamed on his ennoblement as the first Duke of Leinster.

After the dissolution of the parliament in Dublin, his successors abandoned the house for London and their seat in the House of Lords. The house was then bought by the Royal Dublin Society, who lead the founding of the Natural History Museum and Art Gallery, which flank the house on the Merrion Square (rear) side, and later the National Museum and Library which flank the entrance courtyard.

Their last piece of work was this link from the house to a new lecture theatre, and replacing the old kitchen block. The Provisional Government used the lecture theatre intermittently as a chamber, before buying the building outright in 1924.

Anyway, in the grand tradition, all former Taoisigh get their portraits placed around the stairs leading to the chamber on their retirement from active politics. So, from right to left we have;

• Sean Lemass (1959-66) - hiding behind the plant!
• Jack Lynch (1966-73, 77-79)
• Liam Cosgrave (1973-77)
• Charles J Thieving, corrupt fucker who'd stab you in the back and steal your lung transplant money as soon as look at you Haughty (1979-81, 82, 87-92) - sporting a very dapper looking shirt and tie!
• Garrett Fitzgerald (1981-82, 1982 -87)
• Albert Reynolds (1992-94)
• John Bruton (1994-97)
• Bartholomew Incompetent, corrupt fucker who should have been painted wearing a Dunnes anorak, or better still prison stripes Ahern (1997 - 2008)

In the interest of completeness;
• John A Costello (1948-51, 54-57) is just out of shot on the right.
• William T Cosgrove (1923 - 32) never held the title - instead he was President of The Executive Council - and is in the main hall alongside portraits of Michael Collins, Arthur Griffiths and Cathal Bruagh as leaders of the 1916 Rising
• Eamonn DeValera's (1932-48, 51-54, 57-59) portrait is also downstairs, shaming the memories of those around him, men who didn't curl into a ball crying and hide in a hospital tent at the first sound of gunfire.

And apparently, Brian Cowen's portrait will be delivered soon. Although that drunken bastard would be better commemorated by hanging it in the bar… or a toilet!