State Drawing Room
The State Drawing Room, located behind the south portico, is part of the 1751 house, and its ceiling dates from then. Richly modelled, its plan form with an oval centrepiece is reflected in the design of the carpet, which was made in 2002 in Killybegs, Co. Donegal.
The room contains two magnificent 18th-century Adam chimneypieces. The chandelier is made from brass in the Regency style and commemorates the Act of Union of 1801 by intertwining a shamrock, rose and thistle representing Ireland, England and Scotland. It was originally in Dublin Castle but moved to the Áras after a fire in the State Apartments there in the 1940s. The wall lights were made from a second similar chandelier. The Louis XIV couch and chairs came from the Palace of Versailles during Eamon de Valera’s Presidency. The Connemara marble coffee table was commissioned for President Bill Clinton's visit in 2000. The Dutch marine painting of the Royal Visit to the Fleet in 1672 is on loan from the National Gallery of Ireland.
