King's Inns
The King's Inns, or Cumann Onórach Óstaí an Rí, is Ireland’s Inn of Court and its oldest law school. Founded in 1541 by King Henry VIII, it has a royal charter and trains people to become barristers in Ireland. It also offers part-time courses for a wide range of legal and non-legal students.
Location and building: The Inn sits on Henrietta Street in Dublin. The present home on Constitution Hill was designed by James Gandon; construction began in 1800 and was finished in 1816 by his assistant Henry Aaron Baker. The complex is a notable example of neo-classical architecture, with a copper dome and Portland stone sculptures. The grounds feature The Hungry Tree, a notable London Plane tree.
History: The Inn began in a former Dominican friary and later moved to Inns Quay before settling on Constitution Hill. For much of its early history it behaved like a social club rather than a full educational institution. Until the mid-18th century, many Irish lawyers trained in London at the English Inns of Court; King's Inns began offering formal legal courses from the 18th century. Its library dates back to the late 18th century, and its motto is Nolumus mutari.
Education and reform: In the 19th and early 20th centuries the Inn expanded and reformed admissions. In 1929, knowledge of Irish became a requirement for admission. After Ireland’s partition in the early 1920s, a separate Inn of Court was created for Northern Ireland in 1926. The King's Inns has notable achievements in debating and sport, including national and European debating championships and hurling.
Renovations: A major refurbishment in 1998 updated the Registry of Deeds and other parts of the building.
This page was last edited on 3 February 2026, at 05:12 (CET).