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Dublin Castle Images - St. Patrick's Hall.
Saint Patrick's Hall in Dublin Castle. Formerly known as the Great Hall & Ballroom until 1764 when an explosion in the armory damaged it & the South West Tower. A Royal Warrant was issued by the then King George 2nd for its rebuilding, and the refurbishment of other areas of the castle which had fallen into disrepair. In 1783 his successor King George 3rd attended the Castle & set up the Illustrious Order of St. Patrick, based on the English Order of the Garter. The subsequent ceremonies and meetings of the Order were held in the Hall.
The Irish Crown Jewels were the insignia of the Knights of the Order of Saint Patrick until they were stolen under suspicious circumstances in 1907. The Jewels have never been recovered & the full account of their disappearance from within the Castle remains a mystery to this day. In November 2003 a television documentary program,
The Strange Case of the Irish Crown Jewels,
was aired on Irish television - RTE. In addition to providing some clues as to the likely suspect(s), it suggested that King Edward VII ended the inquiries into the Crown Jewels theft after being informed of links between the prime suspect, a homosexual circle based at the castle, and the Duke of Argyll - the King's brother-in-law. | 
