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New Zealand Tablet, Volume XI, Issue 24, 5 October 1883, Page 5

The centenary of the Bank of Ireland has just been reached, but it has occupied its present illustrious quarters, in College Green, only since 1808. Its foundation stone, as the Parliament House of Ireland, was laid in February, 1729, It is said to have been designed by au Italian named Castelli, but Sir Lovet Peaice, the Irish Sur-veyor-General of the day, appears in the official document as director of the building, and he was voted 10,000 dols. It was not fully completed until 1739, but the Irish Parliament sat there a few yean before. Its last meeting therein was held in 1830. It was first intended to attach the building to Trinity College, but finally the Government sold it to the Bank of Ireland for 200,000 dols. subject to a ground rent of 12 dols. a year and in 1804, uader the Viceroyalty of the Earl of fiardwicke, the altering of the interior for business purposes was begun. A beautiful model of the bank stands before the entrance of what was once the House of Lords.