Wrapped up in this medieval stone fortification is the story of Dublin and its centuries of English colonial rule. As castles go, it's not exactly an in-your-face affair, but step inside and you will be greeted by magnificent rooms, elegant courtyard exteriors and a stylishly landscaped garden. Before it became the castle you see today, it was once the site of a 930s Danish Viking Fortress, then a 12th Century Norman Fort. The newer, stronger Dublin Castle was created by England's King John and completed in 1230 as a city defence, Royal Treasury and administration of justice. The courtyard featured a central square, defensive walls and four round towers, only one of which - the Record Tower - survives to this day. The castle acted as the English, then British, seat of Government until 1922 when it was ceremonially handed over to the newly-formed Provisional Government and its leader Michael Collins. Coats of arms of royal chief representatives still adorn the Chapel Royal's carved oak galleries and stained glass windows - harking back to a time when Anglo-Irish pomp and extravagance continued undiminshed, even through the Great Famine. Much of the medieval castle burnt down in the Great Fire of 1684, and the rebuilt structure attained a Georgian style. Many of the rooms you see today, including the magnificent State Apartments, hark back to this period. Today the Castle hosts many state visits, conferences and Presidential inaugurations.