ioo A HISTORY OF 



teen children, of whom the fifth son was Lord Edward 

 FitzGerald, the noble-hearted and ill-fated enthusiast 

 who sacrificed his life for his patriotic principles. 

 Lord Kildare was a resident nobleman, and spent his 

 time between Dublin, where he took his full share in 

 the House of Lords' debates and work, and his country 

 seat of Carton, which he greatly improved and enlarged. 

 He took an independent tone in opposing Ministers 

 on the Money Bill in 1753, and acquired great popu- 

 larity on the occasion by his public-spirited conduct. 

 In 1 76 1, Kildare obtained a step in the peerage by 

 being created Marquis of Kildare, and in 1766 he 

 became Duke of Leinster, by which name what was 

 originally called Kildare House has since been known. 

 The Duke died in 1773, at the comparatively early age 

 of fifty-one, and lies buried in Christ Church Cathedral. 



A narrow lane connected St. Stephen's Green with 

 the present Nassau street ; this was called Coote 

 street, a name which was changed to Kildare street on 

 Kildare House being erected, when the lane was also 

 widened. The house was approached through a grand 

 gateway of rustic masonry, leading to a spacious court. 



Though the account of Leinster House, written 

 by James Malton in 1794, has been given at length 

 by Gilbert in his History of Dublin (iii. 282), and by 

 Mr. T. U. Sadleir, in his article on the mansion, in 

 the Records of the Georgian Society (iv. 57), to which 

 this chapter owes much, it seems quite impossible 

 to omit it here, so comprehensive and descriptive is 

 the account, although it be not written in classic 

 English : — 



" Leinster House, the town residence of His Grace 

 the Duke of Leinster, is the most stately private 

 edifice in the city. Pleasantly situated at the south- 

 east extremity of the town, commanding prospects few 



