I always thought that it was interesting that at the time that the “Free State” was building the Department of Industry in Kildare Street [a more forward looking stripped classicism with deco overtones] that the NI Government was building Stormount – a heavy and ‘traditional’ form of classicism.
At the time, irish ministers used to regularly attend meetings of the AAI because of a general interest in architecture and modernity…… can you imagine a minister with that interest now……