Sometimes erroneously described as a folly, it was designed by Scottish architect William Chambers for James Caulfeild, the 1st Earl of Charlemont,[2] starting in the late 1750s and finishing around 1775.

After his 9-year Grand Tour of Italy and Greece, Caulfield was taken with all things Italian, and decided to add a 'little house'[5] to his estate, which he had already named after the town of Marino in Lazio.

Described by Charles T. Bowden in his Travel Guide of 1791 as a 'terrestrial paradise', the design of the landscape was inspired by Lord Charlemont's extensive Grand Tour.

Archbishop John McQuaid organised the transfer of the land, and construction began on the new home months before planning permission was granted.

[9] Widely regarded as one of the most important Neo-Classical buildings in Ireland,[3] the Casino is actually quite small, measuring only fifty feet square to the outer columns.