[2] Prior to that point, the site was occupied by the church of St. Mary del Dam from which Dame Street gets its name.

[7][8] The function of the building was to act as a form of stock exchange and to provide a meeting place for Dublin's businessmen.

[10] In the late 18th century, meetings were held at what is now City Assembly House on South William Street.

[11] In 1815 the metal balustrade of the exchange fell, owing to the pressure against it by a crowd, which led to the death of nine people, with many more injured.

The changes included the construction of partitions around the ambulatory, the addition of a new staircase from the rotunda to the upper floors, and the sub-division of the vaults for storage.

It was in this area where the first casualty of the rising, a guard named James O’Brien, occurred at Dublin Castle and he was shot by Sean Connolly while on duty.

The neo-classical building contains a central entrance hall or Rotunda, with a large dome supported by twelve columns which are surrounded by an ambulatory where merchants strolled and discussed business meetings.