What's the first thing you think of when you hear "Ireland"? - Perhaps it's leprechauns, green pastures, sheep or Guinness - but do you know the world-famous Irish doors with their colourful paintwork? They are a real tourist magnet and there are all kinds of legends surrounding the origins of the colourful doorways.
Colourful doors with style
What characterises Irish doors and how did they come about? The answer lies buried in Irish history: During the 18th and 19th centuries, King George I and his descendants ruled over Great Britain and Ireland. A special architectural style emerged from this period, known as the "Georgian style". This style was strongly characterised by strict mirror symmetry and elements reminiscent of antiquity. Doors were also given a distinctive look.
![shutterstock_443558224 [Konvertiert]](/fileadmin/_processed_/8/b/csm_shutterstock_443558224-Konvertiert-1-scaled_04f7f8bfc5.webp)
The door leaf consisted of symmetrically arranged panels and the door frame was reminiscent of ancient Greek temples: the sides were either decorated with detailed or subtly indicated columns. A translucent glass arch was enthroned above the door, sometimes set into a roof-shaped structural element. The entire door construction was reminiscent of the monumental buildings of the Greeks and was intended to emphasise the majesty and power of the crown.
So how did the colour come into play?
In fact, many legends revolve around the colourful front doors of the Irish. Here we present our three favourite stories.
Legend 1: Help for drunken men
One of the most amusing legends says that it was worried wives who gave their front doors a colourful coat of paint. After a few glasses of good Guinness or whisky, many a spouse lost their bearings. This is easy to imagine, as all the houses and doors looked the same due to the strictly controlled Georgian style, and so the odd drunken man crossed the wrong doorstep.To put an end to this faux pas, the wives simply painted their front doors in bright colours and guided their spouses through the right front door with coloured markings.
Legend 2: Rebellious Irish
When the Queen of England, Queen Victoria, died in 1901, it was the highest order of the royal family to paint all doors black. Ireland was also affected. However, the Irish reacted to the regulations with their own rebellion and did exactly the opposite, grabbing paint buckets and painting their doors brightly coloured.
Legend 3: Showing individuality
It was probably a thorn in the side of the Irish when the British regulated Irish architecture in the 18th and 19th centuries. The British builders ensured strict regulations so that the cityscape looked uniform. But they forgot one small detail: The colour of the front doors. In order to stand out from their neighbours and show their individuality to the outside world and to England, the Irish painted their front doors different colours. This tradition has continued to this day.
And what do you think? Which legend is true? Unfortunately, there is no clear answer to this and perhaps there is a completely different reason behind it? At the end of the day, the colourful Georgian-style doors are a real eye-catcher and can still be admired today in the capital city of Dublin.
The Irish look at GARANT
Did you find the Irish doors inspiring? Why don't you browse through our product segment? GARANT also manufactures many different doors with mirror-symmetrical panels. door tool you can configure your own door. Or you can browse through our product brochures for more inspiration.