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The Nobel Prize and Oscar-winning playwright George Bernard Shaw wrote over 60 plays in his career including the famous ‘Pygmalion’ on which the musical ‘My Fair Lady’ was eventually based. Born in Dublin in 1856, Shaw moved to London at the age of twenty sand spent the rest of his life there. Before too long he was a household name in Ireland and Britain and the adjective ‘Shavian’ was also coined to describe observations or comments that bore a semblance to his ironic wit.
Although he spent precious little of his productive years in Dublin, the house where he was born at 33 Synge Street in the Portobello neighbourhood has been carefully restored so as to present an accurate picture of middle-class Victorian domestic life. The Shaw Birthplace is complete with Victorian bedrooms, kitchen, nursery, and parlour, all of which are furnished and styled according to the period. Although he had a less than happy childhood, it was in this very house that the playwright began to create the characters that would later feature in his books and plays. The house was opened for the public in 1993 and includes a book shop.
Tours of the house are also given in foreign languages. George Bernard Shaw’s house is open daily from May to September except for Wednesdays and charges an admission fee.
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