A newly refurbished recital room at the National Concert Hall in Leinster, Ireland, has officially opened.

The restoration of the Kevin Barry Rooms at the National Concert Hall is one of the nine key 'Permanent Reminders' being developed at historically significant locations as part of the Government's Ireland 2016 Centenary Programme.

An Taoiseach Enda Kenny TD and Heather Humphreys TD, Minister for Arts, Heritage and the Gaeltacht officially opened the historic Kevin Barry Recital ​Room on Monday, 12 April.

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Mr Kenny said: "The National Concert Hall is one of the most architecturally significant buildings in Ireland. The Kevin Barry Recital Rooms have a historic significance going back to the very foundation of the State. It is appropriate this year, on the hundred anniversary of the Rising, that these Rooms have been renovated and restored as part of the Government's programme to mark the events of 1916."

Minister Humphreys said: "The Kevin Barry rooms played host to the historic Treaty debates of the early 1920s and now, almost 100 years later, the rooms have been transformed into a beautiful new performance space in one of our foremost cultural institutions.

"It is also very welcome to see another part of the Concert Hall’s beautiful building opened up to the public, creating an interesting new space for Irish and international musicians."

(CD/MH)