The Irish International Exhibition (sometimes Dublin International) was a world's fair held in Dublin, Ireland

Republic of Ireland

Ireland , described as the Republic of Ireland , is a sovereign state in Europe occupying approximately five-sixths of the island of the same name. Its capital is Dublin. Ireland, which had a population of 4.58 million in 2011, is a constitutional republic governed as a parliamentary democracy,...

, in 1907, when the country was still part of the United Kingdom

United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland

The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland was the formal name of the United Kingdom during the period when what is now the Republic of Ireland formed a part of it....

.

Summary

The decision to hold the exhibition was taken at the Irish Industrial Conference in April 1903, and inspired by a small exhibition in Cork

Cork (city)

Cork is the second largest city in the Republic of Ireland and the island of Ireland's third most populous city. It is the principal city and administrative centre of County Cork and the largest city in the province of Munster. Cork has a population of 119,418, while the addition of the suburban...

 (The Cork International Exhibition) just 5 years earlier was intended to improve the trade of Irish goods.
The leading force behind the project was William Martin Murphy

William Martin Murphy

William Martin Murphy was an Irish nationalist journalist, businessman and politician. A Member of Parliament representing Dublin from 1885 to 1892, he was dubbed 'William Murder Murphy' among Dublin workers and the press due to the Dublin Lockout of 1913...

, a prominent businessman and owner of the Irish Independent

Irish Independent

The Irish Independent is Ireland's largest-selling daily newspaper that is published in both compact and broadsheet formats. It is the flagship publication of Independent News & Media.-History:...

, Clerys

Clerys

Clerys is a long-established department store on O'Connell Street in Dublin, Republic of Ireland, a focal point of the street, and of the city....

 department store (Clery & Co.), the Dublin United Transport Company

Dublin United Transport Company

The Dublin United Transport Company operated trams and buses in Dublin, Ireland until 1945. Following legislation in the Oireachtas , the DUTC and the Great Southern Railways were vested in the newly formed Coras Iompair Éireann in 1945.-Formation:The DUTC was formed by the merging of several of...

 and many other Irish and overseas ventures.
The exposition ran from 4 May to 9 November 1907,
received 2.75 million visitors covered 52 acres and made a loss of about £100 000 sterling, although this was underwritten by guarantors.

As well as contributions from countries including Canada

Canada

Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...

, France

France

The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...

 and New Zealand

New Zealand

New Zealand is an island country in the south-western Pacific Ocean comprising two main landmasses and numerous smaller islands. The country is situated some east of Australia across the Tasman Sea, and roughly south of the Pacific island nations of New Caledonia, Fiji, and Tonga...

 there were displays of motor cars, electric and gas lighting and machinery; fine art displays including work by Eva Henrietta Hamilton

Eva Henrietta Hamilton

Eva Henrietta Hamilton , an Irish artist, was a portrait, landscape, and watercolour painter.Eva Henrietta Hamilton was born in Dunboyne, County Meath. She was a daughter of Charles Robert Hamilton of Hamwood, eldest of her sisters Amy and Letitia Marion, and cousin of Rose Barton, the...

; funfair amusements; a display depicting life in British Somaliland

British Somaliland

British Somaliland was a British protectorate in the northern part of present-day Somalia. For much of its existence, British Somaliland was bordered by French Somaliland, Ethiopia, and Italian Somaliland. From 1940 to 1941, it was occupied by the Italians and was part of Italian East Africa...

, the 'Somali village', was the exhibition's most popular attraction.

Legacy

The land used for the exhibition became Herbert Park

Herbert Park

Herbert Park is the name of a road and a public park in Ballsbridge, Dublin.-History:The land used for the park was given to the city by the Earl of Pembroke whose family name was Herbert. In 1907, the World Fair known as the Irish International Exhibition was held in Ballsbridge...

, but the only remaining artifacts are a bandstand and pond.

Notables

There was a separation of Irish and British pavilions at a time when desire for Home Rule for Ireland

Irish Home Rule Movement

The Irish Home Rule Movement articulated a longstanding Irish desire for the repeal of the Act of Union of 1800 by a demand for self-government within the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland. The movement drew upon a legacy of patriotic thought that dated back at least to the late 17th...

 was becoming more vocal, and some years before a declaration of independence and secession

Secession

Secession is the act of withdrawing from an organization, union, or especially a political entity. Threats of secession also can be a strategy for achieving more limited goals.-Secession theory:...

 of the Irish Free State

Irish Free State

The Irish Free State was the state established as a Dominion on 6 December 1922 under the Anglo-Irish Treaty, signed by the British government and Irish representatives exactly twelve months beforehand...

from the United Kingdom.