In 1870 Sir Arthur Guinness, later Lord Ardilaun and Cecil Guinness, later Lord Iveagh, bought what was known as the Earlsfort Terrace building in Dublin. The building was later demolished in 1918, the site of which is now part of the National University of Ireland.
In December 1871 they placed the buildings at the disposal of the committee for the purpose of holding an exhibition of arts and industries. The committee of the Dublin Exhibition announced that an exhibition of Arts, Industries and Manufactures would take place in 1872. Their guiding principle would be that:
The Exhibition was to be more especially devoted to illustrating and promoting the resources of Ireland, and with that object in mind a separate and important portion of the building (the extensive series of Buildings forming the Exhibition Palace), known as the ‘Leinster Hall’, was set apart exclusively for the Irish department of the Exhibition. British Productions and those of other countries were to occupy the Main Glass Building. The Loan Museum was to be placed in part of the Permanent Building.  The Duke of Edinburgh opened the exhibition on June 6th 1872. In the following months over 420,000 visitors would come and visit

 A view of the ceremony of the opening of the exhibition by Alfred Ernest Albert, Duke of Edinburgh 1844-1900 was the fourth child of Queen Victoria and Prince Albert. He married Marie, Grand Duchess of Russia (1853-1920) daughter of Tsar Alexander II, on the 23rd January 1874. On the death of his uncle, Ernst II, Duke of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha, on 22 August 1893, the vacant duchy fell to the Duke of Edinburgh, since his elder brother the Prince of Wales had renounced his right to the succession. He became the Duke of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha, in addition to being the Duke of Edinburgh.

From the Biography of Irish Artists 1913

Second son of Thomas Kirk (q.v.), was born on the 29th May, 1824. As a boy he showed marked talent for sculpture, and his father was desirous of placing him as an apprentice with Chantrey who, however, refused, saying that he thought the boy’s father would be his best teacher. He was sent to the Dublin Society’s School as a pupil in April, 1839, and also worked in his father’s studio in Jervis Street. In 1845 he entered Trinity College, but left without taking his degree. He made his first appearance as an exhibitor in the Royal Hibernian Academy in 1844. His “Iris Ascending,” now at Marlborough House, was exhibited in 1846 and was purchased for fifteen pounds by the Royal Irish Institution. He had, however, little desire to continue in his profession as a sculptor, his one wish being to become a clergyman, a wish ultimately fulfilled. But for some years he worked at his profession and was made an Associate of the Royal Hibernian Academy on 16th February, 1850. Besides groups and busts he did a large figure of “Justice” for the Courthouse in Belfast; he designed the Shakespeare dessert service for the Worcester China works, which was shown in the Dublin Exhibition in 1853, and also several figures—”Erin,” “Winter,” “Summer,” etc., for the Belleek works. He was an exhibitor in the Royal Academy