Located right beside the North Wall railway station, the London and North Western Hotel was built to accommodate passengers arriving on the steamer service from Holyhead, replacing a previous hotel (The Prince of Wales) on the site. The hotel is named for the London and North Western Railway Company, which moved its Irish steam packet terminus to the North Wall in 1861, and it was renamed for British Rail when the LNW and other services were nationalised in 1948. It later became offices for Irish Rail, and the building now appears to be empty. A recent listing for commercial rental describes the interior as being in need of renovation but retaining many original features, if you happen to have €250000 handy.
from National Library of Ireland on The Commons: “This shot of joking Black and Tans and Auxiliaries was taken outside the London and North Western Hotel, North Wall, Dublin as they surveyed the damage after an I.R.A. attack on their quarters. Written on the mount of this photo was “Tans glad to have escaped the bombs thrown at their headquarters in Dublin”.”
The building appears here behind the Black and Tans and the Auxiliaries, who were based at the hotel – it’s a very strange image to see, even as someone who looks at images of Irish history and misses most things that aren’t buildings, signs or other design. Right in the middle of the group, though, you can see that the star-shaped railing was in place in the 1920s, and the timber on the windows was a dark brown rather than today’s white. (The NLI image is of the front right, while the one below is around the corner to the right.)