The original Dublin Airport terminal is widely recognised as Ireland's most important pre-war building in the International Style. Though completed in 1940, it was not publicised until 1945 because of reporting restrictions in Ireland during the war.
Unlike the overblown neo-classical Parliament Buildings at Stormont, dating from 1932, it was seen as a confident expression of the new Ireland and another indication, along with many county hospitals built in the 1930s, that the State promoted modern architecture.
Designed by a team of architects within the Office of Public Works led by Desmond FitzGerald, the building is curved in plan with circular ends reminiscent of work produced in Holland and Germany before the war, according to the Archeire Website. "The outer or longer curve faces the airfield while the inner curve embraces the incoming passengers," it says.
For a time, dances were held at the airport, and its restaurant was also popular. The open balconies were eventually closed for security reasons. The entrance foyer, which still exists, was a large double-height space placed centrally in the building, with other facilities on either side, as Archeire notes. It was also a piece of "total design", with the architects choosing fabrics, cutlery and even menu cards.
Many contemporary architects say Desmond FitzGerald was not the main author, but rather the young team of architects working for him. After Dublin Airport, which won the RIAI Gold Medal in 1943, he never produced anything of comparable quality again.