It was founded in 1795 by the Royal Dublin Society[?] and has grown to hold 20,000 living plants and many millions of dried plant specimens, contained in a 19 hectare gardens that includes architecturally notable greenhouses.
As well as being a tourist destination and an amenity for nearby residents, it also serves as a centre for horticultural research and training.
wikipedia.org dumped 2003-03-17 with terodump