The Irish Ambassador's Residence

It should be said that the current Irish ambassador, if he is still the same one who started up the embassy, is actually a very good guy - he goes to lots of concerts and supports the arts greatly. He also shows great taste in his dress sense and the make of his glasses.

I wonder, then, what he thinks of the architectural merit of his residence, located in a very rural-seeming neighbourhood with low-rise, often wooden individual houses. What would Prince Charles say? (Then again, what does he know about modern architecture?). This building sticks out like the proverbial sore thumb. It screams 'nouveau riche' - which I suppose Ireland is, nowadays on the backs of many Lithuanian workers. The Irish coat of arms above the door, which unfortunately has a strong resemblance to a Guiness advert, does not improve the tone of the place either. Thankfully the guard at the gate should resolve any misunderstandings.

We have good architects in Lithuania, who can design some very interesting, sometimes daring buildings (not sure about the one in Filaretu gatve that has the shape of a grand piano). But this? It's Russian Baroque meets the 21rst century in a fishtank.