Merrion Square

It’s a Georgian square to the south of the city that was laid out in the latter half of the 18^th century and it’s one of the city’s finest examples from this period. It’s also one of the few areas of Dublin where you’ll find a decent expanse of greenery surrounded by the exquisite buildings. This was until fairly recently known as the Archbishop Ryan Park, which is open during daylight hours and is a fine spot for a sandwich following a visit to the nearby gallery.

It’s ideal for art lovers because it’s also home to a good number of sculptures that are strategically placed among the trees and bushes. The depiction of Oscar Wilde reclining on a rock in typical haughty pose, known locally as the ‘fag on the crag’ is here along with a tribute to the brilliant comic actor Dermot Morgan, who is better known to most as Father Ted. He is remembered with a chair. The raised area in the southeastern corner resembles a burial mound but actually hides an old air-raid shelter.

The park area was originally reserved as a kind of communal garden for the many opulent folk who lived on the square in the days when it was mostly residential. It was acquired by the Catholic Church with a view to placing a new cathedral on this prime spot but the plans all came to nothing and in 1974, Archbishop Ryan presented it to the City Council, who created a park that bears the donor’s name.

However, said Archbishop was criticised in the Murphy Report into covering up child abuse in the Catholic Church and so a public vote was taken on renaming the park. Since September 2010 it has lost Ryan’s name from its title and been known as Merrion Square Park.

There’s a pleasant shady walkway all around its perimeter and look out also for the assortment of old Dublin lamp standards.

The square is also famous for the diverse notable buildings that face it.  These include Leinster House (seat of the Irish parliament), the Natural History Building of the National Museum of Ireland, and the National Gallery. The Georgian buildings on the square itself were all once fine homes. As well as Wilde’s house at number 1, WB Yeats once lived at 82 and the famous political leader Daniel O-Connell at number 58.

Most properties on the square now house offices and organisations such as the Irish Red Cross, Central Catholic Library, the Football Association of Ireland, the Irish Georgian Society and the Irish Traditional Music Archive.

Merrion Square is very central in Dublin and you’ll find it just to the south of Trinity College.