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Merrion Square

April 26, 2024

Merrion Square (Irish: Cearnóg Mhuirfean) is a Georgian garden square on the southside of Dublin city centre.

Merrion Square
Clockwise from top: Merrion Square North as seen from Merrion Square Park; Rutland Fountain; 1 Merrion Square North, the childhood home of Oscar Wilde
Merrion Square
Merrion Square
TypeGeorgian garden square
LocationDublin, Ireland
Coordinates53°20′23″N 6°14′57″W / 53.33972°N 6.24917°W / 53.33972; -6.24917
Area4.73 hectares (11.7 acres)
Created1762
FounderRichard FitzWilliam, 7th Viscount FitzWilliam
DesignerJohn Smith and Jonathan Barker (1762 layout)
Owned byPrivately (1762-1974)
Dublin City Council (1974 onwards)
Operated byDublin City Council
StatusOpen all year

History edit

The square was laid out in 1762 to a plan by John Smyth and Jonathan Barker for the estate of Viscount FitzWilliam. Samuel Sproule later laid out the East side around 1780 and the gardens were created through a competition won by Benjamin Simpson in 1792 with thanks to drawings created by John James Barralet. All of the surrounding houses were largely complete by the beginning of the 19th century.[1][2][3][4][5]

The demand for such Georgian townhouse residences south of the River Liffey had been fuelled by the decision of the then Earl of Kildare (later the Duke of Leinster) to build his Dublin home on the then undeveloped southside. He constructed the largest aristocratic residence in Dublin, Leinster House, second only to Dublin Castle.

Aristocrats, bishops and the wealthy sold their northside townhouses and migrated to the new southside developments.

Legacy edit

 
Soldiers guard the site of the National Memorial to members of the Defence Forces who died in the Service of the State

All the original 18th century properties in Merrion Square have survived to the present day except for Antrim House which was demolished to make way for the National Maternity Hospital in the 1930s.[2] Three sides are lined with Georgian redbrick townhouses; the West side abuts the grounds of Leinster House (seat of the Oireachtas), Government Buildings, the Natural History Museum and the National Gallery. The central railed-off garden is now a public park.

The Wellington Testimonial to commemorate the victories of Arthur Wellesley, 1st Duke of Wellington, was originally planned to be located in Merrion Square. However it was built in the Phoenix Park after opposition from the square's residents.[6]

Occupancy edit

 
Oscar Wilde Statue

Until about the 1950s, the houses in the square were largely residential, but today most of them are used for office accommodation. The Irish Red Cross, the Royal Institute of the Architects of Ireland and the Irish Georgian Society have their headquarters on the square. The National Maternity Hospital is on the North terrace.

The poet, novelist, and satirist Oscar Wilde lived at No. 1, poet W. B. Yeats lived at No. 82, and Daniel O'Connell at No. 58, the latter of which is now known as the O'Connell House, home to the Keough Naughton Centre[7] of the University of Notre Dame, an American college. The fashion and interior designer Sybil Connolly lived at No. 71. A number of houses in the square have plaques with historical information on former notable residents, including A.E. (George William Russell) and Sheridan Le Fanu. Despite the square being largely occupied by commercial entities, there are still several residents, including fashion designer Louise Kennedy[8] and tycoon Dermot Desmond.[9]

Until 1972 the British Embassy was based at No 39.[10] However, following the Bloody Sunday shootings in Northern Ireland, a crowd of over 20,000 people converged on the site in protest and the building was burnt to the ground.[11] Currently, the Embassies of France, Korea and Slovakia are based on the south side of the square[12] and the Church of Scientology's National Affairs Office has been housed at No 4 on the north side since October 2016.[13][14]

Park edit

 
Merrion Square Park

The earliest plan of the park shows a double line of trees around the perimeter which was later enclosed by railings in the early years of the 19th century. A Jardin Anglaise approach was adopted for the layout of the park with contoured grass areas, informal tree clumps, sunken curved paths and perimeter planting.[15]

Up until 1974 the park was only open to residents in possession of a private key. Now managed by Dublin City Council, the park contains a statue of Oscar Wilde, who resided in No. 1, Merrion Square from 1855 to 1876,[16][17] many other sculptures and a collection of old Dublin lamp standards. Irish-American sculptor Jerome Connor, best known for his work "Nuns of the Battlefield" in Washington D.C., designed the public art piece, "Eire".[18] The park also contains a sculpture of a Joker's Chair in memory of Father Ted star Dermot Morgan.[19]

The park in the square was called "Archbishop Ryan Park", after Dermot Ryan, the Catholic archbishop who transferred ownership to the city. In 2009, Dermot Ryan was criticised in the Murphy Report; in January 2010, Dublin City Council sought public views on renaming the Park.[20] In September 2010, the City Council voted to rename the park as Merrion Square Park.[21]

The park was also used by the St John Ambulance Brigade for annual events such as review and first aid competitions. The organisation was founded in 1903 by Sir John Lumsden K.B.E., M.D. During this time Dr Lumsden was living nearby at 4 Fitzwilliam Place. He was the chief medical officer at the Guinness brewery and practised at Mercer's Hospital.

During the First World War, both St. John Ambulance and the British Red Cross Society worked together in a joint effort as part of the war effort. This ensured services did not overlap with each other. Both organisations were a familiar sight among Irish people but particularly at Merrion Square where St. John Ambulance operated for almost 50 years. The headquarters of St. John Ambulance was situated at 40 Merrion Square during WWI later moving to 14 Merrion Square. Today they are located at Lumsden House, 29 Upper Leeson Street, Dublin 4 (see St John Ambulance archive for further info).

Notable residents edit

 
The Joker's Chair, built in memory of comedian Dermot Morgan

Merrion Square was a fashionable address for politicians, lawyers, doctors and writers.
Notable residents include;

See also edit

References edit

Citations

  1. ^ "CO. DUBLIN, DUBLIN, MERRION SQUARE Dictionary of Irish Architects -". www.dia.ie. Retrieved 26 July 2023.
  2. ^ a b Bennett 2005, p. 168.
  3. ^ "BARKER, JONATHAN - Dictionary of Irish Architects". www.dia.ie. Retrieved 26 July 2023.
  4. ^ Beaumont, Daniel. "Sproule, Samuel - Dictionary of Irish Biography". www.dib.ie. Retrieved 26 July 2023.
  5. ^ "CO. DUBLIN, DUBLIN, MERRION SQUARE, GARDENS Dictionary of Irish Architects -". www.dia.ie. Retrieved 26 July 2023.
  6. ^ Garnett, P. F. (June–August 1952). "The Wellington Testimonial". Dublin Historical Record. 13 (2): 48–61. JSTOR 30105448.
  7. ^ "Merrion Square". O'Callaghan Collection. 9 April 2020. from the original on 9 April 2020. Retrieved 9 April 2020.
  8. ^ "Designer Louise Kennedy: 'I'd just love to style strong, elegant Angelina' – Herald.ie". herald.ie. Retrieved 23 April 2018.
  9. ^ "Ghost town: south Dublin's Georgian core in need of new life". irishtimes.com. Retrieved 23 April 2018.
  10. ^ Ireland, Eugene Fodor, Robert C. Fisher, D. McKay., 1968, page 92
  11. ^ "1972: British embassy in Dublin destroyed". BBC News. 2 February 1972.
  12. ^ New French Embassy Opens in Merrion Square – The Irish Times, 24 April 2015
  13. ^ "Official Church of Scientology Ireland website".
  14. ^ Courtney, Daire (28 September 2016). "Church of Scientology to open national affairs office in Merrion Square". Irish Independent.
  15. ^ "Merrion Square Park – Dublin City Council". 22 May 2018.
  16. ^ Sarah, Smith (2012). "Sculpting Irishness: a discussion of Dublin's commemorative statues of Oscar Wilde and Phil Lynott". Sculpture Journal. 21. Retrieved 16 June 2017.
  17. ^ . Dublin City Council. Archived from the original on 16 May 2018. Retrieved 19 May 2017.
  18. ^ . Archived from the original on 2 May 2013. Retrieved 27 May 2013.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
  19. ^ Bennett 2005, p. 169.
  20. ^ McGarry, Patsy (12 January 2010). . The Irish Times. Archived from the original on 19 October 2012. Retrieved 12 January 2010.
  21. ^ . The Irish Times. 9 September 2010. Archived from the original on 22 October 2012. Retrieved 31 October 2010.
  22. ^ At 12 Merrion Square, North: The Treble Almanack ... (1832), p. 17.
  23. ^ "Dublin Hospital Gazette". 15 June 1858. p. 192.

Sources

External links edit

  Media related to Merrion Square at Wikimedia Commons

  • Archiseek.com Doorways Archiseek.com Doorways

April 26, 2024
merrion, square, irish, cearnóg, mhuirfean, georgian, garden, square, southside, dublin, city, centre, clockwise, from, north, seen, from, park, rutland, fountain, north, childhood, home, oscar, wildeshow, central, dublinshow, dublintypegeorgian, garden, squar. Merrion Square Irish Cearnog Mhuirfean is a Georgian garden square on the southside of Dublin city centre Merrion SquareClockwise from top Merrion Square North as seen from Merrion Square Park Rutland Fountain 1 Merrion Square North the childhood home of Oscar WildeMerrion SquareShow map of Central DublinMerrion SquareShow map of DublinTypeGeorgian garden squareLocationDublin IrelandCoordinates53 20 23 N 6 14 57 W 53 33972 N 6 24917 W 53 33972 6 24917Area4 73 hectares 11 7 acres Created1762FounderRichard FitzWilliam 7th Viscount FitzWilliamDesignerJohn Smith and Jonathan Barker 1762 layout Owned byPrivately 1762 1974 Dublin City Council 1974 onwards Operated byDublin City CouncilStatusOpen all year Contents 1 History 2 Legacy 3 Occupancy 4 Park 5 Notable residents 6 See also 7 References 8 External linksHistory editThe square was laid out in 1762 to a plan by John Smyth and Jonathan Barker for the estate of Viscount FitzWilliam Samuel Sproule later laid out the East side around 1780 and the gardens were created through a competition won by Benjamin Simpson in 1792 with thanks to drawings created by John James Barralet All of the surrounding houses were largely complete by the beginning of the 19th century 1 2 3 4 5 The demand for such Georgian townhouse residences south of the River Liffey had been fuelled by the decision of the then Earl of Kildare later the Duke of Leinster to build his Dublin home on the then undeveloped southside He constructed the largest aristocratic residence in Dublin Leinster House second only to Dublin Castle Aristocrats bishops and the wealthy sold their northside townhouses and migrated to the new southside developments Legacy edit nbsp Soldiers guard the site of the National Memorial to members of the Defence Forces who died in the Service of the State All the original 18th century properties in Merrion Square have survived to the present day except for Antrim House which was demolished to make way for the National Maternity Hospital in the 1930s 2 Three sides are lined with Georgian redbrick townhouses the West side abuts the grounds of Leinster House seat of the Oireachtas Government Buildings the Natural History Museum and the National Gallery The central railed off garden is now a public park The Wellington Testimonial to commemorate the victories of Arthur Wellesley 1st Duke of Wellington was originally planned to be located in Merrion Square However it was built in the Phoenix Park after opposition from the square s residents 6 Occupancy edit nbsp Oscar Wilde Statue Until about the 1950s the houses in the square were largely residential but today most of them are used for office accommodation The Irish Red Cross the Royal Institute of the Architects of Ireland and the Irish Georgian Society have their headquarters on the square The National Maternity Hospital is on the North terrace The poet novelist and satirist Oscar Wilde lived at No 1 poet W B Yeats lived at No 82 and Daniel O Connell at No 58 the latter of which is now known as the O Connell House home to the Keough Naughton Centre 7 of the University of Notre Dame an American college The fashion and interior designer Sybil Connolly lived at No 71 A number of houses in the square have plaques with historical information on former notable residents including A E George William Russell and Sheridan Le Fanu Despite the square being largely occupied by commercial entities there are still several residents including fashion designer Louise Kennedy 8 and tycoon Dermot Desmond 9 Until 1972 the British Embassy was based at No 39 10 However following the Bloody Sunday shootings in Northern Ireland a crowd of over 20 000 people converged on the site in protest and the building was burnt to the ground 11 Currently the Embassies of France Korea and Slovakia are based on the south side of the square 12 and the Church of Scientology s National Affairs Office has been housed at No 4 on the north side since October 2016 13 14 Park edit nbsp Merrion Square Park The earliest plan of the park shows a double line of trees around the perimeter which was later enclosed by railings in the early years of the 19th century A Jardin Anglaise approach was adopted for the layout of the park with contoured grass areas informal tree clumps sunken curved paths and perimeter planting 15 Up until 1974 the park was only open to residents in possession of a private key Now managed by Dublin City Council the park contains a statue of Oscar Wilde who resided in No 1 Merrion Square from 1855 to 1876 16 17 many other sculptures and a collection of old Dublin lamp standards Irish American sculptor Jerome Connor best known for his work Nuns of the Battlefield in Washington D C designed the public art piece Eire 18 The park also contains a sculpture of a Joker s Chair in memory of Father Ted star Dermot Morgan 19 The park in the square was called Archbishop Ryan Park after Dermot Ryan the Catholic archbishop who transferred ownership to the city In 2009 Dermot Ryan was criticised in the Murphy Report in January 2010 Dublin City Council sought public views on renaming the Park 20 In September 2010 the City Council voted to rename the park as Merrion Square Park 21 The park was also used by the St John Ambulance Brigade for annual events such as review and first aid competitions The organisation was founded in 1903 by Sir John Lumsden K B E M D During this time Dr Lumsden was living nearby at 4 Fitzwilliam Place He was the chief medical officer at the Guinness brewery and practised at Mercer s Hospital During the First World War both St John Ambulance and the British Red Cross Society worked together in a joint effort as part of the war effort This ensured services did not overlap with each other Both organisations were a familiar sight among Irish people but particularly at Merrion Square where St John Ambulance operated for almost 50 years The headquarters of St John Ambulance was situated at 40 Merrion Square during WWI later moving to 14 Merrion Square Today they are located at Lumsden House 29 Upper Leeson Street Dublin 4 see St John Ambulance archive for further info Notable residents edit nbsp The Joker s Chair built in memory of comedian Dermot Morgan Merrion Square was a fashionable address for politicians lawyers doctors and writers Notable residents include The Rev d Gilbert Austin 1753 1837 Educator clergyman and author 22 The Very Reverend Henry Montague Browne 1799 1884 Dean of Lismore of The Church of Ireland Sybil Connolly 1921 1998 Fashion amp Interior Designer Sir Dominic Corrigan 1802 1880 Physician Sir Philip Crampton 1777 1858 Surgeon 23 Dermot Desmond born 1950 Irish financier Richard FitzWilliam 7th Viscount FitzWilliam 1745 1816 Irish peer and musical antiquarian William Fletcher 1750 1823 judge and politician John Leslie Foster 1781 1842 Barrister judge and MP Edward Gibson 1st Baron Ashbourne 1837 1913 Lawyer and Lord Chancellor of Ireland Violet Gibson 1876 1956 daughter of Edward Gibson 1st Baron Ashbourne attempted assassin of Benito Mussolini Henry Grattan 1746 1820 Politician and MP Robert James Graves 1796 1853 Surgeon Charles Hemphill 1st Baron Hemphill 1822 1908 Politician and barrister Louise Kennedy born 1960 Irish fashion designer George Knox 1765 1827 Politician and MP Valentine Lawless 2nd Baron Cloncurry 1773 1853 Politician and landowner Sheridan Le Fanu 1814 1873 Writer Robert Dyer Lyons 1826 1886 Physician and MP Sir Henry Marsh 1790 1860 Surgeon Richard Bolton McCausland 1810 1900 Surgeon John Henry North 1788 1831 Barrister judge and MP Daniel O Connell 1775 1847 Politician and MP Edward Pennefather 1774 1847 Judge Richard Pennefather 1773 1859 Judge David Richard Pigot 1796 1873 Judge Sir Andrew Porter 1837 1919 Judge George William Russell 1867 1935 Poet and painter John Stratford 1st Earl of Aldborough 1698 1777 Irish Peer and MP Whitley Stokes 1830 1909 Lawyer and Celtic scholar William Stokes Snr 1804 1878 Physician William Stokes Jnr 1838 1900 Surgeon John Lighton Synge 1897 1995 Physicist Oscar Wilde 1854 1900 Writer and poet Sir William Wilde 1815 1876 Writer and surgeon W B Yeats 1865 1939 Poet playwright and SenatorSee also editSir William Napier 3rd Baronet List of streets and squares in DublinReferences editCitations CO DUBLIN DUBLIN MERRION SQUARE Dictionary of Irish Architects www dia ie Retrieved 26 July 2023 a b Bennett 2005 p 168 BARKER JONATHAN Dictionary of Irish Architects www dia ie Retrieved 26 July 2023 Beaumont Daniel Sproule Samuel Dictionary of Irish Biography www dib ie Retrieved 26 July 2023 CO DUBLIN DUBLIN MERRION SQUARE GARDENS Dictionary of Irish Architects www dia ie Retrieved 26 July 2023 Garnett P F June August 1952 The Wellington Testimonial Dublin Historical Record 13 2 48 61 JSTOR 30105448 Merrion Square O Callaghan Collection 9 April 2020 Archived from the original on 9 April 2020 Retrieved 9 April 2020 Designer Louise Kennedy I d just love to style strong elegant Angelina Herald ie herald ie Retrieved 23 April 2018 Ghost town south Dublin s Georgian core in need of new life irishtimes com Retrieved 23 April 2018 Ireland Eugene Fodor Robert C Fisher D McKay 1968 page 92 1972 British embassy in Dublin destroyed BBC News 2 February 1972 New French Embassy Opens in Merrion Square The Irish Times 24 April 2015 Official Church of Scientology Ireland website Courtney Daire 28 September 2016 Church of Scientology to open national affairs office in Merrion Square Irish Independent Merrion Square Park Dublin City Council 22 May 2018 Sarah Smith 2012 Sculpting Irishness a discussion of Dublin s commemorative statues of Oscar Wilde and Phil Lynott Sculpture Journal 21 Retrieved 16 June 2017 Oscar Wilde Memorial Sculpture Dublin City Council Archived from the original on 16 May 2018 Retrieved 19 May 2017 Archived copy Archived from the original on 2 May 2013 Retrieved 27 May 2013 a href Template Cite web html title Template Cite web cite web a CS1 maint archived copy as title link Bennett 2005 p 169 McGarry Patsy 12 January 2010 Councillor denies call to rename Archbishop Ryan Park The Irish Times Archived from the original on 19 October 2012 Retrieved 12 January 2010 City park to be renamed Merrion Square Park The Irish Times 9 September 2010 Archived from the original on 22 October 2012 Retrieved 31 October 2010 At 12 Merrion Square North The Treble Almanack 1832 p 17 Dublin Hospital Gazette 15 June 1858 p 192 Sources Bennett Douglas 2005 The Encyclopaedia of Dublin Gill amp Macmillan ISBN 978 0 717 13684 1 External links edit nbsp Media related to Merrion Square at Wikimedia Commons Archiseek com Doorways Archiseek com Doorways Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title Merrion Square amp oldid 1193512698, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,

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