Parks

Merrion park

Built for the nobility and the gentry, like all the Georgian squares, like all the Georgian squares, Merrion Square is today considered the heart of Georgian Dublin. Covering about 5 ha (12 acres), it was laid out by architect John Ensor in the 1762. The west side is dominated by the lawn of Leinster House (Dail Eireann), the National Gallery and the Natural History Museum.

Many famous names are associated with Merrion Square, among them Sir William Wilde and his wife,"Speranza" who lived in No. 1 with their son, Oscar; Daniel O'Connell the great "Liberator" and driving force being the campaign for Catholic Emancipation - partly achieved in 1829 - who lived in No. 58; the poet, William Butler Yeats, who lived for a time in No. 52, and later in No. 82.

Just off the square, at No. 24 Merrion Street Upper, is the birthplace of the Duke of Wellington, who, when teased about his Irish background, said, "Being born in a stable does not make one a horse".

The attractive central park features colourful flower and shrub beds. There are a lot of monuments in the park. As for me, the most interesting one is the figure of Oscar Wilde lying on stone.

St.Stephen’s Green

Dublin is lucky to have some beautiful parks, none more so than St.Stephen’s Green. It was formally laid out and opened to the public in 1880 by Arthur Edward Guinness, then proprietor of the Guinness Brewery and later to become Lord Ardilaun. Prior to that the Green was enclosed since 1663, when for a time the west side was a place of execution and a nearby leper colony. During the latter half of the 18th century the north side was known as the Beaux' Walk, where the aristocracy strolled in their elegant attire. The north side remains to this day the most fashionable, overlooked as it is by the exclusive and very graceful Victorian Shelbourne Hotel whose bars are the social home to many a Dublin jet-setter.

Here you can see a lot of monuments and sculptures, arches and fountains. Near the pond - which is home to many species of duck and geese - is the central section of the park and where you can sit on one of the many seats and admire the scene.