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Ardgillan Castle and Victorian Gardens |
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The demesne consists of the ancient
townlands of Kilmainham, Ardgillan and
Baltray. The district was originally
controlled by the Gaelic O'Casey family
and later the Earl of Tyrconnell.
However, the period 1600 - 1700 saw
great changes in the pattern of land
ownership in Ireland due to the
confiscation and redistribution of land
after the Cromwellian and Williamite
wars (1640's and 1680's respectively). |
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Botanic Gardens,
Glasnevin, Co Dublin |
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In 1790, the Irish Parliament, with the
active support of The Speaker of the
House, John Foster, granted funds to the
Dublin Society (now the Royal Dublin
Society), to establish a public botanic
garden. In 1795, the Gardens were
founded on lands at Glasnevin. The
portrait of John Foster (below right) by
William Beechey (1813) in Leinster House
shows him sitting at his desk holding a
map of the Botanic Gardens. |
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Dillons Garden,
Ranelagh, Dublin |
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For 26 years the
Dillons have lived in Ranelagh, in a
huge 1830 house, tucked off the main
road. Its gardens are open to the public
and are featured on The Garden Show.
Helen Dillion featured on several
gardening shows.
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Farmleigh, Phoenix
Park, Dublin City |
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Farmleigh is an estate of 78 acres
situated to the north-west of Dublin's
Phoenix Park, It was purchased by the
Office of Public Works on behalf of the
Government in June 1999 and developed in
order to provide accommodation for
visiting dignitaries and guests of the
nation, for high level Government
meetings and for enjoyment by the
public. Farmleigh remains a unique
representation of its heyday, the
Edwardian period, when wealthy
industrialists had replaced landowners
as the builders of large mansions in
Ireland. Edward Cecil Guinness first
Earl of Iveagh, the great-grandson of
Arthur Guinness, built Farmleigh around
a smaller Georgian house in the 1880's.
Many of the artworks and furnishings he
collected for Farmleigh remain in the
house on loan from the Guinness family
to the State. The Benjamin Iveagh
collection of rare books, bindings and
manuscripts is held in the Library. |
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Fernhill Gardens,
Sandyford, Dublin |
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Fernhill is a garden where the plants
come first, not the architecture.
covering some forty acres in a superb
location overlooking Dublin Bay, it
contains a comprehensive collection of
trees and shrubs in an informal 'Robinsonian'
layout that adapts the plants to the
terrain. |
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Phoenix Park, Dublin
City |
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The Phoenix Park is over 700 hectares
(1752 acres) in area and is the largest
enclosed public Park in any capital city
in Europe. It was originally formed as a
royal hunting Park in the 1660's and
opened to the public in 1747. A large
herd of fallow deer still remain to this
day. The Park is also home to the
Zoological Gardens and Aras an
Uachtarain and Victorian flower gardens.
The Phoenix Park is only 1.5 miles from
O'Connell Street. Both passive and
active recreational pursuits may be
viewed or pursued such as walking,
running, polo, cricket, hurling, etc.
The Glen Pond is set in very scenic
surrounds in the Furry Glen. There are
many walks and cycle routes available to
the public.
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St Stephens Green,
Dublin City |
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Ireland's best known Victorian public
park. Re-opened by Lord Ardilaun in 1880
for the citizens of Dublin. This 9
hectare / 22 acre park has been
maintained in the original Victorian
layout with extensive perimeter tree and
shrub planting, spectacular spring and
summer Victorian bedding. The herbaceous
border also provides colour from early
spring to late autumn. Sanctuary from
inclement weather can be obtained in the
Victorian lakeside shelter or in the
Victorian Swiss shelters in the center
of the park.Over
3.5 km of pathways are accessible for
all users. The waterfall and Pulham rock
work on the western side of the green
are worth of a visit likewise the
ornamental lake which provides a home
for waterfowl and a garden for the
visually impaired. A number of
sculptures are located throughout the
green. A children's playground is a
popular attraction of the park.
Lunchtime concerts are performed during
the summer months. |
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Talbot Botanic
Gardens, Malahide Castle, Dublin |
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Talbot Botanic gardens,
situated within Malahide Castle
Demesne and containing almost 5,000
species,
emphasis has been placed on Southern
Hemisphere plants, particularly
Australasian and Chilean species.
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Royal Hospital
Kilmainham |
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The Irish Museum of Modern Art, in
collaboration with the Office of Public
Works, presents the magnificent 17th
century Royal Hospital, Kilmainham.
There are guided tours during the summer
months, from June to early September.
These informative tours allow visitors
to discover and explore the building and
grounds of the Royal Hospital. They
include the stunning Baroque Chapel,
Master's Quarters and the Great Hall,
where the only public collection of
early portraits remain in their original
location, and access to the beautiful
17th-century formal gardens |
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War Memorial Gardens,
Islandbridge, Dublin City |
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They are dedicated to the memory of
49,400 Irish soldiers who died in the
1914 - 1918
war. The names of all the soldiers are
contained in the beautifully illustrated
Harry Clarke manuscripts in the granite
bookrooms in the gardens.
These gardens are not only a
place of remembrance but are also of
great architectural interest and beauty.
They are one of four gardens in this
country designed by the famous architect
Sir Edwin Lutyens (1869-1944). The
others being Heywood Gardens (see p.63),
Lambay Island and those in Howth Castle. |
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Deepwell’s
award-winning garden
was once a swamp. In
1842 Richard S
Guinness drained and
filled it in, and
created a three-acre
walled garden,
transforming the area
forever. The garden
was redesigned in
1955. Features include
an Italianate garden
with richly planted
boxed parterres and a
classical temple
leading the eye to the
Irish Sea. There’s
also a herb garden
close to the house.
The house at Deepwell,
originally called
Friary Hill, contains
a collection of Irish
paintings and
furniture.
Skerries Watermill and Windmills
The Iveagh Gardens,
Clonmel Street, Dublin City The Iveagh Gardens,
Dublin were designed by Ninian
Niven, in 1865, as an intermediate
design between the 'French Formal' and
the 'English Landscape' styles. They
demonstrated the artistic skills of the
landscape Architect of the mid 19th
century and display a unique collection
of landscape features which include
Rustic Grotto's and Cascade, sunken
formal panels of lawn with Fountain
Centre Pieces, Wilderness, Woodlands,
Maze, Rosarium, American Garden, Archery
Grounds, Rockeries and Rooteries.
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Places to Visit Ireland
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