DK Travel : Dublin : Phoenix Park

Phoenix Park

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Surprisingly for such a small city, Phoenix Park is the largest enclosed urban park in Europe, covering an area of more than 1,750 acres. The name has no connection with the mythical bird but originates from the Gaelic Fionn Uisce which means “clear water” and refers to a spring that once existed here. Following the landscaping traditions of English parkland, complete with hundreds of deer, this is an idyllic place to escape from the bustling city centre. However, there’s no shortage of things to do if you want to keep busy. At the weekends whole families spend the day here, indulging in a variety of activities from dog-walking to jogging, golf practice, hurling matches, charity runs, cricket and polo.

Top 10 Features

1. Áras an Uachtaráin

This fine Palladian mansion (1751) by Nathaniel Clements was the vice-regal lodge. In 1937 the lodge became the official home of the Irish president.
2. Phoenix Monument

2. Phoenix Monument

Lord Chesterfield erected this monument in 1745, topped with what has been described as a poor excuse for a phoenix, looking more like an eagle than the mythical bird.
3. Dublin Zoo

Dublin Zoo dates back to 1830 – the second oldest in Europe. The latest addition is the 33-acre “African Plains”, providing larger paddocks for rhinoceros, giraffes and antelope.
4. People’s Garden

Close to Park Gate and the Garda Siochana (police) headquarters, this is the only formal area of the park. Decimus Burton landscaped the area in the 1830s and the effect is gentle and restful, as the landscaped hedges and flowerbeds merge with the wilder hillocks and ponds.
5. Papal Cross

5. Papal Cross

The simplicity of the 27-m (90-ft) high stainless steel Papal Cross is part of its beauty. It was erected on the spot where Pope John Paul II celebrated Mass in 1979, attended by more than a third of Ireland’s population (see Pope John Paul II).
6. Wellington Monument

6. Wellington Monument

Designed by Sir William Smirke in 1817, the money given for its construction was used up before it reached 30 m (100 ft). Work resumed in 1861 but the monument never realized its original design.
7. Deerfield

This beautiful 18th-century house was once the home of the British Chief Secretary for Ireland, Lord Cavendish, who was murdered in 1882 by an Irish nationalist. It is now the residence of the American ambassador.
8. Visitors’ Centre

The display here shows the changing face of Phoenix Park, from 3500 BC to the present day. It also features a reconstruction of the Knockmaree cist grave found in the park in 1838. On Saturday, free tours can be taken to Áras an Uachtaráin from here.
9. Ashtown Castle

A visit to this elegant 17th-century tower house is included in the ticket to the Visitors’ Centre. Its claim to fame is that it was once owned by the family of John O’Connell, an ancestor of Daniel O’Connell. It has cunning features such as a “trip step” on the staircase and a “murder hole” by the door.
10. Magazine Fort

10. Magazine Fort

This former fort became the main arms depot after independence, but it has been secured and abandoned since the IRA raid in 1939, when more than one million rounds of ammunition were stolen. It is now sadly decaying.

Practical Information

Ryans, just out of the southeast gate in Parkgate Street, is one of the city’s finest pubs both for drink and food. Phoenix Park is not considered safe after dark. Phoenix Park: Park Gate, Conyngham Rd Train: Heuston Open 7am–11pm daily Free Visitor’s Centre: 01-677 0095 Open Nov–mid-Mar: 10am–5pm Wed– Sun, mid-Mar–May: 10am–5:30pm daily, June–Oct: 10am– 6pm daily Partial dis. access Adm €2.90 Zoo: 01-474 8900 www.dublinzoo.ie Open Mar–Sep: 9:30am–6pm Mon–Sat 10:30am–6pm Sun, Oct–Feb: 9:30am– dusk Mon–Sat 10:30am– dusk Sun last adm an hour before closing Dis. access Adm €13.50