IS A SMALL POCKET PARK ACROSS THE STREET FROM CHRIST CHURCH CATHEDRAL
The Peace Park is a small public park located across from Christchurch Cathedral on the corner of Nicholas Street and Christchurch Place in the Liberties area of Dublin city centre. It was dedicated to Ireland’s desire for peace in 1988 during the Troubles.
The park was designed as a sunken garden, with an aim towards reducing the traffic noise from the busy junction at which it exists. The main features of the park include a bronze “Tree of Life” sculpture by artist Leo Higgins, a pool/fountain, and extracts from poems by W.B.Yeats and Patrick Kavanagh embedded in the stone walls and footpaths throughout the park.
The park was closed to the public in 2009/2010 due to loitering and antisocial behaviour, and remained shut for nearly 10 years. However, it was reopened in June 2019 after a refurbishment project and the addition of a Flanders Fields memorial. The newly designed garden is now fully accessible, and includes a ramped access.
The Peace Park is a beautiful and peaceful space in the heart of Dublin city centre. It is a great place to relax, reflect, or simply enjoy the outdoors.
Here are some additional facts about the Peace Park:
The park is 0.1 hectares in size. The Tree of Life sculpture is made of bronze and is 3.5 meters tall. The pool/fountain in the park is fed by rainwater. The extracts from poems in the park are by W.B.Yeats, Patrick Kavanagh, and Seamus Heaney. The Flanders Fields memorial incorporates soil from Flanders, Belgium, as a memorial to the Irishmen who died and were injured in the First World War. The Peace Park is open from 10:00am to 6:00pm daily.
This life sized statue of Patrick Kavanagh sitting on one side of a park bench is by John Coll and it was unveiled in June 1991. It is situated on the north bank of the Grand Canal across from Mespil Road. Previously, I incorrectly described it as being on Mespil Road when it is, in fact, at Wilton Terrace. I have noticed that a number of other accounts describe it as being on Mespil Road … I hope that I am not responsible for such errors. Note: When I was young Wilton Terrace was a very active red-light area at night.
Patrick Kavanagh (21 October 1904 – 30 November 1967) was an Irish poet and novelist. His best-known works include the novel Tarry Flynn, and the poems “On Raglan Road” and “The Great Hunger”. He is known for his accounts of Irish life through reference to the everyday and commonplace. He also played as a goalkeeper for his local Gaelic football club.
John Coll is one of Ireland’s most prominent figurative sculptors. He has sculpted many works of national importance including monuments to the poet Patrick Kavanagh and the writer Brendan Behan on the Dublin canals. Other large-scale projects include a monument to Countess Markievicz in Rathcormac, Co Sligo and locally a life-size portrait of the racehorse “Bobby-Jo” in Mountbellew, Co Galway.
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