Garden of Remembrance

On a sunny day, not that we get many, this is wonderful place to visit and relax and as such it is very popular with locals and visitors to the city centre. It is also the starting point for many protest marches so sometimes you may see local politics in action. Despite some reviews that I have seen the place is safe and I have never encountered anti-​social behaviour.
This garden is usually packed but today I was the only person there which felt a bit strange. Over the last few years every time that I visited there has been construction ongoing which can be a bit annoying but one good thing that has resulted from this work is that they have installed a ramp and a lift to allow wheelchair access to all sections of the park.
Queen Elizabeth II laid a wreath in the Garden of Remembrance during her state visit in May 2011.
The Garden of Remembrance is a memorial garden in Dublin dedicated to the memory of «all those who gave their lives in the cause of Irish Freedom». It is located in the northern fifth of the former Rotunda Gardens in Parnell Square, a Georgian square at the northern end of O’Connell Street. The garden, which I really like, is in the form of a sunken cruciform water-​feature. The focal point is a statue of the Children of Lir by Oisín Kelly, symbolising rebirth and resurrection, added in 1971.

A gorgeous public park in the middle of Dublin. Just at the top of O’Connell Street. I love the sculpture of the Children of Lir. Raised beds border the sculpture so it’s a handy spot for sitting and having lunch outside on a fine day. Bit of renovation work going on there at the moment

Today at 2.30 the Garden of Remembrance was the starting point for the 99^th anniversary of the 1916 rising. Often forgotten the garden of remembrance was packed to the rafters with visitors and tourists wondering what it is all about. Soldiers carrying Irish flags led the march from the garden down to Moore Street past the number 16 building and on to the GPO. My family and I followed behind.
The garden of Remembrance was beautiful today with the water in the cross clean and litter free and the Children of Lir drew many a child and which symbolises the death and rebirth of Ireland and it’s struggle for freedom from British tyranny.
«We Saw A Vision»
In the darkness of despair we saw a vision,
We lit the light of hope and it was not extinguished.
In the desert of discouragement we saw a vision.
We planted the tree of valour and it blossomed.
In the winter of bondage we saw a vision.
We melted the snow of lethargy and the river of resurrection flowed from it.
We sent our vision aswim like a swan on the river. The vision became a reality.
Winter became summer. Bondage became freedom and this we left to you as your inheritance.
O generations of freedom remember us, the generations of the vision

The Garden of Remembrance is a small memorial garden in Dublin, Ireland that was designed by Daithi Hanly in 1966 and dedicated to the memory of all of those who gave their lives in the cause of Irish Freedom. The garden is located at the northern end of Parnell Square at the end of O’Connell Street in North Central Dublin.
This beautiful and peaceful garden is a wonderful spot to relax after a busy day of sight-​seeing in Dublin. The garden conveys a mix of emotions of sadness, determination, and courage of the Irish people who died in 1916 during the struggle for Irish independence from the British Crown. Noteworthy sights in the Garden of Remembrance include: the cross-​shaped reflective pool that is lined with mosaics of shattered swords and broken shields, Oisín Kelly’s «Children of Lir» sculpture, and Liam Mac Uistin’s poem, «We Saw a Vision».
Admission is free to this garden and the park is open daily.

Nice little garden after the rough end of O’Connell Street. Open during day, closed during night. In summer a cool place to sit and read, because the benches looking towards the monument face the sun.

A beautiful, sunny day in early June. Strolling up O’Connell St, over the Liffey, past all the tacky hawkers flogging Father Ted tshirts to the stupid tourists. All the Starbucks and burger joints and people hustling home all the assorted crap they’ve bought. Ain’t Dublin grand?
Then at the top of O’Connell St, a left and into Parnell Square. and there something profound will slap you in the face. The Garden of Rememberance. A rectangle of quiet, peace, and dignity amid the ever-​moving throng. The soaring geese frozen in mid-​flight. The reflecting pools. All those souls who gave «the last full measure of devotion» for the people of this country.
I’m struck by the superficial banality of the 21^st century and that all those living, breathing people chose to die for THIS. But then I see that all this, Father Ted tshirts and all the other meaningless junk, is exactly what those martyrs wanted us to be able to have. They chose to die not so we could have all this, but so that we could have the right to have all this.
Now I understand why this space is here. Thank you Ireland.

I have to say it is very inspiring and moving. Was a lovely sunny day when we went and I really enjoyed it. I am glad it got such good coverage with the Queen’s recent visit. The fountain is beautiful.

An absolutely beautiful, peaceful stop. For some reason it was never open when we tried, but we walked around to the side and still were able to view the beautiful mosaic in the fountain, the sculpture and the incredible detailed gates that symbolize the pride of Ireland. Pride in their struggle for independence, pride in the people that lost their lives in the struggle for it and pride for what they have accomplished all these long years.
This quaint little park is truly a piece of Irish history you’ll want to experience.

This is right across from where I work and is a beautiful spot to eat lunch in the summer. The story behind it keeps you grounded in the history of Ireland and I really appreciate that.

Beautiful, peaceful, and timeless. This is a nice place to visit, to reminisce, and to pay respects to those lost in the stuggles of the past. It’s a lovely place to sit; away from the busy noise of city life and to think back to the times of our ancestors. There is also a link to the ‘Children of Lir’ sculpture with a memorial which reads: «In the darkness of despair we saw a vision. We lit the light of hope and it was not extinguished. In the desert of discouragement we saw a vision. We planted the tree of valour and it blossomed. In the winter of bondage we saw a vision. We sent our vision aswim like a swan on the river. Bondage became freedom and this we left to you as our inheritance. O generations of freedom remember us. The generations of the vision.»

I actually only found out about the Garden of Remembrance because of a student demonstration, which started at the corner here before moving down to the Dail on Kildare Street.
The Garden is a beautiful, tranquil place for when you need a break from the hustle and bustle of everything else. The ponds and statues are great eyecatchers and even if you just want to enjoy the few rays of sunlight Dublin gets every year, this is a good place to start at. Like Jo pointed out though, they tend to close the gates pretty much on time and they will try and move you out of the Garden early in order to close up on time.

My friends refer to the Garden of Remembrance as the northside’s answer to St Stephens Green. While it pales in comparison to the ever-​popular Green, the Garden provides a welcome escape from the madness of Parnell and O’Connell…
The only thing that isn’t so great about the Garden of Remembrance is you’re not supposed to sit on the grass (Annie, pay attention!) so there can be no possibility of recreating the picnics of Stephens Green.
And just a heads up — they are very strict about closing times at the Garden of Remembrance. A group of us were ushered out mid-​sandwich one afternoon, a full 15 minutes before clsoing time… the man wouldn’t have a bar of us wanting to eat our dinner sitting down. oh no!
And make sure you have a look in the ponds — the mosaic pictures of the celtic weapons are really beautiful (I’ll even put a picture up to prove it!)

An Gairdín Cuimhneacháin is a beautiful garden in the heart of the city. It is part of the former Rotunda Gardens and is a traditional Georgian Square.
It was designed by Daithi Hanly and dedicated to the memory of all those who gave their lives in the cause of Irish Freedom.
The large sculpture by Oisin Kelly is based on the theme of the «Children of Lir».
In 1976, a contest was held to find a poem which could express the appreciation and inspiration of the Irish struggle for freedom. The winner was Liam Mac Uistin, whose poem «We Saw a Vision» is now written in Irish, French, and English on the stone wall of the monument.
” We Saw A Vision
In the darkness of despair we saw a vision, We lit the light of hope, And it was not extinguished, In the desert of discouragement we saw a vision, We planted the tree of valour, And it blossomed
In the winter of bondage we saw a vision, We melted the snow of lethargy, And the river of resurrection flowed from it.
We sent our vision aswim like a swan on the river, The vision became a reality, Winter became summer, Bondage became freedom, And this we left to you as your inheritance.
O generation of freedom remember us, The generation of the vision.
The garden is intended as a place of quiet remembrance and reflection.

If you’ve ever been on a protest march in Dublin, whether against the US’s most recent military débacle, to petition the government against the EU, or just joining along for nothing more than the fun of a protest’s atmosphere, then you’ve started off here.
I was caught in the rain today though, and huddled in under here, and for the first time actually looked at it properly. And what’s it like, well, it’s lovely. One of the few areas around this area of the city that’s nicely maintained without being gaudy and it is really something. Unlike other memorial gardens etc, this one IS a true memorial, and a kind of one to be proud of. Definitely a place to stop and take a moment to yourself.

This is a beautiful city centre green space to take time out in. It is dedicated to people who lost their lives fighting for Irish freedom. You will see people meditating, kids practising break-​dancing, people reading and eating etc. The area is essentially a long strip of deepened land created around a pool in the shape of a cross. There are steps down to the water fixture which is a shallow pool with a pretty mosaic base which looks great when the sun shines. There is also a design of various Celtic weapons in the mosaic. You will also see an amazing sculpture of the Children of Lir, another Celtic reference. All around it are concrete benches were you can relax. Above that again are two strips of lawn on either side. It’s clean and safe, a great place to chill or steal a kiss. I am working on the assumption that that kiss would be with someone you know because anything else would break some law I am sure and that’s not cool.

A memorial garden for our patriot dead… the rhetoric rings a bit hollow after the violence of the Troubles, especially these days when revisionism is creeping even into the school history curriculum.
Whether or not you take your militant nationalism with a pinch of salt, this is a nice place to eat your sandwiches. It’s always quiet, moreso than the other city centre parks, and it’s nice looking, in a dated sort of way.
The centre piece is a sculpture of the Children of Lir turning from swans back into people (regeneration, d’ya geddit?) by Oisin Kelly, who also did Big Jim Larkin on O’Connell Street.