A park that is definitely worth a visit in Dublin: Kilmainham Park
During my short stay in Dublin in May I finally visited Kilmainham Park opposite Heuston train station.
Kilmainham Park is located on the edge of Dublin city centre, opposite Heuston train station. Right next to it is Kilmainham Gaol, which contains a large piece of Irish history. The park is known for the IMMA – Irish Museum of Modern Art and also for the annual Forbidden Fruit festival, which this year was headlined by Nelly Furtado. What I did not know is that there is a park with a large green area, but right next to it there is a walled garden and the Royal Hospital Kilmainham, which nowadays houses the aforementioned IMMA.
What is so interesting about this location?
The building and garden itself were created at the end of the 17th century and were greatly inspired by Les Invalides in Paris. Both the building and the garden have a French feel, which is not something you would just come across in Ireland and is very different from Irish architecture (whether in terms of buildings or gardens/parks).
As soon as I entered this garden, I noticed many symbols of French influence – whether it was the statues erected around the garden or the manicured bushes lining the paths around. As I have mentioned several times in my other posts, I miss the European continental architecture, so coming here and seeing that touch of France was exactly what I needed. It really is a gem in the heart of Dublin.
It was put together by three men at the time – Francis Johnston, who is known as the architect of the General Post Office on O’Connell Street in Dublin (This iconic building is open to the public as a museum); Thomas Burgh, who designed the well-known library in Trinity College and perhaps Collins Barracks (Today there is the National Museum of Ireland – decorative arts and history – admission is free by the way) and gardener William Robinson.
I highly recommend Kilmainham Park and Gardens if you are ever in Dublin. Entry is free and from the city center you can take the Luas (tram) red line to Heuston and the park and gardens are just opposite! However, I’ll let my photos speak for this location 🙂
