The square was laid out in 1762 to a plan by John Smyth and Jonathan Barker for the estate of Viscount FitzWilliam. Samuel Sproule later laid out the East side around 1780 and the gardens were created through a competition won by Benjamin Simpson in 1792 thanks to drawings created by John James Barralet. All of the surrounding houses were largely complete by the beginning of the 19th century.[1][2][3][4][5]
Aristocrats, bishops and the wealthy sold their northside townhouses and migrated to the new southside developments.
Legacy
Soldiers guard the site of the National Memorial to members of the Defence Forces who died in the Service of the State
All the original 18th century properties in Merrion Square have survived to the present day except for Antrim House which was demolished to make way for the National Maternity Hospital in the 1930s.[2] Three sides are lined with Georgian redbrick townhouses; the West side abuts the grounds of Leinster House (seat of the Oireachtas), Government Buildings, the Natural History Museum and the National Gallery. The central railed-off garden is now a public park.
Until 1972 the British Embassy was based at No 39.[10] However, following the Bloody Sunday shootings in Northern Ireland, a crowd of over 20,000 people converged on the site in protest and the building was burnt to the ground.[11] Currently, the Embassies of France, Korea and Slovakia are based on the south side of the square[12] and the Church of Scientology's National Affairs Office has been housed at No 4 on the north side since October 2016.[13][14]
Park
Merrion Square Park
The earliest plan of the park shows a double line of trees around the perimeter which was later enclosed by railings in the early years of the 19th century. A Jardin Anglaise approach was adopted for the layout of the park with contoured grass areas, informal tree clumps, sunken curved paths and perimeter planting.[15]
Up until 1974, the park was only open to residents in possession of a private key. Now managed by Dublin City Council, the park contains a statue of Oscar Wilde, who resided in No. 1, Merrion Square from 1855 to 1876,[16][17] many other sculptures and a collection of old Dublin lamp standards. Irish-American sculptor Jerome Connor, best known for his work "Nuns of the Battlefield" in Washington D.C., designed the public art piece, "Eire".[18] The park also contains a sculpture of a Joker's Chair in memory of Father Ted star Dermot Morgan.[19]
The park in the square was called "Archbishop Ryan Park", after Dermot Ryan, the Catholic archbishop who transferred ownership to the city. In 2009, Dermot Ryan was criticised in the Murphy Report; in January 2010, Dublin City Council sought public views on renaming the Park.[20] In September 2010, the City Council voted to rename the park as Merrion Square Park.[21]
The park was also used by the St John Ambulance Brigade for annual events such as reviews and first aid competitions. The organisation was founded in 1903 by Sir John Lumsden KBE MD. During this time Dr Lumsden was living nearby at 4 Fitzwilliam Place. He was the chief medical officer at the Guinness Brewery and practised at Mercer's Hospital.
During the First World War, both St. John Ambulance and the British Red Cross Society worked together in a joint effort as part of the war effort. This ensured services did not overlap with each other. Both organisations were a familiar sight among Irish people, particularly at Merrion Square where St. John Ambulance operated for almost 50 years. The headquarters of St. John Ambulance was situated at 40 Merrion Square during WWI later moving to 14 Merrion Square. Today they are located at Lumsden House, 29 Upper Leeson Street, Dublin 4 (see St John Ambulance archive for further info).
Notable residents
The Joker's Chair, built in memory of comedian Dermot Morgan
Merrion Square was a fashionable address for politicians, lawyers, doctors and writers. Notable residents include;
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