Rise like a Phoenix
Is there a greater park in the world, asks Domhnall O’Donoghue
Standing tall in the middle of the majestic, tree-lined Chesterfield Avenue the 3.7-mile thoroughfare that slices through Dublin’s Phoenix Park – is the Phoenix Monument, dating back to 1747. Interestingly, this tribute to the phoenix bird, proudly perched on the pinnacle of the Corinthian column, is – if you’ll forgive the analogy – something of a red herring.
While it’s widely assumed that the park was called after this mythical creature, most Irish experts indicate that the name is actually a corruption of Fionn Uisce, the Gaelic for “clear water” – possibly a reference to the holy well located near Spa Road.
While its name might prove problematic for pernickety etymologists, no one could ever doubt the park’s extraordinary ability to rise from the ashes.
JUST LIKE A PHOENIX
Spearheaded by the Duke of Ormond, King Charles II’s Viceroy in Dublin, this verdant expanse of land was originally a hunting ground in the 17th century. However, by the 19th century, it had become neglected.
As a result, the Commissioners of Woods and Forests enlisted Decimus
Burton to revitalise the park. Over 20 years, the renowned English landscape architect designed new paths and gatelodges, planted trees and relocated the aforementioned Phoenix Column. The results were phenomenal.
Today, the Phoenix Park spans a jaw-dropping 1,760 acres – the largest municipal park in the world within a city’s limits. Having recently moved nearby, every visit reveals new secrets to me. In fact, I’d almost argue that there are few places on the Emerald Isle that have witnessed so many iconic moments in Irish history – both good and bad.
Whether it was the grisly 1882 murders of the Chief Secretary and Under