Dublin City Council’s Newly Designed Peace Garden Re-opens
The Peace Garden at Christchurch Place, Dublin 8 has been officially re-opened. This newly designed garden will provide a beautiful public space for quiet contemplation in the bustling historic centre of the city. Located in Dublin’s medieval quarter, this 0.1 hectare garden is adjacent to the ruins of the Church of St. Nicholas Within and opposite Christ Church Cathedral.
The Peace Garden was originally developed as part of the Dublin Millennium celebrations in 1988. In the original design the garden was ‘sunken’, which was a popular theme at the time, however the space became problematic because the steps and low wall did not comply with up-dated standards for universal access and safety. Ultimately the garden was closed to the public for almost 10 years, due to loitering and anti-social behaviour.
The newly designed garden has been raised with a ramped access to be fully accessible to all. The materials used in the pavement, steps and seating (Carlow limestone setts and Wicklow granite) reflect the quality of the original garden and the materials used by Dublin City Council in other recent public realm improvements at St Audoen’s Park and Christchurch Cathedral.
The Tree of Life a bronze sculpture by artist Leo Higgins, which was in the original garden, has been restored and returned to the park and extracts from poems by W.B.Yeats and Patrick Kavanagh are embedded in the stone walls and footpaths throughout the park. The garden now also has a Flanders Field’s memorial which incorporates soil from Flanders as a memorial to the Irishmen who died and were injured in the First World War. John Behan’s sculpture Millennium Child stands at the entrance to the park.
The project was planned and designed by Dublin City Council’s in-house team of Peter Leonard, Senior Executive Landscape Architect, and Gareth Toolan, Executive landscape Architect in association with Dermot Foley Landscape Architects. The construction was by MCD landscapes.
Speaking about the reopening of the park, Cllr Michael Watters said: “I want to congratulate Dublin City Council’s Parks Service for the work they have done in recreating the Peace Park at Christchurch Place. It is wonderful to have this park once again open to the public. Its significance as a place of retreat and tranquillity is important in a busy capital city like Dublin. It offers visitors and locals alike an opportunity to come into a tranquil space, take time out from everyday stresses and relax. I encourage people to make use of this park and savour the views it offers of medieval Christchurch Cathedral.”
Pictured are: Leslie Moore, Head of Parks Service in Dublin City Council, Liz Halpin, Head of Dublin Region Failte Ireland, and Councillor Michael Watters, representing the Lord Mayor.
Leslie Moore, Head of Parks Service in Dublin City Council, said: “The Parks Service of Dublin City Council has a dedicated team of horticulturists who will maintain the Peace Garden as a haven for people and biodiversity. The re-opening of this garden to the public follows on from the rejuvenation of St. Audoen’s Park and the grounds of Christchurch Cathedral and the greening of Nicholas Street and High Street. All of these improvements are the fruit of Dublin City Council and Fáilte Ireland’s continuing partnership to enhance the city to visitors which also benefits those of us who work and live in the city.”
The ‘Peace Garden’ is one of a number of projects in Dublin City Council’s Public Realm Masterplan 2016, which sought to expedite the improvement of public realm in the city centre. The opening of the Peace Garden also reflects the close and effective partnership between Dublin City Council and Fáilte Ireland in promoting Dublin city as a destination for tourists.
The project has been supported by Fáilte Ireland under its capital investment programme for Dublin and it is one of a series of such improvements along The Dubline – a discovery trail which takes visitors through the heart of Dublin city centre from Parnell Square and O’Connell Street to Christ Church Cathedral and west to James’s Street and Kilmainham.
Dublin City Council’s partnership with Fáilte Ireland also involves improving the orientation of tourists around the city, the animation of the city with festivals and events and the improvement of the public realm and visitor infrastructure.
