MERRION SQUARE

Last year, as I stood near the finishing line of the Airtricity Dublin City Marathon at Merrion Square, awaiting the arrival of my hobbling, ‘Marathon Man’ offspring (God love him) I wondered about the park behind me. Must take a dekko some day. Well, that ‘some day’ occurred in mid-February. I took a saunter around Merrion Square Park to explore its many attractions. My first visit, the park proved to be a captivating and curious place with some remarkable monuments (well, those that were easily accessible), its own underground, World War 11 air-raid shelter/ tunnels, and an interesting history. Once named the Archbishop Ryan Park, it’s now renamed, simply, The Merrion Square Park. Archbishop Dermot Ryan, along with a couple of other Catholic bishops, were criticised in the Murphy Report, thus the park name change.     

An impressive Georgian square, with grand, stately Georgian houses on three sides and the national museums and government parliament/buildings on the other side, Merrion Square screams grandeur and posh of the Upstairs, Downstairs variety. Principally a commercial area now, the architecturally splendid homes once housed famous residents like Daniel O’Connell, William Butler Yates and Oscar Wilde among others. The square’s centre consists of an enclosed public park with a number of gated entrances.   I entered through the gate near the north-west corner. Turning left, the sprawling, coloured statue of famous Irish dramatist, Oscar Fingal O'Flahertie Wills Wilde (to give the chap his full handle) soon greeted me. According to sculptor, Danny Osbourne, he created a coloured statue for a specific reason: it was appropriate for a colourful character like Oscar Wilde.    

The ingenious, eccentric playwright and poet is depicted lying in a slouching manner on a thirty ton rock, with a cheeky grin on his face which reminded me of the wonderful Kinks song: Lazing on a sunny afternoon. Except it wasn’t a sunny afternoon; it was a cold February morning with an angry looking sky that looked browned off and ready to inflict more monsoon-like rain on Dublin. Incidentally, Met Eireann stated February 2014 was the wettest since records began in Ireland.   Anyway, Oscar looked content and above it all.

The statue faces Oscar’s former home, number one Merrion Square, now the American College.Carved from coloured rock, the statue is striking; his beautiful jacket was sculpted from green Jade ;Oscar’s collar and cuffs come from Central Norway; the shoes and socks were fashioned from black, Indian granite, and his trousers were created from Norwegian, blue pearl granite. Nearby the statue, a plaque inscription on a small rock reads: “The Oscar Wilde House, 1 Merrion Square, Dublin 2. The childhood home of Oscar Wilde. Ground and first floors now open for guided tours. To view, please contact Reception at 1 Merrion Square.” I haven’t had the pleasure … yet.

Facing the Wilde statue are two small sculptures mounted on pillars, one representing a pregnant, naked lady and the other a male torso. Initially, I thought the pillars were covered in graffiti. Closer inspection revealed each pillar is etched with handwritten witticisms and sayings attributed to the engaging, witty writer. I liked the saying on the ‘torso’ pillar which read: “It seems to me that we all look at Nature too much, and live with her too little,” and my favourite one on the ‘pregnant’ pillar read: “I drink to keep body and soul apart.” Nice one, Oscar. A true genius.

I continued my exploration and walk along the northern section of the park. Unlike St. Stephen’s Green myriad of wide walkways, this park consisted of fewer walkways which were also somewhat narrower than the Green’s. Some twittering birds could be heard from the plentiful, mature trees, and all conducive to a pleasant, peaceful walk. Comfortable looking benches begged to be sat on. Not a soul could be seen or heard, despite the small, children’s’ playground to my right; perhaps because it was a school morning, or maybe due to the fact that the heavens threatened to open any minute.

Further on, something caught my eye across the grass on the right-hand side, surrounded by foliage and greenery. Reluctantly--because the recent weather had reduced the grass to near quagmire status--I slithered across the muddy ground to get a clearer view. A bust of a nineteenth-century, Latin American solider decorated with medals, was the ‘something’ which aroused my curiosity. A plaque inscription read: Bernardo O’Higgins.

Bernardo O’Higgins, illegitimate, Chilean born son to a fifty-eight-year-old Sligo man Ambrose O’Higgins (Governor of Chile, Viceroy of Peru) and an eighteen-year-old Chilean woman, Isabel Riquelme, grew up to become known and celebrated as the ‘Liberator of Chile’. By all accounts, Bernardo’s brave, militaristic endeavours enabled him to become a Chilean national hero and his name is honoured throughout the South American country. Fascinating.

Like the O’Higgins monument, though, there were other statue attractions and memorials almost hidden amongst dense shrubbery in some areas of the park. Erected, seemingly, in a kind of hit-and-miss manner, some monuments look like they are playing hide-and-seek with the visitors. Or maybe they come alive at night-time and play games, and at the first sign of light they return to lifeless statues. It’s just a theory. After all, moving statues aren’t a new phenomenon in Ireland. Also noticeable were the occasional, old-fashioned, street lamp standard placed here and there. Curious.

Nevertheless, despite some park peculiarities, it’s a refreshing place with well-tended, open grass areas and blessed with attractions of historic, nostalgic and sentimental interest. For instance, the ‘Jester’s Chair’ honours the much loved comedian of Father Ted fame, Dermot Morgan. This tall, bronze chair is nicely positioned within the park, without the necessity to walk on the grass to view. An inscription on the chair reads: “DERMOT MORGAN 1952-1998.”    

Dermot Morgan had a unique comic talent, and I was a fan. Tragically, he died at forty-seven years of age--way too young, Lord rest him. He was a very talented impressionist and I greatly enjoyed his mirthful mimicry. Check out YouTube video http://www.youtube.com /watch?v=yHxrDcAjf60.

Here you will find Dermot lampooning various luminaries, but the main target for his side-splitting satire is Irish boxing hero Barry McGuigan’s apparent penchant for incessantly ‘thanking’ boxing promoter, Barney Eastwood. This chart topping song, Thank You Very Much Mr.Eastwood, may be dated now but is still fun to watch. Good craic.

Soon, I spotted a number of yellow-coated workmen busily chopping overgrown branches off some trees, and clearing away dense shrubbery etc. Their assiduous activities revealed a statue which had previously been partially obscured (the park’s hide ‘n’ seek champion, no doubt). Strolling along the southern section of the park, I sought out more attractions.

Like the ‘Jester’s Chair’, I came across other easily accessible and interesting memorials like Irish revolutionary leader Michael Collin’s bust, an extraordinary group of statues known as ‘Victims’, and a large, pyramid shaped memorial called ‘National Memorial to Members of Defence Forces,’ near the south-west gate. According to the inscription, engraved on a separate, elevated piece of stonework, the Defence Forces pyramid shape monument "captures historic references to burial" and "reflects the military shape of a tent". Surrounded by concrete benches in a large, patio area, with three flagpoles and the middle one draped with an Irish flag (I also noticed someone had left a wreath) it is a place of contemplation and remembrance to those brave, Irish souls who sacrificed their lives for their country. This memorial is unusual albeit superb and stood out in comparison to the other commemorations in the park.

Another part of the inscription reads: “Within the pyramid, four bronze figures representing all elements of the Defence Forces, stand guard over the eternal flame that emanates from the Badge of the Defence Forces. The flame burns in perpetual memory of those members of the Defence Forces who have made the ultimate sacrifice.” Poignant. The pyramid faces a gated entrance, and I exited that way before more monsoon madness and inevitable downpour descended.

Merrion Square Park is a very enjoyable place to explore, walk and appreciate the many interesting memorials and their informative histories. I hope to pay it another visit in the summer.

Have a nice day.

Tomas O’hArgadain