Park final

Group 12: Cillian Magee, Ciara Grace, Timothy Brick, Luke O’Callaghan

MOUNTJOY SQUARE PARK


31st August, 1801 – Charles McDaniel, of theCircular Road, is given the contract to level thesquare for which he is to receive £56 17s 6d oncompletion of the work within eight weeks

25th November, 1801 – Petition read in theHouse of Commons suggesting that the square,which at that time was “nearly enclosed by astone curb”, should be ornamented, enclosedwith a railing and improved

27th November, 1801 – It is found that there areno funds to meet above expenses, but that theresidents have o!ered to defray the cost of therailings, by means of a rate upon themselves

30th April, 1802 – Mountjoy Square appears as apatch of wasteland and hillocks surrounded onthree sides by stone-base work and curbs


1800


1802 – Design for the park interior accepted by the commissioners is by a Mr. John Sutherland

1803 – All work on the square is completed by March 1803, except for planting due to budgeting problems. The park is rented for a season to grow potatoes

1805 June, 1805 – One hundred keys were made to fit the locks on the gates. The residents of Mountjoy Square were given one key per household.



1832 - The square was opened up to residents living on roads adjoining the square

1835 – Gardeners directed by commissioners to “prevent the young gentlemenwho frequent the square from playing at football, hurl or prisoner’s bar or anyother game tending to injure the grass plot”

1835 – At this stage there were no seats within the park. The treasurer at the timeordered four seats, four chairs and a military marquee to be installed within thepark

1836 – Grounds were opened to the general public, with an admission fee beingpaid

1836 – Military bands began to perform every Monday and Thursday during thesummer from 3:30 to 4:30 in the afternoon

1837 – The ash tree which had been a centre piece in the park was moved toshrubbery in a corner of the park. In original plans for the park it had beenplanned to have a new church at the centre of the park for the St. George’s parishbut it was decided that an ash tree would stand in the centre of the park

MOUNTJOY SQUARE PARK1830


1852 - £15 spent by commission to drain the park

1866 – The game of croquet is introduced to the square.That same summer young boys living in the vicinityof the square are permitted to hold foot races

1869 – Race competitions in the park are discontinued


1850

1860


May, 1881 - Lawn tennis permited to be played under certain conditions.

1884 - Subscribers list re-opens for the reintroduction of band preformances in thepark.

1895 Talks and debates take place on whether to make the park public or keep itprivate

1899 – Dublin Council begins attempts to have Mountjoy Square released for publicuse

1905 14th May. 1906 – Mr. M. J. McNulty is appointed commissioner. McNultybecomes honorary treasurer and secretary. He takes over completemanagement of the park as a hobby

1906 Mr. McNulty is responsible for the building of a greenhouse and flower frames.In the early 1900s the greenhouse flourished as a tuck shop and ice-creamparlour. A pavilion and a child welfare centre are later constructed on the site

1880



1922 – Abercrombie’s plan for Dublin proposes theredevelopment and transformation of MountjoySquare Park into an amusement park. The plansare never realised

23rd March, 1924 – A public meeting of the residentsin the area of the square is held to discuss itsimmediate opening to the public.


1920


1925 The next five years witness theintroduction of hard courts and theconstruction of a new tennis pavilion in1927. At this time Mountjoy Tennis Clubtakes its place as the foremost in thenorth side of the city

1930 April, 1933 – Dublin Corporationmake direct requests to the commissionthat half of the square be handed overfor the construction of a publicplayground

1935 23rd March, 1938 – The newcorporation act acquires MountjoySquare on behalf of the citizens of Dublinand takes over full maintenance of thepark



1940 – Day Nursery is set up in the park to cater for women workingduring the war

1945 An air-raid shelter was built in the park at the start of the war. It istold that on the night bombing occurred local residents flocked to itbut the key holder had gone to the cinema in O’Connell Street

1947 – Dublin Corporation converts the southeast corner of the square intoa playground


1940


1990 The park is re-developed in 1990with the guidance ofthe city’shorticulturalist, Dr.Christy Boylan. Thepathways areresurfaced andflowering shrubs areintroduced in place ofdecaying trees

1992 Uinseann MacEoinproposes parkrestoration


1990




Opening Times December – January 5.00pm February 5.30pm March 6.30pm April 7.30pm May 8.30pm June – July 10.00pm August 9.30pm September 8.30pm October 7.30pm November 5.30pm



• Unique as the only square Square in Dublin, each ofits sides being exactly 140 metres in length.

• Up until 1938, the park was owned and maintainedby the residents of Mountjoy Square.

• Since 1938 the Park is run and managed by DublinCity Council.

• Secured €250,000 for restoration of the railings.The only original railings remaining around a Dublinsquare.

• There is currently no charter on Mountjoy SquarePark.



The park is used by a variety of people. Localresidents come to the park to use its hardcourts which include a football pitch, tenniscourts, two basketball courts, one open andone enclosed. The grounds also have apermanent table tennis table. The park has aday nursery and community centre on site. Alarge playground attracts young children andwell maintained grass









Park, South elevation

Park, North elevation

Park, East elevation

Park, West elevation



Park Facilities

• 5-aside all weather footballpitch

• Band performances• Leisure Walks• Playground• Tennis• Basketball court• Community centre• Daycare• Croke Park related events



Playground



St. Brigid’s Day Nursery

• Founded in the 1940’s• To free up the women of the area so they could work

and help in the war e!ort.



St. Brigid’s Day Nursery

• Original building remains with a small extensionat the rear added in the 1990’s.

• The Nursery is a Limited Company and isfunded by the HSE.

• Special services: Speech and language clinicevery Monday

• Children referred by social workers, The Mater,public health nurses, family support workersand self referral by families themselves.



St. Brigid’s Day Nursery Catchment



Community Centre

• CASPrCommunity After SchoolsProject, run by North Inner CityDrugs Task Force (NICDTF).Predominantly to serviceGardiner’s Street Primary andO’Connell Street School.Trips and Summer Camps

• NCCCAPNorth City Centre CommunityAction Plan.

Tennis lessons.



NICDTF Catchment



Lamp Posts

There are two di!erentdesigns of street lamps onthe square. Those in frontof the houses are of thestyle called The ScotchStandard, from 1903-1920.

On the park side of thestreet, are more modest,consistent with a morerecent 1940-1950 design



Benches



Waste

The South West corner of the Park,formally public toilets is now acompost heap. All the chippingsfrom parks all over Dublin arebrought here to decompose.



Tree Species

• In 1990, decaying treeswithin the park were felledand replaced with flowerbeds and shrubs.

• Sycamore is thepredominant tree species.

• Other species that feature inthe park are:

Horse chestnutBeechAlderOakWeeping AshRowan



Biodiversity

• The meager variety ofvegetation and flowersbeds, may account for thelack of birds. Several pairsof Blackbirds live here, robinand sparrow have also beenseen. Black headed gullsand Starlings are also knowto visit, (Moriarty, C. 1997)

• The compost heap wouldprobably increase the insectbiodiversity and may attractsmall mammals.



Art

• Mosaic by TheTraveller CulturalHeritage Centre atPavee Point. Thismosaic depicts thelife of the travellingcommunity. Horses,caravans, and theroads they travel.

• Sundial. Ulysses,Chapter 10, TheWandering Rocks??



Bibliography

Bowers, Moira.(1999) Dublin city parks & gardens. Dublin : Lilliput Press.Dublin County Council (2001) The parks of County Dublin. Dublin County Council, Parks Department,National Council for Educational Awards. (1991) Gardiners' Dublin : a history and topography of Mountjoy Square and environs.

Dublin : NCEA.Moriarty, C. (1997) Exploring Dublin : wildlife, parks, waterways. Dublin, Ireland : Wolfhound Press.O$cial Publications, Oireachtas Dail (1938). Report of the Select Committee on the Mountjoy Square, Dublin, Bill, 1938 Ireland.

Oireachtas. Dáil.South Dublin County Council. Parks and Landscape Services Department. (2000) Guidelines for open space development and

taking-in-charge. South Dublin County Council, Parks and Landscape Services Department.

Websites:http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mountjoy_Squarehttp://www.nicdtf.ie/PROJECTS/PROJECTS/COMMUNITY_AFTER_SCHOOLS_PROJECT_(CASPr).htmlhttp://www.ncccap.ie/http://www.dublincity.ie/RECREATIONANDCULTURE/DUBLINCITYPARKS/VISITAPARK/Pages/MountjoySquarePark.aspxhttp://www.dublincity.ie/RecreationandCulture/DublinCityParks/Pages/TreesintheCity.aspxhttp://www.dublincity.ie/RecreationandCulture/DublinCityParks/Pages/ParksOpeningTimes.aspx

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