Our 1828 Georgian BandB was quite near a couple of iconic Dublin parks. Dublin parks sport wrought-iron fences because they originally were private parks used only by those whose homes faced the park; the gates are still locked at night. The townhouses around Merrion Square, laid out in 1762, housed such notables as the poet W.B. Yeats, Gothic mystery novelist Sheridan Le Fanu, and Irish political leader Daniel O'Connell. Today the park is full of statuary, lawns, a pond and, most notably, a raffish statue of the Irish poet, novelist and bon vivant, Oscar Wilde:
The statue was done by Danny Osborne and commissioned by Guinness, who know a good-time guy when they see one.
Near Grafton Street is the 22-acre St. Stephen's Green; we entered at Grafton Street, where there is a poignant statue depicting the Great Famine:
The many paths around and through St. Stephen's Green are lined with statuary and fountains, and full of cheeky birds.
In one corner of the park is Ardilaun Lodge, named for Arthur Edward Guinness, 1st Baron Ardilaun (no getting away from the Guinness family in Dublin, let me tell you).
Roof fascia detail:
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