Phoenix Park news

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Phoenix Park news

A history and
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"Brendan Nolan's comprehensive history and guidebook of Phoenix park is a masterpiece." Community Voice.

"Very well researched, and beautifully written and illustrated.
Make sure to buy a copy. It is certain to be of interest to anybody living in Dublin or within its commuter belt."...
Lucan Toastmasters

"This is an enthusiast's book."
RTÉ's Today with Pat Kenny

Reconstruction to continue

Planning permission has been sought by the Commissioners of Public Works for development in the walled garden of Ashtown Demesne.

The development will include: reconstruction of single storey horticultural buildings for public exhibition use; reconstruction of horticultural greenhouses; reconstruction of a conservatory; re-opening of a blocked-up gateway and the construction of an arched head to a large gateway.

Latest date for public observations to Dublin City Council, the planning authority, is October 15, 2008.

That's not the park

train in snow Confusion is being caused by the naming of a new railway station on the Navan line in Dublin as Phoenix Park.

The station was built as part of the development of the old Phoenix Park racecourse which is adjacent to, but not part of, the park.

There is no access to the park from the station, which is some distance from the park, in the real world.

Iarnrod Eireann has written to local Fingal councilors to say it is liaising with Dublin Tourism to warn intending park visitors arriving by train that there is a considerable walk from the station to the park.

Cycling through the park

doggybag Visitors to the park may now hire bikes at the Parkgate Street entrance to the park and cycle through the park as they will. Several dedicated cycle paths have been laid out through the park In recent years, but cyclists are not confined to particular paths.

The hire centre is housed in the old Garda sub-station at Parkgate Street and is the brainchild of former professional cyclist Paul McQuaid who is on hand with best advice.
For detail, see the website

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Shuttle bus starts in Phoenix Park

park bus A shuttle bus service is now in operation in Phoenix Park to transport passengers around the park.

The service operates every 20 minutes from a terminus outside the park beside the Luas bridge at Parkgate Street. The fare is €1.

From Monday to Friday the service runs from 7am; and on weekends and bank holidays it operates from 10am, concluding at 7.00pm each day.

zoo lodge The bus travels to the Zoo, then along the back road to Cabra and Ashtown gates, over to Farmleigh, down to the papal cross and the visitor's centre before returning to Parkgate Street once more.

It is intended the service will operate past Ordnance Survey and around the upper glen area; and past St Mary's hospital.

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Children's playground open for fun

A new children's playground is now open in Phoenix Park.

Opening hours are 9.30am to 5pm.

The entrance is on the western side of the walled garden at the Visitor's Centre at Ashtown Castle.

Entry is free and the sparkling new facility is already attracting organized school groups during school term.

No Way out at Chapelizod

Commuters returning to a route across Phoenix Park after a summer break will find new road and gate closures in place.

A pilot one way traffic system is now in effect at Chapelizod Gate where motor traffic may enter the park but may not exit.

Meanwhile, Islandbridge gate became exit-only at the same time for motor traffic.

The Military Road or Corkscrew Road which links these two gates is closed to through traffic. This will not affect access to any dwelling or facility along this road, according to the OPW.

The Phoenix Park Transportation Study, published in October 2006, contained a number of traffic management measures aimed at enhancing safety for all park users, improving access and reducing the impact of through traffic in the park.

The Commissioners of Public Works, under the Phoenix Park Act 1925, said it arranged for implementation of these traffic restrictions, contained in that study, with effect from June 24, 2007.

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Peach houses to be restored
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Aras an Uachtarain The Turner range of peach glasshouses in the grounds of Áras an Uachtaráin (left) are to be restored by the OPW.

Tenders have been sought from suitable contractors for the work.

Planned is restoration of the existing 1843-built wrought and cast iron Peach range of glasshouses. The glasshouses are 65 metres long, 4.5 metres wide and 4 metres high.

Re-instatement of the south window of the glasshouse, including the rear wall, is included in the proposals.

The works will include provision of ramped access for people with disabilities, an upgrade of existing circulation paths within the glasshouse and associated ground works and services.

Significant restoration work will need to be executed off-site before re-instatement on-site, said the OPW.

The glasshouse is within the curtilage of Áras an Uachtaráin, which is a Protected Structure and is subject to security restrictions as required by the Office of the Secretary General to the President and an Garda Síochána.

garda HQ Meanwhile, and also in Phoenix Park applications were invited from experienced building, electrical and mechanical contractors wishing to be considered for inclusion on a panel from which tenders will be invited for the refurbishment of Block N, Garda Headquarters in Phoenix Park.

That development will include refurbishment, including conservation works of the former Riding School Stables which were constructed in 1864, for use as a Garda Driver facility, to include offices, classrooms, shower and locker rooms, a plant room and a lift for disabled people.

The entire development will be some 1,086 sq.m of the existing building, according to the OPW.

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Traffic report is online
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The Commissioners of Public Works have posted the report of a comprehensive study of traffic in the park conducted in summer 2006 by Faber Maunsell Consulting Engineers.
read it here

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Park horses to rest in Merrion Square
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garda horses Garda horses whose home and stable are in Phoenix Park are to have a day stable in Merrion Square, near to Leinster House on the south side of the city and within a short gallop of St Stephen's Green and Grafton Street.

The force is to lease the ground floor of one of the few remaining Georgian coach houses in a lane behind Merrion Square as a pit stop for horses in their mounted unit and a rest room for garda riders, according to the Sunday Times.

The Irish Landmark Trust, a non-profit-making organizations, owns the 200-year-old coach house.

The garda mounted unit was established in 1998 and includes 10 horses, two sergeants, 14 gardai, and two civilian grooms in its ranks. The unit favours the Irish draught horse as its breed of choice.

Its permanent stables are in the grounds of Áras an Uachtaráin rather than at the nearby Garda Headquarters, both of which are in Phoenix Park.

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The reds comeback
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Dublin Zoo is planning to reintroduce the red squirrel to Phoenix Park, where it was last seen in 1987. The zoo is to breed about 300 reds to remind visitors that the red squirrel is a native species.

squirrel fork The first recorded sighting of the more aggressive gray squirrel was in Áras an Uachtaráin in 1978. The last recorded sighting of the red squirrel was on St Patrick's Day in 1987, according to park management.

By the turn of the millennium no red squirrels were extant in the park.

The American gray was introduced to Ireland in 1911 as a wedding present and released at Castle Forbes in Longford. The gray has no natural predators and is able to consume squirrel food at an earlier stage than the red. As a consequence, the red has died off across much of the country.

Some 80 per cent of new trees are being damaged by gray squirrels in Phoenix Park who strip the bark from the trees.

However, before consideration can be made of the red being released into the wild of the park, the Office of Public Works has commissioned a study by the zoology department at University College Dublin on releasing them, according to reports in the Sunday Times.

The department is already conducting an ongoing study of the deer herd.

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New roundabout slows traffic
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A temporary roundabout on Chesterfield Avenue is expected to reduce traffic accidents on the park's busiest road.

In recent years eight minor roads were closed leading to a 50 per cent reduction in traffic accidents.

The latest roundabout, installed in April 2006, is on Mountjoy Cross, one of the busiest junctions in Phoenix Park which currently experiences some 30,000 car journeys a day.

The roundabout as installed can be removed temporarily as required and re-installed once more.

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April Fool in the park
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More than 250,000 listeners to the RTE radio programme Mooney goes Wild on One were somewhat startled to hear a "live" story from Phoenix Park on April Fool's Day when it was announced that protestors had arrived to demonstrate at what was claimed was a proposal to build a dual-carriageway with ten metre high screening walls down Chesterfield Avenue.

It was said to be part of the Amended Programme for Rail Integrated with Luas: First Official On-Line report. April Fool.

Author Brendan Nolan(above left) was invited to give his comments as author of Phoenix Park a history and guidebook and stayed on to hold a placard at the pseudo demo.

The Evening Herald the national newspaper (300,000 plus readers) joined in the prank by sending a photographer to shoot the protest which duly appeared as the page three lead on April 1.

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Cavendish murder causes riots in West Riding
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by Chris Helme

Lord Cavendish was the MP for the West Riding area that covered my home town of Brighouse. His murder on May 6th 1882 in Phoenix Park caused unprecedented public disorder in the town. more

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Ormonde coin sold for £77,625 at auction
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A gold coin issued by the man who began the Phoenix Park deer park sold for £77,625 (€114,000) at a Spink auction in London on February 22, 2006. more

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Read

The comprehensive book on Dublin's own national park.

In the shops now

ISBN 1-904148-78-6
or order online here

oOo

Copies of Phoenix Park a history and guidebook are a welcome addition to your corporate or conference goodybag. Ask for bulk order details.

Brendan Nolan has reported on Phoenix Park as a freelance journalist for several decades and was a professional observer at many of the events of the late 20th century related herein.

click to order your signed copy for home delivery

See our new whatson page here

Latest update

That's not the park here

recent postings

Cycling through the park here

Shuttle bus starts in Phoenix Park here

Children's Playground is now open here

older postings

No Way out at Chapelizod go

Peach houses to be restored go

Traffic report is online go

Park horses to rest in Merrion Square go

April Fool in the park go

Cavendish murder causes riots in West Riding go

Ormonde coin sold for £77,625 at auction go

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"Author Brendan Nolan provides a fascinating read."
Irish Independent.

"It's a fabulous book. It should be in all the schools."
West Dublin Access Radio

Nolan sets well-known events in the Park's history beside accounts of its buildings and institutions, as well as obscure subjects like park rangers' uniform regulations.
Irish Times

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