Iveagh Gardens
Encyclopedia
The Iveagh Gardens is a public park located just behind the National Concert Hall
in Dublin, Ireland
.
The gardens in their present form were laid out in 1863 by Benjamin Guinness
after he had built what is now Iveagh House
on St. Stephen's Green
. Previously the land had been laid out as a private pleasure garden by "Copper-faced Jack", Earl of Clonmell
.
During the early 19th century the gardens were opened to the public and were called the Coburg Gardens, after the royal family of Saxe-Coburg
. By 1860 they had fallen into disrepair and were restored by Benjamin Guinness. His son Edward, the first Earl of Iveagh
, gave the gardens to the newly-chartered University College Dublin
in 1908, whose main building was then on nearby Earlsfort Terrace. In gratitude they were renamed the Iveagh Gardens.
The gift of the gardens by Iveagh mirrored his brother Lord Ardilaun's gift of St Stephen's Green to the city in 1880. Both parks are now managed by the Office of Public Works
.
National Concert Hall
The National Concert Hall is a concert hall located on Earlsfort Terrace in Dublin, Ireland, close to St. Stephen's Green, and is the principal national venue for classical music concerts in Ireland....
in Dublin, Ireland
Republic of Ireland
Ireland , described as the Republic of Ireland , is a sovereign state in Europe occupying approximately five-sixths of the island of the same name. Its capital is Dublin. Ireland, which had a population of 4.58 million in 2011, is a constitutional republic governed as a parliamentary democracy,...
.
The gardens in their present form were laid out in 1863 by Benjamin Guinness
Benjamin Guinness
Sir Benjamin Lee Guinness, 1st Baronet was an Irish brewer and philanthropist.-Brewer:Born in Dublin, he was the third son of the second Arthur Guinness , and his wife Anne Lee, and a grandson of the latter's namesake who founded the Guinness brewery in 1759...
after he had built what is now Iveagh House
Iveagh House
Iveagh House is the headquarters of the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade in Dublin. It is also sometimes used colloquially as a metonym referring to the department itself....
on St. Stephen's Green
St. Stephen's Green
St Stephen's Green is a city centre public park in Dublin, Ireland. The park is adjacent to one of Dublin's main shopping streets, Grafton Street, and to a shopping centre named for it, while on its surrounding streets are the offices of a number of public bodies and the city terminus of one of...
. Previously the land had been laid out as a private pleasure garden by "Copper-faced Jack", Earl of Clonmell
John Scott, 1st Earl of Clonmell
John Scott, 1st Earl of Clonmell PC KC SL , known as The Lord Earlsfort between 1784 and 1789 and as The Viscount Clonmell between 1789 and 1793, was an Irish barrister and judge...
.
During the early 19th century the gardens were opened to the public and were called the Coburg Gardens, after the royal family of Saxe-Coburg
Saxe-Coburg
Saxe-Coburg was a duchy held by the Ernestine branch of the Wettin dynasty in today's Bavaria, Germany.After the Division of Erfurt in 1572, Coburg was part of the Duchy of Saxe-Coburg-Eisenach, ruled by the Ernestine duke John Casimir jointly with his brother John Ernest. In 1596...
. By 1860 they had fallen into disrepair and were restored by Benjamin Guinness. His son Edward, the first Earl of Iveagh
Earl of Iveagh
Earl of Iveagh is a title in the Peerage of the United Kingdom. It was created in 1919 for the businessman and philanthropist Edward Guinness, 1st Viscount Iveagh. He was the third son of Sir Benjamin Guinness, 1st Baronet, of Ashford, and the great-grandson of Arthur Guinness, the founder of the...
, gave the gardens to the newly-chartered University College Dublin
University College Dublin
University College Dublin ) - formally known as University College Dublin - National University of Ireland, Dublin is the Republic of Ireland's largest, and Ireland's second largest, university, with over 1,300 faculty and 17,000 students...
in 1908, whose main building was then on nearby Earlsfort Terrace. In gratitude they were renamed the Iveagh Gardens.
The gift of the gardens by Iveagh mirrored his brother Lord Ardilaun's gift of St Stephen's Green to the city in 1880. Both parks are now managed by the Office of Public Works
Office of Public Works
The Office of Public Works is a State Agency of the Department of Finance in the Republic of Ireland...
.