Garden of Remembrance

Overview

This site was originally a former pleasure garden of the Rotunda hospital.

In 1966, on the 50th anniversary of the Easter Rising, it was officially opened by president Éamon De Valera as memorial garden to commemorate the lives of all those who died during Ireland’s struggle to gain independence.

Designed by Dáithí Hanly, the cross-shaped pool has mosaics of broken weapons in the water, referencing the old Celtic tradition at the end of battle. The dramatic Children of Lir sculpture was added in 1971 and represents transformation.

Liam Mac Uistin’s poem called "We Saw A Vision" is written in English, French and Irish.

In May 2011 Queen Elizabeth II laid a wreath here, which was the first time a British monarch had visited Ireland for 100 years.

The garden is open daily throughout the year and admission is free.

This beautiful garden in the centre of the city was designed by architect Dáithí Hanly and dedicated to the memory of ‘all those who gave their lives in the cause of Irish freedom’.

The garden was officially opened on the fiftieth anniversary of the 1916 Rising.

The focus point is a magnificent sculpture by Oisín Kelly, based on the legend of the Children of Lir, in which four children are transformed into swans and remain so for 900 years before becoming human again. A poem by Liam Mac Uistin is inscribed on the wall behind the sculpture. It concludes: ‘O generations of freedom remember us, the generations of the vision.’

The garden is intended as a place of quiet remembrance. It is a perfect place to enjoy some respite from the clamour of the city.