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Phoenix Park
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Phoenix Park (in Irish, Páirc an Fhionn-Uisce) is a large park located 3 km to the north west of Dublin city centre in Ireland. It measures 712 hectares (1752 acres), with a walled circumference of 16 km that contains large areas of grassland and tree-lined avenues. The park is home to a herd of wild Fallow deer. The name is a corruption of the Irish fionn uisce meaning "clear water".
It is one of the largest enclosed city parks in Europe. Richmond Park in London, England is larger at 10 km² (2,500 acres). Phoenix Park is larger than both Central Park in New York and Hyde Park in London.
Unusually for North Dublin, Phoenix Park has an even-numbered area code (Dublin 8/D8). All other areas (except for the adjacent Chapelizod) have even numbered area codes if on the southside of Dublin, or odd-numbered on the northside.
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After the Normans conquered Dublin and its hinterland in the 12th century Hugh Tyrell, 1st Baron of Castleknock, granted a large area of land, including what now comprises the Phoenix Park, to the Knights of St. John of Jerusalem. They established an abbey at Kilmainham on the site now occupied by Royal Hospital Kilmainham. The knights lost their lands when Henry VIII confiscated monastic properties in 1537 and eighty years later the lands once more reverted to the ownership of the King's representatives in Ireland. On the restoration of Charles II, his Viceroy in Dublin, Lord Ormonde established a Royal Hunting Park which contained pheasants and wild deer, therefore it was necessary to enclose the entire area with a wall. It was opened to the people of Dublin by Lord Chesterfield in 1747.
The residence of the President of Ireland (Áras an Uachtaráin) is located in the park.
One of the main attractions in the park is Dublin Zoo, which houses more than 700 animals and tropical birds from around the world. It was founded in 1830 making it the third oldest zoo in the world.
The Papal Cross was erected for the visit of Pope John Paul II in September 1979. Over one million people attended an open air mass in the park at the time.
The Wellington Monument (also known as the Wellington Testimonial) is a 62m (205 foot) tall obelisk commemorating the victories of Duke of Wellington.
The Deerfield Residence was the former residence of the Chief Secretary for Ireland. It is now the official residence of the United States Ambassador to Ireland.
This monument in shape of a Corinthian column with a Phoenix bird rising from the ashes at its pinnacle. It was erected by Lord Chesterfield in 1747.
The oldest building in the park is Ashtown Castle, a restored medieval tower house dating from the 17th century. It is located beside the Visitors Centre which houses interpretive displays on the 5,500 years of park and area history.
The headquarters of the Irish national police force, An Garda Síochána, are located in the park. It also contains several sports grounds for football, soccer, cricket and polo.
The National Ambulance Service College is located at Saint Marys Hospital on the Chapelizod side of the park.
The State Guest House, Farmleigh, adjoins the park to the north-west. The south western corner of the park is known as the Furry Glen and has a series of short walks centred around a small lake with birds, plants and wildlife.
The park is featured prominently in James Joyce's novel, Finnegans Wake, and tangentially in Ulysses. It is occasionally used for open-air concerts and the annual Phoenix Park Motor Races.
Motor racing first took place in Phoenix Park in 1903 when the Irish Gordon Bennett Race Speed Trials were held on the main straight for both cars and motorcycles. This was followed in 1929 by the Irish International Grand Prix; the first of three Irish motor racing grand prixs.[1] Racing took place between 1932 until the beginning of World War II in 1939 and was revived again in 1949 with a sprint on the Oldtown circuit[2] followed the next year by a full racing meeting again and has been used virtually continuously until today. Over the years seven different circuits have been used, two of which are named after the famous Ferrari World Champion racing driver Mike Hawthorn.
| Season | Date | Race Name | Location | Winning Driver | Chassis | Engine |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1929 | July 12 | I Irish Grand Prix (Saorstat Cup) | Phoenix Park |  Boris Ivanowski |
Alfa Romeo 6C | Alfa Romeo |
| 1929 | July 13 | I Irish Grand Prix (Éireann Cup) | Phoenix Park | Boris Ivanowski |
Alfa Romeo 6C | Alfa Romeo |
| 1930 | July 18 | II Irish Grand Prix (Saorstat Cup) | Phoenix Park | Victor Gillow | Riley 9 Brooklands | --- |
| 1930 | July 19 | II Irish Grand Prix (Éireann Cup) | Phoenix Park |  Rudolf Caracciola |
Mercedes SSK | Mercedes-Benz |
The park has played host to music concerts over the years including Robbie Williams, U2, Red Hot Chili Peppers. In October and November of 2007 - a string of concerts were held in a circus big top style stage with performances from Arcade Fire (X2), Ian Brown, Bloc Party, Manu Chao and Enrique Iglesias. In December of 2007 Kanye West and Justice performed Live at the Marquee. Other performers will include Cascada.
- ^ PhoenixParkMotorRaces.org The Event (retrieved 7 March 2007)
- ^ Phoenix Park race tracks (retrieved 7 March 2007)
- Architecture of key park buildings
- Map of greater Dublin showing the placement and size of Phoenix Park. It is the large green area west of the city centre, above the word "Kilmainham".
- Satellite Photo of Phoenix Park