St Audoens Park, Dublin
Located on the corner of High Street and Cook Street [just on past Christ Church] St Audoens Park is, I’m glad to say, another of Dublins little gems. According to Dublin City Councils website:
St. Audoen’s Park, although less than 0.5 hectares in size, is quite significant in historical terms. Located adjacent to St. Audoen’s Church (1300 A.D.), it incorporates the first stone city wall dating from about 1100 A.D.; St. Audoen’s Arch, the last surviving entrance to the old city; and Fagan’s Gate.
The City Wall was restored in 1976 as part of Architectural Heritage Year and the park development of 1982 won a prestigious civic award. Audoen was a 7th – century Bishop of Rouen (France) and the nearby church named after him is reputedly one of the oldest still used for regular religious services.
As a park, it is extremely relaxing and a great little getaway from the hustle and bustle. The fact that it has so much from a heritage point of view is something that maybe is overlooked a bit too often… But maybe there’s a little of The War Memorial Park versus The Phoenix Park going on here with Christs Church only a stones throw away [?].
That said I like it. Nicely laid out. Clean and tidy. There was even a gardener in trimming the lawn edges on the day I visited. I also like the fact that there’s a Dublin Bike Scheme collection point right outside. I cycled right up from Exchequer Street. The beds were a little empty but I’ll simply put that down to the time of the season… still no leaves on the trees 😉 A note should go also to the stone work cobbles that so often are not in keeping with the surroundings.
Go take a look. Enjoy. Well worth it.
more picture of St Audoens Park
I’ve never been inside here. You should come check out my local park – Albert’s college.
A Chara Blaithín,
as long as you make the tea 🙂
i’ll look forward to it
peter
as a child St.Audeons park was a little Gem in the heart of a bustling city, many a game of hide and seek was played there, the nooks and crannys were a plenty, it had an almost errie feel of something seeped in history, it was by far mine and my brothers and sisters favourite place to play, tourists came and went and we allowed them to “visit” our castle often..some twenty odd years later I take my own children to see the playground that was hub of many children growing up in st. Audeons/ Cook Street area, I imagined they would love to run and hide in every little corner only to find these nooks were gated by big iron gates, the lush grass dotted with sleeping men wrapped in old stained sleeping bags and to my absolute horror young men and women sat on the old stone wall using drugs as freely as if the were gathering for lunch! a closer look saw the once sacred ground of respect for history and heritage littered with syringes and empty methdone bottles while the “parkkeeper” busied himself tending to weeds of the natural kind. it was a sad day.
A Chara D Fenton,
I have emailed Dublin City Council customerservices[at]dublincity[dot]ie the following:
As a result I have received this automatic email reply:
As I have said above to Dublin City Council, the park itself is a nice park lets see what Dublin City Council come back with….
beir bua
peter
This email has just arrived time stamped 5.30pm today:
I replied to email as follows:
This [i assume] generated another auto confirmation message from Dublin city Council as follows – timestamp 17:35 :
Many thanks Peter, I would love to see this wonderful park given back to the wonderful people of Dublin.
kindest regards
D
yeah no problem mate…. lets see how I get on.
watch this space
best for now
p.
This is the response from Sean Redmond Executive Parks Superintendent [3.49pm 24 june 2010]
For too many reasons, I think it’s best I go and finish this garden I’m working on……….
i was born in 1964 and lived in st. audeons house .the forty steps and surrounding walls were our playground at the time the walls and archway were in great decline .we grew up with all the stories of ghosts and banshees and if you had the guts to go up the forthy steps after dark you ran like the wind its only now years later that you realise how lucky you where to grow up with great friends in such a great place as the song goes ;those where the days my friends;
Paul,
your comment has made me smile.
lovely to be able to reminisce on the good old days 😉
best
peter