Garden of Remembrance
The Garden of Remembrance is an Irish memorial garden, created in Dublin dedicated to the memory of all those who gave their lives in the cause of Irish Freedom, [1]notably:
- the 1798 rebellion
- the 1803 rebellion
- the Young Irelander Rebellion of 1848
- the Fenian Rising of 1867
- the 1916 Easter Rising.
- the Irish War of Independence 1919-21
The Garden of Remembrance designed by Dáithí Hanly, was opened in 1966 by President de Valera on the fiftieth anniversary of the Easter Rising.
The Garden of Remembrance also marks the spot where several leaders of the 1916 Easter Rising were held overnight before being taken to Kilmainham Gaol. [2]
It is in the form of a sunken cruciform water-feature. Its focal point is a statue of "the Children of Lir" by Oisín Kelly, symbolising rebirth and resurrection.
In 1976 a contest was created to find a poem which could express the appreciation and inspiration of this struggle for freedom. The contest winner was Dublin born author Liam Mac Uistin, whose poem "We Saw a Vision" an Aisling style poem [3] is written in Irish, French, and English on the stone wall of the monument. An aisling poem is a type of poetic form created in the 18th century as a new means of poetry, which could express the hopes and sorrows of the people, free from censorship.[4][5] The word "aisling" in the Irish language means vision.
It is located in the northern fifth of the original park in the centre of Parnell Square (formerly Rutland Square), a Georgian square on the northside of Dublin. In 2004 it was suggested that as part of the redesign of the square the Garden of Remembrance itself might be redesigned.
