Parnell Square () is a Georgian

square In geometry, a square is a regular polygon, regular quadrilateral. It has four straight sides of equal length and four equal angles. Squares are special cases of rectangles, which have four equal angles, and of rhombuses, which have four equal si ...

sited at the northern end of

O'Connell Street O'Connell Street () is a street in the centre of Dublin, Ireland, running north from the River Liffey. It connects the O'Connell Bridge to the south with Parnell Street to the north and is roughly split into two sections bisected by Henry ...

in the city of

Dublin Dublin is the capital and largest city of Republic of Ireland, Ireland. Situated on Dublin Bay at the mouth of the River Liffey, it is in the Provinces of Ireland, province of Leinster, and is bordered on the south by the Dublin Mountains, pa ...

, Ireland. It is in the city's D01 postal district.

History

Formerly named ''Ruthland Square'', it was renamed after

Charles Stewart Parnell Charles Stewart Parnell (27 June 1846 – 6 October 1891) was an Irish nationalist politician who served as a Member of Parliament (United Kingdom), Member of Parliament (MP) in the United Kingdom from 1875 to 1891, Leader of the Home Rule Leag ...

(1846–1891), as was Parnell Street, which forms the southern side of the square. Surrounded on three sides by terraces of original intact Georgian houses, much of the southern part of the square and its centre is taken up by extensions of the Rotunda Hospital while the Garden of Remembrance is located along the northern side of this area. The main entrance to the Garden of Remembrance is on the eastern side of the square, with a smaller entrance on the northern side of the square.

Notable buildings on the square

The

Gate Theatre The Gate Theatre is a theatre on Cavendish Row in Dublin, Ireland. It was founded in 1928. History Beginnings The Gate Theatre was founded in 1928 by Hilton Edwards and Micheál MacLiammóir with Daisy Bannard Cogley and Gearóid Ó Lochla ...

and the Ambassador and Pillar Room venues are located at the southeastern corner of the square, where it meets O'Connell Street. Entertainments were originally developed here as part of the Rotunda Hospital scheme by Bartholomew Mosse as a revenue engine to pay for the running of what was Europe's first lying-in maternity hospital. Extensive pleasure gardens, subsequently forming the body of the square, were located to the rear of the hospital in the original development. The Hugh Lane Gallery is on the north side of the square and is entered through the grandest original house on the square, Charlemont House. It was erected in cut stone by Lord Charlemont to a design by William Chambers during the Georgian period. On this side also is the Dublin Writers Museum and the Irish Writers' Centre. The striking

Gothic Revival Gothic Revival (also referred to as Victorian Gothic or neo-Gothic) is an Architectural style, architectural movement that after a gradual build-up beginning in the second half of the 17th century became a widespread movement in the first half ...

Findlater's Church ( Abbey Presbyterian Church) just up from the gallery on the same side was erected in the 1860s by Alexander Findlater, at his own expense, and which he presented to the

Presbyterian Presbyterianism is a historically Reformed Protestant tradition named for its form of church government by representative assemblies of elders, known as "presbyters". Though other Reformed churches are structurally similar, the word ''Pr ...

congregation. One of Dublin's most acclaimed restaurants, Chapter One, is located on the northern side of Parnell Square between the Hugh Lane Gallery and the Writers Museum. On the south side of the square is Conway's bar (now closed), outside of which

Patrick Pearse Patrick Henry Pearse (also known as Pádraig or Pádraic Pearse; ; 10 November 1879 – 3 May 1916) was an Irish teacher, barrister, Irish poetry, poet, writer, Irish nationalism, nationalist, Irish republicanism, republican political activist a ...

surrendered to the

British Army The British Army is the principal Army, land warfare force of the United Kingdom. the British Army comprises 73,847 regular full-time personnel, 4,127 Brigade of Gurkhas, Gurkhas, 25,742 Army Reserve (United Kingdom), volunteer reserve perso ...

after the 1916

Easter Rising The Easter Rising (), also known as the Easter Rebellion, was an armed insurrection in Ireland during Easter Week in April 1916. The Rising was launched by Irish republicans against British rule in Ireland with the aim of establishing an ind ...

. The political party

Sinn Féin Sinn Féin ( ; ; ) is an Irish republican and democratic socialist political party active in both the Republic of Ireland and Northern Ireland. The History of Sinn Féin, original Sinn Féin organisation was founded in 1905 by Arthur Griffit ...

has its Dublin head office and shop on the western side of the square The western side also is known for offices of a number of trades unions and other organisations. Also on the western side is the St. Martin's Apostolate office, which includes a small basement chapel. The St. Martin's Apostolate office is well known in Dublin for its moving crib that is open to the public each Christmas.

Famous historic residents and events

No 5 – Birthplace of Oliver St John Gogarty (1878–1957); writer, surgeon, and senator. A friend of Michael Collins and the writers

W. B. Yeats William Butler Yeats (, 13 June 186528 January 1939), popularly known as W. B. Yeats, was an Irish poet, dramatist, writer, and literary critic who was one of the foremost figures of 20th-century literature. He was a driving force behind the ...

and

James Joyce James Augustine Aloysius Joyce (born James Augusta Joyce; 2 February 1882 – 13 January 1941) was an Irish novelist, poet, and literary critic. He contributed to the modernist avant-garde movement and is regarded as one of the most influentia ...

, Gogarty was unwillingly immortalised as

Buck Mulligan Malachi Roland St. John "Buck" Mulligan is a fictional character in James Joyce's 1922 novel '' Ulysses''. He appears most prominently in episode 1 (" Telemachus"), and is the subject of the novel's famous first sentence: "Stately, plump Buck Mu ...

in the '' Ulysses''. From the early 1920s until the early 1930s No 5 served as the headquarters of

Cumann na nGaedheal Cumann na nGaedheal (; ) was a political party in the Irish Free State, which formed the government from 1923 to 1932. It was named after the original Cumann na nGaedheal organisation which merged with the Dungannon Clubs and the National Co ...

, the governing party. No 9 Cavendish Row – Dr Bartholomew Mosse (1713–1759); Philanthropist and surgeon. Mosse lived here, having originally hailed from Portlaoise. He founded the Rotunda Hospital, located in the square which was built to designs of Richard Cassels between 1751 and 1757. The emergence of Parnell Square as a square is largely attributable to him as he laid out pleasure gardens to pay for the hospital. No. 14 Parnell Square was the headquarters of Conradh na Gaeilge in the 1940s and 1950s and perhaps into the 1960s. The Ard-chraobh of the Gaelic League was in this building. No 25 Parnell Square, Gaelic League building. This building is of great significance during the period surrounding the War of Independence as it was here on 9 September 1914 that a meeting held by the Supreme Council of the Irish Republican Brotherhood (IRB) with selected others agreed to rise up against the British before the Great War, subsequently known as the

First World War World War I or the First World War (28 July 1914 – 11 November 1918), also known as the Great War, was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War I, Allies (or Entente) and the Central Powers. Fighting to ...

, would be finished: In attendance were Éamonn Ceannt, Thomas Clarke,

James Connolly James Connolly (; 5 June 1868 – 12 May 1916) was a Scottish people, Scottish-born Irish republicanism, Irish republican, socialist, and trade union leader, executed for his part in the Easter Rising, 1916 Easter Rising against British rule i ...

, Arthur Griffith, John MacBride, Seán Mac Diarmada, Sean McGarry, William "Bill" O'Brien, Seán T. O'Kelly, Padraig Pearse, Joseph Plunkett. No 29 – 30 Parnell Square – Formerly Vaughan's Hotel; a favourite hiding and meeting place for Michael Collins. No 41 Parnell Square – this building was formerly the Irish National Forester's Hall. Prior to 1916, it was used for drilling both by the Irish Republican Brotherhood (IRB) and the Volunteers; on the eve of the outbreak of the

Éamon de Valera Éamon de Valera (; ; first registered as George de Valero; changed some time before 1901 to Edward de Valera; 14 October 1882 – 29 August 1975) was an American-born Irish statesman and political leader. He served as the 3rd President of Ire ...

assembled the 3rd Battalion here. In 1922, subsequent to the Treaty and prior to the Civil War, the IRB again met here in a failed attempt at achieving consensus on the Treaty; among the attendees were Michael Collins, Harry Boland, Liam Lynch and

Eoin O'Duffy Eoin O'Duffy (born Owen Duffy; 28 January 1890 – 30 November 1944) was an Irish revolutionary, soldier, police commissioner, politician and fascist. O'Duffy was the leader of the Monaghan Brigade of the Irish Republican Army (IRA) and a promin ...

– all of whom, except O'Duffy, were dead by the end of the

Irish Civil War The Irish Civil War (; 28 June 1922 – 24 May 1923) was a conflict that followed the Irish War of Independence and accompanied the establishment of the Irish Free State, an entity independent from the United Kingdom but within the British Emp ...

. No 44 Parnell Square – The Kevin Barry memorial hall is the current headquarters of

. No 46 Parnell Square – Formerly the Headquarters of Conradh na Gaeilge, the Irish language league, this was the venue where

Thomas MacDonagh Thomas Stanislaus MacDonagh (; 1 February 1878 – 3 May 1916) was an Irish political activist, poet, playwright, educationalist and revolutionary leader. He was one of the seven leaders of the Easter Rising of 1916, a signatory of the Proclama ...

assembled the 2nd Battalion the Sunday night on the eve of the 1916

. In August 1917, the meetings that led to the National Executive of the

Irish Republican Army The Irish Republican Army (IRA) is a name used by various Resistance movement, resistance organisations in Ireland throughout the 20th and 21st centuries. Organisations by this name have been dominantly Catholic and dedicated to anti-imperiali ...

being established were also here, with persons present including Éamon de Valera,

Thomas Ashe Thomas Patrick Ashe (; 12 January 1885 – 25 September 1917) was an Irish revolutionary and politician. He was a member of the Gaelic League, the Gaelic Athletic Association, the Irish Republican Brotherhood (IRB) and a founding member of th ...

Cathal Brugha Cathal Brugha (; born Charles William St John Burgess; 18 July 1874 – 7 July 1922) was an Irish republican politician who served as Minister for Defence from 1919 to 1922, Ceann Comhairle of Dáil Éireann in January 1919, the first presid ...

, and Michael Collins. Subsequently on 19 September 1919, in the company of Richard Mulcahy, Michael Collins set up his famous "Squad", composed of top-level operatives – men who would ultimately be involved with highest priority missions, such as the elimination of the British "G Men" agents in 1920. No 58 Parnell Square – The Sinn Féin Bookshop and the offices of the '' An Phoblacht'' newspaper.

Future development

There are plans for the development of the northern side of Parnell Square into a cultural district. The street will be turned into a pedestrian space, the city's main library will move to the former Coláiste Mhuire buildings, a new auditorium will be built, and the gardens attached to the Rotunda Hospital will be opened up.

Gallery

People

Richard Kirwan Richard Kirwan, LL.D, Fellow of the Royal Society, FRS, FRSE Membership of the Royal Irish Academy, MRIA (1 August 1733 – 22 June 1812) was an Irish geologist and chemist. He was one of the last supporters of the theory of Phlogiston theory, ...

(1733–1812), geologist, lived on the square

References

Sources

External links

Parnell Square Cultural Quarter: project website of Dublin City Council
{{Squares of Dublin City Museum districts Art gallery districts Georgian architecture in Dublin (city)