Parnell Square () is a Georgian

square In Euclidean geometry, a square is a regular quadrilateral, which means that it has four equal sides and four equal angles (90-degree angles, π/2 radian angles, or right angles). It can also be defined as a rectangle with two equal-length a ...

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 (; , or ) is the capital and largest city of Ireland. On a bay at the mouth of the River Liffey, it is in the province of Leinster, bordered on the south by the Dublin Mountains, a part of the Wicklow Mountains range. At the 2016 ...

, Ireland. It is in the city's D01 postal district. Formerly named ''Rutland 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 (MP) from 1875 to 1891, also acting as Leader of the Home Rule League from 1880 to 1882 and then Leader of th ...

(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 Georgian architecture is the name given in most English-speaking countries to the set of architectural styles current between 1714 and 1830. It is named after the first four British monarchs of the House of Hanover—George I, George II, Georg ...

, 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 Lochlainn ...

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 Bartholomew Mosse (1712 – 16 February 1759) was an Irish surgeon and impresario responsible for founding the Rotunda Hospital in Dublin. Early life Bartholemew Mosse was born in Dysart, 2 km east of Portlaoise (then called Maryborough) ...

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 Viscount Charlemont is a title in the Peerage of Ireland. It was created in 1665 for William Caulfeild, 5th Baron Charlemont. The Caulfeild family descends from Sir Toby Caulfeild, originally of Oxfordshire, England. He was a noted soldier and ...

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 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 part of the Reformed tradition within Protestantism that broke from the Roman Catholic Church in Scotland by John Knox, who was a priest at St. Giles Cathedral (Church of Scotland). Presbyterian churches derive their na ...

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; ga, Pádraig Anraí Mac Piarais; 10 November 1879 – 3 May 1916) was an Irish teacher, barrister, poet, writer, nationalist, republican political activist and revolutionary who ...

surrendered to the

British Army The British Army is the principal land warfare force of the United Kingdom, a part of the British Armed Forces along with the Royal Navy and the Royal Air Force. , the British Army comprises 79,380 regular full-time personnel, 4,090 Gur ...

after the 1916 Easter Rising. The political party

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

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 A trade union (labor union in American English), often simply referred to as a union, is an organization of workers intent on "maintaining or improving the conditions of their employment", ch. I such as attaining better wages and benefits ( ...

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

Findlater's church, Parnell Square, Dublin

No 5 – Birthplace of

Oliver St John Gogarty Oliver Joseph St. John Gogarty (17 August 1878 – 22 September 1957) was an Irish poet, author, otolaryngologist, athlete, politician, and well-known conversationalist. He served as the inspiration for Buck Mulligan in James Joyce's novel ...

(1878–1957); writer, surgeon, and senator. A friend of Michael Collins and the writers WB Yeats and

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

, Gogarty was unwillingly immortalised as Buck Mulligan in the '' Ulysses''. From the early 1920s until the early 1930s No 5 served as the headquarters of

Cumann na nGaedheal Cumann na nGaedheal (; "Society of the Gaels") was a political party in the Irish Free State, which formed the government from 1923 to 1932. In 1933 it merged with smaller groups to form the Fine Gael party. Origins In 1922 the pro-Treaty ...

, the governing party. No 9 Cavendish Row – Dr

(1713–1759); Philanthropist and surgeon. Mosse lived here, having originally hailed from Portlaoise. He founded the Rotunda Hospital, located in the square and which was built to designs of

Richard Cassels Richard Cassels (1690 – 1751), also known as Richard Castle, was an architect who ranks with Edward Lovett Pearce as one of the greatest architects working in Ireland in the 18th century. Cassels was born in 1690 in Kassel, Germany. Alth ...

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 The Irish Republican Brotherhood (IRB; ) was a secret oath-bound fraternal organisation dedicated to the establishment of an "independent democratic republic" in Ireland between 1858 and 1924.McGee, p. 15. Its counterpart in the United States ...

(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 (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fig ...

, would be finished: In attendance were Éamonn Ceannt, Thomas Clarke, James Connolly, Arthur Griffith, John MacBride,

Seán Mac Diarmada Seán Mac Diarmada (27 January 1883 – 12 May 1916), also known as Seán MacDermott, was an Irish republican political activist and revolutionary leader. He was one of the seven leaders of the Easter Rising of 1916, which he helped to organ ...

, 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

(IRB) and the Volunteers; on the eve of the outbreak of the Easter Rising

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 a prominent Irish statesman and political leader. He served several terms as head of governm ...

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 military commander, police commissioner and politician. O'Duffy was the leader of the Monaghan Brigade of the Irish Republican Army (IRA) and a prominent figure ...

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

Irish Civil War The Irish Civil War ( ga, Cogadh Cathartha na hÉireann; 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 ...

. 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 (; historically known in English as the Gaelic League) is a social and cultural organisation which promotes the Irish language in Ireland and worldwide. The organisation was founded in 1893 with Douglas Hyde as its first president, when it em ...

, the Irish language league, this was the venue where Thomas MacDonagh assembled the 2nd Battalion the Sunday night on the eve of the 1916 Easter Rising. 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 paramilitary organisations in Ireland throughout the 20th and 21st centuries. Organisations by this name have been dedicated to irredentism through Irish republicanism, the belief t ...

being established were also here, with persons present including Éamon de Valera, Thomas Ashe, Cathal Brugha, 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

References

External links