(St. Stephen’s Green, Dublin, 1899)
Gumbo was visiting the best known city park in Dublin, St. Stephen’s Green. Situated atop the busy pedestrian mall, Grafton street, it’s the “green lungs” of the city. Congratulations to TravelingCanuck, PHeymont and Roderick Simpson, all having solved this week’s puzzle.
We stayed at a small hotel just a block from St. Stephen’s when we visited Dublin and walked through the park several times a day as we went to and from our varying destinations in the city. It was fall, cool but not cold (although crisp at night), and the leaves were starting to change color and fall to the ground. As with everything else in Ireland, it was a lush green place.
The park goes back to the 17th century, but its current Victorian creation opened in 1880 for all people in Dublin. Rectangular in shape and not particularly large at just 9 hectare (22 acres), it’s thoughtfully laid out and frankly seems larger when you’re walking through it. There’s a perimeter of trees and shrubs, beds of colorful annuals, fountains and a pond for waterfowl—typical of Victorian era parks.
There are over 3.5 km of pathways within St. Stephen’s, a small waterfall, an ornamental lake which provides a home for ducks and swans (and the many people who like to feed them). A number of sculptures are located throughout the green, several of which were featured in our clues, including a famine memorial and a bust of famous author, James Joyce. Mr. Joyce lived very near the park and visited it often.
I’d rank this high on places to visit while in Dublin. It’s a destination for families, lovers and friends who all enjoy strolling through, as will you. Great for people watching and relaxing.
And a few more images of St. Stephen’s Green (hold your mouse over an image for its legend)……
I have to admit that the first clue reminded me, in succession, of a spot in Parc des Buttes-Chaumont in Paris, of Prospect Park in Brooklyn and of Frogness Park in Oslo…it was only when the clues got more specific that I could rule them out, and only when the Fusiliers Arch appeared and I could search its text that I could find the answer.
That arch, by the way, provoked a lot of controversy when erected in 1907; it memorializes a regiment in England’s colonial war against the Dutch Boers in South Africa. While there were thousands of Irish soldiers in the British ranks, hundreds or thousands of Irish nationalists, including later founders of the IRA and the Republic, fought on the Boer side.