Yew hedge, formal garden of Pearse Museum

St Enda's Park () is a large public park in

Rathfarnham Rathfarnham () is a Southside suburb of Dublin, Ireland. It is south of Terenure, east of Templeogue, and is in the postal districts of Dublin 14 and 16. It is within the administrative areas of both Dún Laoghaire–Rathdown County Counci ...

Ireland Ireland ( ; ga, Éire ; Ulster Scots dialect, Ulster-Scots: ) is an island in the Atlantic Ocean, North Atlantic Ocean, in Northwestern Europe, north-western Europe. It is separated from Great Britain to its east by the North Channel (Grea ...

. The park, which is approximately in size, contains the

Pearse Museum The Pearse Museum ( ga, Músaem na bPiarsach) is dedicated to the memory of Patrick Pearse and his brother, William. Patrick Pearse was an educationalist and nationalist who was executed for his part in the 1916 Rising. The museum is situated i ...

and is managed by the

Office of Public Works The Office of Public Works (OPW) ( ga, Oifig na nOibreacha Poiblí) (legally the Commissioners of Public Works in Ireland) is a major Irish Government agency, which manages most of the Irish State's property portfolio, including hundreds of o ...

History

St Enda's was not always a public park.

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 ...

, one of the leaders of the Easter Rising in 1916 ran a school there, St Enda's School (or '' Scoil Éanna'' in

Irish Irish may refer to: Common meanings * Someone or something of, from, or related to: ** Ireland, an island situated off the north-western coast of continental Europe ***Éire, Irish language name for the isle ** Northern Ireland, a constituent unit ...

), in The Hermitage. This large house was built in 1780 for the Dublin dentist Edward Hudson. Pearse, who was a teacher at the time, bought the building in 1910 as his school in

Ranelagh Ranelagh ( , ; ) is an affluent residential area and urban village on the Southside of Dublin, Ireland in the postal district of D06. History The district was originally a village known as Cullenswood just outside Dublin, surrounded by lande ...

was getting too small. Pearse considered the site "ideal" as his curriculum had a heavy emphasis on nature. In the school, his brother,

Willie Pearse William James Pearse ( ga, Uilliam Seamus Mac Piarais; 15 November 1881 – 4 May 1916) was an Irish republican executed for his part in the Easter Rising. He was a younger brother of Patrick Pearse, a leader of the rising. Background Willie ...

, taught art and his sister Mary taught Irish. The Irish poets,

Joseph Plunkett Joseph Mary Plunkett ( Irish: ''Seosamh Máire Pluincéid''; 21 November 1887 – 4 May 1916) was an Irish nationalist, republican, poet, journalist, revolutionary and a leader of the 1916 Easter Rising. Joseph Mary Plunkett married Grace Gif ...

and

Thomas MacDonagh Thomas Stanislaus MacDonagh ( ga, Tomás Anéislis Mac Donnchadha; 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 ...

also taught at the school. Both were executed after 1916 Rising as well as 15 former pupils of the school. Leading up to the 1916 rising, the basement of the school was used as a bomb factory by

Desmond Ryan Desmond Ryan (1893–1964) was an Irish writer, historian, and in his earlier life a revolutionary in Sinn Féin. Life Ryan was born in London, on 27 August 1893, son of the Templemore, Tipperary-born London journalist William Patrick Ryan, ed ...

and Liam Bulfin, both

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 ...

members. On Easter Monday, 1916, Padraig Pearse left the school for the last time and made the 5-mile march to the GPO. The

British forces The British Armed Forces, also known as His Majesty's Armed Forces, are the military forces responsible for the defence of the United Kingdom, its Overseas Territories and the Crown Dependencies. They also promote the UK's wider interests, su ...

occupied the Hermitage after the Rising until, in 1919, the school was opened once more by

Margaret Pearse Margaret Pearse (; 12 February 1857 – 22 April 1932) was an Irish politician. She was the mother of Patrick Pearse and Willie Pearse, who were both executed after the 1916 Easter Rising. She was later elected to Dáil Éireann. Early life M ...

and her daughter Margaret Mary Pearse. The school closed its doors in 1935 due to a lack of support. When Margaret Pearse died in 1932, she wished that the building would be given over to the state after the lifetime of her daughter, Margaret Mary. She made only two conditions, that the house would be open throughout the year (even

Christmas day Christmas is an annual festival commemorating the birth of Jesus Christ, observed primarily on December 25 as a religious and cultural celebration among billions of people around the world. A feast central to the Christian liturgical year, ...

) and that entry would be free of charge for the public. The Hermitage is now the

dedicated to the memory of Patrick Pearse, the Pearse family, and their school, and is open to the public all year round. There are also a number of 18th and 19th century

follies ''Follies'' is a musical with music and lyrics by Stephen Sondheim and a book by James Goldman. The plot takes place in a crumbling Broadway theater, now scheduled for demolition, previously home to a musical revue (based on the ''Ziegfeld Fol ...

and garden buildings within the park.

Events

Between May and August, the park is open between 9am and 9pm. Every Sunday from June to August, there is music entertainment in the courtyard beside the Pearse Building.

References

{{coord, 53.284079, N, 6.282681, W, type:landmark_region:IE, display=title Rathfarnham Parks in South Dublin (county) Pearse family

History

Events

Further reading

References