Mount Merrion
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Mount Merrion () is a suburb of
Dublin Dublin (; , or ) is the capital and largest city of Republic of Ireland, Ireland. On a bay at the mouth of the River Liffey, it is in the Provinces of Ireland, province of Leinster, bordered on the south by the Dublin Mountains, a part of th ...
,
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 ...
. It is roughly 7 kilometres (5 mi) south of Dublin city centre and is situated on and around the hill of the same name.


Location and access

Mount Merrion is 3 kilometres (2 mi) southwest of the area known as Merrion and 5.6 km west of
Dún Laoghaire Dún Laoghaire ( , ) is a suburban coastal town in Dublin in Ireland. It is the administrative centre of Dún Laoghaire–Rathdown. The town was built following the 1816 legislation that allowed the building of a major port to serve Dubli ...
. As one travels south from the city centre, Mount Merrion is the first neighbourhood of any significant elevation above sea level. The main road in Mount Merrion is Deerpark Road


Transport

The main artery through the area is the N11 dual carriageway. Public transport is provided by
Dublin Bus Dublin Bus ( ga, Bus Átha Cliath) is a State-owned bus operator providing services in Dublin. By far the largest bus operator in the city, it carried 138 million passengers in 2019. It is a wholly-owned subsidiary of Córas Iompair Éireann. ...
on routes 7b, 7d, 17, 46a, 46e, 47, 116, 118, 145 and 155. The nearest
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station to Mount Merrion is
Blackrock BlackRock, Inc. is an American Multinational corporation, multi-national investment company based in New York City. Founded in 1988, initially as a Enterprise risk management, risk management and fixed income institutional asset manager, BlackR ...
, while the nearest
Luas Luas (pronounced ; Irish for "speed") is a tram/ light rail system in Dublin, Ireland. There are two main lines: the Green Line, which began operating on 30 June 2004, and the Red Line which opened on 26 September 2004. Since then, both lin ...
stops are
Kilmacud Kilmacud () is a suburban area of Dublin in Dún Laoghaire–Rathdown, Ireland, at least partly contiguous with Stillorgan. Name ''Kilmacud'' is an anglicisation of the Irish name , "church of aintMochuda". The identity of the dedicatee Moc ...
and
Stillorgan Stillorgan (, also ''Stigh Lorcáin'' and previously ''Tigh Lorcáin'' or ''Teach Lorcáin''), formerly a village in its own right, is now a suburban area of Dublin in Ireland. Stillorgan is located in Dún Laoghaire–Rathdown, and contains ma ...
on the Green line. The
Aircoach Aircoach is an Ireland-based subsidiary company of FirstGroup. It provides airport express coach services from Cork, Belfast, Galway, Greystones, Bray, Southside Dublin and Dublin to Dublin Airport. It also operates contracted bus services for ...
services to Dublin Airport from Greystones calls at South Hill Avenue en route to the airport.


History


Mount Merrion the Old

Quoting from "Mount Merrion the Old", by Sir
Neville Wilkinson Major Sir Nevile Rodwell Wilkinson, KCVO (26 October 1869 – 22 December 1940), was a British officer of arms, British Army officer, author and a dollhouse designer. Early life and military career Wilkinson was born in Highgate, Middlesex, t ...
:
''Between the Convent of Mount Anville, above Dundrum, and the broad high road which leads to Stillorgan, rises the wooded hill of Mount Merrion, the centre of the landscape over Dublin Bay, which gradually becomes defined as the opalescent mists of the Irish sunrise fade away.'' ''It is a landscape known to every visitor to Ireland who has stood on deck as the Holyhead mail steamer passes the Kish lightship. Around the wood some 1.2 km² (300 acres) of the richest grazing land in County Dublin slope gently to the high stone wall which surrounds the demesne. To the south and south-west, the horizon is bounded by the swelling outline of the Wicklow and Dublin Hills. To the north, the long low line of the Mourne Mountains, 100 kilometres (60 mi) and more away, are clearly visible when recent rains have left the washed air clear, while the islands of Lambay and Ireland's Eye give an added beauty to the sea-scape which lies beyond the wind-blown causeway which leads on and up to the rhododendron covered slopes above the ancient castle of Howth.'' ''A double avenue of beech trees shades the roadway which runs, straight as a rule, for a full quarter of a mile to the entrance gates on the Stillorgan Road. This roadway, whose immaculate pebbled surface was raked daily, had a broad border of century-old shaven turf, the pride of the Scottish gardener; so tended, brushed and rolled was it in those days that the most careless visitor would have hesitated to sully the velvety perfection of the surface with a profane foot. Yet the gardener, his voice, with its rich Highland brogue quivering with fury at the bare recollection, would tell how a distinguished citizen of Dublin, having ridden to pay his respects to his lordship, had, on departing, cantered gaily down the sacred border, divots flying from his horse's heels; so that the whole length was scarred and pitted with hoofmarks, as though the plague had passed over it, and it was only after months of patient labour that the unbroken serenity of the surface was restored.''


Fitzwilliam family

The lands came into the possession of the
Norman Norman or Normans may refer to: Ethnic and cultural identity * The Normans, a people partly descended from Norse Vikings who settled in the territory of Normandy in France in the 10th and 11th centuries ** People or things connected with the Norm ...
Fitzwilliam family in the 15th century. The family was originally based in Dundrum having come to Ireland in the year 1210. The Fitzwilliams inherited
Merrion Castle Merrion Castle was a castle situated about 300m south of the present-day Merrion Gates, to the south of Dublin city centre. Built in the early fourteenth century, it was from the sixteenth century to the early eighteenth century the principal se ...
from Sir
John Cruys Sir John Cruys or Cruise (died 1407) was a prominent Irish soldier, diplomat and judge of the late fourteenth and early fifteenth centuries. He was one of the most substantial landowners in County Dublin and County Meath, and built Merrion Castle ...
, who built the castle on lands which are today the property of the
Sisters of Charity Many religious communities have the term Sisters of Charity in their name. Some ''Sisters of Charity'' communities refer to the Vincentian tradition, or in America to the tradition of Saint Elizabeth Ann Seton, but others are unrelated. The ...
and St Mary's Home and School for the Blind. Merrion features on the 1598 map
"A Modern Depiction of Ireland, One of the British Isles"
(by
Abraham Ortelius Abraham Ortelius (; also Ortels, Orthellius, Wortels; 4 or 14 April 152728 June 1598) was a Brabantian cartographer, geographer, and cosmographer, conventionally recognized as the creator of the first modern atlas, the ''Theatrum Orbis Terraru ...
as "Mergon"). By 1710 the castle was in such a bad state of repair that Richard, the 5th Viscount Fitzwilliam, selected 100 acres (0.4 km²) on which he built Mount Merrion House, surrounding the house by an granite wall. The house was completed in 1711 and served as a new seat by the 5th Viscount Fitzwilliam on the hill at Mount Merrion. The Fitzwilliam family left for England around 1726. Although the family no longer lived in Mount Merrion House, they retained possession of it, and rented the house out. The next Fitzwilliam to take a major interest in Mount Merrion was
Richard FitzWilliam, 7th Viscount FitzWilliam Richard FitzWilliam, 7th Viscount FitzWilliam (1 August 1745 – 4 February 1816) of Mount Merrion, Dublin, Ireland, and of FitzWilliam House in the parish of Richmond in Surrey, England, was an Anglo-Irish nobleman in the Peerage of Ireland w ...
, who remained a bachelor all his life. It was he who willed £100,000 to build the
Fitzwilliam Museum The Fitzwilliam Museum is the art and antiquities museum of the University of Cambridge. It is located on Trumpington Street opposite Fitzwilliam Street in central Cambridge. It was founded in 1816 under the will of Richard FitzWilliam, 7th Vis ...
in
Cambridge Cambridge ( ) is a university city and the county town in Cambridgeshire, England. It is located on the River Cam approximately north of London. As of the 2021 United Kingdom census, the population of Cambridge was 145,700. Cambridge bec ...
, his former university. Prior to his death in 1816, he bequeathed his vast estates to his cousin
George Herbert, 11th Earl of Pembroke General George Augustus Herbert, 11th Earl of Pembroke and 8th Earl of Montgomery (10 September 1759 – 26 October 1827) was an English peer, army officer, and politician. Early life He was born Lord Herbert at the family home, Wilton House ...
. Mount Merrion was occupied for a time by the Fitzwilliam agent Barbara Verschoyle and her husband, then Lord Herbert of Lea, and later by Sir Neville Wilkinson, from 1903 to 1914. On first edition OSI Maps (early to mid 19th century) the townland is named 'Mount Merrion or Callary', and that name is still in evidence by Callary Road which runs to the east of Foster Ave.


Deer Park

Deer Park was landscaped by the 5th Viscount Fitzwilliam. The parklands comprise the area behind the site of Mount Merrion House. The park is now open to the public. It was created in 1971 from a collection of open public spaces and some acquisitions of private land. The park contains both sporting facilities ( Association Football (soccer) and
Gaelic football Gaelic football ( ga, Peil Ghaelach; short name '), commonly known as simply Gaelic, GAA or Football is an Irish team sport. It is played between two teams of 15 players on a rectangular grass pitch. The objective of the sport is to score by kic ...
pitches, as well as the Deerpark Tennis Club), and landscaped land for more informal pursuits. Its location and altitude also provide it with a great view of
Dublin Dublin (; , or ) is the capital and largest city of Republic of Ireland, Ireland. On a bay at the mouth of the River Liffey, it is in the Provinces of Ireland, province of Leinster, bordered on the south by the Dublin Mountains, a part of th ...
city towards the north, which is often used by photographers for panoramas and also by developers to assess the impact of development on the cityscape. Crowds also gather in Deerpark to look out at the annual
Skyfest Skyfest was an annual fireworks display, accompanied by background music compiled by Mark McCabe, which took place in Ireland. It was part of the annual St. Patrick's Festival in the country. The fireworks display took place for a number of years i ...
fireworks display around St. Patrick's Weekend which is sometimes held in Dublin city centre. It can also be a good vantage point for observing the Northern Lights, also known as the
Aurora Borealis An aurora (plural: auroras or aurorae), also commonly known as the polar lights, is a natural light display in Earth's sky, predominantly seen in high-latitude regions (around the Arctic and Antarctic). Auroras display dynamic patterns of br ...
when they are visible in the Dublin area. It is claimed that Strongbow's white stallion is buried somewhere in Deer Park. :''"Perhaps the most interesting remaining part of the 18th-century development is the landscape element. The present Deerpark is a public park to the west of the house and included a wooded area which corresponds exactly to the walled woodland area laid out with radial paths shown on the earliest map (1757). The position of the 'gazebo' is now a platform with an assembly of cut stone elements lying on the ground, the origin of the material is not known to me. I believe that the radial form of the landscape can still be detected and consider that this may offer scope for an exercise in landscape conservation"'' (from historical research carried out by Denis Cogan, 1999). Maps such as John Roque's (1760) and Barker's Estate Maps (1762) show much of what is now Deerpark as a formal walled garden and many of the prominent avenues and boundaries of the nearby Mount Merrion House lands form the basis of the present local road network.


20th century

The estate at Mount Merrion began being sold off to property developers (Mount Merrion Estates) around 1925, as this area of Dublin rapidly built up with suburban housing in the mid-20th century. Mount Merrion House itself was sold to the
Catholic Church The Catholic Church, also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the largest Christian church, with 1.3 billion baptized Catholics worldwide . It is among the world's oldest and largest international institutions, and has played a ...
in 1936. The main house was converted for use as a Catholic church. A new church, the Church of St Therese, was built alongside in 1956. Much of the house was demolished during the late 1970s. However, the front block of the house was retained and a new community centre was built onto the back of it. Plans for recent construction work on the community centre originally involved the demolition of the house, however, the plans were amended due to protests. The stables survive beside the church. The original granite gateway was salvaged and now stands as the entrance to Willow Park School on Rock Road (Willow Park's own original gateway on Booterstown Avenue was later removed). Part of the estate eventually became the men-only Fitzwilliam Lawn Tennis Club on Appian Way. These lands were part of the Fitzwilliam and later Pembroke Estates. After the move of
University College Dublin University College Dublin (commonly referred to as UCD) ( ga, Coláiste na hOllscoile, Baile Átha Cliath) is a public research university in Dublin, Ireland, and a collegiate university, member institution of the National University of Ireland ...
to its Belfield campus, many students chose to live in the area.


Amenities

On Deerpark Road are two restaurants, a newsagency, a chemist, and various other service and retail facilities. The area also has a Catholic church and school.


Sport

Deerpark now hosts sports such as football and tennis. The football pitches are used by Mount Merrion Youths Football Club and Kilmacud Croke's GAC. Deerpark Tennis Club is a community tennis club, founded in the 1970s. The tennis club, established in 1976, is known as Deerpark Tennis Club. The club has six synthetic surface courts, all floodlit. Competitions are organised throughout the year. The club participates in the Dublin Lawn Tennis Council (DLTC) Leagues in the greater Dublin area. Deerpark opened its new clubhouse in August 2010. Mount Merrion Youths Football Club is a community-based club. The club first represented Mount Merrion at the 1974 Community Games. In 2007 the club established its first representative all-girls team. All representatives of the club operate on a voluntary basis. In 2005, the club's under-18 representatives won the Leinster Football Association Youths' Cup. Although there is no GAA club in Mount Merrion, some residents play for
Kilmacud Crokes Kilmacud Crokes ( ir, Cill Mochuda Na Crócaigh) is a large Gaelic Athletic Association club located in Stillorgan, Dublin, Republic of Ireland. Background Kilmacud GAA club was formed in 1959 following a historic public meeting in Saint ...
who play their juvenile matches in Deer Park. A local school, Scoil San Treasa, plays both
Gaelic football Gaelic football ( ga, Peil Ghaelach; short name '), commonly known as simply Gaelic, GAA or Football is an Irish team sport. It is played between two teams of 15 players on a rectangular grass pitch. The objective of the sport is to score by kic ...
and
hurling Hurling ( ga, iománaíocht, ') is an outdoor team game of ancient Gaelic Irish origin, played by men. One of Ireland's native Gaelic games, it shares a number of features with Gaelic football, such as the field and goals, the number of p ...
.


Politics

The district is in the Dublin Rathdown electoral constituency, and
Dún Laoghaire–Rathdown Dún Laoghaire–Rathdown ( ga, Dún Laoghaire–Ráth an Dúin) is a Counties of Ireland, county in Republic of Ireland, Ireland. It is part of the Provinces of Ireland, province of Leinster and the Eastern and Midland Region. It is one of three s ...
(following the abolition, in 1994, of
County Dublin "Action to match our speech" , image_map = Island_of_Ireland_location_map_Dublin.svg , map_alt = map showing County Dublin as a small area of darker green on the east coast within the lighter green background of ...
as an administrative division of the state).Local Government Act, 2001
Part one, schedule five, pp195.


Notable persons

*
Bagatelle Bagatelle (from the Château de Bagatelle) is a billiards-derived indoor table game, the object of which is to get a number of balls (set at nine in the 19th century) past wooden pins (which act as obstacles) into holes that are guarded by wooden ...
, 1970s/1980s pop group * Aifric Campbell, author *
Don Cockburn Donald Cockburn (13 March 1930 – 4 September 2017) was an Irish journalist, presenter and newsreader. He is best known as a long-serving newsreader for Raidió Teilifís Éireann (RTÉ), who anchored the broadcaster's main evening television ...
, RTE journalist, Gaelgeoir & newsreader * Ray D'Arcy, RTE presenter *
Catherine Day Catherine Day (born 16 June 1954 in Mount Merrion, Dublin) is a former European civil servant from Ireland. Appointed in November 2005 as Secretary-General of the European Commission, she served two terms with President Jose Manuel Barroso and ...
, Irish civil servant, Secretary-General of the European Commission *
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 ...
, revolutionary and politician, Taoiseach and President of Ireland *
Emma Donoghue Emma Donoghue (born 24 October 1969) is an Irish-Canadian playwright, literary historian, novelist, and screenwriter. Her 2010 novel ''Room'' was a finalist for the Booker Prize and an international best-seller. Donoghue's 1995 novel '' Hood'' ...
, author, Academy Award-nominated screenwriter *
Dave Fanning David Fanning (born 27 February 1956) is an Irish television and radio broadcaster, rock journalist, DJ, film critic and author. Fanning currently hosts weekend midday magazine/chat show ''The Dave Fanning Show'' on the Irish national radio sta ...
, RTE radio broadcaster *
Josepha Madigan Josepha Madigan (born 21 May 1970) is an Irish Fine Gael politician who has served as Minister of State for Special Education and Inclusion since July 2020. She has been a Teachta Dála (TD) for the Dublin Rathdown constituency since 2016. Sh ...
, government minister *
Dermot Morgan Dermot John Morgan (31 March 1952 – 28 February 1998) was an Irish comedian and actor, best known for his role as Father Ted Crilly in the Channel 4 sitcom ''Father Ted''. Early life Morgan was born in Dublin, the son of Hilda "Holly" (née S ...
, RTE comic actor,
Father Ted ''Father Ted'' is a sitcom created by Irish writers Graham Linehan and Arthur Mathews (writer), Arthur Mathews and produced by British production company Hat Trick Productions for Channel 4. It aired over three series from 21 April 1995 until ...
* Paddy Murray journalist and writer *
Éamon Ó Cuív Éamon Ó Cuív (; born 23 June 1950) is an Irish Fianna Fáil politician who has been a Teachta Dála (TD) for the Galway West constituency since the 1992 general election. He previously served as Deputy Leader of Fianna Fáil from 2011 to 2 ...
, politician, grandson of Eamonn De Valera.


References


External links


Fitzwilliam family tree

Details of proposed changes to Deerpark
(archived)
Local community web site by the Mount Merrion Residents Association A local study of the Coat of Arms of the Herberts and the Fitzwilliams of Merrion
{{Authority control Places in Dún Laoghaire–Rathdown