As it is hidden in the grounds of Dublin Castle many Dubliners are unaware of Dubh Linn Gardens. I have visited many times but I always thought that this park was known Dublin Castle Gardens but I recently discovered that I was wrong. To be honest I only discovered the name of the gardens today.
This is the original place of the dubh linn, the dark pool. Where you stroll around the gardens today, in ancient times the river Dodder made a pool before flowing into the Liffey. Here the Vikings decided to settle.
As many people expect a castle to be grey many visitors are surprised by the colour of some of the castle and they are delighted by the colorful and bold artworks scattered throughout the garden. There are colorful ceramic tiles at the bird bath, a giant glass snake, the memorial to the 2003 Special Olympics and more recently a special Garda (police) memorial. Explore a bit and you will also discover the bust of campaigning (murdered) journalist Veronica Guerin, immortalised by Cate Blanchett in the film "Veronica Guerin".
The central area of the gardens is surrounded by wooden benches sporting a low-key Ogham design (Ogham being the ancient Irish system of writing), while the grassy middle part is interrupted by a Celtic design formed by paving stones. This is only really visible from the air - and actually is used as a helicopter landing pad on occasion.
Monday, August 9, 2010
Dubhlinn Gardens, Dublin Castle
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