Garden of Remembrance

This memorial garden in the heart of the city was designed by Daithi Hanly and dedicated to the memory of all those who gave their lives in the cause of Irish Freedom. Its focal point is a statue of the Children of Lir by Oisín Kelly, symbolising rebirth and resurrection. The Garden was opened in 1966 by President Éamon de Valera on the fiftieth anniversary of the 1916 Easter Rising, in which he had been a commander. The site of the Garden is where the Irish Volunteers were founded in 1913, and where several leaders of the 1916 Rising were held overnight before being taken to Kilmainham Gaol.

Queen Elizabeth II laid a wreath in the Garden of Remembrance during her state visit in May 2011, a gesture that was much praised in the Irish media. Which was also attended, upon invitation, by the widow and daughter of the garden’s designer Dáithí Hanly.

Opening Hours

April to September: 9.00am to 5.00pm, seven days a week

October – March: 10.00am – 4.00pm