Overview
Of Dublin’s five Georgian squares, Mountjoy is the only one that is genuinely square – 140 metres on every side – laid out on the northside less than a kilometre above the River Liffey. The garden at its centre is a real neighbourhood park rather than a tourist sight: a 7-a-side all-weather pitch, three tennis courts, a basketball court, a table-tennis area, a playground and open lawns, all free. It sits handily between the Custom House, Parnell Square and the Docklands, and works best as a ten-minute detour on the way to one of them.
A square with a story
Luke Gardiner, 1st Viscount Mountjoy, planned the square in the late 18th century as the centrepiece of a grand northside development. The terraces went up between 1792 and 1818, and the central garden stayed private – residents only – until 1938, when it passed into public ownership.
Be honest about what survives, though. The northside declined hard in the 20th century, tenement decay set in, and much of the square was rebuilt in the 1970s behind reproduction Georgian façades. This isn’t the untouched set-piece of Merrion Square; it’s a patched, lived-in version, which is part of its character.
The addresses carry the history. Playwright Seán O’Casey lived at No. 35 during the War of Independence, the Fenian John O’Leary and the young James Joyce were both connected to the square, and Arthur Guinness was among its earlier residents. It also had a direct part in the revolution: the Dáil met in secret on three occasions at No. 3, the home of the Sinn Féin alderman Walter J. Cole. The whole area is now a designated Architectural Conservation Area.
Walking the terraces
Walk the perimeter and the Georgian detailing is the reward: uniform red-brick fronts, original coal-hole covers, and wide doorways under fanlights. Cast-iron Scotch Standard lampposts still stand around the outer edges, taller and more ornate than the plain mid-century lamps facing the park.
In the park
The garden works as both a sports ground and a place to sit. You can book the pitch or drop in for basketball and table tennis; families use the playground; and mature trees, flower beds and a 19th-century granite sundial give shade and benches. Two of the trees are ringed by surrounds decorated with mosaics of Irish Traveller life, commissioned by the Pavee Point Traveller & Roma Centre.
The screen credits are easy to spot too. The Oscar-winning 2007 film Once was largely shot on and around the square, and U2 rehearsed in a flat here in the late 1970s, when they were still starting out.
Getting there and practical details
The park opens daily, with closing times tracking the daylight:
| Month | Opening Times |
|---|---|
| January | 10:00 – 17:00 |
| February | 10:00 – 17:30 |
| March | 10:00 – 18:30 (pre-DST) / 10:00 – 19:30 (post-DST) |
| April | 10:00 – 20:30 |
| May | 10:00 – 21:30 |
| June-July | 10:00 – 22:00 |
| August | 10:00 – 21:30 |
| September | 10:00 – 20:30 |
| October | 10:00 – 19:30 (pre-DST) / 10:00 – 18:30 (post-DST) |
| November | 10:00 – 17:30 |
| December | 10:00 – 17:00 |
Entry is free and the park is wheelchair accessible. There’s no car park: street parking around the square is pay-and-display through the Payzone app, roughly 7am to 7pm, with three-hour limits on some streets. Several Dublin Bus routes stop on the north and west sides, the nearest Luas is Parnell on the Green Line, and there are Dublin Bikes stands on the east and west sides. Dogs are welcome on a lead.
For pitch bookings, maintenance or conservation queries, contact the Dublin City Council park office on 012225278, or use the official park page for maps and closure notices. Otherwise, grab a coffee on Gardiner Street and take a bench – the east side is the corner you’ll recognise from Once.