Phoenix Park, Dublin

Phoenix Park is a vast public park whose enclosed grounds hold open grassland, avenues shaded by trees, and a herd of fallow deer that has lived here since the 17th century. Its wall runs for 11 kilometres around 707 hectares, making this a remarkable expanse within Dublin. The park began as a hunting ground created in 1662 by the Duke of Ormond, with pheasants and deer inside its enclosure.

Dublin’s people gained access in 1745. The park also carries a darker story: in 1882, Lord Frederick Cavendish and Thomas Henry Burke were murdered here with surgical knives by members of the Irish National Invincibles. Look towards the Wellington Monument, the 62-metre obelisk honouring the Duke of Wellington’s victories.

Its four metal plaques were made from cannon taken at Waterloo, and three show scenes from Wellington’s career. Nearby, the Papal Cross rises 35 metres above Fifteen Acres. It was built for the outdoor Mass celebrated by Pope John Paul II on 29 September 1979, attended by more than one million people. The park also contains Áras an Uachtaráin, the President of Ireland’s residence, built in 1754.