Merrion Street
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 Government Buildings on Merrion Street, formerly the Royal College of Science | |
  | |
| Native name | Sráid Mhuirfean (Irish) |
|---|---|
| Namesake | Merrion Castle, seat of the Viscounts FitzWilliam |
| Length | 450 m (1,480 ft) |
| Width | 30 metres (98 ft) |
| Location | Dublin, Ireland |
| Postal code | D02 |
| Coordinates | 53°20′20″N 6°15′10″W / 53.33889°N 6.25278°W |
| north end | Lincoln Place Fenian Street |
| south end | Merrion Row Ely Place Baggot Street Lower |
| Construction | |
| Commissioned | 1723 |
| Other | |
| Known for | Government Buildings Georgian Architecture |
Merrion Street (/ˈmɛriːən/; Irish: Sráid Mhuirfean) is a major Georgian street on the southside of Dublin, Ireland, which runs along one side of Merrion Square. It is divided into Merrion Street Lower (north end), Merrion Square West and Merrion Street Upper (south end). It holds one entrance to the seat of the Irish Parliament, the Oireachtas, major government offices and two major cultural institutions.
The street and square are named after Oliver FitzWilliam, 1st Earl of Tyrconnell who lived at Merrion Castle.[1]
The term "Merrion Street" is often used as a metanym for the Irish Government in the same way as Whitehall or Downing Street are used to refer to the British Government. The official Irish Government news service website is merrionstreet.ie.[2]
Features
The garden entrance of Leinster House, formerly Kildare House, the seat of a major aristocratic house, is located on the street as is Irish Government Buildings, formerly the Royal College of Science for Ireland, and the main location of the Department of the Taoiseach and other arms of government.[3]
Between these is the National Museum of Ireland – Natural History which opened in 1857,[4] and beyond Leinster House is the main entrance to the National Gallery of Ireland.