Our Lady's Park, Drumcondra
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| Our Lady's Park | |
|---|---|
 The statue of Our Lady (Virgin Mary) in the park | |
  Our Lady's Park  Our Lady's Park | |
| Location | Drumcondra, Dublin |
| Coordinates | 53°22′04″N 6°15′23″W / 53.3678°N 6.2563°W |
| Area | 0.37 hectares (0.91 acres) |
| Created | post-1954[1] |
| Operated by | Dublin City Council[2] |
| Open | All year |
Our Lady's Park (Irish: Páirc Mhuire) is a small 0.37-hectare (0.91-acre) boomerang-shaped park located on the banks of the River Tolka in Dublin city next to Frank Flood Bridge in Drumcondra[3] (previously known as 'Drumcondra Bridge' prior to 2018).[4] The park is notable for its statue of the Virgin Mary, presumably erected in 1954 for the Marian Year which had been declared by Pope John XXIII.[1]
The triangular portion of the park opposite Fagan's public house was once a collection of single-storeyed dwellings known as Tolka Cottages (or Botanic Cottages)[5] which were constructed pre-1890 to house mill workers employed at a local flour mill (now the site of the Millmount House pub).[2][6] Due to the proximity of the houses to the River Tolka, they were prone to flooding, and suffered much damage during a particularly bad event in December 1954 when the river broke its banks and flooded parts of Glasnevin, Drumcondra, Fairview, Ballybough, North Strand and East Wall.[7] The houses were cleared from the area as a safety liability after this event. A factory owned by Irish confectioners Lemon’s Pure Sweets existed close to the site of the present-day park for many years, and the park became colloquially known as Lemon's Park.[2] Lemon's ceased trading in 1983.[5] In the summer of 2012, Dublin City Council erected a sign officially naming the park as 'Our Lady's Park'.[2]
