The Secret Gardens

The girls and I are moving out of the House of Fun in Inchicore soon. I'm preparing to return to teaching in Drogheda in September so want to move Northside, as does my housemate who works in Swords. The 'Core is no longer where it's at.

To be honest the 'Core was never where it was at. I tried to like the place but the village itself is not the most charming in Dublin. There's little sense of community, no cafés to speak of and limited shopping opportunities. The house was a charming, cosy place to live (apart from being drafty as hell) and I have many happy memories here but the time is nigh to bid adieu.

My favourite aspect of living here was getting to discover and fall in love with the War Memorial Gardens by Islandbridge and I will seriously miss the daily walk to work in Chapelizod through it. It's a secret oasis of elegance and calm in a busy part of the city with rose gardens, tree lined paths, benches by the river Liffey and for me was a little taste of Paris in dear old dirty Dublin.

First mooted in 1919 as a commemoration to all who died in the Great War, The Irish National War Memorial Gardens weren't built till the 1930s. An official opening was planned for 1939 but then World War II broke out and it was shelved.

The Gardens were neglected during the 70s and 80s and even became a halting site for several years. Restoration work took place in the 80s but it wasn't finally and officially dedicated until 2006!





The park consists of two beautifully maintained sunken rose gardens (left) surrounding a central memorial area with two fountains (see above), a War Stone of Irish granite and a Great Cross of Sacrifice.


Outside of the main Gardens the park stretches to the Liffey and a walk-way by the river continues all the way into Chapelizod.



This stretch of river is home to all the major rowing clubs in Dublin and sees individuals and teams of rowers demonstrating their prowess with oars at all times of the day.

It's also home to an array of wildlife including stately herons, sun-bathing cormorants, elegant swans, not-so-elegant ducks and occasional groups of exhausted looking brent geese on the way to warmer or cooler climes.




There are currently several families of adorable fluffy ducklings and cygnets who've made the river bank their home and I would advise any broody females out there to pay a visit to ooh and aah over the squeeze-them-in-the-cheek cute balls of fluff. There are two mama ducks, one with seven ducklings, the other with five and two swan families, one with one cygnet and the other with nine! The family of nine cygnets is beyond cute. It's especially nice to see swan daddies being so devoted to their young...unlike daddy ducks who are useless articles who force poor female ducks into submission then abandon them to raise the ducklings alone. Hmph.

The park is also a favourite with local dog-walkers and unlike Phoenix Park it's possible to see the same faces (and the same dogs) walking the same route every day. There's a loyal community of Memorial Garden walkers out there and once in the park everyone is friendly and genial towards one another. People know each others dogs names, discuss the progress of the duckling and cygnet broods and share broad smiles at being happy to be out in the throes of nature no matter what the weather.

I was part of this community for a short period and I would recommend to any Dublin resident to take a stroll in these Gardens some summer's eve. The roses are coming out and soon there will be a sea of colour in the sunken gardens, the cygnets and ducklings are growing in confidence every day and Suzy the border collie wants you to play tug-o-war with her.

Leave the sqalid bedsit behind and pretend that Dublin is Paris for a while.

Meanwhile I'm away to Galway to soak up some sunshine and Volvo Ocean Race craic - c'est beau la vie.

Da 'Core

Well three months down the line; countless lost hours on daft.ie; many new grey hairs later and our search is finally at an end - tonight the 3 House-keteers move into a bee-yute-tee-ful 3 bedroom house in Inchicore.

Thank flip.

The house in Tyrconnell Park has just be renovated and has tasteful decor, brand new appliances and old-world 1940's charm. It's perfect. From the yellow roses over the door to the skylights in the kitchen I couldn't have designed a nicer house.

It will be a bit of a squeeze--these houses have little in the way of storage space and the bedrooms are compact but the girls and I are determined to make it work.

It's also further out of town than we had hoped for but with several buses serving the area and the Blackhorse luas stop nearby we should be alright.

The main thing is: I'm moving into a pretty house with friends. I haven't been this excited since the days of the Fairy Princess Castle in Drogheda with my old teaching buddies. Living with friends is like being permanently on holiday: always cooking and making tea for each other, cracking open a few beers after everyone's had a hard day at work, planning parties and movie nights, and, of course, the pillow fights in our underwear.....

(Husky tones: that fantasy moment is dedicated to all my male and lesbian readers out there...)

In all likelihood I'll be ready to strangle one or other of the ladies in a matter of days for using the last of my milk or leaving masses of hair in the shower..........but for now I'm basking in the bliss of optimism and beautiful possibility.

Hope Cottage is now open for business.