Brazil
Argentina
Chile
Colombia
Peru
Uruguay
Germany
Belgium
Spain
France
Greece
the Netherlands
Italy
Luxembourg
Portugal
the United Kingdom
Switzerland
Park · Dublin, Dublin
St Stephen's Green
The Victorian 9-hectare park at the end of Grafton Street, with a lake, bridges, flowerbeds and the Fusiliers' Arch, surrounded by Georgian houses.
Illustrative images. The pictures in this guide are illustrations based on the real place, not photographs, and may differ from it.
Discover
About St Stephen's Green
St Stephen's Green is a walled square since 1664, transformed into a public park in 1880 by Sir Arthur Guinness, Lord Ardilaun, who funded the project and opened it to the public. It is 9 hectares of lawns, flowerbeds and trees at the end of Grafton Street, with a lake, stone bridges, ducks and a Victorian bandstand where music is played on some summer days.
The main entrance, on the corner with Grafton Street, is the Fusiliers' Arch, dating from 1907, which commemorates Irish soldiers killed in the Boer War. During the 1916 Easter Rising the rebels occupied the park, and bullet marks can still be seen on the arch. Inside the park are monuments to Irish writers and leaders, such as the bust of James Joyce and the memorial to Countess Markievicz, one of the leaders of the uprising.
Around the park are Georgian houses and clubs from the 18th and 19th centuries, such as the Shelbourne Hotel (1824), where the 1922 Irish Constitution was drafted, and Newman House, associated with University College Dublin. Diagonally from the park begins Grafton Street, a pedestrian street with shops and street performers, and a few blocks away is Merrion Square, with the colorful doors of Georgian houses.
The park opens in the morning and closes at dusk, on a schedule that changes with the season. On sunny days the lawns fill with locals at lunchtime.
Before you go
Practical information
Cidade Turismo reviews its information regularly, but something may have changed. Check with the place before planning your trip.
How much time to set aside
30 minutes to 1 hour to walk through the park and see the lake; add about 1 hour for Grafton Street and Merrion Square.
Best time
On sunny days at lunchtime, when locals occupy the lawns. In spring, April–May, the flowerbeds are usually in bloom. The park closes at dusk.
How to get there
It’s at the end of Grafton Street, a 10-minute walk from Trinity College. The St Stephen's Green Luas stop (green line) is on the park’s northwest corner.
Tip
Enter through the Fusiliers' Arch and look for the 1916 bullet marks in the stone. Exit on the east side and head to Merrion Square to see the colourful doors of the Georgian houses.
Official website
Get your questions answered
Frequently asked questions about St Stephen's Green
Is St Stephen's Green open at night?
No. The park opens in the morning and closes at dusk, at times that change with the season.
What to see around the park?
Grafton Street pedestrianized, the Georgian houses and the Shelbourne Hotel, and a few blocks away Merrion Square and the National Museum of Archaeology.
Who opened the park to the public?
Sir Arthur Guinness, Lord Ardilaun, of the brewing family, who paid for the project and donated it to the city in 1880.