A LITTLE KNOWN SMALL PUBLIC PARK CLOSE TO THE RANELAGH TRAM STOP
Ranelagh Gardens were originally pleasure gardens that were developed in 1775. They were named after Lord Ranelagh who had similar gardens by the Thames in London. It should be noted that the gardens had given their name to the newly developing village of Ranelagh, which otherwise would have been called Cullenswood.
The first hot air balloon flight in Ireland was launched from the gardens by Richard Crosbie in 1785. He flew from there to Clontarf.
The gardens were later sold to an order of nuns who enclosed them for about 200 years. The current park, around a quarter of the size of original gardens, was designed in the 1980s when most of the land developed for housing.
