RANELAGH IN DUBLIN 6 RANELAGH GARDENS - PUBLIC PARK

Located in Ranelagh,across the street from the LUAS tram stop, the gardens were originally part of 5 hectares of pleasure gardens developed in 1775 by a businessman who called them after Lord Ranelagh from Co. Wicklow. Lord Ranelagh had similar pleasure gardens beside the Thames in London. The first hot air balloon flight in Ireland was launched from the pleasure gardens by Richard Crosbie. The gardens were later sold to a teaching order of nuns and in 1840 the convent there became totally enclosed and the gardens forgotten. However, in the 1980s the gardens were again opened up to the public, albeit on a much smaller scale

When the lands were developed for housing in the mid 1980's, the current park was designed to include an ornamental pool thereby restoring the two-hundred years historical connection with the original Ranelagh Gardens.