Re-imagining Mountjoy Square Park: have your say on a once-in-a-generation project

Dublin’s Mountjoy Square is one of the city’s great historic spaces — designed in 1802 as a “pleasure garden for passive recreation”, and the only one of our Georgian squares that is truly square on all four sides.

Now, Dublin City Council has published the Part 8 public consultation for the Re-imagining of Mountjoy Square Park — and I’m encouraging everyone who lives nearby, uses the park, or cares about the future of the north inner city to take a look and make a submission.

The consultation window

The statutory Part 8 public consultation is open from 13 January 2026 to 26 February 2026 (with submissions accepted up to the deadline set out on the official notice).

What is being proposed?

At its core, this is a conservation-led plan to restore and re-imagine the park in the context of its Architectural Conservation Area, while also making it a better, safer, more welcoming public space for daily use.

From the published material, the proposals include:

• Restoring key elements of the original Georgian design, including the circular lawn and the ornate footpath network.

• Repairing and conserving the historic perimeter railings and reinstating the 84 lamp irons that were part of the original 1802 lighting scheme.

• Removing large areas of tarmac/hard surfacing associated with the current multipurpose sports area, and re-balancing the park layout so it works better visually and functionally.

• Modern, universally designed amenities, including items referenced in the project documentation such as: accessible seating, outdoor gym equipment, play opportunities, basketball facilities, public toilets, drinking fountains, and in-ground power for events.

• Widening and improving the perimeter footpaths to create a more generous promenade experience, prioritising a safer, more comfortable walking environment around the square.

• Greening and biodiversity measures, including new planting and sustainable drainage approaches, to strengthen the park as a nature-rich city-centre refuge.

The objective, in plain terms, is to take a park that has been “changed and patched” over decades — and bring it back together as a coherent, beautiful, usable civic space, while also tackling concerns about condition and safety through better design, visibility and positive activity.

Why this matters

Mountjoy Square Park isn’t just a local green — it’s a landmark public space in the heart of Dublin’s north inner city. Done right, this project can:

• Lift daily quality of life for residents (a park that feels safer, brighter, more accessible, and more welcoming).
• Respect and reveal our heritage, restoring a Georgian square to a standard worthy of the city’s history.
• Support healthier, more active living, with facilities that work for different ages and abilities, and a better walking environment around the square.

How to make your submission

You can make a submission online through Dublin City Council’s Engage platform, or in writing to the Executive Manager, Planning & Property Development Department, Civic Offices, Wood Quay, Dublin 8, by the deadline on the statutory notice.

If you’re making a submission, I’d encourage you to focus on practical points, such as:

• accessibility and universal design
• safety, lighting and passive surveillance
• balance between quiet enjoyment and active recreation
• planting, biodiversity and maintenance
• how the perimeter improvements work for pedestrians (and for the neighbourhood generally)

A final word

This is exactly the kind of project where public input can make the final scheme stronger. If Mountjoy Square Park is your local park — or simply one you care about as part of Dublin’s story — please take the time to read the documents and have your say. Those details are available at https://engage.dublincity.ie/en-IE/projects/re-imagining-mountjoy-square-park-part-8.