PEPPER CANISTERS, literary giants and the fashions of the 18th century will all be scrutinised today in Dublin’s Georgian centre as buildings around Merrion Square are opened up as part of Heritage Week.
The public will have an opportunity to see properties not often open to them, as well as taking part in workshops, lectures and literary walks free of charge.
Merrion Square Open Day, now in its fifth year, aims to celebrate the rich and diverse heritage of the square.
Established in the 1700s, the square is among the finest examples of Georgian architecture in the world.
Highlights of the day will include a tour of Daniel O’Connell’s former home at 58 Merrion Square led by Kevin Whelan, University of Notre Dame, Indiana, at 10am.
There will be visits to the fully restored stable house in Fitzwilliam Lane and a walking tour examining the literary heritage of the square, which was home to Oscar Wilde, WB Yeats, and Sheridan Le Fanu.
Among the buildings open to the public today is 8 Merrion Square, home of the Royal Institute of the Architects of Ireland, where a talk on fashions of the 18th century will be given by art and fashion historian Sara Donaldson. Guided tours will run throughout the day from 10am to 5pm at 45, 58 and 63 Merrion Square.
At 12pm visitors can listen to the sounds of an 18th century organ, built by a contemporary of Handel’s in St Stephen’s Church, Mount Street Crescent, known as the Pepper Canister church.
At 3pm the church will feature poetry reading by Theo Dorgan and Paula Meehan. And at 4pm, childhood in Georgian Dublin will be explored in a workshop at 29 Fitzwilliam Street Lower.
For full details of the programme visit www.esb.ie/no29
