Not to be confused with Mount Morian in Texas. This Mount Merrion (Cnoc Mhuirfean) is a middle-class suburb about seven kilometres south of the city centre. The suburb is situated on and around the first foothill of the Dublin Mountains from which it takes its name. Once a wooded hill rising imposingly above the surrounding countryside and overlooking the tiny hamlet of Dundrum, Mount Merrion has changed in recent years as the city has marched southward.
History The Norman family of Fitzwilliam built Merrion Castle in 1210. It had fallen into such a state of disrepair 500 years later that Richard, the Fifth Viscount Fitzwilliam, abandoned it, selecting an adjacent 100-acre site on which to build Mount Merrion House. Major Sir Neville Wilkinson occupied the house from 1903 to 1914, after which time the estate was sold off; the house itself was acquired by the Catholic Church. A new church was built alongside it in 1956 and much of the original house was demolished in the late-1970s.
Property Historically at the top end of residential property prices, even modest houses in Mount Merrion could once command extraordinary sums at auction as their extensive gardens facilitated significant development. Alas, prices are dropping faster than a hooker’s tights just now.
Schools There is an excellent array of junior and senior schools, including Mount Anville, St Theresa’s, Our Lady’s Grove, Blackrock College, St. Andrews College and Oatlands College. Comedian Dermot Morgan was a past pupil of Oatlands College and Mary Robinson attended Mount Anville. But of course she did.
Hospitals St Vincent’s in Elm Park and St Columcille’s in nearby Loughlinstown – it’s a 150-bed acute general hospital serving the catchment area of South East Dublin and East Wicklow. The latter has been the subject of much attention recently as a result of a high number of patient deaths resulting from hospital-acquired infections.
Neighbours Dave fanning (not Snoop, unfortunately) grew up here and attended Scoil San Treasa. Norma Smurfit paid millions for a house here and promptly knocked it down. Mickey O’Rourke, co-founder of Setanta Sport, moved back from London to live in the locality. Actor Peter McDonald of I Went Down fame is also a local lad.
Restaurants There are two of note: Yo Thai in the basement of Kiely’s of Mount Merrion and Michael’s in Deerpark Road. Restaurateur and proprietor of Yo Thai, Frank Murphy, took silver in the 1500m at the European Championships in Athens in 1969 and broke Ronnie Delaney’s long-standing Irish record over the distance. Michael’s originally started out as a wine shop selling, then serving, food to an appreciative clientele. A selection of fabulous wines, cheeses, salamis, olives, fresh vegetables and fruit are imported from Italy.
Bars and Pubs Just the one. Kielys of Mount Merrion is an offshoot of its more famous parent in Donnybrook. This cavernous superpub was formerly known as The Sportsman and The Mount Merrion House. Now incorporating a business centre, a restaurant (Yo Thai) and an off licence, the pub is making a determined effort to return to its Sportsman roots and make live music a real feature, as it once used to be.
Entertainment Kielys has put the focus back on live music. The venue that once featured a Saturday-night residency by dinosaur rockers Full Circle recently saw them take to the stage once again a mere 50 years after their inception. For a much younger audience, Dun Laoghaire-Rathdown County Council now holds an annual Mad Hatters Tea Party in Deerpark. Featuring teacup rides, giant chess, croquet, a storyteller and a hat-making session, attendees are encouraged to wear fancy dress.
Transport Dun Laoghaire-Rathdown County Council completed two phases of a traffic-calming scheme in Mount Merrion between 1998 and 2001. The scheme extends along ten kilometres of roads that serve 1,470 residences. Ramps, roundabouts, raised junctions, junction narrowing, build-outs and partial road closures have been applied throughout the area. The area is serviced by bus routes 46A, 46B, 46C, 5 and 63, and it benefits from a QBC running along the Stillorgan Road.
Green Space Deerpark (once the hunting grounds of the Fitzwilliam family) was opened to the public in 1971 and contains sporting facilities (soccer and Gaelic football pitches and Mount Merrion Tennis Club), walks, cycle paths and a jungle-themed playground. The location and altitude of the park provide it with a panoramic view of Dublin city – crowds have traditionally gathered here to watch the annual Skyfest fireworks on St. Patrick’s Weekend (not this year, though, as it was relocated to Cashel).
Sporting Facilities Mount Merrion Tennis Club is located in Deerpark. Mount Merrion Youths’ Football Club is a community-based club currently proposing to build a floodlit all-weather pitch in the park. In 2005 its under-18s representatives won the Leinster Football Association Youths’ Cup. Fran Rooney of Baltimore Technologies and FAI fame was once their manager (seriously).
Politicians The local constituency is Dublin South. However, none of the sitting TDs (Seamus Brennan, Tom Kitt, Olivia Mitchell, Eamon Ryan or Alan Shatter) live here. There is a connection to one current minister though – Eamon O’Cuiv, Minister for Community, Rural and Gaeltacht Affairs, grew up here and attended Oatlands College. Independent Councillor Gearoid O’Keefe lives locally.
The Bottom Line Imagine if the fictional town of Stepford, Connecticut were relocated to South County Dublin. We’re talking about deepest suburbia complete with manicured lawns and an SUV in every driveway. Mount Merrion is a perfectly reasonable place to live but it has enjoyed an undeserved cachet amongst aspirant homeowners desperate to break in. There is no heart to the place as there is not – nor never has been – a Mount Merrion village. It doesn’t even benefit from being on a Luas or DART line, and is merely proximate to a Quality Bus Corridor. In a word: overrated.
Best-kept Secret When Gwendoline, three-year-old daughter of Sir Neville Wilkinson, insisted she had seen a fairy disappear amongst the trees in the garden of Mount Merrion House, her father was inspired to create a magnificent dollhouse called Titania’s Palace. It took a team of master craftsmen 15 years to complete and was opened by Queen Mary in 1922. It toured all around Britain and was admired by two million people. Sold at Christie’s in 1978, it is now on display in Egeskov Castle in Denmark. The palace’s 18 rooms contain hand-carved mahogany furniture and 3,000 tiny works of art and miniatures from around the world. Tara’s Palace, a miniature replica of Titania’s Palace, is on display in Malahide Castle.
A little harsh in comparison to your other pieces. Some parts of the area fit the Stepford description, but closer to Deerpark you'll find quiet roads with plenty of green spaces, populated by a mix of young families and elderly residents. But if shopping or a busy night-life is your main priority, it's probably best to look elsewhere.
Posted by: Joe | August 02, 2008 at 14:42
Strange there is no mention of the heart of Mount Merrion - Ed's sweet shop on Deerpark Road. For at least 30 years Ed's family have been the penny-sweet champions and have remained loyal to the fruit salad, refreshers and cola bottles. Class A sweet shop.
Posted by: Dee | September 01, 2008 at 17:32