Peter Pearson visits Marlay House, at the foot of the Dublin Mountains, which was opened to the public fifty years ago
Marlay Park lies at the foot of the Dublin Mountains and provides a much-used amenity for the residents of the south city and county. The Georgian house that graces the parkland has been fully restored and is open to the public. It is used for many different events – lectures, concerts and school tours – and by filmmakers, who appreciate its spacious surroundings and generously proportioned rooms. With great foresight, Dublin County Council purchased the house and parkland, which included 214 acres, in 1973. Dublin’s new suburbs were then rapidly expanding and new housing estates were springing up in areas like Dundrum and Rathfarnham. The council’s Parks Department was at this time very active in developing new amenities and Marlay Park opened to the public in 1975. After that, Dublin County Council was broken up into three separate entities: Fingal, South Dublin and Dún Laoghaire-Rathdown County Councils came into being in 1994. The latter absorbed the body known as Dún Laoghaire Corporation and its new administrative area included Marlay Park.
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