![]() ![]() Oscar Wilde House, Wilde’s childhood home, is across the street at 1 Merrion Square. When he was a boy, he and his siblings often played on this very spot, while the poorer children of the local tenements and slums weren’t allowed in. The inspiration for this tale is presumably drawn from Wilde’s childhood. But it’s only when all children are allowed in that the garden can bloom. Right by the monument is the Giant’s Garden playground, named after Wilde’s early fairytale The Selfish Giant, which tells the tale of an ogre who bans all children from his garden. ![]() Osborne’s website lists the names behind each of the quotes, which include Bono, Irish president Michael D Higgins and artist Robert Ballagh, who may have chosen the most ‘Wildesque’ quote of all: “All art is quite useless”. ![]() Take a walk around these sculptures and read the handwritten Wilde quotes inscribed on the plinths, each one chosen by unnamed artists, writers and poets, as well as scientists and politicians. There are two other sculptures that make up the Oscar Wilde Monument, a bronze statue of his pregnant wife Constance and the torso of Dionysus, the god of youth, wine, poetry and theatre. This was Osborne’s nod to Wilde’s divided sense of self, his face here “both life-like and mask-like, both tragic and comedic.” But as you walk around the sculpture, his expression changes to one of wry amusement. When you approach the statue from the west side of the park, Wilde’s face looks rather thoughtful and serious. Media captionFind the real-size statue of the famous writer and playwright in the northwestern corner of Merrion Square Park. ![]()
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