In a northern corner of Dublin, away from the noises and business of the city, is the Garden of Remembrance. This garden was created in 1966 as a memorial to all those who have died in the cause of Irish freedom. This beautiful garden takes you from the busy street into a peaceful area where you feel cut off from the rest of the city. You walk along the cruciform shaped pool and arrive at the statue. This statue is a representation of an Irish folktale about the Children of Lir who were turned into swans protecting them from the wrath and jealousy of their step mother. The statue symbolizes a rising from the past and a rebirth into a more beautiful tomorrow. On the wall behind the statue is a poem, written in Irish and English and French, which perfectly exemplifies the spirit of the Irish. This garden is so beautiful and a perfect place to really begin an understanding of the people and history of this incredible country.
“In the darkness of despair we saw a vision, We lit the light of hope and it was not extinguished. In the desert of discouragement we saw a vision. We planted the tree of valour and it blossomed. In the winter of bondage we saw a vision. We melted the snow of lethargy and the river of resurrection flowed from it. We sent our vision aswim like a swan on the river. The vision became a reality. Winter became summer. Bondage became freedom and this we left to you as your inheritance. Oh generations of freedom remember us, the generations of the vision.
‘We Saw A Vision’, Liam Mac Uistín