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On July 17th 1919 over 100 representatives from all parts of Ireland, both North and South, assembled to discuss plans to create a memorial for the ” 49,400 Irish soldiers who gave their lives in the Great War, 1914—1918.” Beyond those who died the memorial also called for recognition of all those of Irish heritage who fought in the war which included those from foreign countries and other British territories. The process of deciding the location of the memorial was a long, arduous process during which many potential locations were suggested but ultimately rejected. It was not until 1929 that the present location, the Longmeadows on the banks of the Liffey, was proposed and accepted. Work began two years later in 1931 and was finally completed in 1939. The workforce was composed of 50% ex-British army servicemen and 50% ex-Irish army servicemen. An official opening ceremony was slated to occur on July 30th 1939, but with another World War looming in the near future this was postponed indefinitely.
Following World War II, Ireland’s nationalistic ideology, which looked down upon the country’s involvement in WWI, prevented an official official opening from happening. Furthermore, the garden was subject to two IRA attacks in 1956 and 1958. A lack of government funding through the 1950s and 1960s led to the garden becoming increasingly more dilapidated. It was not until the 1980s when a cultural shift, including the beginning of a change in the public’s view of its pre-Irish Revolution national history and identity, that the renovations of the park began. Finally, in 1988, roughly 69 years after it was first proposed, the park got its official opening ceremony. (1)
Below is a video highlighting the War Garden:
http://https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eHdxGj_rBwI
(1) Irish Defenese Forces. “History of Irish National War Memorial Gardens.” History of War Memorial Garden. Irish Defense Forces, n.d. Web. 16 Dec. 2016.