Stardust Memorial Park upgraded ahead of 40th anniversary

Dublin City Council has carried out a rejuvenation and upgrade of Stardust Memorial Park in Coolock ahead of this Sunday’s 40^th anniversary of the tragedy.

Unfortunately the park has been the location for anti-social activity in recent times, so the first undertaking for the Council’s Parks, Biodiversity and Landscape Services section was to ensure park users were made feel safe.

This involved opening up sight lines through the park by removing dense shrubbery that was growing in the clusters of trees and removing trees that were no longer viable.

In an effort to encourage people to spend more time in the park, a number of ‘plant interventions’ took place.

The process began this time last year with the planting of thousands of bulbs throughout the park.

Another intervention was the decision to turn the grass area at the sunken garden into a wildflower meadow.

A landscape contractor was engaged to excavate the little-known labyrinth area and create pathways. The rose garden next to it also underwent a transformation with both the roses and soil being replaced. The roses were replaced with 90% pollinator-friendly varieties.

A spokesperson for the council said:

“The butterfly bank is a new addition to the park.

“Originally a steep bank area that was difficult to maintain, it has now been planted with a number of special plants designed to encourage butterflies.

“The park has also been assigned a dedicated gardener.

“Work has been carried out on the most important feature of the park, the Memorial itself.

“A mix of white early flowering spring bulbs were chosen to flower around this time every year.

“Two benches were also commissioned so that anyone who wants to spend time at the Memorial has somewhere to sit.

“Dublin City Council hopes the immediate community and beyond will continue to enjoy the park and remember the 48 people who tragically lost their lives.”