Albert College Park

About

Albert College Park (Irish: Páirc Choláiste Ailbhe), also known as Hampstead Park, is a public park owned by Dublin City Council and managed by the council's Parks and Landscape Services division. It is located in northern Glasnevin, in the mid-northern suburbs of Dublin.

Location and access: The park is located on Ballymun Road in northern Glasnevin, next to the main campus of Dublin City University (DCU), and has been called an "oasis" in the area. It is bordered to the north and east by DCU, by Hampstead Private Hospital and the Elmhurst convalescent home to the southeast, Hampstead Avenue to the south, and Ballymun Road to the west.

History: In 1838, approximately 50 acres were acquired in Glasnevin to found a model farm which would ultimately become Albert College Park. which was used to teach agricultural methods. The model farm was extended to 100 acres in 1847, with buildings added from 1851, and a nursery and garden from 1853. Prince Albert visited the model farm as part of his visit to Ireland with Queen Victoria in 1853, and he was so impressed that he sent a farmer from his own estates, John Pristo, to the model farm to train for a year. Following this, the institution...