Phoenix Park
The Phoenix Park is a large park near the outskirts of Dublin City, Ireland. It is the largest urban enclosed park in Europe at over 1700 acres (7 km²).
The park contains the residences of both the President of Ireland (Áras an Uachtaráin) and the United States ambassador to Ireland (Deerfield Residence). The headquaters of the national police force of the Republic of Ireland, An Garda Síochána, is located in the park. The park contains Dublin Zoo, cricket and other sportsgrounds, a memorial for the Duke of Wellington and the Papal Cross. The cross was erected in the park for the visit of Pope John Paul II in 1979. An estimated million people attended an open air mass in the park at the time.
The name is a corruption of the Irish fionn uisce meaning "clear water". The park featured prominently in James Joyce's novel, Finnegans Wake. It is occasionally used for open-air concerts.
