Marino, Dublin

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Marino is a suburb near the north inner city area of Dublin, Ireland. It encompasses the area between Fairview Park on the East, Fairview Strand at the South, Philipsburgh Avenue at the west and Griffith Avenue in the East. It was developed in the late 1920s and 1930s on the former estate lands of the Earl of Charlemont in the then-district of Clonturk (now Marino and Drumcondra). It is notable as one of the first examples, in the newly formed Irish state, of an affordable housing project.

The area consists of about 1,300 houses built for the most part of concrete, which was an unusual building material at that time in Ireland. The houses were built by a private contractor using a proportion of immigrant German builders ^[1]. The houses each cost £657 to build (approximately €40,000 at today's costs ) ^[2]. The development centred on two large circular 'greens', Marino Park and Croydon Gardens, with adjoining symmetrical green areas, such as Marino Green and Croydon Green, that give the area a highly distinctive character when seen from the air.

Marino won a number of town planning prizes when it was built, and still today is one of the best examples of a well designed housing estate. The area is well served by public transport (bus and DART) and all houses are in walking distance to shops. It is two kilometres from the GPO in O'Connell Street.

Marino is home to St Vincents GAA Club, based at the border with Donnycarney.

[edit] The Casino at Marino

The Casino at Marino

see main article Casino at Marino

The Casino is a famous piece of Irish neo-classical architecture. It was designed by Sir William Chambers as a pleasure house for James Caulfeild, 1st Earl of Charlemont. It is regarded as one of the finest 18th century neo-classical buildings in Europe. The Casino, meaning "small house", contains a total of 16 finely decorated rooms. It is maintained by the Office of Public Works and is open to the public.