A historical civic square built to inspire you.

Le Pole Square respects the past and embraces the future.

The site of Le Pole Square proved to be one of the most significant urban excavations with findings dating as far back as Early Christian Ireland, 600 AD.

Over the course of 15 years, various archaeologists sieved through the land to find the story of the original heart of Dublin and its previous tenants. Archaeological findings suggest an earlier monastery was presumable seized by the Viking in the 9th century where they continued to occupy for a century. The land was used to create a port as it was where the River Poddle met the River Liffey in what was known as the Dubh Linn. The Dubh Linn, the black pool, is where Dublin gets its name. Originally it was believed the riverbank was located by the Dubh Linn Garden in Dublin Castle. However, following the excavation of the site of Dublin Royal Convention Centre, new findings suggest it was much larger and extended to what now is the Convention Centre. Several burial sites have been located, including 5 Viking warriors dating to the 9th century. Visible on Le Pole Square is the markings of what was the Church and graveyard of St. Michael Le Pole. St Michael Le Pole Church was built c.1100 within the existing monastic cemetery with a round tower attached. The area depopulated by the mid-16th century and eventually the church was no longer a place of worship. The building evolved over time and was converted into various uses and partially rebuilt. It was converted into a Schoolhouse in 1706 before being redeveloped into The Widow’s Alms in 1787. This was charitable housing that targeted the poor of the locality such as widows or elderly people who could no longer afford rent. These homes were extensions of the church system and were used to help those in need. It was converted to a schoolhouse again in the late 18th century with a final rebuilding phase in brick in c. 1900.