National Botanic Gardens

Sundial, made c. 1760, comprising bronze gnomon and base set within round-plan granite setting atop octagonal-section pillar with stops to alternate faces. Pillar stands on round-plan paving, at junction of paths within National Botanic Gardens.

This is a rare example of a sundial, forming a point of interest within the National Botanic Gardens, close to the Great Palm House. It is of technical interest as a way of determining the time with reference to the path of the sun. This one was made in the mid-eighteenth century by Lynch of 26 Capel Street, Dublin. It is one of the few dials in Ireland with a time-scale graduated in single minutes. It also features the names of other cities from Bombay to Rio de Janeiro, indicating the moment of solar midday for them.