Just inside the northwestern corner of Merrion Sq is a flamboyant statue of Oscar Wilde, who grew up across the street at No 1 (now used exclusively by the American University Dublin); Wilde wears his customary smoking jacket and reclines on a rock. Atop one of the plinths, daubed with witty one-liners and Wildean throwaways, is a small green statue of Oscar’s pregnant mother.
