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A black and white photo of children queuing to ride an elephant with a number of children already on top.

Dublin Zoo opened in 1831, with 46 mammals and 72 birds donated by London Zoo. In 1840 the zoo made the radical decision to charge only a penny for entry on Sundays, thus endearing itself to many Dubliners. One of the best-loved zoo-keepers was Jimmy Kenny, who oversaw elephant rides in the 1950s and 1960s. Jimmy was the father of Pat Kenny, one of Ireland’s most famous broadcasters. Elephant rides are a thing of the past now, of course.