5 Stunning Bridges to see in Dublin


 

Dunlin- Image: Unsplash

Situated at the mouth of River Liffey the capital city of Ireland is a beautiful city! Ireland is the home of St Patrick’s Day a celebration commemorating one of Ireland’s patron saints and of course, the home of beer! Oh, do you know the MGM Lion? I mean the lion you see when an MGM movie is starting? That roaring lion is or was called Slats and he was born in Dublin in 1919. 

The name Dublin is derived from ‘Dubh Linn’ which means the Black Pool. The city has buildings which date back to as back as the 12th Century like the Dublin Castle which was built in the 13th Century; and the St Patrick’s Cathedral which was built in 1119!

The Irish people love their pints and you can tell by the number of pubs in Dublin. The city alone has over 660 pubs! The city has a pub which was opened in 1168! Mmh! 

But away from the good beer of Dublin, and the other great stuff, you will be pleasantly surprised to learn about Dublin’s bridges. The city boasts more than 100 rivers which means the city requires bridges for people and traffic to move across them. The city has beautiful bridges, 23 of them, from different times and made of different materials and technologies; and today, we will focus on the following five! 

1. O’Connell Bridge 

Image: Wikimedia Commons

The bridge has the same width it had when it was constructed in 1863; the initial bridge was a wooden one which was built in 1794. Guess what is unique about this bridge? The bridge is the only one in Europe which is wider than it is long! How interesting is that? The bridge is 45 meters long and 50 meters wide!

The arch bridge joins O’Connell Street to D’Olier Street crossing the River Liffey, which was opened in 1880 and was named after David O’Connell. The bridge is an arched bridge made from Portland stone and has three spans. 

2.  Samuel Beckett Bridge 

Image: Unsplash

I find this bridge looking a lot like a harp! The bridge was designed to reflect the national emblem the Celtic Harp! The Samuel Becket Bridge is a modern extremely beautiful bridge that joins Sir John Rogerson’s Quay to Guild Street. The bridge was designed by Santiago Calatrava; construction started in 2007 and completes in 2009. The bridge cost a good 60 Million Euros so it is worth it!

The bridge is a cable-swayed swing bridge that has two unequal spans providing a road for cars and a pedestrian crossing. Now listen to this, the bridge spins in a 90-degree angle every three minutes to allow traffic in the river to pass. Most people are used to bridges that open up at an angle, this one rotates! The bridge is 27 meters wide, 124 meters long, and has an inclined curved pylon angled at about 48 meters which are attached to 31 cable stays which are of varying lengths (these look like the harp strings!).

The steel superstructure traveled from Rotterdam, a distance of over 1000 kilometers using a barge. You can use the pedestrian side to cross the rotating bridge!

3. Ha’penny Bridge 

Image: Pixabay

The Ha’Penny Bridge was constructed in 1816 to providing a crossing over River Liffey. The steel cast for the bridge was cast in Shropshire England. 

The 43-meter-long bridge was the first pedestrian bridge over the Liffey River. Ok, so here is how the bridge got its name; before the bridge was constructed, people used to cross the bridge using ferries operated by William Walsh. Walsh was told by city officials that either he has his ferries constantly repaired or a bridge would have to be built. He voted to have the bridge built only if he split the toll fees collected on the bridge with the city with him getting half a penny/ Ha’Penny, for the next 100 years. The city agreed and that is how the bridge ended up with the name!

The bridge design has an elliptical iron arch which rises over three meters over water at a high peak. Even though renovations have been done at some points, a large part of the materials especially the cast iron, have been retained. 

4. Rory O’More 

Image: Wikimedia Commons

The Rory O’More bridge is just beautiful! Stunning in blue against a blue sky. The bridge is perfect for Instagram lovers as it provides an amazing backdrop, but mostly, the bridge is an important passage in Dublin as it joins Watling Street to Ellis Street. The original bridge was named Barrack Bridge due to its proximity to the Roya Barracks and was a wooden bridge was built in 1670. 

The bridge is a single span, cast-iron bridge, has a wrought iron decking, and granite abutment. It has had several names, including the Victoria and Albert Bridge- since it was opened after the crossing of Queen Victoria and Prince Albert, then Emancipation bridge, then not the Rory O’More bridge, and the locals simply sometimes call it the Watling Street Bridge. 

The deep blue color gives the bridge a bright and vibrant feel to it!

5. Fr Mathew Bridge 

Image: Wikimedia Commons

Fr Mathew Bridge dates back to the 11th Century, spans over River Liffey, and joins Merchant’s Quay to Church Street. The elliptical stone arch bridge is reflective of most bridge design used back them all over Europe. The first bridge on the site was wooden which served the emerging Viking town of Dyflinn. The bridge has cast-iron plaques, molded stones, and has four lanes for traffic. This three-span humpback granite bridge has a very long and rich history which we will not delve much into. 

The wooden bridge fell sometime during King II’s time but it was his son King Bridge who permitted a stone bridge to be built in 1247. In 1317, the bridge which had a bustle of activities was torn apart by Edward Bruce of Scotland and a bridge was built years later on the same spot which was given to religious brothers to manage; and collect tolls. Over the four hundred years that the bridge was used, the city changed while the bridge remained and in 1818, as the world was embracing the era of industrialization, a new bridge was built on the spot. 

It was named the Dublin Bridge and in 1938 was named Fr Mathew Bridge. 

 

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