Flowing through the center of Dublin, the River Liffey has a colorful and storied past. And anytime you have a river that bisects a large city, it stands to reason there shall be many a bridge to span the gap that runs from shore to shore. Dublin is not excluded from this reasoning, having more bridges than you can count on both hands and feet, 24 to be exact. Dublin is rich with bridges!
I've decided to make a tour of the bridges, not all of them, just those in and near city center. The day is a bit dreary, the clouds are gray and threaten to soak the city at a moments notice. Surprisingly, such is Dublin this time of year, even though it's summer the weather can be somewhat mild and sometimes wet. That is why it's so green here! At least the Irish have the occasional rainbow to pull them out of the wet weather blues, with any luck we'll see one today.
I'll start the tour from one of the more interesting westward bridges then work my way eastward into and through city center. There are 8 other bridges further westward, but, I'm lazy and I think starting from here will be just fine.
The first bridge of interest is the Rory O'More Bridge. Originally a wooden bridge erected in 1670, the Barrack Bridge as it was called had another, more interesting name, Bloody Bridge. The bridge pissed off the local ferrymen and several deaths occurred from violence that was stirred up after the arrest of several ferrymen who attempted to destroy the bridge to protect their livelihood.
Wood isn't the heartiest of construction material, so a stone bridge took its place in 1704, only to be replaced again in 1859 by the current structure of cast iron with granite abutments. I predict this cast iron bridge will be replaced by an all plastic bridge of Lego block construction. In the middle a Lego retail shop will be found, actively targeting tourists who will be wishing they had left their children back at the hotel, but, I digress.
Walking eastward the next bridge I encounter is a rather modern looking one, the James Joyce Bridge, named after the popular Irish poet and political activist. This is an interesting bridge because the 131 foot span is supported by two outward angled arches. The location of the bridge ties well into Joyce's writings. In his short story "The Dead", the story takes place in a south side house facing the bridge, Number 15 Usher's Island to be exact! Coincidence? I think not!
Moving along my next bridge is the Mellows Bridge. This bridge gets a gold star for being the oldest active bridge in Dublin at almost 250 years of age. That's a pretty old bridge! Its predecessor, the Arran Bridge, stood for 80 years before being swept away in 1763 by flood waters. The bridge was no more when a raft of timber became wedged under the middle arch and with the rising waters literally lifted the bridge off its foundations.
Somewhat alarming factoid, the River Liffey supplies much of the city's water. Wow! Well if that's the case, I hope they're pulling the water from the river a ways upstream of city center because the river looks rather polluted here downtown with street run-off and other interesting things going on. Given the orange rescue ring in the picture, is this a failed rescue attempt and there's a decomposing body lurking about within the river's depths somewhere? Hmmm, makes me wonder. Hey, can you please pass me a bottled water?
The Father Mathew Bridge is the next bridge on the tour which looks pretty much like the last bridge we saw, the Mellows Bridge. Hmmmm, are they "cookie-cutter" bridges I wonder??? In any event, this bridge is located very near the original crossing point of the Liffey, the ancient "Ford of the Hurdles". Back in 1014 the first recorded bridge was constructed. Certainly a wooden structure, it was rebuilt over and over again through the ages (Medieval, Viking and Norman times). Replacing the wooden structure, in 1428 the first masonry bridge was built and had a 390-year life span. The Dublin Bridge as it was called was a 4-arched structure supporting shops, housing and even an inn and chapel were built on its supports. Replacing the old Dublin Bridge, in 1818 the current bridge was opened and named Whitworth Bridge for Charles, Earl of Whitworth, Lord Lieutenant of Ireland. However, like many of Dublin's bridges, names come and go, this bridge was named after Father Theobald Mathew in 1938.
Hmmm, have you ever seen the movie Groundhog Day with Bill Murray? I'm starting to feel a repeating cycle just like Murray's character experienced in the movie. The next bridge up ahead is the O'Donovan Rossa Bridge and it looks just like the last two bridges! Am I walking in a circle and don't know it? Build in 1816, the only thing that sets this bridge apart from the last two bridges are the 6 figureheads, 3 to a side. One side has figureheads representing Plenty, the Liffey, and Industry, on the other side we have figureheads for Commerce, Hibernia and Peace.
Ch-check it out, this bridge differs quite a bit from the last three monotonous bridges, this is the Grattan Bridge. Like so many bridges here in Dublin, this isn't the original bridge. The current bridge is a remodel of the Essex Bridge which replaced an earlier version of the Essex Bridge back in the 1750's due to flooding. Only one name change took place, which is an oddity because it seems like bridges in these parts get renamed at least three times during the course of their history. In 2003/2004 there where plans to monkey around with the bridge, adding benches, footpaths, and kiosks advertising or selling God knows what. Those plans fell through, so, I guess no new name change was in order, how refreshing!
The next bridge is the first pedestrian-only bridge we've encountered on the tour so far. The Millennium Bridge was built in 1999 to celebrate the new millennium (2000). Built of steel and resting on reinforced concrete haunches, the bridge is fairly utilitarian in design, it doesn't really fit in with all the other bridges. Not sure what they were thinking when they designed it. Oh well, to each his own, as they say.
Going from probably the most ugly bridge on the tour to the crown jewels of bridges here in Dublin, I am happy to present to you the Ha'penny Bridge! Here we have yet another pedestrian-only bridge, this one is older. Built in 1816, this cast iron beauty arches nicely over the River Liffey, don't you think? Officially known as the Liffey Bridge, this rather boring name has been generally cast aside for the more historical interesting name of Ha'penny Bridge.
Back before the bridge was constructed, seven ferries operated by William Walsh were in very bad shape, so bad that he was told to either fix them up or build a bridge. Walsh chose to build a bridge and with that the permission from the local government to access a toll from folks who wished to cross. The toll was a ha'penny (1/2 pence) and was in effect for 100 years. The toll was increased to a penny ha'penny (1.5 pence) but was dropped in 1919.
In 2001 renovations were in order due to the increase in traffic (27,000 people daily), conducted by the same company that built the RMS Titanic. I wonder, would it be wise to wear a life jacket when crossing?
Well look at that folks, we have not one, but, two rainbows!!! I'm standing on the Ha'penny Bridge! The bridge you see in the background is the O'Connell Bridge, our next stop.
Okay, enough with the rainbows, the tour continues, next stop, the O'Connell Bridge. This bridge is unique to Europe, it is the only bridge that is as long as it is wide at 230 feet. The original bridge was completed in 1794. In 1879 it was decided to widen the bridge to match the width of the entering road. When the bridge reopened in 1882 it was renamed after Daniel O'Connell, Irish political leader who campaigned for campaigned for Catholic Emancipation.
Moving right along, this next bridge isn't anything to write home about, Butt Bridge is its name. Originally a steel swivel bridge with a swinging section, its current manifestation was built in 1932 and is constructed of reinforced concrete. The bridge is the first use in reinforced concrete of a cantilevered and counterweight construction in either Britain or Ireland. Ha, that doesn't mean anything to me. Seems like a boring enough bridge to me, I guess all its magic is hidden.
The first railroad bridge is up next, the Loopline Bridge. This important bridge brings together the north and south rail lines. Built in 1891, the bridge is raised 6 meters above street level and supports two railway tracks. The bridge is constructed using wrought iron. Controversial, the bridge had a rocky start because it blocks the view downriver, many folks weren't very happy. They all relented, however, because of the importance of linking the railway north and south. In 2006 Iarnrod Eireann (the railroad operator) scaled back use for the bridge's sides for billboard advertising, must to the appreciation of many residents.
The bridge is mentioned in James Joyce's most famous work Ulysses:
"A skiff, a crumpled throwaway, Elijah is coming, rode lightly down the Liffey, under Loopline bridge, shooting the rapids where water chafed around the bridgepiers, sailing eastward past hulls and anchorchains, between the Customhouse old dock and George’s quay."
Ho-hum, this next bridge is a bit of a sleeper. Talbot Memorial Bridge is a modern bridge constructed in 1978. I really have nothing more to say about it. But, for the sake of thoroughness, I felt impelled to include it.
On the way to the next bridge I pass by a bronze statue named "The Linesman". It was created by Dony Mac Manus and unveiled February 2000.
Now here's a pretty cool bridge, the Seán O'Casey Bridge. The third pedestrian-only bridge of the tour, it's the modern equivalent of the Ha'penny Bridge, another crown jewel, at least I believe it is. Built in 2005 as part of a large-scale urban renewal project, the swing bridge is about 100 meters long and has two cantilever arms that swing open to permit boat passage.
Okay folks, we have arrived at our final bridge of the tour. Probably the coolest bridge we've seen today, the Samuel Beckett Bridge, is still under construction. The pictures aren't the best because access to the structure is limited. Here we have a cable-stayed bridge with a rather interesting design. The designer of this bridge, Santiago Calatrava, is also the designer of the James Joyce Bridge which we saw early in the tour, it was the second bridge if memory serves me. The main span of this amazing bridge is supported by 31 cable stays. 4 car traffic lanes and 2 pedestrian lanes will be supported. The design is supposed to evoke the image of a harp lying on its side. The harp is a pretty important image here in Dublin, seeing that it's the symbol used my Guinness Beer, but more importantly, it's a secular icon for Ireland and all things Irish. The bridge is scheduled to open in 2010.
Well, that about wraps things up folks, hope you enjoyed the bridge tour!
