"Carlisle Bridge" redirects here. For the bridge in Lancaster, England, see Carlisle Bridge, Lancaster.
O'Connell Bridge
Bridge nameO'Connell Bridge
Native nameDroichead Uí Chonaill
Other nameCarlisle Bridge
CrossesRiver Liffey
LocaleDublin, Ireland
DesignerJames Gandon
PrecededHa'penny Bridge
FollowedRosie Hackett Bridge
MaterialGranite, portland stone
Length~45 m
Width~50 m (~45 m between parapets[1])
Spans3
Begin1791 (age 235)
(reconstruction commenced 1877 (age 149))
Complete1794 (age 232)
(reconstruction completed 1882 (age 144))
Coordinates53.3473°N 6.2591°W

O'Connell Bridge ()[2] is a road bridge spanning the River Liffey in Dublin, Ireland, which joins O'Connell Street to D'Olier Street, Westmoreland Street and the south quays.

History

Carlisle Bridge

The original bridge (named Carlisle Bridge after the then Lord Lieutenant of Ireland – Frederick Howard, 5th Earl of Carlisle) was designed by James Gandon, and built between 1791 and 1794.[3]

Originally humped,[3] and narrower, Carlisle bridge was a symmetrical, three semicircular arch structure constructed in granite with a Portland stone balustrade and obelisks on each of the four corners.[4] A keystone head at the apex of the central span symbolises the River Liffey, corresponding to the heads on the Custom House (also designed by James Gandon) which personify the other great rivers of Ireland.

O'Connell Bridge reconstruction

Since 1860, following similar work on Essex Bridge (now Grattan Bridge) to improve the streetscape and relieve traffic congestion on the bridge, it was intended to widen Carlisle Bridge to bring it to the same width as 70-metre (230-foot)-wide Sackville Street (now O'Connell Street), which formed the north side carriageway connection to the Bridge.[4] Between 1877 and 1880 the bridge was reconstructed and widened.[5] As can be seen on orthophotography [6] it spans now 45 m (148 ft) of the Liffey and is about 50 m (160 ft) wide.

When the bridge was reopened around 1882 it was renamed for Daniel O'Connell, when the statue in his honour was unveiled.[a]

In recent years, the lamps that graced the central island have been restored to their five-lantern glory. In 2004, a pair of pranksters installed a plaque on the bridge dedicated to Father Pat Noise, which remained unnoticed until May 2006,[7] and was still there as of June 2020.

The bridge is the setting of Liam O'Flaherty's short story, The Sniper, and is also referenced in several other works, including James Joyce's novel, Ulysses.[8]

Arthur Fields, locally known as The Man on The Bridge, took more than 182,000 photographs of pedestrians on the bridge from the 1930s to the 1980s.[9][10]

Notes

  1. ^ There are actually two O'Connell Bridges in Dublin. The other spans the pond in St Stephen's Green.[11]

References

  1. ^ Ronald C. Cox & Michael H. Gould (1998). Ireland – Civil Engineering Heritage. Telford. p. 41. ISBN 978-0-7277-2627-8. Archived 2021-08-29 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved 2020-10-03. "the width between parapets [is] 152 ft 8 in [approx 47m]"
  2. ^ "Droichead Uí Chonaill / O'Connell Bridge". Placenames Commission Database. Logainm.ie. Archived 24 December 2018 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved 9 December 2016.
  3. ^ "1880 – O'Connell Bridge, Dublin". Architecture of Dublin City. Archiseek.com. 2010. Archived 2016-03-10 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved 2010-04-12.
  4. ^ "Project history of Dublin's River Liffey bridges". Bridge Engineering 156 Issue BE4. Phillips & Hamilton. Archived 2017-08-12 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved 2005-06-14.
  5. ^
  6. ^ "Shop.osi.ie mapviewer". Ordnance Survey Ireland. Archived 2010-05-29 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved 2009-12-12.
  7. ^ "The Father Pat Noise 'Memorial'". Blather.net. 16 May 2006. Archived 22 May 2006 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved 16 May 2006.
  8. ^ "Dubliners could get their big bronze 'time ball' back". theirishtimes.com. Irish Times. 4 October 2017. Archived 26 December 2019 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved 13 May 2020.
  9. ^ "Arthur Fields: the man on O'Connell bridge". The Guardian. 18 August 2013. Archived 4 March 2016 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved 12 December 2016.
  10. ^ "Man on Bridge – Photos on the bridge from 1930s–1980s". ManOnBridge.ie. Archived 4 December 2020 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved 9 December 2016.
  11. ^ "O'Connell Bridge - Overview". Bridges of Dublin. Dublin City Council. Archived 6 August 2020 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved 13 May 2020.