O'Connell Bridge - 1880 - Dublin, Ireland
N 53° 20.836 W 006° 15.546
29U E 682443 N 5914404
The O'Connell bridge, built in 1880, crosses the River Liffey from the southern end of O'Connell Street. It is unique in Europe in that it is the only bridge that is wider than it is long.
Waymark Code: WMFWQ9
Location: Dublin, Ireland
Date Posted: 12/09/2012
Views: 15
The plaque, on the
west side of bridge, reads:
Carlisle
Bridge
Built 1794
Rebuilt by the Dublin Port and Docks Board
1880
Renamed
O'Connell Bridge
by the Municipal Council 1880
Right
Honble Edmund Dwyer Cray M.P. Lord Mayor
James W. Mackey, Knt D.L. High
Sheriff
Rindon B. Stoney, Engineer
W. J. Doherty,
Contractor
The Tourist Information Dublin website
[visit
link] tells us:
"O'Connell Bridge (Droichead Uí
Chonaill in Irish) in Dublin is a road bridge which spans the River Liffey in
Dublin, and joins O'Connell Street to D'Olier Street, Westmoreland Street and
the south quays.
It was designed by James Gandon and
was built in 1794 as the Carlisle Bridge and replaced in 1880 by the present,
much wider, O'Connell Bridge named for the Irish hero Daniel
O'Connell.
The bridge is about 45 metres long
and 50 metres wide. It has 3 spans and is built of Portland Stone. it is said to
be unique in Europe as the only bridge in that is wider than it is
long.
In 2004, a pair of pranksters
installed a plaque on the bridge dedicated to the fictitious Father Pat Noise,
which apparently remained unnoticed until May 2006,and is still there as of
January 2011."
The Archiseek website [visit
link] adds:
"Originally designed and built by
James Gandon, O’Connell Bridge was built in 1794-98 and named aftyer the then
Viceroy – Lord Carlisle. The original bridge had a hump and was much narrower
and Gandon had designed obelisks and plinths for the four corners. In 1880 it
was widened and the hump removed – it is now almost square – being as wide as it
is long. In 1882 it was renamed after Daniel O’Connell when the statue in his
honour was unveiled. Recently the lamps that graced the central island have been
restored to their five lantern glory."
Changing pictures of the bridge can be
seen here.
O'Connell bridge is on the left side, second image
down.