O'Connell Bridge - 1880 - Dublin, Ireland - Bridge Date Stones and Plaques on Waymarking.com

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.