There’s something about bridges that just captures people’s hearts, minds and imaginations. It might be because they are such fascinating feats of engineering, or because they become such iconic landmarks, or maybe it's what they symbolise - connection, progression, bringing people together no matter the chasm between them. Sometimes, like with the Golden Gate Bridge, it’s simply got to do with how cool they look…
In Dublin, we’re lucky to have lots of wonderful bridges. Wide, busy traffic thoroughfares, whimsical old pedestrian walkways, and modern masterpieces are all featured along the lengths of the Liffey as it makes its way through Dublin, and towards the Irish Sea. Here are X of our favourites.
Completed in 2009, the Samual Becket Bridge swiftly became one of Ireland’s most iconic landmarks - well, it is an awful lot easier to photograph than the spire! This beautiful bridge was designed by the renowned Spanish architect Santiago Calatrava. It’s a striking, elegant cable-stayed bridge that was designed to resemble a harp — one of Ireland’s national symbols (and, of course, our logo)! Opened in 2009, it quickly became a favourite for photographers, whether gleaming in the summer sunshine or beautifully illuminated at night.
One of Dublin’s busiest bridges, O’Connell Bridge was opened in 1880, having been built to replace Carlisle Bridge, which was not at all stable enough to handle the volume of pedestrian and carriage traffic it bore. It’s an unusual bridge in that it’s 5 metres wider than it is long, and thank goodness it’s as wide as it is, because it’s now Dublin’s main traffic thoroughfare over the Liffey, with pedestrians, buses, taxis, cars and the LUAS all making their way across it every day. Don’t miss the sandstone balustrades and the beautiful old lanterns.
Opened in 2014, this is the only bridge in Dublin to be named after a woman - and what a woman! Rosie Hackett was a trade union activist and was also active in the 1916 Rising, during which she was part of the rebel group that famously occupied St Stephen’s Green in a daring and brave but ultimately unsuccessful operation. Open to the LUAS, cyclists, taxis and pedestrians, it’s a relatively calm bridge offering lovely views of the Liffey. Best of all, there's lots of seating on the bridge and it’s a lovely place to take a load off anf take in the city all around you.
Unassuming, unobtrusive, and uncongested - the Millennium Bridge is not the fanciest of Dublin’s bridges but its clean, modern design is beautiful and it has won multiple awards. It’s quieter than most of Dublin’s bridges and it’s open to pedestrians only - the only other fully pedestrian bridge over the Liffey after the Ha’penny. It’s a neat bridge, which will give you a lovely sense of closeness to the Liffey as it flows beneath your feet. The highlight of standing on this bridge at night is its beautiful lighting, and during the day it’s the stunning views you have of the next bridge over - the iconic cast iron beauty that is the Ha’penny Bridge.
Opened in 1816, Dublin’s most charming bridge was opened to the public. A pedestrian bridge, the Ha’penny is smaller than most of the Liffeys bridges – but what it lacks in size, it more than makes up for in character and beauty. Its name is officially the Liffey Bridge, but few use this name. The moniker it’s more commonly known by comes from the amount that pedestrians used to have to pay to use it; a ha’penny (the same amount cost to cross by ferry), payable at one of the turnstiles on either side of the bridge. It’s thought that at least 30,000 people cross the bridge every day on foot.
Cast iron coloured a cornflower blue, the Rory O’More bridge is distinctive and beautiful. It opened in 1861 to replace a previous wooden structure and was an important and volatile spot for many years, being positioned in such a strategically important location near the Collins Barracks and the Four Courts - as well as being ‘competition’ for the ferries that took people across the river. So often was it the site of battles and ambushes that for a time it was even known as Bloody Bridge! Today it’s peaceful, pretty, and perfect for standing on to smell the delicious waft of barley that lies heavy in the air as Guinness is brewed just a few minutes away!
We’re not saying the James Joyce Bridge is the best bridge in Dublin, but it IS very close to us, designed by the incredible Santiago Calatrava (who you might remember also designed the Samuel Beckett Bridge), and named after one of our literary greats who even wrote what he thought was a great slogan for Guinness
“The free, the flow, the frothy freshener”
The James Joyce Bridge is a beautiful structure, smaller than – but reminiscent of – Calatrava’s other Dublin bridge. Opened on Bloomsday 2003, it’s already another iconic Dublin bridge and best of all it’s only around ten minutes walk from here to the Storehouse.