Ormond Quay was the first of the quays to be built on the north side of the River Liffey, complete by c.1680, developed by Sir Humphrey Jervis and named in honour of the Duke of Ormond who instigated the trend for building houses facing the river.
The Dublin quays refers to the two roadways and quays that run along the north and south banks of the River Liffey in Dublin, Ireland. The stretches of the two continuous streets have several different names. However, all but three of the names (Swift’s Row, Bachelors Walk and Usher’s Island) share the same “Quay” designation. The quays have played an important part in Dublin’s history.
Much of the southern roadway and about half of the northern roadway is part of the R148 road while the other half of the northern roadway is part of the R801 road.
Both roadways run approximately 4.3 km (2.7 mi) from Sean Heuston Bridge in the west. The eastern end of the north roadway is at East-Link Bridge while the south roadway turns southward at the Grand Canal. Seventeen bridges cross the river along the line of The Quays; three of them are exclusively pedestrian bridges, one a railway bridge, one other for Luas trams (with another planned) and pedestrians, and the remainder for vehicular and pedestrian use.
The name designations of the north roadway are (from west to east): Wolfe Tone Quay, Sarsfield Quay, Ellis Quay, Arran Quay, Inns Quay, Upper Ormond Quay, Lower Ormond Quay, Bachelors Walk, Eden Quay, Custom House Quay and North Wall Quay.
The name designations of the south roadway are (from west to east): Victoria Quay, Usher’s Island, Usher’s Quay, Merchant’s Quay, Wood Quay, Essex Quay, Wellington Quay, Crampton Quay, Aston Quay, Burgh Quay, George’s Quay, City Quay, Sir John Rogerson’s Quay and Britain Quay.
A majority of the roadways in the city centre are one-way with the north roadway being eastward and the south being westward.
The street is famous as the site of the first performance of Handel’s Messiah, which took place in the the Bull’s Head Music Hall on 13 April 1742 before an audience of approximately 700 people. A pub further up on Thomas Street was known as G. F. Handel’s before changing its name to Arthur’s.
Fishamble Street is also home to Darkey Kelly’s, a well known Dublin music pub. It was named after Dorcas Kelly, who ran a popular brothel in the street in the 1750s and was executed for murder in 1761.
ESSEX QUAY WHERE THE SMOCK ALLEY THEATRE IS NOW LOCATED
Smock Alley Theatre on Essex Street consists of two buildings.
A former boys’ school designed by Dublin architect John Burke. It is one of a number of nineteenth-century buildings in the vicinity associated with the former Catholic Church of Saint Michael and John.
The school was built on the site of three former buildings. While the building now faces onto Essex Quay, historic maps show that it was once fronted by a narrow lane with buildings forming a northern edge to Exchange Street Lower.
The church, built in 1812, had an impact on the surrounding built environment through the construction of two schools and a presbytery, as well as being of considerable social significance as reportedly being the first since the Reformation to have a bell rung for mass and the angelus, with threats of legal action successfully countered by Daniel O’Connell.
I must admit that I never paid much attention to this attractive building before but for some unknown reason it caught my eye today.
168 Capel street was built in the early 19th century but the current facaded was added to at a later date. The windows have highly decorative surrounds. The section featured in my photograph is especially distinctive with polished granite pilasters with Venetian Gothic capitals and arches.
HOW TO COLOUR MATCH CLOTHING AND STREET FURNITURE – GRATTAN BRIDGE
I could not resist taking this photograph.
Grattan is a road bridge spanning the River Liffey in Dublin, Ireland, and joining Capel Street to Parliament Street and the south quays.
Starting in 2002, Dublin City Council undertook a reconstruction of the bridge deck, with granite paving for the footpaths and a set of benches with wooden seats and toughened glass backs.
As part of what was intended to be a “European-style book market”, in 2004 several temporary kiosks (prefabricated in Spain) were also controversially built on the bridge. Originally intended to create “a contemporary version of an inhabited bridge, such as the Ponte Vecchio in Florence”, these kiosks were later removed.
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