IT WAS BUILT IN THE 1660s AND NAMED THE CHAPELIZOD BRIDGE
The Anna Livia Bridge, formerly Chapelizod Bridge (Irish: Droichead Shéipéal Iosóid, meaning ‘Isolde’s Chapel Bridge’), is a road bridge spanning the River Liffey in Chapelizod, Dublin, which joins the Lucan Road to Chapelizod Road.
As the Liffey flows into the town of Chapelizod, a weir divides the course to form a large mill race. Split by the two bodies of water, the island at Chapelizod has been a base for industry since at least the 18th century. The main flow is crossed by a four-span stone arch bridge, having two large central spans and two much smaller end spans.
This bridge was built in the 1660s, and originally named Chapelizod Bridge. The bridge was renamed in 1982 to mark the centenary of James Joyce’s birth. (The bridge is mentioned in Joyce’s Dubliners, as one of his “Dubliners”, James Duffy, lives in Chapelizod and visits a public house near the bridge. Anna Livia is the name given to the personification of the River Liffey, and was a principal character in Joyce’s Finnegans Wake – her final monologue recalls her life as she walks along the Liffey.)
As the only bridge 8 km past the Strawberry Beds to Chapelizod, and a main thoroughfare for traffic from the western suburbs (e.g.: Clonsilla and Blanchardstown) to Dublin city centre, the volume of road traffic over the bridge and through Chapelizod has increased in recent years.
Dublin City Council planned changes to bridge, as part of a general “Traffic Management Plan for the Chapelizod area”. The changes include the construction of separate footbridge sections outside the parapets of the bridge (to improve pedestrian safety), and the creation of cycle lanes on the bridge. Preparatory works for this initiative commenced in 2010 and the official opening was held in December 2011.
Sinéad O’Connor was a truly unique and iconic artist, and her death is a great loss to the world. In her memory there have been a number of memorials.
I visited Phoenix Park on Friday and at the bandstand near the Zoo I came across what I would describe as an impromptu memorial to Sinéad O’Connor … sorry about the quality of the photographs but my camera was giving me problems and I did not want to reposition any of the items.
Impromptu memorials to the deceased have become a common feature of the national and international landscape and they have greatly increased in frequency here in Ireland and especially in Dublin. They take many forms and represent various types of deaths; nonetheless, they have in common the expression of mourning for the deceased, regardless of whether or not the mourner personally knew the deceased. The site of the impromptu memorial may be located by the roadside, as in the case of a motor vehicle fatality, or outside a building associated with the deceased. In this instance it was a bandstand which may have been chosen as Sinead was a very popular musician.
The Bandstand at Phoenix Park is a freestanding octagonal-plan cast-iron bandstand, built c. 1890. It is located in the Hollow, a natural amphitheatre in the park, near the People’s Garden.
The bandstand was manufactured by Musgrave & Co. of Belfast, as marked with an ornamental escutcheon on one of the pillars flanking the steps. It is surrounded by tarmcadam hard standings, with grass and mature trees beyond.
The bandstand was originally used for military bands, but it is now used for a variety of events, including concerts, recitals, and dance performances. It is also a popular spot for weddings and photo shoots. The bandstand is a beautiful and historic landmark in Phoenix Park. It is a reminder of the park’s rich history of music and entertainment. It is also a popular spot for people to relax and enjoy the outdoors