Linenhall is an area in the north inner city of

Dublin Dublin (; , or ) is the capital and largest city of Republic of Ireland, Ireland. On a bay at the mouth of the River Liffey, it is in the Provinces of Ireland, province of Leinster, bordered on the south by the Dublin Mountains, a part of th ...

, Ireland which was previously the site of a complex of buildings and streets associated with the

linen Linen () is a textile made from the fibers of the flax plant. Linen is very strong, absorbent, and dries faster than cotton. Because of these properties, linen is comfortable to wear in hot weather and is valued for use in garments. It also ...

trade. It was also temporarily a barracks, and was largely destroyed during the

Easter Rising The Easter Rising ( ga, Éirí Amach na Cásca), also known as the Easter Rebellion, was an armed insurrection in Ireland during Easter Week in April 1916. The Rising was launched by Irish republicans against British rule in Ireland with the a ...

in 1916.

Area

The area known as Linenhall built up around the historical market hall, and the series of streets which now comprise the area reflect those connections particularly with northern counties and areas of Ireland. Extant streets include Coleraine Street, Lurgan Street, and Lisburn Street. Derry Street to the north of Linenhall was built over when the hall expanded in 1781. There are also streets named for the building, Linenhall Street, Linenhall Terrace, Linenhall Parade, and Yarnhall Street.

Foundation

Linenhall, also spelt Linen Hall, was a complex of Georgian buildings at the top of

Capel Street Capel Street is a street in Dublin, Ireland. On 20 May 2022, it was made traffic-free, following a campaign by people who wanted to improve the quality of life on the street. It is now the longest traffic-free street in Dublin. History Capel ...

, built by the Linen Board. The selection of this three-acre site as a centralised Linen Hall for Dublin was decided by the Board on 17 March 1722 following the rejection of sites in Drumcondra and

Ballybough Ballybough () is an inner city district of northeast Dublin city, Ireland. Adjacent areas include the North Strand and Clonliffe. Location Ballybough is an inner city district of northeast Dublin. Neighbouring districts include Drumcondra to ...

. Many linen traders would stay in the inns and taverns in the environs of Capel Street at this time. Construction began, and the Hall was opened for business on 14 November 1728. The complex was originally designed by Thomas Burgh, and later enlarged in 1784 by Thomas Cooley. A Yarn Hall and Cotton Hall were also constructed nearby. The complex was modelled on Blackwell Hill, London, and the Cloth Hall of

Hamburg (male), (female) en, Hamburger(s), Hamburgian(s) , timezone1 = Central (CET) , utc_offset1 = +1 , timezone1_DST = Central (CEST) , utc_offset1_DST = +2 , postal ...

. The Dublin Linenhall housed 550 bays for storage, a large trading space, and a boardroom. Following the opening of the Belfast Linen Hall in 1783, the Dublin Hall went into decline. The Linen Board was disbanded in 1828.

Barracks

From the 1870s, the Hall was used as a

British Army The British Army is the principal land warfare force of the United Kingdom, a part of the British Armed Forces along with the Royal Navy and the Royal Air Force. , the British Army comprises 79,380 regular full-time personnel, 4,090 Gurk ...

barracks. The Board of Works took over the buildings in 1878. In 1914, the Hall, along with the nearby Temple Gardens in front of the Kings Inns, was host to one its last events, the Dublin Civic Exhibition. It is mentioned in the 1958 song "

Monto (Take Her Up to Monto) "Monto (Take Her Up To Monto)" is an Irish folk song, written in 1958 by George Desmond Hodnett, music critic of the ''Irish Times'', and popularised by the Dubliners. Frank Harte was also known to sing the song. Lyrics Well, if you've got a wi ...

", which references events of the late 19th century: "You've seen the Dublin Fusiliers, / The dirty old bamboozeleers, /

De Wet De Wet is the name of: * Jacob Willemszoon de Wet (c. 1610 – between 1675 and 1691), Dutch painter * Christiaan de Wet (1854–1922), Boer general, rebel leader and politician ** De Wet Decoration, South African military medal named after the ab ...

'll kill them chiselers, one, two, three. / Marching from the Linen Hall / There's one for every cannonball, / And

Vicky Vicky, Vicko, Vick, Vickie or Vicki is a feminine given name, often a hypocorism of Victoria. The feminine name Vicky in Greece comes from the name Vasiliki. Women * Family nickname of Victoria, Princess Royal (1840–1901), wife of German ...

's going to send them all, o'er the sea." On 26 April 1916, Linenhall Barracks was seized by the Irish Volunteers. The Barracks was largely occupied by unarmed clerks. The Barracks was set on fire by 1st Dublin Battalion Irish Volunteers to prevent the British Army using the site. The fire spread to adjacent buildings on Great Brunswick Street and North King Street. During the fire, Volunteer Paddy Holohan reported the fire leading to the explosion of several barrels of oil, creating large plumes of thick smoke.

Present

Remnants of the original complex can be seen in the Linenhall campus of the

Technological University Dublin Technological University Dublin ( ga, Ollscoil Teicneolaíochta Bhaile Átha Cliath) or TU Dublin is Ireland's first technological university, established on 1 January 2019, and with a history stretching back to 1887 through the amalgamated Dub ...

off Yarnhall Street.

References

{{coord missing, County Dublin 1916 fires in Europe Demolished buildings and structures in Dublin Buildings and structures in Dublin (city) Buildings and structures demolished in 1916 Places in Dublin (city)