Michael Davitt Bridge, Achill Island, Co Mayo

The Michael Davitt Bridge () is a

swing bridge A swing bridge (or swing span bridge) is a movable bridge that has as its primary structural support a vertical locating pin and support ring, usually at or near to its center of gravity, about which the swing span (turning span) can then p ...

County Mayo County Mayo (; ga, Contae Mhaigh Eo, meaning "Plain of the yew trees") is a county in Ireland. In the West of Ireland, in the province of Connacht, it is named after the village of Mayo, now generally known as Mayo Abbey. Mayo County Counci ...

Ireland Ireland ( ; ga, Éire ; Ulster-Scots: ) is an island in the North Atlantic Ocean, in north-western Europe. It is separated from Great Britain to its east by the North Channel, the Irish Sea, and St George's Channel. Ireland is the s ...

that crosses from

Achill Island Achill Island (; ga, Acaill, Oileán Acla) in County Mayo is the largest of the Irish isles, and is situated off the west coast of Ireland. It has a population of 2,594. Its area is . Achill is attached to the mainland by Michael Davitt Bri ...

to the Mainland.

History

The plan for a bridge to connect Achill Island to the

Corraun Peninsula The Corraun Peninsula, also spelt Currane ( Irish:''An Corrán'' ), is a peninsula in County Mayo, on the west coast of Ireland. It extends out from the mainland towards Achill Island. Thoroughfares on the peninsula include the Great Western Gre ...

was considered in the early 1880s. A Mayo County surveyor drew up plans, which were approved by J. Price, a civil engineer. The official authorization was received from The Board of Trade in London and in 1883 an administrative body was organized to finance it ; total cost was projected to be approximately £5,000. The costs exceeded the estimates. However, John Grey Vesey Porter of County Fermanagh contributed his personal funds, so that the bridge could be built as designed. The bridge's structure consisted of a steel bowstring girder construction with a span of pivoting on a central pier. The roadway was in width. It was named for

Michael Davitt Michael Davitt (25 March 184630 May 1906) was an Irish republican activist for a variety of causes, especially Home Rule and land reform. Following an eviction when he was four years old, Davitt's family migrated to England. He began his caree ...

, 19th Century Irish social campaigner,

Fenian The word ''Fenian'' () served as an umbrella term for the Irish Republican Brotherhood (IRB) and their affiliate in the United States, the Fenian Brotherhood, secret political organisations in the late 19th and early 20th centuries dedicated ...

, and founder of the

National Land League National may refer to: Common uses * Nation or country ** Nationality – a ''national'' is a person who is subject to a nation, regardless of whether the person has full rights as a citizen Places in the United States * National, Maryland, c ...

. Davitt officially opened the bridge in 1887. The 1887 bridge was designed for horse-drawn traffic and deteriorated with the advent of heavier motorized traffic in the 1900s. In 1947 the Mayo County Council planned to demolish and replace the bridge. J & C McGloughlin of Dublin undertook the construction, which was the largest bridge construction project by an Irish company at the time. It was completed in early 1949. By 2007 the bridge had a number of problems with its swing mechanism, which hindered boat traffic. A review of its structures indicated corrosion and the Mayo County Council gave its backing to provide a new swing bridge. Its new design by Malachy Walsh & Partners was based on a Spanish Calatrava architectural model. SIAC Construction undertook the work and it was opened in 2008. The finished bridge weighs 390 tonnes, but is still operated manually. In November 2010, the bridge failed to close for over 2 hours, which resulted in a traffic snarl. The Mayo County Council ordered the bridge consultants and contractors to investigate this failure. The senior engineer, Michael Mongan, said minor modifications were put in place to resolve the issues. The bridge recommenced operations on a trial basis with the bridge back in full operation by the end of March 2011. On 3 September 2017, the bridge celebrated its 130th anniversary.

References

External links

Bridges of Dublin: Michael Davitt Bridge (2003), Achill Island, MayoThe Irish Times, New Bridge at Achill to open this week, 29 October 2008.
Bridges in the Republic of Ireland Bridges completed in 1887 Buildings and structures in County Mayo Swing bridges Achill Island {{Mayo-geo-stub