Rialto () is an inner suburb 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 ...

, situated on the city's

southside Southside or South Side may refer to: Places Australia * Southside, Queensland, a semi-rural locality in the Gympie Region Canada * South Side, Newfoundland and Labrador, a community in the St. George's Bay area on the southwest coast of New ...

. The area takes its name from the Harcourt Bridge, which was commonly known as the Rialto Bridge due to its resemblance to the shape of the bridge of that name in Venice.

History and geography

Rialto is bounded to the east and north by

The Liberties The Liberties (Irish: ''Na Saoirsí'' or occasionally ''Na Libirtí'') is an area in central Dublin, Ireland, located in the southwest of the inner city. Formed from various areas of special manorial jurisdiction, separate from the main city g ...

, St. James's Hospital and an original section of the Grand Canal stretching from Suir Bridge to James Street Basin, which was built for

freight Cargo consists of bulk goods conveyed by water, air, or land. In economics, freight is cargo that is transported at a freight rate for commercial gain. ''Cargo'' was originally a shipload but now covers all types of freight, including transp ...

transport to and from the nearby

Guinness Guinness () is an Irish dry stout that originated in the brewery of Arthur Guinness at St. James's Gate, Dublin, Ireland, in 1759. It is one of the most successful alcohol brands worldwide, brewed in almost 50 countries, and available in ove ...

brewery at St. James's Gate. This original section of the Grand Canal, disused since 1976, preceded an extension of the canal to

Grand Canal Dock Grand Canal Dock () is a Southside area near the city centre of Dublin, Ireland. It is located on the border of eastern Dublin 2 and the westernmost part of Ringsend in Dublin 4, surrounding the Grand Canal Docks, an enclosed harbour where the ...

which today defines the district's southern and eastern edges. Rialto Bridge spans the original and disused portion of the Grand Canal which now forms part of the Luas Red Line. St James's Walk overlooks this former spur of the canal, which led to the city basin.

Transport

Rialto is located within Dublin's ''canal ring'' and at the western end of Dublin's South Circular Road, placing the area within walking distance of Dublin city centre and one of Ireland's main railway stations at

Dublin Heuston Heuston Station ( ; ga, Stáisiún Heuston; formerly Kingsbridge Station) also known as Dublin Heuston, is one of Dublin's largest railway stations and links the capital with the south, southwest and west of Ireland. It is operated by Iar ...

. The original portion of the Grand Canal running along the northern edge of Rialto and Fatima has in recent decades been repurposed as the Luas Red Line route connecting Dublin's Docklands at The Point and the city's southwestern suburbs at

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. Rialto Luas stop is located a short distance from the Rialto Bridge and serves Rialto as well as the neighbouring district of

Kilmainham Kilmainham (, meaning " St Maighneann's church") is a south inner suburb of Dublin, Ireland, south of the River Liffey and west of the city centre. It is in the city's Dublin 8 postal district. The area was once known as Kilmanum. History In t ...

and the site of the new National Children's Hospital. The area is served by multiple

Dublin Bus Dublin Bus ( ga, Bus Átha Cliath) is a State-owned bus operator providing services in Dublin. By far the largest bus operator in the city, it carried 138 million passengers in 2019. It is a wholly-owned subsidiary of Córas Iompair Éireann. ...

routes connecting with Dublin city centre and destinations such as

University College Dublin University College Dublin (commonly referred to as UCD) ( ga, Coláiste na hOllscoile, Baile Átha Cliath) is a public research university in Dublin, Ireland, and a collegiate university, member institution of the National University of Ireland ...

and

Blackrock BlackRock, Inc. is an American Multinational corporation, multi-national investment company based in New York City. Founded in 1988, initially as a Enterprise risk management, risk management and fixed income institutional asset manager, BlackR ...

Dún Laoghaire–Rathdown Dún Laoghaire–Rathdown ( ga, Dún Laoghaire–Ráth an Dúin) is a Counties of Ireland, county in Republic of Ireland, Ireland. It is part of the Provinces of Ireland, province of Leinster and the Eastern and Midland Region. It is one of three s ...

and

Greenogue Greenogue () is a football ground located in Newcastle, South Dublin, Ireland. Location Greenogue is located east-northeast of Newcastle, County Dublin and immediately west of Casement Aerodrome. Hosts The field at Greenogue is part of th ...

South Dublin , image_map = Island of Ireland location map South Dublin.svg , map_caption = Inset showing South Dublin (darkest green in inset) within Dublin Region (lighter green) , area_total_km2 ...

St James's Walk/Colbert Fort housing scheme

St James Walk/Colbert Fort is a small triangular area in Rialto with surrounding features including the Grand Canal and the

River Poddle The River Poddle ( ga, An Poitéal) is a river in Dublin, Ireland, a pool which (', "black pool" or "dark pool" in Irish) gave the city its English language name. Boosted by a channel made by the Abbey of St. Thomas à Becket, taking water fro ...

. In the year 1915, there were two expressions of interest in this site. There were no objections to building on the site, which the Corporation did already own, and it was agreed that the housing would be extremely useful. After 1916, the site was auctioned off and the winning bid was from Mr Alexander Hull. Building was due to be completed in just nine months. Unfortunately due to many different problems such as the plan to widen the road, lack of men and materials and on top of that a strike run by the craftsmen the project was not complete in the time frame given. After many setbacks, the housing was handed over to the Corporation on 21 March 1921. The naming of the streets was carried out with the intention of showing respect towards those who had fought during the 1916 rebellion. St James's Walk then became Colbert's Fort; the streets commemorated Mallin, Clarke and MacCarthy. Many of the houses on Colbert's Fort are still standing today and add some intrigue to the area.

Famous residents

Des Bishop Desmond Bishop (born 12 November 1975) is an American-Irish comedian. He was brought up in New York and moved to Ireland at the age of 14. He primarily resides there. Approach to comedy Bishop's comedy has covered social issues, such as poverty ...

, Irish-American comedian who lives in Rialto. *

Gay Byrne Gabriel Mary "Gay" Byrne (5 August 1934 – 4 November 2019) was an Irish presenter and host of radio and television. His most notable role was first host of '' The Late Late Show'' over a 37-year period spanning 1962 until 1999. ''The Late Lat ...

, ''(b.1934, d.2019)'' renowned Irish broadcaster and inaugural host of The Late Late Show who grew up in the area. *

Emma Dabiri Emma Dabiri is an Irish author, academic, and broadcaster. Her debut book, ''Don't Touch My Hair'', was published in 2019. Biography Dabiri was born in Dublin to an Irish mother and a Nigerian Yoruba father. After spending her early years i ...

, Irish-Nigerian author, broadcaster and social historian who grew up in Rialto. * Louisa Flanagan, ''(b.1882, d.1959)'' daughter of Michael Flanagan and wife of the First President of the Executive Council

W. T. Cosgrave William Thomas Cosgrave (5 June 1880 – 16 November 1965) was an Irish Fine Gael politician who served as the president of the Executive Council of the Irish Free State from 1922 to 1932, leader of the Opposition in both the Free State and Ir ...

. * Michael "The Alderman" Flanagan, ''(b.1833, d.1931)'' a local councillor who was elected to

Dublin Corporation Dublin Corporation (), known by generations of Dubliners simply as ''The Corpo'', is the former name of the city government and its administrative organisation in Dublin since the 1100s. Significantly re-structured in 1660-1661, even more sign ...

. * Willie "The Bird" Flanagan, ''(b.1867, d.1925)'' son of Michael Flanagan and practical joker after whom the eponymous local

public house A pub (short for public house) is a kind of drinking establishment which is licensed to serve alcoholic drinks for consumption on the premises. The term ''public house'' first appeared in the United Kingdom in late 17th century, and was ...

is named.

Landmarks

Former Rialto CinemaThe Bird FlanaganRialto Parish Church

References