Seán Heuston Bridge () is a

cast-iron Cast iron is a class of iron–carbon alloys with a carbon content more than 2%. Its usefulness derives from its relatively low melting temperature. The alloy constituents affect its color when fractured: white cast iron has carbide impuriti ...

bridge spanning the

River Liffey The River Liffey (Irish: ''An Life'', historically ''An Ruirthe(a)ch'') is a river in eastern Ireland that ultimately flows through the centre of Dublin to its mouth within Dublin Bay. Its major tributaries include the River Dodder, the River ...

beside

Heuston Station 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 ...

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. It was previously named ''King's Bridge'' and ''Sarsfield Bridge'' - and the bridge and adjacent train station are still commonly referred to by older Dubliners as "Kings Bridge" and "Kings Bridge Station" respectively. Previously used for road traffic, the bridge now carries pedestrian and

Luas Luas (pronounced ; Irish for "speed") is a tram/ light rail system in Dublin, Ireland. There are two main lines: the Green Line, which began operating on 30 June 2004, and the Red Line which opened on 26 September 2004. Since then, both lin ...

(tram) traffic.

History

Origins

Originally designed by

George Papworth George Papworth (1781–1855) was a British architect who practised mainly in Ireland during the nineteenth century. Early life and career Papworth was born in London in 1781 and was the third son of the English stuccoist John Papworth (1750–1 ...

to carry horsedrawn traffic, the foundation stone was laid on 12 December 1827. The iron castings for the bridge were produced at the Royal Phoenix Iron Works in nearby Parkgate Street. (The foundry which also produced the parapets for the upstream

Lucan Bridge Lucan Bridge ( ga, Droichead Leamhcáin) is a road bridge spanning the River Liffey in Lucan, County Dublin, Ireland. It joins Lucan's Main Street to the Lower Lucan Road, carrying traffic towards Clonsilla and the north, and the Strawberry Beds ...

). Construction completed in 1828, and the bridge was opened with the name ''Kings Bridge'' to commemorate a visit by

King George IV George IV (George Augustus Frederick; 12 August 1762 – 26 June 1830) was King of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland and King of Hanover from the death of his father, King George III, on 29 January 1820, until his own death ten y ...

in 1821. The bridge has an overall width of just under 9 meters.

Renamings

In 1923 the bridge was renamed as ''Sarsfield Bridge'' after

Patrick Sarsfield Patrick Sarsfield, 1st Earl of Lucan, ga, Pádraig Sáirseál, circa 1655 to 21 August 1693, was an Irish soldier, and leading figure in the Jacobite army during the 1689 to 1691 Williamite War in Ireland. Born into a wealthy Catholic famil ...

(1655–1693), and in 1941 it was again renamed as the Seán Heuston Bridge for

Seán Heuston Seán Heuston ( ; ga, Seán Mac Aodha;Piaras F. Mac Lochlainn, ''Last words : letters and statements of the leaders executed after the rising at Easter 1916'', Dublin: Stationery Office, born John Joseph Heuston; 21 February 1891 – 8 May 191 ...

(1891–1916), who was executed for his part in the 1916

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 ...

Luas

After the

Frank Sherwin Bridge Frank Sherwin Bridge () is a road bridge spanning the River Liffey in Dublin, Ireland. It joins ''St. John's Road'' and the south quays from Heuston Station to ''Wolfe Tone Quay'' and ''Parkgate Street'' on the Northside. Designed within Dublin ...

was opened nearby in the 1980s, Seán Heuston Bridge was no longer used to carry road traffic. It was restored in 2003 and now carries

tram traffic on the red line.

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Sean Heuston Bridge Bridges in Dublin (city) Bridges completed in 1828