George's Dock () is a Georgian dock in the
Docklands area of
Dublin
Dublin is the capital and largest city of Republic of Ireland, Ireland. Situated on Dublin Bay at the mouth of the River Liffey, it is in the Provinces of Ireland, province of Leinster, and is bordered on the south by the Dublin Mountains, pa ...
forming part of the
International Financial Services Centre International Financial Services Centre may refer to any of the following places:
* International Financial Services Centre, Dublin
The International Financial Services Centre (IFSC; ) is an area of central Dublin and part of the Central busi ...
.
History
Located near the
Custom House
A custom house or customs house was traditionally a building housing the offices for a jurisdictional government whose officials oversaw the functions associated with importing and exporting goods into and out of a country, such as collecting ...
, the dock was originally built in 1821 as a working
maritime dock and was named for
George IV of the United Kingdom
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 29 January 1820 until his death in 1830. At the time of his accession to the throne, ...
.
The Inner Dock (previously Revenue Dock), was constructed a few years later in 1824 following the death of
John Rennie the Elder
John Rennie (7 June 1761 – 4 October 1821) was a Scottish civil engineer who designed many bridges, canals, docks and warehouses, and a pioneer in the use of structural cast-iron.
Early years
John Rennie was born near Phantassie in Haddin ...
and was completed by his son,
John Rennie the Younger
Sir John Rennie FRSA (30 August 1794 – 3 September 1874) was a British engineer who was the second son of engineer John Rennie the Elder, and brother of George Rennie.
Early life
John Rennie was born at 27 Stamford Street, Blackfriars Ro ...
.
Along with the old Custom House Dock, designed by
James Gandon
James Gandon (20 February 1743 – 24 December 1823) was an English architect best known for his work in Ireland during the late 18th century and early 19th century. His better known works include The Custom House and the surrounding Beresfor ...
in 1796, the three docks and the various warehouses formed what was later known as the
Custom House Docks. The Old Dock was infilled in 1927 with many of the store buildings and the swing bridge across the inlet removed to make way for an extension of
Amiens Street and
Beresford Place through to Custom House Quay, thus creating a new stretch of road now known as Memorial Road. It would later link to
Talbot Memorial Bridge in 1978.
As with other public spaces within the Docklands, George's Dock was redeveloped during the 1980s and 1990s with elements of the Custom House Harbour apartment complex being constructed on a new island within the Inner Dock.
Alternative uses
George's Dock has been used by Dublin City Council as an event space including for the annual Dublin Oktoberfest festival and the showing of sporting and live music events.
In 2021, controversial plans to convert the dock into a white water rafting facility were postponed after a Dublin City Council vote.
Transport hub
From a transport perspective, the
George's Dock Luas stop is served by the
Luas Red Line which runs from
Tallaght
Tallaght ( ; , ) is a southwestern outer suburb of Dublin, Ireland. The central village area was the site of a monastic settlement from at least the 8th century, which became one of medieval Ireland's more important monastic centres.
Up to th ...
to
Connolly and from
Busáras to
Point Village (3Arena).
Dublin Bus
Dublin Bus () is an Irish State-owned enterprise, state-owned bus operator providing services in Dublin. By far the largest bus operator in the city, it carried 145 million passengers in 2023. It is a subsidiary of CIÉ, Córas Iompair Éireann ...
serves nearby North Wall Quay and East Wall Road with routes 33d, 33x, 53a, 74, 74a, 90, 142, 151 and the 747 Airlink service to Dublin Airport. The Red Line extension opened on 9 December 2009.
See also
*
CHQ Building
References
Places in Dublin (city)
Dublin Docklands
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