George's Quay is a street and quay in Dublin on the southern bank of the

River Liffey The River Liffey (Irish language, 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 Tributary, tributaries include t ...

. It is located between Burgh Quay and

Hawkins Street Hawkins Street () is a street in central Dublin, Ireland. It runs south from Rosie Hackett Bridge, at its junction with Burgh Quay, for to a crossroads with Townsend Street, where it continues as College Street. History Hawkins Street dates f ...

to the west, and City Quay and Talbot Memorial Bridge to the east.

History and development

Though earlier land-reclamation along the Liffey's south-eastern banks had allowed for construction in the area, as evidenced by the quay's name, its current layout derives from Dublin's "Georgian" development period in the 18th century. Most remaining buildings on the quay however date from 19th and (predominantly) 20th century construction. Into the 21st century, a number of entities have published plans for increased development in the area - including

Dublin City Council Dublin City Council () is the Local government in the Republic of Ireland, local authority of the city of Dublin in Republic of Ireland, Ireland. As a city council, it is governed by the Local Government Act 2001. Until 2001, the authority was k ...

(in 2008) and Córas Iompair Éireann (in 2015).

Current use

Commercial

The quay is fronted primarily by George's Quay Plaza - a complex of buildings located between Hawkins street and Lombard Street. Along with the wider IFSC area, It is sometimes jokingly referred to as "Canary Dwarf" in reference to

Canary Wharf Canary Wharf is a financial area of London, England, located in the Isle of Dogs in the London Borough of Tower Hamlets. The Greater London Authority defines it as part of London's central business district, alongside Central London. Alongside ...

in London. The 13 story complex faces

the Custom House The Custom House () is a neoclassical 18th century building in Dublin, Ireland which houses the Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage. It is located on the north bank of the River Liffey, on Custom House Quay between Butt Bridge ...

and, at high, is one of the tallest in the capital after

Liberty Hall Liberty Hall (), in Dublin, Ireland, is the headquarters of the Services, Industrial, Professional, and Technical Union (SIPTU). Designed by Desmond Rea O'Kelly, it was completed in 1965. It was for a time the tallest building in the countr ...

. Completed in 2002, it was designed by KMD Architecture, and housed the headquarters of

Ulster Bank Ulster Bank is one of the traditional Big Four Irish clearing banks. The Ulster Bank Group was subdivided into two separate legal entities: National Westminster Bank Plc, trading as Ulster Bank (registered in England and Wales and operating i ...

. Initial plans for the development by

Irish Life Irish Life Assurance plc, commonly known as Irish Life, is an Irish financial services group, providing private and workplace pensions, health insurance, protection, and investments to its customers. Irish Life has been part of the Great-West ...

dated from the 1980s. Following their departure from the Irish market, Ulster Bank vacated the Plaza in 2019.

Transport

Tara Street railway station Tara Street () is a railway station in central Dublin, Ireland. It is adjacent to the Loopline Bridge on George's Quay. It mainly services DART trains and longer distance commuter trains. Commuter services operate to (1) Maynooth and the ...

is on the quay close to the junctions with

Butt Bridge The Butt Bridge () is a road bridge in Dublin, Ireland which spans the River Liffey and joins Georges Quay (Dublin), Georges Quay to Beresford Place and the north quays at Liberty Hall. History 1879 swing bridge The original bridge on this si ...

and

Tara Street Tara Street () is a major traffic route in Dublin, Ireland, partly due to the current one-way traffic flow in the city centre.

. It is one of the busiest commuter rail stations in

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 ...

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 ...

and a number of commercial operators also have bus-stops along the quay.

References

{{Streets in Dublin city, state=autocollapse Streets in Dublin (city) Georges Quay Plaza Quays in Dublin (city) Office buildings in the Republic of Ireland Skyscrapers in the Republic of Ireland