The Ha'penny Bridge ( ; , or ''Droichead na Life''), known later for a time as the ''Penny Ha'penny Bridge'', and officially the Liffey Bridge, is a pedestrian bridge built in May 1816 over 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 ...

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 ...

, Ireland. Made of

cast iron Cast iron is a class of iron–carbon alloys with a carbon content of more than 2% and silicon content around 1–3%. Its usefulness derives from its relatively low melting temperature. The alloying elements determine the form in which its car ...

, the bridge was cast in

Shropshire Shropshire (; abbreviated SalopAlso used officially as the name of the county from 1974–1980. The demonym for inhabitants of the county "Salopian" derives from this name.) is a Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in the West M ...

, England.

Name

Originally called the Wellington Bridge (after the Dublin-born

Duke of Wellington Duke is a male title either of a monarch ruling over a duchy, or of a member of royalty, or nobility. As rulers, dukes are ranked below emperors, kings, grand princes, grand dukes, and above sovereign princes. As royalty or nobility, they ar ...

), the name of the bridge was changed to Liffey Bridge after the

Irish War of Independence The Irish War of Independence (), also known as the Anglo-Irish War, was a guerrilla war fought in Ireland from 1919 to 1921 between the Irish Republican Army (1919–1922), Irish Republican Army (IRA, the army of the Irish Republic) and Unite ...

in 1922. Liffey Bridge () remains the bridge's official name to this day, although it is most commonly referred to as the Ha'penny Bridge.

History

Before the Ha'penny Bridge was built there were seven ferries, operated by William Walsh, across the Liffey. The ferries were in bad condition and Walsh was informed that he had to either fix them or build a bridge. Walsh chose the latter option and the bridge was opened in May 1816, with Walsh holding the right to extract a ha'penny toll from anyone crossing it for 100 years. Initially, the toll charge was based not on the cost of construction, but to match the charges levied by the ferries it replaced. A further condition of construction was that, if the citizens of Dublin found the bridge and toll to be "objectionable" within its first year of operation, it was to be removed at no cost to the city. The toll was increased for a time to a penny-ha'penny ( pence), but was eventually dropped in

1919 Events January * January 1 ** The Czechoslovak Legions occupy much of the self-proclaimed "free city" of Pressburg (later Bratislava), enforcing its incorporation into the new republic of Czechoslovakia. ** HMY ''Iolaire'' sinks off th ...

. While the toll was in operation, there were

turnstile A turnstile (also called a gateline, baffle gate, automated gate, turn gate in some regions) is a form of gate which allows one person to pass at a time. A turnstile can be configured to enforce One-way traffic#One-way traffic of people, one-way ...

s at either end of the bridge. The manufacture of the bridge was commissioned by the then

Lord Mayor of Dublin The Lord Mayor of Dublin () is the honorary title of the chairperson ( ) of Dublin City Council which is the local government body for the city of Dublin, the capital of Ireland. The incumbent, since December 2024, is Fine Gael councillor Emma ...

, John Claudius Beresford with the Coalbrookdale Company of England. Using ore originally mined in County Leitrim's

Sliabh an Iarainn Sliabh an Iarainn (Irish language, Irish for "iron mountain"), anglicized Slieve Anierin, is a mountain in County Leitrim, Republic of Ireland, Ireland. It rises to and lies east of Lough Allen and northeast of Drumshanbo. It is part of the Cu ...

, the bridge's cast iron ribs were made in 18 sections and then shipped to Dublin. The design and erection was supervised by John Windsor, one of the company's foremen and a pattern-maker.Report by Toby Neal, of bicentenary celebrations, also highlighting the Shropshire origins of the bridge.

Renovation and maintenance

In 2001, the number of pedestrians using the bridge on a daily basis was 27,000 and, given these traffic levels, a structural survey indicated that renovation was required. The bridge was closed for repair and renovations during 2001 and was reopened in December 2001, sporting its original white colour. The structure was rebuilt to retain many of its old components, although, controversially, some features were removed. The repair work was carried out by

Harland & Wolff Harland & Wolff Holdings plc is a British shipbuilding and Metal fabrication, fabrication company headquartered in London with sites in Belfast, Arnish yard, Arnish, Appledore, Torridge, Appledore and Methil. It specialises in ship repair, ship ...

. In 2012, citing a maintenance and damage risk,

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 ...

removed a number of

love locks A love lock or love padlock is a padlock that couples lock to a bridge, fence, gate, monument, or similar public fixture to symbolize their love. Typically the sweethearts' names or initials, and perhaps the date, are inscribed on the padlock, ...

from the Ha'penny Bridge and nearby Millennium Bridge, and asked people not to add any more. In 2013, the council removed over of locks from the bridge, and signage was added asking people not to put padlocks on the bridge. On 19 May 2016, the bicentenary of the bridge was celebrated with a symbolic procession over the bridge involving the current Lord Mayor, Críona Ní Dhálaigh, descendants of J.C. Beresford and John Windsor from England.

References

External links

Ha'penny Bridge
entry on Dublin City Council's ''Bridges of Dublin'' web site {{Authority control Bridges in Dublin (city) Bridges completed in 1816 Pedestrian bridges in the Republic of Ireland Cast-iron arch bridges in Ireland Former toll bridges in Ireland 1816 establishments in Ireland