A WALK ALONG THE RIVER LIFFEY

DUBLIN, IRELAND
ABBY KINNARD MADDIE MARSHALL MACKENZIE DAVENPORT MADISON GAITHER

INTRODUCTION:
BECAUSE THE GAELIC WORD BEATHA (WHISKEY) LITERALLY MEANS WATER OF LIFE, WE PLANNED OUR TOUR AROUND THE
RIVER LIFFEY AND OTHER ASPECTS THAT GIVE LIFE TO THE CITY OF DUBLIN. THE WALK BEGAN ON TARA STREET IN FRONT TRINITY
COLLEGE. WE AIMED TO TRACE THE LIFFEY RIVER'S HISTORYS BEGINNING WITH THE VIKINGS AND ENDING WITH ITS MORE
CURRENT ROLE IN DUBLIN ECONOMICS. WE ALSO PROVIDE COMMENTARY ON THE LIFFEYS MANY BRIDGES INCLUDING WHY
THEY WERE ORIGINALLY CONSTRUCTED, THEIR USES TODAY, THEIR IMPORTANCE TO THE PEOPLE OF DUBLIN, AND OUR OWN
PERSONAL REFLECCTIONS. ALONG THE WAY, WE TOURED THE DUBLIN CASTLE AND EXPLORED ITS HISTORY AS A VIKING
FORTRESS. WE ORIGINALLY PLANNED TO END OUR WALKING TOUR AT THE JAMESON DISTILLERY, BUT BECAUSE OF SCHEDULING
ISSUES AND VERY LONG WAITS, WE SETTLED FOR THE GUINNESS STOREHOUSE.

WE MASTERED DUBLINS PUBLIC TRANSPORTATION, GOT LOST A COUPLE OF TIMES, CHASED A FEW BIRDS, ENJOYED A PINT OR
TWO, AND MADE MEMORIES TO LAST A LIFETIME.

TAKE A WALK ALONG THE RIVER LIFFEY WITH US...

PRE-TRIP RESEARCH: HISTORY OF

THE RIVER LIFFEY
THE LIFFEY RIVER HAS HAD GREAT INFLUENCE IN DUBLINS
HISTORY FROM A VERY EARLY AGE TO PRESENT DAY.
SETTLERS WERE BROUGHT TO THE REGION OF PRESENT DAY
DUBLIN BECAUSE OF THE RIVER, WHICH PROVIDED A WAY
OF COMMUNICATION WITH THEIR HOMELAND AND
PROTECTION FROM THEIR ENEMIES.
THE NAME LIFFEY RIVER IS THOUGHT TO HAVE COME
FROM THE MAGH LIFE WHO TRANSLATED IT AS ABHAINN
LIFE. MAGH LIFE WAS AN ORDER OF PRIESTS WHO SETTLED
IN COUNTY KILDARE MORE THAN ONE THOUSAND YEARS.
SEVERAL YEARS AFTER THEIR ARRIVAL VIKINGS INVADED THE
RIVER AND DUBLIN BAY. THEY WON THE BATTLE FOR THE
SETTLEMENT AND STAYED. BECAUSE OF THE VIKINGS THE
HISTORY OF THE LIFFEY CHANGED.

Viking Ship Replica

TOURING DUBLIN WAS LIKE WALKING THROUGH A

LIVING HISTORY BOOK. RESEARCHING THE CITY AND
PHYSICALLY MOVING THROUGH IT ARE TWO TOTALLY
DIFFERENT EXPERIENCES. FROM OUR RESEARCH WE
KNEW THAT THE VIKINGS ONCE TOOK CONTROL OF
THE PORT, BUT ITS ALMOST IMPOSSIBLE TO PUT INTO
WORDS THE FEELING OF LOOKING AT VIKING
REMAINS IN THE ARCHEOLOGICAL MUSEUM AND
REALIZING HE WAS ACTUALLY ONCE A BREATHING
PERSON.

HISTORY CONTINUED:
NEXT CAME THE NORMANS FROM THE WICKLOW MOUNTAINS.
DUBLIN COLLAPSED TO THE NORMANS IN 1170. THE VIKINGS FLED TO
THE NORTH BANKS ON THE LIFFEY. THE NORMANS WERE GOOD WITH
TECHNOLOGY AND BEGAN A DRASTIC UPGRADE. SHIPS CARRIED IN
STONE AFTER STONE FOR STRONGER CITY WALLS. THE POPULATION
GREW FROM ABOUT ONE THOUSAND TO THOUSANDS MORE. WITH
THE GROWING POPULATION, THE NORMANS THEN DECIDED TO BUILD
THE FIRST EVER PIPED WATER SUPPLY FOR THE CITY IN 1244.
THEN IN 1662 JAMES BUTLER, DUKE OF ORMONDE DECIDED TO
METHODICALLY DIRECT THE EXPANSION OF THE CITY AROUND THE CITY.
BRIDGES WERE VITAL TO THIS PLAN. WITH THESE BRIDGES CAME QUAY
WALLS AND QUAYS. THE OLD BEAUTIFUL LANDSCAPE THAT THE PRIESTS
HAD ONCE FOUND HAD TAKEN A DRASTIC TURN.

HISTORY CONTINUED:
THEN IN 1816 AFTER THE UNION THE CITY OF DUBLIN
WENT FROM BEING ONE OF THE LARGEST CITIES IN
EUROPE TO BEING THE SECOND LARGEST IN IRELAND
ONLY. IN ATTEMPT TO REGAIN LIVELIHOOD IN THE CITY
ARCHITECTS WERE BROUGHT IN TO BUILD FIVE NEW
BRIDGES. THEN ANOTHER SEVEN BRIDGES WERE
COMPLETED IN THE SECOND PART OF THE NINETEENTH
CENTURY.
TODAY, THE LIFFEY SERVES AS A SOURCE OF WATER AND
ELECTRICITY FOR IRELANDS LARGEST CITY. IT IS EVEN
BELIEVED THAT THE GUINNESS BREWERY USES ITS WATER
FOR THEIR DISTILLERY (WHICH WE LATER DISCOVERED NOT
TO BE TRUE FROM GUINNESS ASSOCIATES).

FROM HERBERT PARK HOTEL TO START

DESTINATION:
WALK (ABOUT 4 MIN (300KM) TO AMERICAN EMBASSY
CATCH 4HARRISTON BUS

GET OFF ON SHAW STREET

CONTINUE ON SHAW STREET (ABOUT 5 MIN, 350 KM) WHICH MERGES INTO TARA STREET

CATCHING THE BUS:

THE BUS WAS INITIALLY A CHALLENGE. WE WERENT SURE WHICH ONE TO GET ON, BUT WITH THE HELP OF A
NICE LOCAL GENTLEMAN, WE CAUGHT THE CORRECT BUS AND WERE OFF TO A GREAT START!

THE MOST CHALLENGING ASPECT OF THE WALKING TOUR WAS

NAVIGATING THROUGH THE CITY. RELATING BACK TO OUR
DISCUSSION OF PLACE AND SPACE, WE REALIZED THAT YOU SEE ON A
MAP IS ACTUALLY VERY DIFFERENT FROM THE PHYSICAL LAYOUT OF
THE CITY. BECAUSE WE WERE ALSO INTERESTED IN OTHER WALKING
TOURS, WE PRINTED OFF ALL THE DIRECTIONS AND TOURS FROM
OTHER GROUPS AND NEGLECTED TO PRINT OFF OUR OWN.
HOWEVER, WE FOUND THAT WE ACTUALLY BENEFITED MORE FROM
NOT HAVING DIRECTIONS AS WERE ABLE TO NOTICE THINGS WE
MIGHT NOT HAVE IF WE WERE FOCUSED ON STRICTLY FOLLOWING
OUR TOUR LIKE THE BIRDS AND THE VENDORS

DUBLIN WALKING TOUR

FIRST DESTINATION: ROSIE HACKETT BRIDGE

BACKGROUND: THE ROSIE HACKETT BRIDGE WAS

COMPLETED IN MAY OF 2014 MAKING IT THE
NEWEST OF THE RIVERS BRIDGES. IT WAS NAMED
AFTER A TRADE UNION ACTIVIST AND IS THE ONLY
BRIDGE IN DUBLIN NAMED AFTER A WOMAN. THE
CONCRETE STRUCTURE WAS CREATED TO
ACCOMMODATE BUS AND TAXI TRAFFIC BUT ALSO
INCLUDES SPACES FOR PEDESTRIANS AND
BICYCLISTS.

SECOND DESTINATION: OCONNELL BRIDGE

BACKGROUND: IN THE 1870S, ENGINEER BINDON BLOOD
STONEY DESIGNED AND BUILT THE OCONNELL BRIDGE TO
REPLACE THE DILAPIDATED CARLISLE BRIDGE. THE NEW
SECTIONS WERE BUILT AROUND THE EXISTING BRIDGE TO
ACCOMMODATE TRAFFIC, BUT ONCE THOSE NEW SECTIONS
WERE COMPLETED AND OPENED, THE OLD CARLISLE BRIDGE
WAS DEMOLISHED. THE NEW STONE STRUCTURE CLOSELY
RESEMBLES THE PREVIOUS STRUCTURE BUT IS THREE TIMES
WIDER WITH ELLIPTICAL ARCHES INSTEAD OF CIRCULAR
ARCHES. THE BRIDGE IS NAMED AFTER DANIEL OCONNELL
WHO WAS AN ACTIVIST, LAWYER AND LORD MAYOR OF
DUBLIN IN THE 1690S. OCONNELL ADVOCATED FOR PRISON
REFORM AND RACE RELATIONS.

THIRD DESTINATION: HAPENNY BRIDGE

BACKGROUND: THIS BRIDGE IS SPECIAL TO MANY

DUBLINERS BECAUSE OF ITS HISTORIC VALUE AND
BEAUTIFUL ARCHITECTURE. ALTHOUGH OFFICIALLY
NAMED THE LIFFEY BRIDGE SINCE 1992, THE
NICKNAME STICKS BECAUSE OF THE HAPENNY TOLL
IMPLEMENTED BY FERRYMAN, WILLIAM WALSH IN
1816 FOR ANYONE WANTING TO CROSS. THE
STRUCTURE IS THE PRODUCT OF THE INDUSTRIAL
REVOLUTION AND IS DOCUMENTED AS ONE OF THE
FIRST IRON BRIDGES IN THE WORLD. THE HAPENNY
WAS ALSO THE FIRST PEDESTRIAN BRIDGE BUILT
ACROSS THE LIFFEY AND WAS A GODSEND FOR
THOSE TRAVELING IN HORSE CARRIAGES. IT IS
ESTIMATED THAT 30,000 PEOPLE CROSS THE BRIDGE
EACH DAY.

STANDING ON THE HAPENNY BRIDGE WAS A SURREAL EXPERIENCE. THIS BRIDGE IS THE PERFECT
EXAMPLE OF HISTORIC DUBLIN MEETS MODERN DUBLIN. ITS SUCH A TRADITIONAL, ELEGANT
FIXTURE THAT REALLY STANDS OUT COMPARED TO THE RECENTLY CONSTRUCTED BRIDGES. ITS A
BEAUTIFUL REMINDER OF EARLY DUBLIN, AND IT ADDS CHARACTER AND TIMELESSNESS TO THE
CITYSCAPE.

FOURTH DESTINATION: MILLENNIUM BRIDGE

BACKGROUND: A MILLENNIUM PROJECT FOR DUBLIN

CORPORATION, THIS BRIDGE WAS THE SUBJECT OF A
DESIGN COMPETITION, IN ASSOCIATION WITH THE
INSTITUTE OF ENGINEERS OF IRELAND. OUT OF 153
ENTRIES, HOWLEY HARRINGTON ARCHITECTS WON THE
COMPETITION BY DESIGNING THE MILLENNIUM BRIDGE
MADE OF STEEL AND CONCRETE. THIS BRIDGE OPENED
TO THE PUBLIC ON DECEMBER 20, 1999 AND SPANS FOR
41 METERS ACROSS THE RIVER, MAKING IT THE SECOND
PEDESTRIAN BRIDGE TO CROSS THE LIFFEY RIVER.

The Millennium Bridge was more of what we would expect a

modern city bridge to look like. We were actually very
surprised to see so many palm trees in Ireland!

FIFTH DESTINATION: GRATTAN BRIDGE (CAPEL STREET

BRIDGE)
BACKGROUND: WHERE GRATTAN BRIDGE IS TODAY,
THERE USED TO BE A BRIDGE CALLED ESSEX BRIDGE.
ESSEX BRIDGE WAS BUILT IN 1676 AND LATER NEEDED
CONSTANT REPAIR DUE TO THE FACT THAT HORSES
CROSSED THIS BRIDGE ALL THE TIME AND ITS
FOUNDATION WAS INITIALLY LAID POORLY.
EVENTUALLY, THE BRIDGE WAS REBUILT AND WIDENED
IN 1874. IT WAS THEN RENAMED FOR
PARLIAMENTARIAN HENRY GRATTAN. IN 2002, THE
BRIDGE WAS WORKED ON MORE IN ORDER TO MAKE
ITS SUPERSTRUCTURE STRONGER.

MINOR DETOUR:
OUR TOUR WAS A STRAIGHT SHOT, EXCEPT FOR THE MINOR DETOUR TO THE DUBLIN CASTLE THAT TURNED
INTO AN HOUR-LONG QUEST. BECAUSE WE DIDNT KNOW EXACT STREETS TO TURN ON, WE WALKED IN
THE GENERAL DIRECTION WE THOUGHT IT WOULD BE WITH THE AID OF A CITY MAP. WE FINALLY FOUND
IT, OR AT LEAST WE THOUGHT

Not the castle

Nope.

Closer, but no.

Yes, we finally found it!

SIXTH DESTINATION: DUBLIN CASTLE

THE CASTLE STANDS AS ONE OF THE MOST
PROMINENT FEATURES IN MODERN DUBLIN CULTURE.
THE CASTLE WAS BUILT ORIGINALLY COMMENCED BY
KING JOHN OR ENGLAND IN 1204 AND WAS
FINISHED BY 1230. THE TOWERS OF THE CASTLE WERE
USED AS PRISONS FOR A PORTION FOR A PORTION
OF ITS EXISTENCE; IT HAS BEEN A RESIDENCE, AND
MORE RECENTLY A HOUSE OF GOVERNMENT. IT ALSO
SERVED AS A VIKING MILITARY BASE AT A POINT IN
IRISH HISTORY. WITH ITS CONVENIENT LOCATION TO
THE RIVER IS HAS BEEN A SOURCE OF TRADE AS WELL
AS IN ITS LIFETIME.

DUBLIN CASTLE CONTINUED

THE CASTLE IS NOW USED A HOST FOR STATE
VISITS AND MOST IMPORTANTLY IS THE HOST
OF THE EUROPEAN PRESIDENCY THAT OCCURS
EVERY TEN YEARS. THE CASTLE REPRESENTS THE
DIFFERENT PHASES OF GOVERNMENT THE
COUNTRY OF IRELAND HAS BEEN A PART OF A
STANDS AS A SYMBOL OF GROWTH TO THE
IRISH PEOPLE. WE BELIEVE IT IS AN IMPORTANT
STOP TO UNDERSTANDING IRISH
GOVERNMENTAL HISTORY AS WELL AS
CURRENT GOVERNMENTAL AFFAIRS AND
TRADITIONS IN DUBLIN.

SEVENTH DESTINATION: ODONOVAN ROSSA BRIDGE

BACKGROUND: THE ODONOVAN ROSSA BRIDGE IS A PART
OF A TRIO OF BRIDGES THAT LOOK ALIKE, INCLUDING THE
MELLOWS AND FATHER MATHEW BRIDGES AS WELL. THE
ODONOVAN ROSSA BRIDGE IS THE SECOND OLDEST OF
THESE THREE. IT INCLUDES A THREE ARCH STRUCTURE MADE
OF GRANITE AND HAS SCULPTED HEADS ALONG EACH
KEYSTONE. UPON ITS COMPLETION IN 1816,
COMMENTATORS WERE PROUD OF THE FACT THAT THIS
BRIDGE WAS WIDER (15 METERS) THAN ANY BRIDGE IN
LONDON. IN 1922 THE BRIDGE WAS RENAMED AFTER THE
NATIONALIST HERO, JEREMIAH ODONOVAN ROSSA.

EIGHTH DESTINATION: FR. MATHEW BRIDGE

BACKGROUND: THIS BRIDGE IS THOUGHT TO HAVE BEEN
AROUND AS EARLY AS 1014. IT WAS ORIGINALLY A
TIMBER-FRAMED BRIDGE CALLED DUBHGHALLS BRIDGE,
ON WHICH NINE WARRIORS WERE SLAUGHTERED
DURING WAR. THE BRIDGE IS SAID TO HAVE BEEN
INELEGANT, WITH FOUR UNEVEN STONE ARCHES. IN
1180, THE ARCHBISHOP OF LONDON, LAWRENCE
OTOOLE, DIED FROM FALLING OFF THIS BRIDGE. IT HAS
UNDERGONE MANY DIFFERENT NAMES AND HISTORICAL
EVENTS, BUT THIS BRIDGE WAS RENAMED AFTER FATHER
MATHEW IN 1938 AND STILL CONTINUES TO CONNECT
DUBLIN WITH ITS PAST HISTORY.

JAMESON DISTILLERY
JAMESON WHISKEY IS SYNONYMOUS WITH IRISH
CULTURE AND WE WOULD BE REMISS TO NOT LEARN
ABOUT IT WHILE IN IRELAND. JAMESON WHISKEY
WAS STARTED BY JOHN JAMESON IN 1791 AND HAS
BEEN A LARGE PART OF THE CULTURE SINCE THEN.
JAMESON WAS MERGED IN 1966 WITH SEVERAL
OTHER IRISH DISTILLERIES TO FORM IRISH DISTILLERS.
WHISKEY WAS CREATED BY MEDIEVAL IRISH MONKS
AND MEANS WATER OF LIFE. WE ARE VERY UPSET
WE DIDNT ACTUALLY GET THE CHANCE TO TOUR THE
DISTILLERY, BUT WE SETTLED FOR THE NEXT BEST
THING...

THE GUINNESS STOREHOUSE

Guinness, Ireland's traditional beer, was founded by Arthur
Guinness in 1799.
The Guinness Storehouse in Dublin, established in 2000, is a
seven-story building full of information on the history of
Guinness.
The building in which the Storehouse is located was constructed
in 1902 as a fermentation plant for the St. James's Gate Brewery,
where yeast is added to the brew. This was the first multi-story
steel-framed building to be constructed in Ireland. The building
was used continuously as the fermentation plant of the Brewery
until its closure in 1988, when a new fermentation plant was
completed near the River Liffey.
In 1997, it was decided to convert the building into the Guinness
Storehouse, replacing the Guinness Hop Store as the Brewery's
visitor center. The Storehouse opened to the public on December
2, 2000.

GUINESS STOREHOUSE:
PERFECT EXAMPLE OF TRADITION MEETS INNOVATIONTHE GROUND FLOOR OF THE STOREHOUSE
INTRODUCES THE BEER'S FOUR MAIN INGREDIENTS:
WATER, BARLEY, HOPS AND YEAST, AS WELL AS
PROVIDES INFORMATION ON THE LIFE AND HISTORY
OF ARTHUR GUINNESS. ON OTHER FLOORS, THERE IS
INFORMATION ON THE DIFFERENT GUINNESS
ADVERTISEMENTS THROUGH THE DECADES, AS WELL
AS INTERACTIVE EXHIBITS ON HOW TO POUR YOUR
OWN PINT OF GUINNESS AND HOW TO DRINK
RESPONSIBLY.

The seventh floor of the Storehouse

houses the Gravity Bar, a bar with
glass windows for walls which
provides beautiful views of Dublin.
Here, you can enjoy a pint of
Guinness included in the price of
admission, which for us was free with
our Dublin pass.

A REVISED UNDERSTANDING OF OUR THEME:

WE BEGAN OUR WALKING TOUR WITH NO EXPECTATIONS AND LOTS OF EXCITEMENT AND WE
FINISHED FEEL A BIT MORE CONNECTED TO THE CITY. OUR TOUR TOOK US ACROSS MULTIPLE BRIDGES
WHICH GAVE US THE OPPORTUNITY TO EXPLORE LOTS OF THINGS AROUND THE RIVER, WHICH IS
TRULY THE HEART OF THE CITY. WE STUMBLED IN LOCAL BOOKSTORES, RAN IN A STARBUCKS, AND
SPENT LOTS OF TIME LAUGHING AND TALKING TO THE LOCALS. WE MADE MORE THAN A FEW
WRONG TURNS AND WE FOUND THAT THE BEST WAY TO SEE THE CITY. THE GUINNESS TOUR GAVE
US INCREDIBLE LOOK INTO THE SOCIAL INFLUENCE THAT THE COMPANY HAS NOT ONLY IN IRELAND
BUT ACROSS THE WORLD AND HOW ITS RICH HISTORY HAS SHAPED IRISH CULTURE. WE COULD NOT
HAVE PICKED A BETTER WAY TO EXPLORE AND LEARN MORE ABOUT THE "WATER OF LIFE."

Watch the full video link at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sAZXq-fevfU

REFERENCES:

DUBLIN CITY COUNCIL. (2016). BRIDGES OF DUBLIN. RETRIEVED FROM HTTP://WWW.BRIDGESOFDUBLIN.IE/.

DUBLIN CITY COUNCIL. (2016). THE LIFFEY AND DUBLIN. DUBLIN BRIDGES. COMHAIRLE CATHRACH, BHAILE ATHA CLIATH, DUBLIN CITY COUNCIL.
RETRIEVED FROM HTTP://WWW.BRIDGESOFDUBLIN.IE/HISTORICAL-DUBLIN/THE-LIFFEY-AND-DUBLIN.

GOOGLE MAPS. (2010). [DUBLIN, IRELAND]. RETRIEVED FROM HTTPS://WWW.GOOGLE.IE/MAPS/@53.3439274,-6.2602672,14Z.

HISTORY OF IRISH WHISKEY. (2012). HUBPAGES.COM. RETRIEVED FROM HTTP://HUBPAGES.COM/EDUCATION/HISTORY-IRISH-WHISKEY.

INTRODUCTION: A BRIEF HISTORY OF DUBLIN CASTLE. (2013). THE OFFICE OF PUBLIC WORKS. RETRIEVED FROM
HTTP://WWW.DUBLINCASTLE.IE/HISTORYEDUCATION/HISTORY/INTRODUCTIONABRIEFHISTORYOFDUBLINCASTLE/.

OUR CULTURE. (2016). JAMESON WHISKEY. RETRIEVED FROM HTTPS://WWW.JAMESONWHISKEY.COM/US/OUR-CULTURE.

OUR STORY. (2016). GUINNESS & CO. RETRIEVED FROM HTTPS://WWW.GUINNESS.COM/EN/OUR-STORY/