Island Bridge (), formerly Sarah or Sarah's Bridge, is a road 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 Riv ...

, in

Dublin Dublin (; , or ) is the capital and largest city of Ireland. On a bay at the mouth of the River Liffey, it is in the province of Leinster, bordered on the south by the Dublin Mountains, a part of the Wicklow Mountains range. At the 2016 c ...

, Ireland which joins the South Circular Road to Conyngham Road at the

Phoenix Park The Phoenix Park ( ga, Páirc an Fhionnuisce) is a large urban park in Dublin, Ireland, lying west of the city centre, north of the River Liffey. Its perimeter wall encloses of recreational space. It includes large areas of grassland and tre ...

. Island Bridge and the surrounding area (often known as Islandbridge) are so named because of the island formed here by the creation of a

mill race A mill race, millrace or millrun, mill lade (Scotland) or mill leat (Southwest England) is the current of water that turns a water wheel, or the channel ( sluice) conducting water to or from a water wheel. Compared with the broad waters of a m ...

towards the right bank while the main current flows to the left. The

River Camac The River Camac (sometimes spelled ''Cammock'', or, historically, ''Cammoge'' or ''Cammoke''; Irish: or ) is one of the larger rivers in Dublin and was one of four tributaries of the Liffey critical to the early development of the city. Cour ...

emerges from a tunnel further downstream towards

Dublin Heuston railway 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 Ia ...

History

In 1577, during the reign of Queen Elizabeth, while Sir

Henry Sidney Sir Henry Sidney (20 July 1529 – 5 May 1586), Lord Deputy of Ireland, was the eldest son of Sir William Sidney of Penshurst, a prominent politician and courtier during the reigns of Henry VIII and Edward VI, from both of whom he receive ...

was Lord Deputy of Ireland, an arched stone bridge was built here to replace an earlier structure nearby at

Kilmainham Kilmainham (, meaning " St Maighneann's church") is a south inner suburb of Dublin, Ireland, south of the River Liffey and west of the city centre. It is in the city's Dublin 8 postal district. The area was once known as Kilmanum. History In t ...

. This bridge was swept away by a flood in 1787, and between 1791 and 1793 the replacement bridge, that is standing today, was constructed. The structure is a single 32-metre span ashlar masonry elliptical

arch bridge An arch bridge is a bridge with abutments at each end shaped as a curved arch. Arch bridges work by transferring the weight of the bridge and its loads partially into a horizontal thrust restrained by the abutments at either side. A viaduct ...

and was originally named ''Sarah's Bridge'' after

Sarah Fane, Countess of Westmorland Sarah Anne Fane, Countess of Westmorland ( Child; 28 August 1764 – 9 November 1793) was an English noblewoman. She was the only child of Robert Child, the owner of Osterley Park and principal shareholder in the banking firm Child & Co, ...

, wife of the then Lord Lieutenant of Ireland, who laid the first stone on 22 June 1791. The bridge was renamed ''Island Bridge'' in 1922 following independence from Britain of the Free State, similarly to many other Dublin bridges originally named for British peers. The bridge has become synonymous with the area, and the residential area around the bridge is now commonly known as "Islandbridge".

Gallery

File:IslandBridge-top.JPG, Road view of the bridge File:IslandBridge-full.JPG, Islandbridge in 2012 File:Memorial Rose-Garden 001.JPG,

Irish National War Memorial Gardens The Irish National War Memorial Gardens ( ga, Gairdíní Náisiúnta Cuimhneacháin Cogaidh na hÉireann) is an Irish war memorial in Islandbridge, Dublin, dedicated "to the memory of the 49,400 Irish soldiers who gave their lives in the Great ...

References

{{Dublin Liffey Bridges Bridges in Dublin (city) Bridges completed in 1793 1793 establishments in Ireland Uppercross

History

See also

Gallery

References