The Tom Clarke Bridge (), formerly and commonly known as the East-Link Toll Bridge, is a toll bridge 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 ...

Ireland Ireland (, ; ; Ulster Scots dialect, Ulster-Scots: ) is an island in the North Atlantic Ocean, in Northwestern Europe. Geopolitically, the island is divided between the Republic of Ireland (officially Names of the Irish state, named Irelan ...

, on 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 ...

, owned and operated by

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 ...

. The bascule-type lifting bridge, which links North Wall to

Ringsend Ringsend () is a Southside (Dublin), southside inner suburb of Dublin, Republic of Ireland, Ireland. It is located on the south bank of the River Liffey and east of the River Dodder, about two kilometres east of the city centre. It is the sou ...

, is the last bridge on the Liffey, which opens out into

Dublin Port Dublin Port () is the seaport of Dublin, Ireland, of both historical and contemporary economic importance. Approximately two-thirds of Ireland's port traffic travels via the port, which is by far the busiest on the island of Ireland. Locatio ...

and then

Dublin Bay Dublin Bay () is a C-shaped inlet of the Irish Sea on the east coast of Ireland. The bay is about 10 kilometres wide along its north–south base, and 7 km in length to its apex at the centre of the city of Dublin; stretching from Howth He ...

just beyond. The bridge forms part of the R131 regional road.

Background and use

The bridge is the most easterly crossing on the Liffey and replaced a number of ferries that carried cross-river traffic at the point as early as 1655. The bridge was built by NTR, and opened to vehicular traffic in October 1984. The bridge reverted to city council control on 31 December 2015. The city centre is west of the bridge, which links routes on the eastern side of Dublin city. The

Dublin Port Tunnel The Dublin Tunnel ( Irish: ''Tollán Bhaile Átha Cliath''), originally and still commonly known as the Port Tunnel, is a road traffic tunnel in Dublin, Ireland, that forms part of the M50 motorway. The twin tunnels form a two-lane dual car ...

terminates north of the East-Link along

East Wall Road East Wall Road () runs from the junction of the East-Link drawbridge and North Wall Quay, along the side of the northern part of Dublin port to the junction of the North Strand Road and Poplar Row. History East Wall Road takes its name fr ...

, in the Docklands on the north bank of the Liffey. Most of Dublin's docklands are east of the bridge, but it is raised on average three times per day to allow river traffic to pass. As of 2016, between 14,000 and 17,000 vehicles per day cross the bridge. As of 2016, lorries and cars pay, either in cash or using electronic tokens, and cycles and motorbikes cross for free. The tolling area and administrative offices are on the south (Ringsend) side of the bridge.

Name

Originally adopting a functional name, the East-Link bridge was officially renamed as Thomas Clarke Bridge by President

Michael D. Higgins Michael Daniel Higgins (; born 18 April 1941) is an Irish politician, poet, broadcaster, and sociologist who has been serving as the president of Ireland since 2011. Entering national politics through the Labour Party, he served as a senator ...

to commemorate the Irish republican Thomas Clarke. The renaming ceremony was held on 3 May 2016, marking the centenary of the day Clarke was shot in

Kilmainham Gaol Kilmainham Gaol () is a former prison in Kilmainham, Dublin. It is now a museum run by the Office of Public Works, an agency of the Government of Ireland. Many Irish revolutionaries, including the leaders of the 1916 Easter Rising (Patrick Pea ...

for his involvement in the

1916 Easter Rising The Easter Rising (), also known as the Easter Rebellion, was an armed insurrection in Ireland during Easter Week in April 1916. The Rising was launched by Irish republicans against British rule in Ireland with the aim of establishing an in ...

Incidents

In October 1985, a ship named the MV Miranda Guinness, with a cargo of Guinness beer bound for

Liverpool Liverpool is a port City status in the United Kingdom, city and metropolitan borough in Merseyside, England. It is situated on the eastern side of the River Mersey, Mersey Estuary, near the Irish Sea, north-west of London. With a population ...

, collided with the bridge.

References

{{Dublin Liffey Bridges Bridges in Dublin (city) Bridges completed in 1984 1984 establishments in Ireland Toll bridges in the Republic of Ireland Bascule bridges Dublin Docklands Ringsend

Background and use

Name

Incidents

See also

References