Overview
When O’Donovan Rossa Bridge opened in 1816 it was the widest bridge in Dublin, and only the second stone crossing ever built over the River Liffey – which is why it’s sometimes taken for the city’s original bridge. It isn’t. Three granite arches link Winetavern Street on the south bank to Chancery Place and the north quays, carrying traffic and pedestrians free of charge, with the dome of the Four Courts filling the view from the southern approach.
History
A bridge has stood on this spot since the late 17th century. The first, Ormond Bridge, was rebuilt here in 1684 – by which point apple sellers had already colonised its approaches with stalls. It served the city for over a century until a storm in 1802 swept it away, the same flood that took the bridges at Ringsend and Lucan.
The replacement came from a design by James Savage, first exhibited at the Royal Academy in 1809. George Knowles oversaw the build, which began in 1813 and opened in 1816 as Richmond Bridge, after Charles Lennox, 4th Duke of Richmond and then Lord Lieutenant of Ireland. It was renamed in 1923 – a few sources say 1922 – for Jeremiah O’Donovan Rossa, the Fenian leader whose name it still carries. In rougher decades the bridge had a reputation as a flashpoint, where young men from what is now Dublin 8 met rivals from across the river.
Architecture and construction
The bridge is a piece of restrained early 19th-century engineering. Built entirely from granite, it runs roughly 44 metres long and 15 metres wide. Its three elliptical, segmental arches were a fairly new technique at the time, giving a lower profile and a gentler roadway than the steep semicircular arches of older Dublin crossings. It’s one of a trio of similar granite Liffey bridges, alongside Mellows Bridge and Father Mathew Bridge.
The carving is the standout. Sculptor John Smyth cut the six keystone heads: the eastern side shows Plenty, Anna Livia and Industry, the western side Commerce, Hibernia and Peace – the same allegorical language used on the nearby Custom House and O’Connell Bridge. Digging the foundations turned up stranger things. Workers on the southern pier found a buried cache of German, Spanish and British coins with period weapons, while the north side gave up two 18-foot wooden boats, one with a human skeleton inside.
What to see and do
The bridge doubles as a viewing platform. If you do one thing here, step onto one of the pedestrian refuges mid-span and look upriver: the Four Courts dome sits dead ahead from the south, and the refuges let you back away from the traffic to read the keystone carvings up close.
Use it as a hub for the medieval and Georgian core. The south end runs up Winetavern Street to Christ Church Cathedral, the exhibits at Dublinia and Dublin Castle, passing the medieval ruins of St Audoen’s Church on the way. The north end lands you on the quays beside the Four Courts; follow them west toward Arran Quay for a longer riverside walk.
Photography and visiting tips
- Timing – early morning or late afternoon throws warm, directional light across the granite and lifts the Four Courts dome; midday brings out the detail in the keystones.
- Best angles – shoot from the north or south quays for the full profile; use the pedestrian refuges for close-ups of the sculpted heads and the cast-iron balustrade.
- Accessibility – the walkways are paved and level but narrower than a modern footbridge; the central refuges give safe places to stop.
- Safety – all three lanes carry live traffic, so keep to the footpaths and refuges and mind children and pets near the balustrade.
Practical information
Open 24 hours, free, no tickets. It’s a working crossing, so fit it into a wider route rather than a set visiting time.
Getting there – The Four Courts bus stop (routes 145 and 26) and Upper Ormond Quay stop (39, 39a, 79, 79A) are within a two-minute walk. The Luas Red Line stops at Four Courts, four minutes on foot. Tara Street station is about 20 minutes away, Heuston about 24.
Nearby amenities – Winetavern Street and the quays have cafés, pubs and restaurants; public toilets are inside the Four Courts visitor centre. There’s no dedicated parking, so use the city-centre car parks, bike hire or public transport.
Stand on the mid-span refuge and look upriver: the Four Courts dome lines up dead ahead, best caught in the low light of early morning before the quays fill with traffic.