With a perfect arch over the River Liffey, the Ha’penny Bridge is one of Dublin’s most recognizable landmarks. It was the city’s first pedestrian bridge and remained the only footbridge in Dublin until the Millennium Bridge was opened in 1999.
When it opened in 1816, an average of 450 people crossed its wooden planks daily. Today, the number is closer to 30,000, but they no longer have to pay a penny for the convenience!
Story
Before the Ha’penny Bridge was built, anyone who needed to cross Liffey had to travel by boat or risk sharing the road with horse-drawn carriages. Seven different ferries, all operated by a city councilman named William Walsh, would carry passengers across the river at different points along the shore. Eventually the ferries fell into such disrepair that Walsh was ordered to either replace them all or build a bridge.
Walsh abandoned his fleet of leaking boats and got into the bridge business after he was granted the right to recoup his lost ferry revenue by charging a toll to cross the bridge for the next 100 years. Turnstiles were installed at each end to ensure that no one could avoid the toll – a halfpenny fee. The old half-cent toll gave birth to the bridge’s nickname: Ha’Penny. The bridge has gone by several other official names, but since 1922 it has been formally called the Liffey Bridge.
The bridge was opened in 1816 and its inauguration was marked with 10 days of free passage before the half-coin toll was instituted. At one point, the fare rose to one ha’penny penny (1½ pence), before coming to an end in 1919. Now a symbol of the city, the Ha’penny Bridge was fully restored in 2001.
Architecture
The Ha’penny Bridge is an elliptical arch bridge that spans 141 feet (43 meters) across the Liffey. It is one of the first cast iron bridges of its kind and is made of iron ribs with pretty decorative arches and lampposts. At the time of its construction, Ireland was part of the British Empire, so the bridge was manufactured by the Coalbrookdale Company in England and shipped back to Dublin to be assembled on the spot.
visiting
A halfpenny doesn’t get very far these days, but even that little toll has long been removed, meaning the Ha’penny Bridge is free to visit. Pronounced ‘Hey-penny’, the bridge never closes and is one of the busiest pedestrian bridges in all of Dublin. Visit day or night as you explore the city or stop by on your way to a pub dinner in Temple Bar. (But remember that while it may be tempting to add a love lock to the iron sides, the weight of the locks can damage the historic bridge, so they are no longer allowed).
What to do nearby
The Irish capital is compact and the Ha’penny Bridge is in the heart of the city, so there is no shortage of activities nearby. On one side of the bridge is O’Connell Street, a bustling street lined with pubs and shops. In the center of the street is The Spire, a stainless steel monument in the shape of a sharp needle that stands 390 feet tall. It is built on the site where Nelson’s Pillar once stood before being destroyed in a 1966 bombing raid.
Walk down O’Connell Street and stroll down Ha’Penny to find yourself in Temple Bar. The lively pub district is packed with revelers day and night, although it’s best after dark when many of the bars offer live music. For daytime sightseeing, Dublin City Hall and Castle are a five minute walk past Temple Bar.
Just before crossing the bridge there is a bronze statue of two women sitting chatting with their shopping bags at their feet on Lower Liffey Street. The 1988 artwork was created by Jakki McKenna as a tribute to city life. It is a popular meeting place, and Dubliners have given it a colorful nickname: ‘the witches with the bags’.
