Ha'penny Bridge

The Ha'penny Bridge is a single cast-iron arch thrown across the Liffey in 1816, when the alternative was a ferry. Its formal name is the Liffey Bridge, but nobody uses it: the nickname comes from the halfpenny toll once charged to walk over. The ironwork was cast in England and shipped in, and the bridge kept its shape through a restoration that returned it to white paint with three lamp standards over the arch. It is small, and the crossing takes half a minute, but the view along the river to the newer bridges and the quay fronts is the standard Dublin photograph, and at night the lamps and reflections do the work.

History

Before the bridge there were seven ferries across the Liffey, run by William Walsh, who was told to repair them or build a bridge and chose the bridge. It opened in May 1816, its toll set to match the ferry charges, on condition that it would be removed if Dubliners found it objectionable within its first year (Wikipedia, Ha'penny Bridge).

Highlights

• The iron arch - the single cast span with its decorative railings and rivets.
• The three lamps - the lamp standards over the arch, lit after dark.
• The river view - the Liffey quays lined up east and west from the middle of the bridge.
• Merchants Arch - the narrow archway leading off the south end into Temple Bar.

When to go

It is open at all hours and free. Evening, when the lamps and quay lights are on and the river holds reflections, is when the bridge looks like the photographs. Weekday mornings are quiet, weekend nights are loud and busy with people crossing to and from the bars on the south bank.

Things to know

It is a small footbridge, and taking the photograph lasts longer than the crossing. The deck narrows to a crush when two groups meet, the quays on either side carry heavy traffic and noise, and this is not the prettiest stretch of Dublin at street level. Do not plan a visit around it.

Nearby

Temple Bar sits at the southern end; the boardwalk and O'Connell Bridge are a short walk east.

Key facts