O'Connell Bridge

The original O'Connell Bridge was designed by James Gandon, and built between 1791 and 1794. It was initially named Carlisle Bridge after the then Lord Lieutenant of Ireland – Frederick Howard, 5th Earl of Carlisle. Originally humped and narrower, the bridge was reconstructed and widened between 1877 and 1880 to ease traffic congestion and improve the streetscape. It was renamed in 1882 to O'Connell Bridge, when the statue in honour of Daniel O'Connell was unveiled. In James Joyce's Ulysses the character Leopold Bloom buys some Banbury cakes from a street trader while crossing the bridge. He feeds the crumbs to seagulls flying over the River Liffey.