History

Seán Heuston Bridge was opened in 1829 as the King’s Bridge and crossed the meandering River Liffey on the western fringes of the city and away from all its hustle and bustle. On the north side was the mighty Phoenix Iron Works with the verdant sweep of the Phoenix Park beyond. To the south, grassy meadows - amid which stood Kilmainham and Dr. Steeven’s Hospitals - ran down to the muddy river banks, the Liffey not yet embanked and quayed this far.

Image of Seán Heuston Bridge - History

George IV (1762 - 1830)

The bridge replaced a ferry service which had criss-crossed the river for nearly one hundred years and the profits of which had been put to good use in Dr. Steeven’s. King George lV had visited Dublin in 1821 and it was through the efforts of Daniel O’Connell that much of the funds for a public memorial to that visit were raised. O’Connell initially proposed a royal palace but subscriptions were insufficient. George himself decided upon a bridge and it was he who chose Papworth’s design.

In December 12th, 1827 the foundation stone was laid by the Marquis Wellesley, who brandished a ruby and emerald studded trowel, engraved with a depiction of the soon to be built bridge. Sporting a gold trimmed, white satin apron, the Marquis named this ‘the bridge of George the Fourth’. Wet weather did not dampen the enthusiasm of the crowd who enthusiastically gave three cheers for the king, while the guns in the park sounded the salute.

The contractor for the works was Mr. Robinson of the nearby iron works, who was also the beneficiary of the tolls. The original plan had included a triumphal arch over the centre of the bridge, topped by an equestrian statue of George lV - most likely not proceeded with for cost reasons. The bridge opened to foot passengers on Sunday, June 9th 1829 and thereafter to other traffic. Mr Robinson donated the first tolls to the Mendicity Institute, a charitable gesture he repeated from time to time.

Fittingly, it was over the King’s Bridge that Daniel O’Connell made his final crossing over the River Liffey in 1847, when his funeral cortege crawled through the city streets heaving with grieving men and women. When Ireland finally broke free of the colonial grip the King’s Bridge became Patrick Sarsfield Bridge in 1922. That name rested heavily on the old, familiar structure and was little used. In 1941, the city council thought again and with 1916 still fresh in the minds of many Dubliners, they renamed it for a young hero of the Easter Rising, Seán Heuston.