A view of Ha'penny Bridge, Dublin, looking downriver.
The bridge, built in 1816, replaced the ferries which previously carried pedestrians across the Liffey. The operator of the bridge charged a toll of a half-penny. And so the bridge acquired its' unofficial name. The toll ceased in 1919, but the name has remained.
The tall building in the background is Liberty Hall. The current building was opened in 1965, replacing the earlier Liberty Hall which had been demolished in the late fifties. In 1965 this was the tallest building in Ireland.
The dome to the right of Liberty Hall is the Custom House. Originally opened in 1791, the building was seriously damaged in 1921 by a fire started by the IRA. This fire destroyed many irreplaceable historical records, such as records of births, marriages and deaths.
The loss of these records makes it difficult for the descendants of Irish emigrants to trace their family history.
2 comments:
You DO know what you're doing by showing me all these Dublin pictures, right?
Lovely shot of Ha'penny Bridge. Like the story of the bridge, though rather sad about all the lost records.
I love how the bridge acquired its name!
I love old documents and feel sad for the loss of written history ... I always do when I hear about things like fires, wars and other disasters which destroy them.
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