Ha’penny Bridge Celebrates 200 Years
Happy 200th birthday to the Ha’penny Bridge
The red carpet was rolled out for the bicentenary celebrations of the Ha’penny Bridge in Dublin. This special ceremony is the latest in the many Dublin events taking place throughout the city during 2016 . The celebrations included a ceremonial walk across the Ha’penny bridge by Dublin’s Lord Mayer Críona Ní Dhálaigh and the descendants of Lord Mayor John Claudius Beresford, who originally commissioned the bridge. Also in attendance was the descendant’s of its designer John Windsor.
Other free events in the city on the day included, The Story of the Ha’penny Bridge by Mary Clark and The Guinness Barges on the River Liffey by Eibhlin Roche.
You can see the full programme list over at dublincity.ie
A Brief History of the Ha’penny Bridge
This world famous bridge was erected in May 1816 and was the only foot bridge over the Liffey until the opening of the Millenium Bridge in 1999. It was originally called the Wellington Bridge (after the Dublin-born Duke of Wellington), however in 1922 the name was officially changed to Liffey Bridge. It is still today more endearingly referred to as the Ha’penny Bridge, which refers to the half penny toll which had to be paid by each pedestrian who wished to cross. This fee was payable to a William Walsh, the ferry owner and alderman of the city who was given lease of the bridge for 100 years after agreeing to retire his leaking ferries. They had turnstiles at either end to collect the toll, which matched the fare for the ferry ride across.
An Iconic Landmark
The Ha’penny Bridge is an iconic landmark in Dublin and holds a special place in all our hearts. We hope you come and join us this year in Dublin as it celebrates it 200th birthday.
Look out for our market stall … coming soon to the streets of Dublin. We will have special birthday prints to celebrate the occasion. Sign up to our news letter and you can find out when and where we will be located around the city.