O’Connell Street

Central Dublin’s busiest street is a far cry from the original vision of its owner, an 18th century aristocrat named Luke Gardiner. He dreamed of building a peaceful area of residential structures, surrounding the quiet serenity of a tree-studded mall.

His vision was altered in 1790, when the Carlisle Bridge (today known as the O’Connell Bridge) was built. The connection turned the street into the main artery of historical Dublin as well as the modern city of today.

An imposing statue of Daniel O’Connell, known as “The Liberator” overlooks the street and bridge that bear his name. O’ Connell was widely known and respected for his work as a member of parliament in the mid 1800’s, and his success in securing the emancipation of the Catholics of Ireland. His statue still bears bullet marks received during the firefights of the 1916 Easter Rising, which took place in nearby buildings.

All along O’Connell Street, you can see established symbols of Irish culture and business, including department stores such as Clery’s and Eason’s, the Gresham Hotel, and monuments dedicated to modern era freedom fighters like O’Connell, James Larkin, leader of the Dublin General Strike of 1913, and Father Theobald Mathew (1790-1856), founder of Pioneer Total Abstinence Movement.

At the north end of the street stands the Charles Stewart Parnell obelisk monument, dedicated to the memory of the leader of the Home Rule Party from 1846-1891.