Getting to Know Dublin - Dublin - page 36

A Toll Tale
Built in 1816 as one of the earliest cast-iron bridges in Britain
and Ireland, the graceful pedestrians-only Ha'penny Bridge
(pronounced Hay -penny) is the most beloved of Dublin bridges.
Though officially named the Liffey Bridge, it's far better known
by the toll that was initially charged to cross it: half a penny.
The turnstiles were removed in 1919, when passage was
declared free to the public.

Fun Fact

at a time. It was replaced with a wooden structure in 1801. The
current concrete bridge was built in 1863 and is the only traffic-
carrying bridge in Europe that is wider than it is long. The newest
bridge, the Millennium Bridge, is a footbridge erected in 1999,
linking Temple Bar with the Northside.
On the north side of the river, the main thoroughfare is O'Con-
nell Street, a wide, two-way avenue that starts at the riverside quays
and runs north to Parnell Square. Enhanced by statues, trees, and
a modern fountain, the O'Connell Street of earlier days was the
glamorous shopping drag of the city. It is still important today,
although neither as fashionable nor as safe as it used to be. Work is
under way, however, to give the north side of the Liffey a mighty
makeover and make it once again a focus of attention.
On the south side of the Liffey, Grafton Street is Dublin's main
shopping street. It is home to Ireland's most exclusive department
store, Brown Thomas, and has clearly bent over backward in recent
years to attract and please tourists—though cynics point out, quite
rightly, that much of its “Irishness” has been displaced in recent
years by British chain shops. Narrow and restricted to pedestrians,
Grafton Street is the center of Dublin's commercial district, sur-
rounded by a maze of small streets and lanes that boast a terrific
variety of shops, restaurants, and hotels. At the south end of Grafton
Street is St. Stephen's Green, the city's most beloved park and an
urban oasis ringed by rows of historic Georgian town houses, fine
hotels, and restaurants.
At the north end of Grafton Street, Nassau Street rims the south
side of Trinity College. The street is noted for its fine shops and
because it leads to Merrion Square, another fashionable Georgian
park surrounded by historic brick-front town houses. Merrion
Square is also adjacent to Leinster House, the Irish House of Parlia-
ment, the National Gallery, and the National Museum.