Ireland's Most Interesting Bridges

rainbowdash · 27-08-2010 9:28pm

Sorry no picture but the bridge and toll buildings are still there, about 1 mile upstream from Bunratty castle, toll bridges in Ireland are nothing new. This would have been the Limerick - Galway road once.

ROSMANAGHER BRIDGE AND TOLL GATE were built by Henry D'Esterre in 1784 at his own expense. The large inscription stone on the bridge commemorates this piece of engineering. D'Esterre owned extensive lands in the region and the Ratty River hindered both farming and communication, especially as the nearest bridge was at Sixmilebridge. Despite objections that the structure would interfere with navigation on the river, Henry D'Esterre built his bridge and then tried to recover his costs by erecting toll gates on the western side of the river. Daniel O' Connell refused to pay the toll according to local tradition and this was the reason given for his famous duel with Captain John D'Esterre. The duel, in which O'Connell killed his opponent, took place in Kildare on February 1st, 1815.

Judgement Day · 27-08-2010 9:40pm

JackM_79 wrote: »

Great thread guys, just a couple of the Barrow Bridge. A mate of mine whos an electrician spent part of his apprentiship here maintaining the motors. The original motors are still in place and working perfectly after over 120 years of service.

Wow! Without doubt the best pictures that I have ever seen of the Barrow Bridge - is it possible to get copies of them?

Lady Lainy · 27-08-2010 10:06pm

Patricks Bridge, Cork City

Took this one my self

Lady Lainy · 27-08-2010 10:19pm

Cornmarket Street Pedestrian Bridge
Cork City

Lady Lainy · 27-08-2010 10:29pm

South Gate Bridge,
Cork City,

Parliament Bridge,
Cork City

L1011 · 28-08-2010 12:12am

I'd only see the pedestrian bridge there as interesting, this isn't "post a pic of your cities bridges"

Stonewolf · 28-08-2010 12:13am

Pedestrian bridge is pretty funky alright, the others are the usual faire (nice and all, nicer than a lot of the modern concrete stuff).

strassenwo!f · 28-08-2010 12:41am

Judgement Day wrote: »

Am I right in thinking that this is the third of these cable-stayed bridges in Ireland - the first being the Dundrum Luas bridge and the second the new Boyne bridge?

I haven't been in that neck of the woods for a while, but I seem to recall a pedestrian version across the M50, not far from the Firhouse exit. Perhaps it was even the first?

28-08-2010 3:46am

Athlone Rail bridge with rotating section for large boats, I don't think it works.

Judgement Day · 28-08-2010 7:05am

Deleted User wrote: »

Athlone Rail bridge with rotating section for large boats, I don't think it works.

Nice pics and I think you're right and the lifting section hasn't worked for decades - possibly another bridge maintained to the highest standards of Iarnrod Eireann. :rolleyes:

The bridge was opened for traffic on the 21st July 1851.

Judgement Day · 28-08-2010 7:22am

Panoromic 1894 view of the bridge carrying the Galway Clifden railway over the river Corrib at Woodquay. The weir detail in the foreground and to the right of the photograph suggest it was taken from the Eglington Canal bank.
From Special Collections, James Hardiman Library, National University of Ireland, Galway, Ireland

All that remains today.

Some more info here.
http://www.maamcrossmart.com/historygalwaytocliftonraillink.htm

whyulittle · 28-08-2010 11:41am

Deleted User wrote: »

Athlone Rail bridge with rotating section for large boats, I don't think it works.

The railway bridge had a lifting section, which is permanently fixed in place now. The now square span of the town road bridge used to rotate.

monument · 28-08-2010 1:19pm

oppenheimer1 wrote: »

That is at Connolly Station, This bridge lifts a section of track up on foru hydraulic rams to allow barges to pass underneath.

Here's that taken from the bridge on North Strand Road over the canal and railway:

ardmacha · 28-08-2010 4:35pm

Remarkable hiberno-romanesque inspired design on those piers of the Galway-Clifden railway.

Judgement Day · 28-08-2010 6:39pm

ardmacha wrote: »

Remarkable hiberno-romanesque inspired design on those piers of the Galway-Clifden railway.

They are quite OTT aren't they - Art for Art's sake.

strassenwo!f · 28-08-2010 9:53pm

Here's the one I was thinking of. I'd say this was built ahead of the other cable-stayed ones at Dundrum, Drogheda and Waterford.

DWCommuter · 28-08-2010 11:27pm

strassenwo!f wrote: »

Here's the one I was thinking of. I'd say this was built ahead of the other cable-stayed ones at Dundrum, Drogheda and Waterford.

And while its smaller scale, I'd agree that it predated other cable stay bridges that you listed.

28-08-2010 11:29pm

Judgement Day wrote: »

They are quite OTT aren't they - Art for Art's sake.

When they built the railways, they were expected to last centuries - well they got at least one out of many!

DWCommuter · 28-08-2010 11:51pm

In terms of bridges on our rail network we have neglected the ingenuiety of 19th century engineers via economics. But that's life I guess. How anyone can adore a piece of metal that is a locomotive and not aspire to appreciating the true value of railway heritage is beyond even me. I leave you with this one and no image.

The ballyvoyle viaduct, Co. Waterford, as it stands today. Massive!

Judgement Day · 29-08-2010 12:02am

DWCommuter wrote: »

In terms of bridges on our rail network we have neglected the ingenuiety of 19th century engineers via economics. But that's life I guess. How anyone can adore a piece of metal that is a locomotive and not aspire to appreciating the true value of railway heritage is beyond even me. I leave you with this one and no image.

The ballyvoyle viaduct, Co. Waterford, as it stands today. Massive!

Here it is by kind permission of Eire Trains (Ciaran Cooney)

Ballyvoyle%20Viaduct%20001.jpg

Photo by Eamonn Redmond, Enniscorthy.

Where's the pic gone??

Lurching · 29-08-2010 12:10am

Heres my 2 contributions:

I was an engineer on the Waterford bypass, so got an opportunity to go to the top of the bridge before it was finished. Heres a video of the view. Note the size of the openings for the cables.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IwmRzp6uxK0

Also, one beside my home place, the construction type escapes me, but this and the ha'penny bridge are the only two in the country. The council wanted to remove and replace it in 2000, but local disapproval meant that they built a soleless concrete bridge adjacent to it.

Barringtons Bridge, co. Limerick: (Photos taken between 1990 and 2000.)

Judgement Day · 29-08-2010 11:42am

Lurching wrote: »

Heres my 2 contributions:

I was an engineer on the Waterford bypass, so got an opportunity to go to the top of the bridge before it was finished. Heres a video of the view. Note the size of the openings for the cables.

Also, one beside my home place, the construction type escapes me, but this and the ha'penny bridge are the only two in the country. The council wanted to remove and replace it in 2000, but local disapproval meant that they built a soleless concrete bridge adjacent to it.

Barringtons Bridge, co. Limerick: (Photos taken between 1990 and 2000.)

Interesting looking bridge too but it looks a bit neglected - presumably the council are doing the time honoured thing of letting it get into such a bad state that it will be condemned and removed for safety reasons.

Lurching · 29-08-2010 1:01pm

Judgement Day wrote: »

Interesting looking bridge too but it looks a bit neglected - presumably the council are doing the time honoured thing of letting it get into such a bad state that it will be condemned and removed for safety reasons.

That last photo was taken when it was still in use, but just before the new bridge was built.
Its kept in reasonably good condition now though thankfully.
Its the name of the area - Barringtons Bridge, so it'd be a shame for it to disappear.

Lady Lainy · 29-08-2010 10:20pm

Stonewolf wrote: »

Pedestrian bridge is pretty funky alright, the others are the usual faire (nice and all, nicer than a lot of the modern concrete stuff).

I really like south gate bridge, cos it dates back to the vikings to when Cork was first built, which is pretty impressive! there has been a bridge of some shape or form, at that location since 9th century. I doubt the current physical bridge it self dates back that far, but the crossing point does.

There are also mentions of the bridge in documents from the 18th century when "south gate prison" was in operation.

http://www.corkpastandpresent.ie/mapsimages/corkphotographs/michaelolearyphotos/southgatebridge/

DWCommuter · 29-08-2010 11:28pm

Judgement Day wrote: »

Here it is by kind permission of Eire Trains (Ciaran Cooney)

Photo by Eamonn Redmond, Enniscorthy.

Where's the pic gone??

Pic is back!

Thanks for the link. This bridge and the Gleensk viaduct in Kerry are my favourites. I guess its the "metal" aspects and the isolated nature of them that intrigues me. Ballyvoyle always gives me a "Cassandra crossing" moment. Last time I was up there, it had track and I had no camera after walking through the Durrow tunnel.

The Wateford - Mallow line has it all in terms of viaducts and lets no forget the mix and match job at Cappoquinn. Go on JD post up a pic of it!:D Its still unusual in terms of it composition and in todays modern world, it stands like like a reminder to simpler times.

Feckin pic is gone again, so screw this. Here are direct links to pics of both Ballyboyle and Cappoquinn viaducts.

http://eiretrains.com/Photo_Gallery/C/Cappoquin/slides/Cappoquin%20Station%20(7).html

http://eiretrains.com/Photo_Gallery/D/Durrow/slides/Ballyvoyle%20Viaduct%20001.html

dowlingm · 30-08-2010 3:22am

Has it ever been proposed to repurpose the Galway-Clifden bridge pictured above, perhaps with a pedestrian/cycling span? Seems a shame to let a structure like that moulder.

Judgement Day · 30-08-2010 7:44am

DWCommuter wrote: »

Pic is back!

Thanks for the link. This bridge and the Gleensk viaduct in Kerry are my favourites. I guess its the "metal" aspects and the isolated nature of them that intrigues me. Ballyvoyle always gives me a "Cassandra crossing" moment. Last time I was up there, it had track and I had no camera after walking through the Durrow tunnel.

The Wateford - Mallow line has it all in terms of viaducts and lets no forget the mix and match job at Cappoquinn. Go on JD post up a pic of it!:D Its still unusual in terms of it composition and in todays modern world, it stands like like a reminder to simpler times.

Feckin pic is gone again, so screw this. Here are direct links to pics of both Ballyboyle and Cappoquinn viaducts.

http://eiretrains.com/Photo_Gallery/C/Cappoquin/slides/Cappoquin%20Station%20(7).html

http://eiretrains.com/Photo_Gallery/D/Durrow/slides/Ballyvoyle%20Viaduct%20001.html

Here's my own poor quality photo of a poor print (rather than a scan) of the weedspray train on Ballyvoyle Viaduct in the early 1980s (?). I travelled over the line a few times on the spray train - the last time sitting on a chair in one of the sleeping vans with my feet dangling out the door which gives me the heebie jeebies looking at this pic.

I have an ancient b/w postcard somewhere (?) of Cappoquin Viaduct which was still being sold in a local shop in Cappoquin in the late 1970s as a current tourist postcard - such was the quiet backwater that the line passed through. The area is still a bit like that.

westtip · 30-08-2010 9:35am

dowlingm wrote: »

Has it ever been proposed to repurpose the Galway-Clifden bridge pictured above, perhaps with a pedestrian/cycling span? Seems a shame to let a structure like that moulder.

The Galway Clifden line is one of the first lines they (as in Government and all associated quango bodies involved) are planning to convert to Greenway - in order to have a long distance walking and cycling trail all the way from Dublin to Galway and beyond to Clifden. Go to this link and read the document put in the publin agenda two weeks ago, A scoping study on the national cycle network

http://www.smartertravel.ie/download/1/FINAL%20NCNScopingStudyAugust2010.pdf

Go to page 12 of this document to see an outline of this National Cycle network planned.

The next step could be to select a major route corridor (e.g. Dublin-Galway corridor)

on page 15 - I think a dublin - Galway greenway is going to be the first priority.

JD many of these fine bridges on this brilliant thread will soon be back to life with happy bikers (cyclist variety) and walkers, just imagine if a walking bridege is put in place across those pillars remaining of the corrib crossing....new life new century, our railway heritage has the opportunity to come back to life in a new guise....:-)

westtip · 30-08-2010 9:57am

Lurching wrote: »

Heres my 2 contributions:

Also, one beside my home place, the construction type escapes me, but this and the ha'penny bridge are the only two in the country. The council wanted to remove and replace it in 2000, but local disapproval meant that they built a soleless concrete bridge adjacent to it.

Barringtons Bridge, co. Limerick: (Photos taken between 1990 and 2000.)

Thanks for that one it reminds me of the bridge in Monets garden at Giverny (well at least if I use my imagination....and stretch it a little.)

A fine story about the council - more evidence of the dimwits we have in our councils without a semblance of vision about our built heritage. I was watching Nationwide last night about plans in the 1980 to fill in the crescent in wexford to make it a car park! thankfully that didn't happen too.. ah Wood Quay I thought.

Judgement Day · 30-08-2010 1:08pm

Here's the Cappoquin postcard - sorry for the poor quality. It was published by Real Photo Company. Hardly the sort of postcard that would bring tourists flocking to Cappoquin - unless they were from the Boards Infrastructure forum.

Ireland's Most Interesting Bridges

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