Streets and squares in Dublin
Encyclopedia
This article deals with the street
s and squares
in Dublin and the Greater Dublin Area
of Ireland
.
. Some streets were renamed during the late colonial or Free State
periods for Irish persons.
Street names fall into several categories. Many are named for persons such as British king
s, queen
s, and their families
, lords lieutenant
, nobles
, lord mayors
, other state officials
, Irish nationalist
figures, celebrities
, and property
owners. Others are named for churches, public buildings, signs of public houses (taverns), places of historical note, places in London
, occupations, and title
s of office. A few are named for the physical characteristics of the street of the surrounding area and a few are corruptions
of previous names.
Street names are modified with a number of terms. Generally, larger thoroughfare names include avenue
, parade
, road
, and street
. Smaller street names include alley
, close, court, lane
, mews
, place, row, and terrace. Special locations or layouts include cottages, gardens, grove, hill, market, park, quay, square
, villas, and yard and some these terms tend to be used more outside of the city centre.
Dublin streets are signed in the British style with nearly all signs being placed on buildings adjacent to street junctions rather than on free-standing signposts. Dublin street signs have white lettering on a blue background with both the Irish
and English names given along with the Dublin postal district number.
lower areas and proceed upward, i.e., toward higher ground away from rivers. Other streets follow the pattern of even addresses one one side and odd numbers on the other. Unlike the usual North American style, each unit is given one number and no number is skipped. This results in situations where the odd numbers on one side and the even numbers on the other do not match due to differing numbers of buildings on the respective sides. For example, Percy Place 2 is directly across from Percy Place 53 because Grand Canal
frontage delays the beginning of the even numbers. Addresses on squares usually ascend in a clockwise
direction (although Parnell Square is anti-clockwise).
Ford of the Reed Hurdles (Áth Cliath) over the River Liffey. These were the Slige Chualann (roughly the route of the present day Harold's Cross Road) from Leinster
in the south, Slige Dála (Crumlin Road
) from Munster
in the southwest, Slige Mór (Inchicore Road) from Connacht
in the west, and Slige Midluachra (Dorset Street
) from Ulster
in the north.
The Viking
s first established a fortified
town at Dublin and its main street ran along what is now High Street and Castle Street.
Anglo-Norman
Dublin maintained the basic Viking street plan and enlarged the town by expansion and land reclamation
from the Liffey. The area north of present-day Cook and Essex streets was reclaimed during this time and provided with a relatively geometric street pattern. Streets became known for particular trades or activities and the names of several of these survive today (e.g., Winetavern Street, Cook Street, Fishamble Street
, Ship Street [originally Sheep Street]). Most of the street layout within the old town walls dates from this period.
The first map of Dublin was produced by John Speed
and is dated 1610. By this time, development had extended beyond the town walls and some streets retain their names or variations thereof from that time (e.g., James's Street, Stephen Street, Francis Street)
In Georgian Dublin
of the middle and late 18th century, the Wide Streets Commission
reshaped the old system of streets and created a network of main thoroughfares by wholesale demolition and widening of old streets, and the creation of entirely new ones.
Most of the streets in Dublin retain names from the period of English colonial rule but some have been renamed for Irish figures. Beginning in the late 19th century and continuing after Irish independence, streets were renamed usually either because of the prominence of their location (e.g., O'Connell Street
) or the unacceptability of the previous name (e.g., Great Britain Street).
Street
A street is a paved public thoroughfare in a built environment. It is a public parcel of land adjoining buildings in an urban context, on which people may freely assemble, interact, and move about. A street can be as simple as a level patch of dirt, but is more often paved with a hard, durable...
s and squares
Town square
A town square is an open public space commonly found in the heart of a traditional town used for community gatherings. Other names for town square are civic center, city square, urban square, market square, public square, and town green.Most town squares are hardscapes suitable for open markets,...
in Dublin and the Greater Dublin Area
Greater Dublin Area
Greater Dublin Area , or simply Greater Dublin, is a term which is used to describe the city of Dublin and various counties in the hinterland of the city in Ireland. The term has no basis in law and no local government, department of government or agency of the state is bound by the term...
of Ireland
Republic of Ireland
Ireland , described as the Republic of Ireland , is a sovereign state in Europe occupying approximately five-sixths of the island of the same name. Its capital is Dublin. Ireland, which had a population of 4.58 million in 2011, is a constitutional republic governed as a parliamentary democracy,...
.
Street naming
Most streets in Dublin carry names given during the period of English colonial ruleHistory of Ireland
The first known settlement in Ireland began around 8000 BC, when hunter-gatherers arrived from continental Europe, probably via a land bridge. Few archaeological traces remain of this group, but their descendants and later Neolithic arrivals, particularly from the Iberian Peninsula, were...
. Some streets were renamed during the late colonial or Free State
Irish Free State
The Irish Free State was the state established as a Dominion on 6 December 1922 under the Anglo-Irish Treaty, signed by the British government and Irish representatives exactly twelve months beforehand...
periods for Irish persons.
Street names fall into several categories. Many are named for persons such as British king
King
- Centers of population :* King, Ontario, CanadaIn USA:* King, Indiana* King, North Carolina* King, Lincoln County, Wisconsin* King, Waupaca County, Wisconsin* King County, Washington- Moving-image works :Television:...
s, queen
Queen regnant
A queen regnant is a female monarch who reigns in her own right, in contrast to a queen consort, who is the wife of a reigning king. An empress regnant is a female monarch who reigns in her own right over an empire....
s, and their families
British Royal Family
The British Royal Family is the group of close relatives of the monarch of the United Kingdom. The term is also commonly applied to the same group of people as the relations of the monarch in her or his role as sovereign of any of the other Commonwealth realms, thus sometimes at variance with...
, lords lieutenant
Lord Lieutenant
The title Lord Lieutenant is given to the British monarch's personal representatives in the United Kingdom, usually in a county or similar circumscription, with varying tasks throughout history. Usually a retired local notable, senior military officer, peer or business person is given the post...
, nobles
Nobility
Nobility is a social class which possesses more acknowledged privileges or eminence than members of most other classes in a society, membership therein typically being hereditary. The privileges associated with nobility may constitute substantial advantages over or relative to non-nobles, or may be...
, lord mayors
Lord Mayor of Dublin
The Lord Mayor of Dublin is the honorific title of the Chairman of Dublin City Council which is the local government body for the city of Dublin, the capital of Ireland. The incumbent is Labour Party Councillor Andrew Montague. The office holder is elected annually by the members of the...
, other state officials
Bureaucracy
A bureaucracy is an organization of non-elected officials of a governmental or organization who implement the rules, laws, and functions of their institution, and are occasionally characterized by officialism and red tape.-Weberian bureaucracy:...
, Irish nationalist
Irish nationalism
Irish nationalism manifests itself in political and social movements and in sentiment inspired by a love for Irish culture, language and history, and as a sense of pride in Ireland and in the Irish people...
figures, celebrities
Celebrity
A celebrity, also referred to as a celeb in popular culture, is a person who has a prominent profile and commands a great degree of public fascination and influence in day-to-day media...
, and property
Real estate
In general use, esp. North American, 'real estate' is taken to mean "Property consisting of land and the buildings on it, along with its natural resources such as crops, minerals, or water; immovable property of this nature; an interest vested in this; an item of real property; buildings or...
owners. Others are named for churches, public buildings, signs of public houses (taverns), places of historical note, places in London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
, occupations, and title
Title
A title is a prefix or suffix added to someone's name to signify either veneration, an official position or a professional or academic qualification. In some languages, titles may even be inserted between a first and last name...
s of office. A few are named for the physical characteristics of the street of the surrounding area and a few are corruptions
Corruption (grammar)
Corruption or bastardisation is a way of referring to certain changes in a language and their prescriptive evaluation. The most common way that a word can be said to be corrupted is the change of its spelling through errors and gradual changes in comprehension, transcription, and hearing. This is...
of previous names.
Street names are modified with a number of terms. Generally, larger thoroughfare names include avenue
Street name
A street name or odonym is an identifying name given to a street. The street name usually forms part of the address...
, parade
Parade (disambiguation)
A parade is a procession of people.Parade may also refer to:In general*Parade * Parade *Parade , by Léonide Massine to music by Erik Satie and a one-act scenario by Jean Cocteau...
, road
Road
A road is a thoroughfare, route, or way on land between two places, which typically has been paved or otherwise improved to allow travel by some conveyance, including a horse, cart, or motor vehicle. Roads consist of one, or sometimes two, roadways each with one or more lanes and also any...
, and street
Street
A street is a paved public thoroughfare in a built environment. It is a public parcel of land adjoining buildings in an urban context, on which people may freely assemble, interact, and move about. A street can be as simple as a level patch of dirt, but is more often paved with a hard, durable...
. Smaller street names include alley
Alley
An alley or alleyway is a narrow lane found in urban areas, often for pedestrians only, which usually runs between or behind buildings. In older cities and towns in Europe, alleys are often what is left of a medieval street network, or a right of way or ancient footpath in an urban setting...
, close, court, lane
Lane
A lane is a part of the roadway within a road marked out for use by a single line of vehicles in such a way as to control and guide drivers for the purpose of reducing traffic conflicts. Most public roads have at least two lanes, one for traffic in each direction, separated by Lane markings...
, mews
Mews
Mews is a primarily British term formerly describing a row of stables, usually with carriage houses below and living quarters above, built around a paved yard or court, or along a street, behind large city houses, such as those of London, during the 17th and 18th centuries. The word may also...
, place, row, and terrace. Special locations or layouts include cottages, gardens, grove, hill, market, park, quay, square
Town square
A town square is an open public space commonly found in the heart of a traditional town used for community gatherings. Other names for town square are civic center, city square, urban square, market square, public square, and town green.Most town squares are hardscapes suitable for open markets,...
, villas, and yard and some these terms tend to be used more outside of the city centre.
Street signage
Irish language
Irish , also known as Irish Gaelic, is a Goidelic language of the Indo-European language family, originating in Ireland and historically spoken by the Irish people. Irish is now spoken as a first language by a minority of Irish people, as well as being a second language of a larger proportion of...
and English names given along with the Dublin postal district number.
Address numbering
The system of building number generally follows the British pattern. With many streets (e.g., Grafton Street, Baggot Street Lower), numbers proceed sequentially up one side of the street to its terminus and then continue down the other side. The numbers usually begin in topographicallyTopography
Topography is the study of Earth's surface shape and features or those ofplanets, moons, and asteroids...
lower areas and proceed upward, i.e., toward higher ground away from rivers. Other streets follow the pattern of even addresses one one side and odd numbers on the other. Unlike the usual North American style, each unit is given one number and no number is skipped. This results in situations where the odd numbers on one side and the even numbers on the other do not match due to differing numbers of buildings on the respective sides. For example, Percy Place 2 is directly across from Percy Place 53 because Grand Canal
Grand Canal of Ireland
The Grand Canal is the southernmost of a pair of canals that connect Dublin, in the east of Ireland, with the River Shannon in the west,via Tullamore and a number of other villages and towns, the two canals nearly encircling Dublin's inner city. Its sister canal on the Northside of Dublin is the...
frontage delays the beginning of the even numbers. Addresses on squares usually ascend in a clockwise
Clockwise
Circular motion can occur in two possible directions. A clockwise motion is one that proceeds in the same direction as a clock's hands: from the top to the right, then down and then to the left, and back to the top...
direction (although Parnell Square is anti-clockwise).
History
Dublin's earliest roads were four long-distance routes that converged on the GaelicGaels
The Gaels or Goidels are speakers of one of the Goidelic Celtic languages: Irish, Scottish Gaelic, and Manx. Goidelic speech originated in Ireland and subsequently spread to western and northern Scotland and the Isle of Man....
Ford of the Reed Hurdles (Áth Cliath) over the River Liffey. These were the Slige Chualann (roughly the route of the present day Harold's Cross Road) from Leinster
Leinster
Leinster is one of the Provinces of Ireland situated in the east of Ireland. It comprises the ancient Kingdoms of Mide, Osraige and Leinster. Following the Norman invasion of Ireland, the historic fifths of Leinster and Mide gradually merged, mainly due to the impact of the Pale, which straddled...
in the south, Slige Dála (Crumlin Road
Crumlin Road
The Crumlin Road is a main road in north-west Belfast, Northern Ireland. The road runs from north of Belfast City Centre for about four miles to the outskirts of the city. It also forms part of the longer A52 road.-Lower Crumlin Road:...
) from Munster
Munster
Munster is one of the Provinces of Ireland situated in the south of Ireland. In Ancient Ireland, it was one of the fifths ruled by a "king of over-kings" . Following the Norman invasion of Ireland, the ancient kingdoms were shired into a number of counties for administrative and judicial purposes...
in the southwest, Slige Mór (Inchicore Road) from Connacht
Connacht
Connacht , formerly anglicised as Connaught, is one of the Provinces of Ireland situated in the west of Ireland. In Ancient Ireland, it was one of the fifths ruled by a "king of over-kings" . Following the Norman invasion of Ireland, the ancient kingdoms were shired into a number of counties for...
in the west, and Slige Midluachra (Dorset Street
Dorset Street
For the former London street of the same name, see Dorset Street Dorset Street is an important thoroughfare on the northside of Dublin, Ireland, and was originally part of the Slighe Midh-Luchra, Dublin's ancient road to the north that begins where the original bridging point at Church Street is...
) from Ulster
Ulster
Ulster is one of the four provinces of Ireland, located in the north of the island. In ancient Ireland, it was one of the fifths ruled by a "king of over-kings" . Following the Norman invasion of Ireland, the ancient kingdoms were shired into a number of counties for administrative and judicial...
in the north.
The Viking
Viking
The term Viking is customarily used to refer to the Norse explorers, warriors, merchants, and pirates who raided, traded, explored and settled in wide areas of Europe, Asia and the North Atlantic islands from the late 8th to the mid-11th century.These Norsemen used their famed longships to...
s first established a fortified
Fortification
Fortifications are military constructions and buildings designed for defence in warfare and military bases. Humans have constructed defensive works for many thousands of years, in a variety of increasingly complex designs...
town at Dublin and its main street ran along what is now High Street and Castle Street.
Anglo-Norman
Norman Ireland
The History of Ireland 1169–1536 covers the period from the arrival of the Cambro-Normans to the reign of Henry VIII of England, who made himself King of Ireland. After the Norman invasion of 1171, Ireland was under an alternating level of control from Norman lords and the King of England...
Dublin maintained the basic Viking street plan and enlarged the town by expansion and land reclamation
Land reclamation
Land reclamation, usually known as reclamation, is the process to create new land from sea or riverbeds. The land reclaimed is known as reclamation ground or landfill.- Habitation :...
from the Liffey. The area north of present-day Cook and Essex streets was reclaimed during this time and provided with a relatively geometric street pattern. Streets became known for particular trades or activities and the names of several of these survive today (e.g., Winetavern Street, Cook Street, Fishamble Street
Fishamble Street
Fishamble Street is a street in Dublin, Ireland within the old city walls.The street joins Wood Quay at the Fish Slip near Fyan's Castle. It is mentioned in the 14th century as Vicus Piscariorum and as Fish Street. In 1577, Stanihurst named it as St John's Street...
, Ship Street [originally Sheep Street]). Most of the street layout within the old town walls dates from this period.
The first map of Dublin was produced by John Speed
John Speed
John Speed was an English historian and cartographer.-Life:He was born at Farndon, Cheshire, and went into his father's tailoring business where he worked until he was about 50...
and is dated 1610. By this time, development had extended beyond the town walls and some streets retain their names or variations thereof from that time (e.g., James's Street, Stephen Street, Francis Street)
In Georgian Dublin
Georgian Dublin
Georgian Dublin is a phrase used in the History of Dublin that has two interwoven meanings,# to describe a historic period in the development of the city of Dublin, Ireland, from 1714 to the death in 1830 of King George IV...
of the middle and late 18th century, the Wide Streets Commission
Wide Streets Commission
The Wide Streets Commission was established by an Act of Parliament in 1757, at the request of Dublin Corporation, as a body to govern standards on the layout of streets, bridges, buildings and other architectural considerations in Dublin...
reshaped the old system of streets and created a network of main thoroughfares by wholesale demolition and widening of old streets, and the creation of entirely new ones.
Most of the streets in Dublin retain names from the period of English colonial rule but some have been renamed for Irish figures. Beginning in the late 19th century and continuing after Irish independence, streets were renamed usually either because of the prominence of their location (e.g., O'Connell Street
O'Connell Street
O'Connell Street is Dublin's main thoroughfare. It measures 49 m in width at its southern end, 46 m at the north, and is 500 m in length...
) or the unacceptability of the previous name (e.g., Great Britain Street).
Major streets and roads in Dublin by postal district
Dublin 1
- Henry StreetHenry StreetHenry Street can refer to the following streets:*Henry Street , a street in Dublin, Ireland*Henry Street , a street in Manhattan, New York, United States...
- O'Connell StreetO'Connell StreetO'Connell Street is Dublin's main thoroughfare. It measures 49 m in width at its southern end, 46 m at the north, and is 500 m in length...
(formerly Sackville Street) - Mountjoy Square