Commemorative Bridge, Dublin

The Commemorative Bridge over the River Liffey was granted planning permission by Dublin City Council this month. The proposed combined pedestrian and cycle bridge will provide a new ceremonial entrance to the Irish National War Memorial Gardens (INWMGs) in Islandbridge, Dublin.

The bridge is 58 metres long and conceived as the most slender and shallow structural arch form technically possible.  The overall design creates a light presence in the landscape and has a structural depth of only 35cm at the centre of the span. Its proportions are slender and elegant.

The bridge follows the historic alignment of Sir Edwin Lutyens’ original sketch to connect the War Memorial Gardens to Phoenix Park.

Extracts from Dead Ground – a poem by Ian Ritchie

The horizon, dark, dead ground.
Sea of dead grass
before a dawn-lit tilted arc,
roots of nature and men all around.
…
A distant bridge, gone dead ground,
gone the marsh gas
fresh air, I hear a dog bark,
sound of living souls. I am homebound.

“The memorial gardens are not easily approachable at present, and the proposed bridge will allow access to the gardens from the north side making it more accessible for visitors. It has been a specific objective of development plans for Dublin city since 2011.”
Client – Office of Public Works, Dublin