Saturday, December 1, 2012

Sepia Saturday #154: 'Spanning the gap'

There is nothing more evocative of Dublin life than the River Liffey and the bridges which span across her. They come in all shapes, sizes and colours, and bring together the north siders and the south siders.  These images in sepia draw us back into the time when the river was not just the geographic heart of the city, but the true organ of the place, pumping life blood into it. In those good old days ships were loaded with fine whiskey and stout for the rest of the world, and the docks were teeming with workers. So too, there are the bad old days to recall at the edge of the Liffey, where her waters first mingle with those of the Irish sea, that place where ships set sail, brimming with famine Irish forced to leave their beloved country for a better life.







For more Sepia Saturday #154 visit The Sepia Saturday Blog
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10 comments:

  1. I love the sky and reflections in the first photo :-)

    ReplyDelete
    Replies

    1. Hello Jo,

      Thanks for your comment; it is very much appreciated.

      Cheers,
      Jennifer

      Delete

  2. Dublin is a place I have never visited. The Liffey is world famous thought. That first shot is a beaut.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies

    1. Hello Bob,

      Thank you for your comment; it is very much appreciated. I hope you do visit Dublin sometime; in my opinion there is nowhere else quite like it. That first shot is one of my favourite.

      Cheers,
      Jennifer

      Delete

  3. Beautiful pictures! And on the subject of the famine, one of the best books I ever read is Trinity by Leon Uris!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies

    1. Hello Peter,

      Thanks for your comment; it is much appreciated. You might also like the Atlas of the Great Famine that was published this year. It is a massive tome based on historical documents and data, and gives an extraordinary look at all aspects of the famine period.

      Cheers,
      Jennifer

      Delete

  4. Great photos, Jennifer! Honestly, I think the old bridges are so much more beautiful -- they have character, depth. The ones we build now are nowhere near as lovely.

    ReplyDelete

  5. Hello Deb,

    Thanks for your comments; they are much appreciated. I couldn't agree with you more; I love the old bridges too. :):)

    Cheers,
    Jennifer

    ReplyDelete

  6. Beautiful photos! I noticed the second bridge is dated 1821. Wow! Are all of the bridges older ones or are some of more modern date?

    ReplyDelete
    Replies

    1. Hello Jana,

      Thanks for your comments, and thank you for your question too. They are much appreciated.

      Oddly enough 1821 is fairly young in the grand scheme of things for Dublin. The city is over 1000 years old, so there have been a number of bridges built over the Liffey during that time. There are 16 bridges in total crossing the Liffey. The earliest records date the first bridge around 1014. Of course, it does not still stand; it was rebuilt in 1385, 1394, and 1428, and the bridge which is now on the same site was built in 1816. A number of the bridges have been rebuilt with the passage of time. Currently the oldest bridge spanning the Liffey was built in 1768 (Mellows Bridge), and the youngest one (James Joyce Bridge) was built in 2001.

      Cheers,
      Jennifer

      Delete

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