The bridges of Dublin City

A few of us in Dublin Sketchers are doing extra curricular activities, trying to make up for lost time when we couldn't meet - we have started to sketch the bridges of Dublin City. Apparently there are 18 bridges between Heuston Station and the sea. So Pat had this great idea to do a sketchwalk, stopping at each bridge for 20-30 minutes maximum. We knew we wouldn't be able to do them all in one day, and we weren't sure how it would go, but our small group managed to stay more or less together from bridge to bridge, sketching with an extra energy, knowing that we wouldn't have time enough to do a detailed sketch.

Isoilde had done her research and she was able to give us the name of every bridge and a little bit about their history, which added an extra dimension to the whole experience.

I'm showing you the sketches in the wrong order here, as we started at Heuston Station, but I don't feel like sorting the images again, so bear with me.

This was my last sketch of the day. I think the bridge is called Father Mathew Bridge, but what interested me was the view of the big church on Thomas Street beside the NCAD, and the road that sweeps down behind it to the Liffey.

This is Louise, from our group of intrepid sketchers. Her hair was looking particularly lovely that morning. I didn't do it justice!

A beautiful stone bridge, Liam Mellows Bridge, if I'm not mistaken. The fact that I'm working in reverse order isn't helping! I'm loving the views of the city that we're getting from this perspective, and the reflections of the arches in the river. It's a real shame that the city of Dublin turns its back to the Liffey, both on the North and South side, that the quays on the river are choked with traffic, and that some of the beautiful architecture of old has been replaced by ugly apartments and office blocks. I drew it from the James Joyce Bridge, beautiful in itself, but it seems that I like the views from the bridges, rather than the bridges themselves!

This was near Rory O'More Bridge. A beauty from Lancashire in blue-painted steel. But I decided to sketch the steps going to the river, and the graffiti on the wall instead

You can't walk by the Liffey and avoid the Guinness Brewery.  Sketching from the quays was a bit low to get a good view as there is a high wall around the perimeter of the industrial complex. If we had had more time, I would have gone up to Collins Barracks, on higher ground. PS: the orange thing in the bottom left is a bus!

Since I had a bit of time left at Sean Heuston Bridge and we skipped Frank Sherwin Bridge (a boring, practical bridge!), I turned back and sketched the court of criminal justice, an imposing modern structure behind a traditional Dublin street with pubs and shops.

Sketching a few young people busy looking at their phones to decide which way to go. Sean Heuston Bridge is used only for the Luas (tram) now. I should have thought to capture that. Next time!

Sean Heuston Bridge is only one arch, not quite as curved as what I represented here, but I was more interested in the reflections.

The start of the adventure - Sean Heuston Bridge, just beside Heuston Station - it's getting busy again, with people coming and going. And I am so glad the bathrooms are open to the public - Dublin has a serious lack of public toilets, and I don't want to have to buy food or a drink every time I need to go! And let's face it, my bladder is not as strong as it used to be after all these lockdowns and being at home and being able to go to the bathroom as often as I wanted!

The little park behind the bridge in my sketch is now home to the Anna Livia statue. "Anna Livia Plurabelle is the name of a character in James Joyce's Finnegans Wake who also embodies the river. In the monument's original location, the river was represented as a young woman sitting on a slope with water flowing past her. Dubliners nicknamed it the Floozie in the Jacuzzi" (Quote from Wikipedia)

The park is also home to a lot of homeless people, a quiet spot for a drink or two and whatever drugs they're on these days. One of the things that has struck me while sketching along the Liffey is that Dublin has a serious problem with street alcohol and drugs. Or maybe it's just that it's more noticeable without the tourists?

And a few photos from the day

Next time, I'll sketch from this side!

The Bridge Crew

The steps