The Ha'penny Bridge is a well known pedestrian bridge in Dublin City and overlooks the River Liffey. Over 30,000 people pass it each day, compared to 450 in the early days, but many don’t know it’s official name.
Originally called Wellington Bridge, after the Dublin-born Duke of Wellington. In 1922, it was renamed The Liffey Bridge when the independent Irish Free State was established, an attempt to remove its origins, alongside other Dublin landmarks including O’Connell Street.
Built in 1816, ferries carried people across the Liffey daily. A ferry operator named William Walsh was told by city officials that his ferries would need repairs, he had the choice of repairing them, or building a bridge instead.
He chose the bridge and insisted he was entitled to a toll of a halfpenny (or ha’penny) from anyone crossing it for the next 100 years.
The city allowed him to collect his toll until 1919. The bridge was assembled on site using cast iron from England, and renovated in 2001 to repair wear and tear, 85% of the original cast iron was kept.
A record of 30,000 pedestrians cross the bridge every day, a toll of €1 to cross the bridge could be used as a means to enable fundraising for mental health supports, the homeless community, and frontline workers who have worked throughout the pandemic in Ireland.
If successful it could generate €30,000 a day with all proceeds going directly to communities, support services, and our front line workers.
The Ha'penny bridge was the only pedestrian bridge over the River Liffey for 184 years until the completion of Millennium Bridge.
The bridge connects pedestrians from Merchant’s Arch to Liffey Street on the north side.
Love locks
Similarly to The Pont des Arts in Paris, and The Magere Brug in Amsterdam, The Ha’penny has seen its white iron railings decorated with love locks, or padlocks with lover’s names attached to them.
According to Bridges of Dublin “Dublin City Council undertook an extensive refurbishment of the bridge in 2001 with engineers and conservationists working together on the award winning restoration.” costing €1.25million.
In 2012, Dublin City Council cut off the 'love locks' and asked couples to refrain from adding any more. The council had added “The padlocks, which are added by couples as a very public symbol of their love for each other, could damage the protected structure.”
The footbridge continues to remain a well known recognised symbol of Dublin City.
