From kangaroo crossings to remote controls being lost – new exhibition maps the history of bridges over the River Liffey
November 5, 2024
A Dublin artist, who once lived on an man-made island in the Liffey for a week, has taken a deeper dive into the history of the river and its bridges.
The Liffey has always influenced generations of Dubliners and even had a direct influence on the naming of the city – Áth Cliath, the hurdled ford.
Fergal McCarthy, an accomplished Dublin-based artist, has created a map that celebrates the city’s storied waterway and its bridges.
His previous works have included living on a self-constructed island on the Liffey for a week.
That was back in 2011, when he created ‘No Man’s Land’ for the Dublin Fringe Festival, a floating pontoon in the middle of the river, complete with two palm trees.
His new exhibition, The Bridges of Dublin, features a jumbo version of his illustrated portrait of the Liffey and its bridges.
“I moved to Dublin in 2000. I can remember one day crossing the Liffey at sunset and stopping for the first time. I saw the sun setting behind the Guinness Factory,” Mr McCarthy said.
“I was wowed by this beauty. With the traffic being removed from the Quays, it’s this great opportunity for us to begin using this great space.
“I’m a primary school teacher as well as an artist, so I’m very used to kids looking at me when I’m teaching them history and they’re bored out of their heads.
“I’ve spent a couple of decades now as a teacher having enlivened lessons. I always go for humour and try to make things funnier than they are.
“I’ve put the people who designed the bridges and built them on a map, the names of the people they are named after, and I’ve tried to liven them up.
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