The Pictures of Dublin: Scherzer Bridges

26 June 2017

Samuel Beckett Bridge

The Samuel Beckett Bridge is the penultimate bridge when walking towards the mouth of the Liffey.

It is worth the walk, for the striking design is more impressive up-close.

I noticed that the lighting inserted in the footpath seemed to have sea life designs under the glass cover. I had a closer look and spotted some fish and starfish. I made a point of NOT photographing them all, then I read that this was an installation called ‘Freeflow’ made of 900 “small internally lit glass cobbles,” many containing bronze and silver fish. Nine hundred?! I am glad I noticed too late!

This art work is therefore 1 km long and was installed in 2006.

The artist is called Rachel Joynt, an Irish sculptor, she has also made the metal footprints located on the ground at the southern end of O’Connell Bridge – I used one of my photo as the background for this blog (see the post: http://picturesofdubhlinn.blogspot.co.uk/2017/07/oconnell-bridge.html)

Scherzer rolling lift bridges >
http://picturesofdubhlinn.blogspot.co.uk/2017/06/docklands.html

“Words are all we have…”
Speak for yourself, Sam.

Yes Beckett was a true original, but I never felt any emotional involvement with his work… I am still waiting for… 😈

The Samuel Beckett Bridge is a cable-stay bridge, here the river is wider and the bridge is 120 metres long.

Opened in 2009, it was designed by the Spaniard Santiago Calatrava, who had designed the 2003 James Joyce Bridge further up the river (http://picturesofdubhlinn.blogspot.co.uk/2017/07/james-joyce-bridge-four-courts.html)

The Samuel Beckett Bridge is a “single-sided forward curved back-stayed pylon, evoking a harp.” There are 31 cables.

Calatrava has in fact pioneered this style, called a cantilever spar cable-stayed bridge – the spar is the pylon. It swings through 90° horizontally, to let boats pass.

‘The Remarkable Rocket’
was written by Oscar Wilde…
No Oscar Wilde Bridge yet…

^ A panoramic view of the whole length of the Samuel Beckett Bridge, facing the estuary of the Liffey.

The Convention Centre Dublin on the north bank

http://picturesofdubhlinn.blogspot.co.uk/2017/06/docklands.html

The Diving Bell on the south bank

http://picturesofdubhlinn.blogspot.co.uk/2017/06/poverty-stone-jeanie-johnston-ship.html

^ Liberty Hall, Custom House and The Spire

http://picturesofdubhlinn.blogspot.co.uk/2017/06/custom-house.html
http://picturesofdubhlinn.blogspot.co.uk/2017/07/oconnell-street.html

This bridge is a road and pedestrian bridge. It is rather wide with 2 double lanes of traffic, while the pedestrians share a separate set of lanes with cyclists, on either side.

As things stand in Dublin, the traffic is horrendous and it is nearly impossible to take a photo without a dozen cars or a throng of fast moving people in it.

But I tried.

25 June 2017

Docklands

The Convention Centre Dublin and Scherzer bridges, North Dock

The Butt Bridge (1932) with Jeanie Johnston Tall Ship and the Samuel Beckett Bridge along the river. Skyscrapers are George’s Quay (2002) and nicknamed Canary Dwarf.

There are two pairs of Scherzer rolling lift bridges on the north bank of the river. This one is at Custom House Quay and could allow for the road to be raised for access to George’s Dock which is just off the river, but now dry.

^ George’s Dock

The other pair of Scherzer rolling lift bridges is at North Wall Quay and goes over the Royal Canal, where the canal meets the River Liffey.
Those Scherzer bridges are bascule bridges with counterweight. They date from 1911-12 and were designed in Illinois, USA.

The CCD, Convention Centre Dublin (2010) at Spencer Dock, a conference and event venue >

Here, where the Royal Canal (1790) meets the Liffey, there is water and some young people in wetsuits were getting ready to jump in (top pic in this post).