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Athlunkard Bridge

Bridge
Athlunkard Bridge
Photo: George Imbusch (1928), Wikimedia Commons · CC BY-SA 3.0 · Report the wrong picture

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Five-span hump-back reinforced concrete bridge, built in 1931, spanning the Abbey River, with balustrade punctuated by panelled rendered piers. Concrete piers with lateral supporting struts between, triangular timber-framed cutwaters. Abutment piers have a monumental appearance. Architectural detailing only to parapet facing river. Bronze plaque reads: 'This bridge is dedicated to the memory of the Most Rev.d Dr. E.T. O'Dwyer Bishop of Limerick (1886-1917) an honorary Freeman of the City in recognition of his great services to Church and Country A.D. 1931. Alderman Patrick Donnellan Mayor, J.J. Roughan Engineer, J.J. Peacocke City Surveyor, William M. Nolan Town Clerk.' An early example of a concrete bridge, made more interesting by the timber breakwaters, giving the bridge a brutalist picturesque quality. It was built near the site of a previous bridge, called Park Bridge, which had been built in 1835.
Five-span hump-back reinforced concrete bridge, built in 1931, spanning the Abbey River, with balustrade punctuated by panelled rendered piers. Concrete piers with lateral supporting struts between, triangular timber-framed cutwaters. Abutment piers have a monumental appearance. Architectural detailing only to parapet facing river. Bronze plaque reads: 'This bridge is dedicated to the memory of the Most Rev.d Dr. E.T. O'Dwyer Bishop of Limerick (1886-1917) an honorary Freeman of the City in recognition of his great services to Church and Country A.D. 1931. Alderman Patrick Donnellan Mayor, J.J. Roughan Engineer, J.J. Peacocke City Surveyor, William M. Nolan Town Clerk.' An early example of a concrete bridge, made more interesting by the timber breakwaters, giving the bridge a brutalist picturesque quality. It was built near the site of a previous bridge, called Park Bridge, which had been built in 1835. · Photo: William Murphy from Dublin, Ireland · CC BY-SA 2.0
Five-span hump-back reinforced concrete bridge, built in 1931, spanning the Abbey River, with balustrade punctuated by panelled rendered piers. Concrete piers with lateral supporting struts between, triangular timber-framed cutwaters. Abutment piers have a monumental appearance. Architectural detailing only to parapet facing river. Bronze plaque reads: 'This bridge is dedicated to the memory of the Most Rev.d Dr. E.T. O'Dwyer Bishop of Limerick (1886-1917) an honorary Freeman of the City in recognition of his great services to Church and Country A.D. 1931. Alderman Patrick Donnellan Mayor, J.J. Roughan Engineer, J.J. Peacocke City Surveyor, William M. Nolan Town Clerk.' An early example of a concrete bridge, made more interesting by the timber breakwaters, giving the bridge a brutalist picturesque quality. It was built near the site of a previous bridge, called Park Bridge, which had been built in 1835.
Five-span hump-back reinforced concrete bridge, built in 1931, spanning the Abbey River, with balustrade punctuated by panelled rendered piers. Concrete piers with lateral supporting struts between, triangular timber-framed cutwaters. Abutment piers have a monumental appearance. Architectural detailing only to parapet facing river. Bronze plaque reads: 'This bridge is dedicated to the memory of the Most Rev.d Dr. E.T. O'Dwyer Bishop of Limerick (1886-1917) an honorary Freeman of the City in recognition of his great services to Church and Country A.D. 1931. Alderman Patrick Donnellan Mayor, J.J. Roughan Engineer, J.J. Peacocke City Surveyor, William M. Nolan Town Clerk.' An early example of a concrete bridge, made more interesting by the timber breakwaters, giving the bridge a brutalist picturesque quality. It was built near the site of a previous bridge, called Park Bridge, which had been built in 1835. · Photo: William Murphy from Dublin, Ireland · CC BY-SA 2.0

What is recorded here

Athlunkard Bridge gets you from Limerick into Clare without leaving the road, which is dangerous convenience during a hurling argument. Cross halfway and the very same opinion becomes brave away support.
Five-arch cut limestone road bridge over the River Shannon, begun in 1826 and completed in 1830, running on an east-west axis from Corbally Road in to Co. Clare. Segmental-headed arches with cut stone voussoirs and limestone ashlar cutwaters on a pointed-arch plan. Rock-faced squared and snecked limestone ashlar walls with half-barrel coping to parapet wall. Curved wings to either end of both elevations, terminating in full-height piers. A smooth limestone platband defines the imposts, which continue under the soffits. A similar platband defines the base of the parapet. Three inscribed plaques give the dates of the commencement (1826) and completion of the bridge (1830); the name of the architects, the local MP (Thomas Spring Rice) and the county boundary marker.
Designed and built by the architects, James and George Richard Pain, this bridge is of high design quality and displays the best stone masonry skills of the day. Atlunkard Bridge is the first bridge to cross the River Shannon as it turned southeast. Its strategic and infrastructural importance is further highlined as it not only forms a county boundary between Limerick and Clare, but following its construction, it enlarged the effective hinterland of the city from the confines of the River Shannon. The bridge linked Park and Corbally with the network of streets on King's Island, through to Mathew Bridge and on to the Rutland Street-George's Street axis, and became one of the principal routes within the city and through to the west of Ireland. The bridge cost £7,000.

The story behind this place

Its strategic and infrastructural importance is further highlined as it not only forms a county boundary between Limerick and Clare, but following its construction, it enlarged the effective hinterland of the city from the confines of the River Shannon.

From the Buildings of Ireland (National Inventory of Architectural Heritage) record 21502002

This does not grant access. Most recorded buildings are privately owned; view them only from public ground unless the owner allows entry.

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Photo credits
  • National Inventory of Architectural Heritage
  • David Hawgood, Geograph · CC BY-SA 2.0
  • Colin Park, Geograph · CC BY-SA 2.0
  • N Chadwick, Geograph · CC BY-SA 2.0
  • Mike Shinners, Wikimedia Commons · CC BY-SA 2.0
  • Bjørn Christian Tørrissen, Wikimedia Commons · CC BY-SA 3.0
  • N Chadwick, Geograph · Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 2.0
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