bridge

Single-span box-truss railway bridge, erected c. 1900, originally carrying Kingsbridge (Heuston Station) to Amiens Street (Connolly Station) railway line. Now in use as Dublin to Maynooth/Longford commuter line. Rusticated coursed limestone abutments and piers with cut limestone coping and stringcourses, steel girder superstructure and balustrades, having decorative wrought-iron panels with foliate detailing, battered lined-and-ruled rendered approach walls with render stringcourse, channelled pilasters and granite copings. Red brick approach walls to west having round-headed arcaded openings, now infilled and accommodating commercial businesses.

The simple form and tensile strength of the steel girders of this railway bridge allow a wider span than a masonry arch would have permitted, making this striking feature representative of civil engineering skill and the level to which metalworking had developed by the turn of the twentieth century. Decorative panels to the parapet are executed with artistry and lightness of touch, contrasting pleasingly with the industrial form of the structure. This bridge forms an interesting architectural feature over a busy road, with well-executed limestone employed for the abutments, which is a nod to earlier masonry structures. It serves as a physical reminder of the social and industrial importance of the railway network in Ireland and of its continued growth and development into the twentieth century.