Seán O'Casey Bridge, Swing footbridge in Dublin, Ireland
The Seán O'Casey Bridge is a pedestrian swingbridge over the River Liffey in Dublin, linking City Quay to North Wall Quay. It has two balanced cantilever arms that pivot on piers founded on four bored piles over 12 metres long, swinging open 90 degrees to let boats pass. The span is about 100 metres.
The Dublin Docklands Development Authority chose Cyril O'Neill's design in a 2002 competition, beating 79 rivals, and opened the bridge in July 2005 under Taoiseach Bertie Ahern. It was built as part of the urban renewal scheme linking the north and south quays.
The bridge is named after Seán O'Casey (1880–1964), the playwright and Irish Citizen Army member who lived in the North Wall area. His plays drew on his working-class Dublin background.
The deck links City Quay on the south bank with North Wall Quay and the IFSC on the north, a short walk between the Grand Canal Docks and the financial district. The two cantilever arms pivot on piers founded on four bored piles over 12 metres long, so the opening is only visible when a boat passes.
Around 2010 the remote control that opens the swing bridge was misplaced, so the two cantilever arms could not be swung for boats until a replacement was reprogrammed in 2014. The bridge had been opened by Taoiseach Bertie Ahern in July 2005.
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