Dublin

Many thanks to Rory's Tackle Shop for facilitating this camera's location and capitally funding its installation. To facilitate the monitoring of water levels, high tides, and potential flooding, a strategically positioned Farson streaming webcam has been installed. The Ha'penny Bridge, also known as Droichead na Leathphingine or Droichead na Life in Irish, and officially referred to as the Liffey Bridge, is a pedestrian bridge constructed in 1816 over the River Liffey. Crafted from cast iron, the bridge was cast at Coalbrookdale in Shropshire.Before the construction of the Ha'penny Bridge, there were seven ferries operated by William Walsh that provided crossings over the Liffey. Due to the deteriorating condition of the ferries, Walsh was presented with two options: either repair them or build a bridge. Walsh opted for the latter and was granted the right to collect a ha'penny toll from anyone crossing the bridge for a period of 100 years. Initially, the toll charge was not based on the construction cost but rather intended to align with the charges imposed by the ferries it replaced. Additionally, a condition was set that if the citizens of Dublin found the bridge and toll objectionable within its first year of operation, it would be removed at no cost to the city.The earliest documented stone bridge over the Liffey in Dublin was the Bridge of Dublin, which succeeded a wooden bridge called Dubhghall's Bridge dating back to the 11th century. The Bridge of Dublin, constructed by the Dominicans in 1428, stood until the 18th century and comprised four arches along with various buildings such as a chapel, bakehouse, and possibly an inn. Another bridge, Island Bridge, was added in 1577 at the upper tidal extremities of the river between Islandbridge and western Chapelizod.During the 17th century, as commercial Dublin expanded, four new bridges were constructed between 1670 and 1684: Barrack Bridge (now Rory O'More Bridge), Essex Bridge (now Grattan Bridge), Ormond Bridge (now O'Donovan Rossa Bridge), and Arran Bridge. In December 1801, a devastating flood following 36 hours of rain destroyed the oldest bridge connecting Church Street and Bridge Street, leading to its replacement with Whitworth Bridge in 1816.Mellows Bridge, originally known as Queens Bridge, is the oldest standing bridge, built in 1764 on the site of the former Arran Bridge, which was washed away by floods in 1763. The Ha'penny Bridge, constructed in 1816, holds the distinction of being the first iron bridge. Farmleigh Bridge, also made of iron, was erected around 1872 at the end of a tunnel, connecting the Farmleigh estate to Palmerstown.In more recent times, the Millennium Bridge was opened in December 1999, and notable additions in the 21st century include Seán O'Casey Bridge (2005), Samuel Beckett Bridge (2009), and Rosie Hackett Bridge (2014).Records indicate the existence of several bridges in County Kildare. A bridge was constructed in Kilcullen in 1319. Furthermore, various historic private and disused bridges span the Liffey. One such stone bridge, located at Harristown Estate in County Kildare, was built for John LaTouche in 1788. This bridge remains privately used and is situated near the disused Harristown viaduct, which was part of the Sallins Tullow rail line and was last operational in 1959.