Part 16 - Catholic Emancipation Centenary, Watling Street Bridge, Dublin

Postcard print

A postcard print of a large crowd assembled around a specially erected altar on Watling Street Bridge (now known as Rory O’More Bridge) over the River Liffey in Dublin during the Catholic Emancipation centenary celebrations in June 1929.

As with other bridges in Dublin, Rory O’Moore Bridge (which opened in 1861) has had a variety of different names in the past although its enduring and unofficial name is simply the Watling Street Bridge. It was originally known as the Victoria & Albert Bridge (or the Queen Victoria Bridge). It was renamed the ‘Emancipation Bridge’ in 1929 when a still extant commemorative plaque was placed on the east side of the structure to mark (as shown in the image here) the centenary of Catholic Emancipation. The bridge was renamed once again in the 1930s for Rory O’More (d. 1655), a politician and landowner who is principally remembered for his role in the Irish Rebellion of 1641.