Stroll down O’Connell Street, Dublin’s main thoroughfare
North of the River Liffey is one of Dublin’s busiest and most important streets, a visit to which is a must. It runs perpendicular to the river starting from O’Connell Bridge and is now almost 50 meters wide after undergoing several renovations since it was a narrow street on the outskirts of Dublin and had several names.
On O’Connell Street you will find imposing buildings, several monuments and many shops and restaurants that also follow one another through the streets that start from it.
Walking its 500 meters is a must if you visit Dublin.
O’Connell Street Attractions
Starting from the river, crossing O’Connell Bridge if we have previously visited Temple Bar or Trinity College, we will find different points of interest that you will not be able to stop photographing and admiring.
On the southern part of the street, after crossing the bridge, we find a statue of Daniel O’Connell, the nationalist leader of the late nineteenth century who gives the street its name since it changed for the last time in 1924 after the independence of UK Ireland.
Along the street we find different statues of Irish political leaders and neoclassical granite and limestone buildings characteristic of this city.
Many old buildings did not survive the bombings suffered during the Irish Civil War, at the beginning of the 20th century, although some examples still remain, such as the Gresham Hotel or the Post Office.
Going up the street we find a very modern monument, which was also controversial when it was installed.
This is The Spire, a stainless steel needle that rises into the sky of Dublin reaching 120 meters high, built in 2003 on the same place where there was a statue of Nelson that was destroyed in an IRA attack.
In the same square where The Spire is located is also the most monumental building on O’Connell Street, the Central Post Office, built in 1818 with a Greek building look thanks to its 6 columns under a Doric portico.
The Central Post Office also has a great significance in the history of the country since it was there that the Republic of Ireland was proclaimed after the rising of 1916. Actually the whole street has great political and historical significance. Demonstrations are held there, as well as the St. Patrick ‘s Day parade every March 17.
The commercial aspect of O’Connell Street
Along the street you will also find some stores of the main fashion chains as well as many restaurants, which are completed with shopping centers and other stores that are found in the streets that start from O’Connell such as Earl Street, Abbey Street, Princess Street or Henry Street and its extension Mary Street.
The street ends at Parnell Street, another of Dublin’s main shopping streets and where there is a monument to Parnell himself, another Irish nationalist leader of the late 19th century. There we can also admire the Ambassador Theater.
