A City Runs Through Them: Dublin and its Twenty River Bridges

by Fergal Tobin

An original and fascinating history of Dublin that tells the story of the city through its bridges.Dublin's twenty bridges cross the tidal section of the River Liffey flowing through its centre; they were built over a span of a thousand years. Each has made a contribution to the city's development over time, so much so that it is possible to piece together its history by tracing their construction in chronological order.Starting with Church Street Bridge, Dublin's first, which dates back to the Vikings, and ending with the Rosie Hackett Bridge, erected in 2014, Fergal Tobin charts the rise of Ireland's capital city as never before and reveals how it has been truly made by its bridges.

Genres: Nonfiction

340 pages, Kindle Edition

Published November 2, 2023

Reviews

[Peter Thew · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fergal Tobin's final book and he appears to have saved the best wine till last. He recounts the history of the city through the building of the twenty bridges over the tidal stretch of the river Liffey. Inevitably, this leads to a lot of hopping back and forth geographically as they were built as demand existed rather than from west to east. And yet he manages this jumping without difficulty outlining the imperatives that drove the building of each bridge and its impact on the wider city.

A book that should be read by everyone who loves Dublin

[Andrea · Rating 3 out of 5]

Surprisingly funny and entertaining for a book that has Very Strong Opinions on bridge aesthetics and city planning, featuring lots of tidbits about Dublin city history and the main characters that made Dublin what it is today and a serious grudge against the James Joyce Bridge.

It was perhaps a bit too detailed at points and I'd have really appreciated a bigger map and some more illustrations.

3.5/5.

[T P Kennedy · Rating 2 out of 5]

A frustrating book. This is one that I wanted to like but just didn't. The concept of charting and gliding through the history of Dublin through its bridges is inspired. The writing is idiosyncratic and highly opinionated. In some chapters, there's a great deal more of the author's thought than there is any focus on the bridges themselves. Just not my cup of tea, unfortunately.