Object: O’Connell Bridge and Street, 1916
National Library of Ireland
Object title: O'Connell Bridge and Street, 1916 (call number INHD 22b)
Physical Characteristics: 1 photonegative glass, 10 x 12cm
Object Description: The photograph was taken by a photographer for the Irish Independent Newspaper in the aftermath of the Rising. It shows the destruction of Sackville Street and Eden Quay. It may have been used for publication.
How is the object associated with the Easter Rising 1916 and in
what way does it make a unique contribution to our understanding
of the event?
There is a lot of detail in the image, the destruction of
buildings, crowds of people, soldiers in the crowd (corner of
O’Connell Bridge and Aston Quay). It can be compared with an
image from the William Lawrence Collection L_ROY_01704 taken
around 1910 to see how the street looked and operated in normal
times. The offices of the Irish Independent were located beside
the G.P.O., and were badly damaged in the Rising. The
O’Connell monument visible in the photograph still has
bullet holes from the damage sustained during the Rising. The
Dublin Bread Company, the very large building on Sackville Street
, had only been built in 1901 and was almost completely destroyed
in 1916.
Are there any broader issues that can be illustrated through
the story of the object?
There is social history, transport history, costume etc in the
photograph.
