And the winner is…Rosie

A FORMER trade unionist and rebel is to have the new bridge over the River Liffey named after her.

Rosie Hackett Bridge, which will be open to buses and the Luas, will link Marlborough Street to Hawkins Street.

The naming committee, chaired by Dermot Lacey, reduced an initial list of 85 names down to five – Rosie Hackett, Willie Bermingham, Bram Stoker, Kay Mills and Frank Duff.

North inner city ward councillor Nial Ring (Ind) welcomed the Dublin City Council members’ vote.

“With five excellent names the task was not easy,

? he said.

“However, Rosie Hackett was the winner and now we will soon have a bridge over the Liffey named after a woman, a trade unionist and a rebel all in one.

“A huge amount of canvassing was done by the public and it was great to see such interest in this process, and in the end Rosie’s name was picked.

?

Cllr Ring said he was sure Dubliners will warm to the new name and appreciate why Rosie was selected ahead of such eminent names.

“It is great that someone so closely associated with the 1913 Lockout and the 1916 Rising has been selected,

? he added.

Labour Party MEP for Dublin, Emer Costello, said she too was delighted with the vote.

“Local girl, Rosie Hackett, who championed the causes of both women’s and workers’ rights, and aided in Ireland’s independence, is the perfect choice,

? she stated.

“As we are just commencing a decade of national commemorations – from the 1913 Lockout, to the 1916 Rising and the War of Independence, and the Civil War, Dublin City Council had a unique opportunity to recognise a champion of the period, and thankfully they did.

“I congratulate the members of Dublin City Council for their vote. Rosie is somebody who truly captures both the spirit of the ordinary workers of the 1913 Lockout and also of the struggle for independence.

?

Rosie Hackett grew up in one to the tenements on Abbey Street and throughout her life, would remain connected to the Marlborough Street area.

She continued to serve in the Irish Trade Union movement until her death in 1976, aged 84.