Dublin City Council launches consultation on the naming of a bridge over the Royal Canal

Dublin City Council is seeking the views of the public on the naming of the bridge over the Royal Canal at Croke Park.

The Council’s Commemorations & Naming Committee has approved a proposal to name the bridge, at Russell Street, ‘Bloody Sunday Bridge’.

The naming of the bridge is to mark the events of Bloody Sunday, 21st November 1920, when Crown forces opened fire on the crowd at a match in Croke Park between Dublin and Tipperary.

Following 90 seconds of shooting, 14 people were dead or dying, with many more wounded.

The first victims that afternoon were Perry Robinson (11) and Jerome O’Leary (10), both of whom were shot dead from the bridge by British forces.

Under the City Council’s Commemorative Naming Policy, the Commemorations & Naming Committee is required to seek the views of the public when naming major infrastructure, such as the bridge over the Royal Canal.

Cllr Mícheál Mac Donncha, chair of the committee, encouraged people to respond to the consultation, saying “The Commemorations and Naming Committee considers it very appropriate that the bridge be named in honour of those killed and injured in and around Croke Park on that fateful day in Irish history. We welcome people’s views and look forward to engaging with them as our citizens constantly show their great interest in the history of our city.”

The results of the consultation will inform the final decision on the naming of the bridge, which will be made by the full City Council.

Members of the public can submit their views at https://dcpla.ie/bloody-sunday; the consultation closes on 9th September 2022.

The story of Bloody Sunday is told by the City Council historians-in-residence in a special edition of History on Your Doorstep, available free of charge from branch libraries and online at https://dcpla.ie/3uHfaPY.