The Sean O’Casey Bridge was officially opened by An Taoiseach, Bertie Ahern on Wednesday 13th July. It is situated 300 metres down river from the Matt Talbot Bridge, linking City Quay to Custom House Quay.

The opening was an impressive combination of drama, dance, music and fine weather. Sean O Casey once wrote “All the world’s a stage and most of us are desperately unrehearsed.” He would have been delighted to see that on this particular day everything had been well-rehearsed down to the last detail.

Actor, Barry McGovern, read from ‘Red Roses for Me’. O’Casey’s daughter, Shivaun, was present at the ceremony and had suggested this play because of its many associations with the Liffey.
David Bolger and Muirne Bloomer of Cois Ceim choreographed ‘Enlightenment’, a spectacular dance which began as a man and a woman in red meet like long-lost lovers in a pas-de-deux, as the bridge closed and brought them together.

They were followed by the dancers in costumes of silver and turquoise, while silvery fish appeared to jump through the air above them. As the dance drew to a close, a huge key was carried by a dancer to symbolise the opening of the bridge.

The overall effect was electrifying and the ‘soundscape’ of Alexis Nealon complemented the performance perfectly.

The bridge continues the tradition of naming the city’s bridges after famous Irish citizens. Sean O’Casey was born in the north inner city of Dublin in 1880, a protestant by birth. His father died when he was six, leaving his mother to raise the family.

Despite his poor eyesight, O’Casey began to read the classics and the bible at an early age and any pennies he could gather were spent on books.

From the early 1890s, Sean and his older brother, Archie performed plays in the family home and O’Casey got a small part in Dion de Boucicault’s ‘The Shaughraun’ in the Mechanics’ Theatre.
In his early adult life he joined the Gaelic League and the Irish Citizen army. O’Casey had a lifelong romance with communism, which was to influence many of his plays. In the 1920s, while working as a labourer he wrote ‘The Shadow of a Gunman’, ‘Juno and the Paycock’ and ‘The Plough and the Stars’, which were performed at the Abbey Theatre.

These provoked a public outcry, portraying as they did the violence of the nationalist movement and the effect this had on innocent civilians.

Lar Bradshaw, Chairman of the Docklands Authority, said that the bridge created a vital link across the river, linking new and established communities. “We are particularly delighted to have an opportunity to provide a landmark tribute to the memory of Sean O’Casey in an area of the city which inspired so much of his great work. O’Casey wouldn’t recognise his Dublin or Docklands today. Life has greatly improved since then and we continue to work on improving the quality of life for Docklanders,” he concluded.