The controversy surrounding the Abbey Theatre's inability to provide a balanced programme for the 2016 Centenary celebrations of the Irish Revolution is echoed in the bridges of Dublin.
The LUAS bridge over the Grand Canal at Suir Road in Inchichore is only one of two bridges in the Dublin area that commemorate the contributions of women to Irish life and history. The Rosie Hackett Bridge across the Liffey is the other one. The Anna Livia Bridge in Chapelizod memorializes a mythological figure. I think we can all agree that the Rory O'More Bridge is a better name than the Victoria and Albert, though the fact "she didn't fall on us, she's 18 stone" should be officially recognized somewhere.
In all there are about 24 bridges in the Dublin City area but only two are explicitly named for women. We have a Matt Talbot Bridge (nutty "ascetic" who dealt with his alcoholism the way Shia devotees celebrate Ashura); a Father Matthew Bridge (nutty temperance reformer who dealt with his alcoholism the way Carrie Nation made herself "a bulldog running along at the feet of Jesus, barking at what He doesn't like"); and a Liam Mellows Bridge in the place that was formerly referred to as the Queen Maeve Bridge.
If the Abbey is looking for an inspiring story of a woman who gave all for her country they could look no further than Anne Devlin. She was tortured and imprisoned for her support of the 1803 Revolution on the streets of the Liberties. She saw the leader of that revolution tried and executed ("Let no man write my epitaph . . .") without ever denouncing him or giving evidence against him. She died in poverty because she never sold out the dream of a United Ireland of Catholic, Protestant and Dissenter. There are few men who suffered so much for their country and fewer yet whose story deserves to be told and retold to every Irish generation.
Playlist:
Bold Robert Emmett
Makem Brothers
Who's Sorry Now
Ella Fitzgerald
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