Calatrava’s Irish masterpiece 

The Samuel Beckett Bridge is located on the River Liffey in Dublin’s Docklands. It was named after the famous Irish writer Samuel Beckett and designed by the famous Spanish architect Santiago Calatrava. This is his second bridge to be built in Dublin as he also designed ‘The James Joyce Bridge’ further upstream. It has 4 traffic lanes, and 2 pedestrian lanes and is capable of rotating 90 degrees to allow ships to pass through. The shape of its spar and cables is said to evoke an image of an Irish harp lying on its edge. It was constructed in Rotterdam by Hollandia who also made the London Eye, and was shipped to Dublin on the 3rd of May 2009. It officially opened on the 10th of December 2009 at a cost of €60 million.