OUR LOCAL HISTORY
Custom house
7 November 1791
O’Reilly’s Bar is located directly across the River Liffey from One of Dublin’s finest 18th-Century buildings, it was almost destroyed during the War for Independence in 1921. However, ships carrying cargoes of dutiable goods, such as wine, tobacco, sugar and tea continued to tie up at the nearby quays. Their cargoes were often stored in warehouses or ’stacks’ attached to the Custom House Dock. In 1840 the building became the Irish headquarters of the Poor Law Commissioners, who carried a major responsibility for relief during the great famine of the 1840s.
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In 1872 the Custom House became the headquarters of the Local Government Board of Ireland. The building also housed the Irish Revenue Commissioners. In May 1921, during the Irish War of Independence, the Dublin Brigade of the IRA attacked the building, setting it on fire. They wished to destroy the main tax and local government records as part of their campaign to undermine British administration in Ireland. The fire lasted for five days; all that survived was the shell.
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After the Anglo-Irish Treaty, it was restored by the Irish Free State government. The results of this reconstruction can still be seen on the building's exterior today – the dome was rebuilt using Irish Ardbraccan limestone which is noticeably darker than the Portland stone used in the original construction. This was done to promote Irish resources.
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Further restoration and cleaning of the stonework was done by an Office of Public Works (OPW) team in the 1980s.
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In November 2021, a visitor experience opened at the Custom House, exploring the building, burning and restoration of the structure; it was developed by the OPW, Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage and Fáilte Ireland.
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Heritage Ireland - Dublin Docklands - Wikipedia - Irish Independent - RTE Archives.
TARA STREET DART STATION
May 1891
O’Reilly’s Bar is located directly beside and beneath Tara Street Station, located in the heart of Dublin city centre and is one of Irish Rail's busiest stations. Known fully as 'Tara Street & George's Quay' station, it was the only one built on the City of Dublin Junction Railway's line, which linked the Dublin & South Eastern Railway's station at Westland Row (Pearse) with the Great Northern Railway's Amiens St Station (Connolly).
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The construction of this line in May 1891, known commonly as the 'loop line', required the building of the well known lattice bridge across the River Liffey and the construction of lengthy stone and brick viaducts.
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Tara Street Station has up & down platforms, and the original station buildings where located at street level, now long since replaced by the modern one. The platforms also once had brick & wooden retaining walls with canopies, but only a section of this survives at the south end of the station. The DSER signal cabin was located on the up platform where a disused shop stand now lies, it had been taken out of use in 1925 by the Great Southern Railway.
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The DART serves 31 stations and consists of 53 route kilometres of electrified railway (46 km (29 mi) double track, 7 km (4.3 mi) single), and carries in the region of 20 million passengers per year.
DART stands for 'Dublin Area Rapid Transit' and is a high-frequency service along Dublin's coastline.
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One of the unique features of O’Reilly’s Bar location underneath the three 170 year old candlelit gothic arches is that you can hear the roar and thunder of the locomotives passing above your head whilst sitting in the Bar.
TARA STREET
1885
O’Reilly’s Bar is located right beside Tara Street which was developed as a completely new street in 1885 replacing Shoe Lane, part of which was called Stocking Lane, Fleet Market, and George's Street. The street was named after Tara, the home of the ancient high kings of Ireland.
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In April 1907 Dublin Fire Brigade opened its headquarters at the new fire station at the corner of Tara Street and Pearse Street. This would be the headquarters of the Fire Brigade until a new headquarters was opened in Townsend Street in 1998.
The brick watch tower at the intersection of the two streets is now a protected structure.
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During the Easter Rising, British artillery shelled Liberty Hall from Tara Street, though the road surface made it difficult.
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It was the home of Tara Street Baths, opened in 1886, and demolished in 1986 when it was replaced by the Countess Markievicz Pool.
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Tara Street was widened in 1932 after Butt Bridge was changed from a swing bridge to a three span fixed structure.
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In October 2006, The Irish Times moved to new headquarters in Tara Street. Previously, it had been based on D'Olier Street.
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Tara Street Image 1930s - Heiton McFerran Hardware Shop 1967 - Irish Citizen Army on the roof of Liberty Hall 1916 - Wikipedia.
TARA STREET
BATHS & WASH HOUSE
1886
O’Reilly’s Bar is located very close to the former site of The Tara St. Baths and Wash House which opened in 1886. The building housed a beautifully constructed Victorian swimming pool with large family changing room above accessed by a wrought iron staircase.
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The Bath house laundry facility was set up to to provide the local population of Dublin in having access to low cost laundry services.
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Many children from the city attended on a weekly basis either for swimming or lessons. During the Sheriff St Community games week swim races were held here. The pool was also used by the local Holy Faith Convent School, in Clarendon St. to provide swimming lessons to their pupils.
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This school is now the location of the Westbury Hotel. The Tara St location is now home to Dublin Fire Brigade.
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File & Image sources: Maria McGrane Courtesy of NPA, Our Irish Heritage & RTE.
O Reillys Bar, Tara St, Dublin 2 | 01 6716769 | Info@oreillys.ie