James Joyce Bridge is a road bridge spanning the River Liffey

River Liffey

The Liffey is a river in Ireland, which flows through the centre of Dublin. Its major tributaries include the River Dodder, the River Poddle and the River Camac. The river supplies much of Dublin's water, and a range of recreational opportunities.-Name:The river was previously named An Ruirthech,...

 in Dublin, Ireland

Republic of Ireland

Ireland , described as the Republic of Ireland , is a sovereign state in Europe occupying approximately five-sixths of the island of the same name. Its capital is Dublin. Ireland, which had a population of 4.58 million in 2011, is a constitutional republic governed as a parliamentary democracy,...

, joining the south quays to Blackhall Place on the north side

Northside (Dublin)

The Northside is the area in County Dublin, Ireland bounded to the south by the River Liffey to the east by Dublin Bay, to the north and west by the boundaries of County Dublin.- Introduction :...

.

Designed by Spanish architect Santiago Calatrava

Santiago Calatrava

Santiago Calatrava Valls is a Spanish architect, sculptor and structural engineer whose principal office is in Zürich, Switzerland. Classed now among the elite designers of the world, he has offices in Zürich, Paris, Valencia, and New York City....

, it is a single-span structural steel design, 40 m (131 ft) long, with the deck supported from two outward angled arches.

The bridge was built by Irishenco Construction, using pre-fabricated steel sections from Harland and Wolff

Harland and Wolff

Harland and Wolff Heavy Industries is a Northern Irish heavy industrial company, specialising in shipbuilding and offshore construction, located in Belfast, Northern Ireland....

 of Belfast.

The bridge is named for the famous Dublin author James Joyce

James Joyce

James Augustine Aloysius Joyce was an Irish novelist and poet, considered to be one of the most influential writers in the modernist avant-garde of the early 20th century...

, and was opened on June 16, 2003 (Bloomsday

Bloomsday

Bloomsday is a commemoration observed annually on 16 June in Dublin and elsewhere to celebrate the life of Irish writer James Joyce and relive the events in his novel Ulysses, all of which took place on the same day in Dublin in 1904...

). Joyce's short story "The Dead

The Dead (short story)

"The Dead" is the final short story in the 1914 collection Dubliners by James Joyce. It is the longest story in the collection and is often considered the best of Joyce's shorter works. At 15,672 words it has also been considered a novella....

" is set in Number 15 Usher's Island, the house facing the bridge on the south side.

Cultural references

In the film Inside I'm Dancing

Inside I'm Dancing

Inside I'm Dancing, also released under the title Rory O'Shea Was Here, is a 2004 Irish film directed by Damien O'Donnell and starring James McAvoy, Steven Robertson, Romola Garai, and Brenda Fricker...

the character Rory jokingly complains the edge is too high preventing him from throwing himself off the bridge while in his wheelchair.