North Strand
North Strand (Irish: An Trá Thuaidh ) is a residential inner city neighbourhood on the Northside of Dublin, Ireland.
Location and access
The area is physically bounded by the River Tolka to the north and the railway tracks to the east. North Strand is considered to extend to the Five Lamps junction to the south, and to neighbouring Ballybough to the northwest. It lies within two postal districts, Dublin 1 and Dublin 3.
The area is bisected from the south-west to northeast by the North Strand Road, which serves as a main arterial route for traffic to and from the city centre and Malahide, Howth and the M50. This road was at one time coastal, before the expansion of Dublin's docklands to the east. The East Wall was constructed to provide access to deeper water for ships, but it also enabled reclamation of the land east of North Strand road and the expansion of Dublin City to the northeast.
It is also bisected by the Royal Canal. The Royal Canal and the North Strand Road cross each other at Newcomen Bridge, which is the first lock on the canal. As shown in John Roque's map of Dublin in 1756, the development of the Royal Canal was complete in Dublin before any significant development occurred in North Strand. This 1836 map of dublin, shows the North Strand / Ballybough area to be one of the first areas of Dublin City to extend beyond the canal boundaries.
History
North Strand Bombing
Perhaps the most infamous occurrence associated with the North Strand was "the North Strand Bombing". On the night of 31 May 1941, during World War II, German aircraft of the Luftwaffe bombed neutral Dublin. Four bombs were dropped in the vicinity of North Strand between 12:30am and 2am. The fourth bomb was the largest and most destructive, landing 30m south of Newcomen Bridge, directly in the centre of North Strand village, severely damaging the main street. A memorial park to the victims of the attack is now located near the Five Lamps.
External links
- See also: List of towns in the Republic of Ireland