Just a “hop, skip & a jump” from Hotel 7 is O’Connell Street, the main street of Dublin. Originally called Sackville Street it was renamed in 1924 in honour of Daniel O’Connell, an Irish revolutionary from the early 19th century. A statue of the famous “Liberator” stands at the lower end of the street, facing O’Connell Bridge. O’Connell Bridge which is the only bridge in Europe wider than it is long!
O’Connell Street is a short walk through some of Dublin’s most popular sites:
- The Parnell Monument; statue of the dubbed “uncrowned King of Ireland” and leader of the Irish Parliamentary Party, Charles Stewart Parnell, 2-minutes’ walk from Hotel 7
- The “Spire”, officially titled the “Monument of Light”, 121.1 metres high stands on the site of the former Nelsons Pillar, is one of the world’s tallest sculptures.
- The GPO (General Post Office) was the Irish headquarters of the Easter 1916 Rising.
- Jim Larkin Statue: a key figure in Irish history, an Irish trade union and social activist is famous for his campaigning for workers’ rights and the 1913 lockout, the most significant industrial dispute in Irish history.
- Daniel O’Connell monument – complete with bullet holes from the 1916 rising, on the south end of O’Connell Street, over 10 metres high this bronze monument commemorates the “Liberator”.