Dublin Street Names

Introduction to the derivation of the streetnames of Dublin. For more details, see Archiseek.com’s book “Dublin Street Names” available at Amazon.co.uk.

A | B | C | D | E | F | G | H | I | J | K | L | M
N | O | P | Q | R | S | T | U | V | W | X | Y | Z

A

Abbey Street
Derives its name from its proximity to the medieval St Mary’s Abbey.

Adelaide Road
Named after Queen Adelaide – wife of William IV.

Admiral Brown Walk
A new walkway named for the Mayo-born Admiral William Brown, founder of the Argentine Navy. The monument is a bronze replica of one at Belgrano, presented to Ireland by the Argentine Navy.

Andrew’s Lane
Derives its name from St Andrew’s Church which was the Chapel for the Irish Parliament.

St Andrew’s Street
Derives its name from the church of St Andrew, which was here from medieval times.

Amiens Street
Named after Viscount Amiens, First Earl of Aldborough whose family home was nearby. It was originally known as The Strand.

Anglesea Street
This was developed on the estate of Lord Arthur Annesley, first Earl of Anglesey.

Ardee Street
Named after Sir Arthur Brabazon, Baron of Ardee, later Earl of Meath. Surrounding streets – Earl St North, Meath Street and Brabazon Street are also named after him. previously known as Crooked Staff.

Arnott Street
Named after Sir John Arnott who developed the area with James Lombard after whom a street is also named.

Asgard Road
Named for the gaff rigged Ketch upon which Erskine Childers sailed into Howth in 1914 with a cargo of German guns for the Irish Volunteers.

Aungier Street
Named after the Aungier Family who acquired the lands of the Carmelite Monastery which was here. The street was driven through an oval plot of land which traditionally hadnot been built on as it was the site of an old pool. In plan, thesurrounding streets can be seen to curve around this area until AungierStreet was built.

Aughrim Street
Named to celebrate the centenary of the Battle of Aughrim which took place in 1691. Was originally part of Blackhorse Lane due to its proximity to the barracks.

B

Bachelors Walk
This was named after a property developer who built here after the quays were extended downstream from Ormond Quay in the 1670s.

Baggot Street
Baggot Street is named after Robert, Lord Bagod who was given the Manor of Rath in the 13th century. Baggot Rath castle stood at what is now the junction of Wateloo Road and Baggot Street.

Benburb Street
Named after the battle in County Armagh of 1646. Originally Barrack Street.

Benson Stree
Built in the 1840s named after Richard Benson who, along with Luke Gardiner, acquired much of the Rogerson estate.

Beresford Place
Named after the Rt. Hon. John Beresford, head of the Wide Streets Commissioners who was responsible for bringing James Gandon to Ireland. Gandon designed the Custom House which Beresford Place encloses as well as the terrace of five houses.

Blood Stoney Road
Named for the celebrated engineer, Bindon Blood Stoney.

Bolton Street
This street was named in 1724 after the Lord Lieutenant Charles Powlett who was the Earl of Bolton.

Brabazon Street
Named after Sir Arthur Brabazon, Baron of Ardee, later Earl of Meath. originally known as Cuckold’s Row.

Bride Street
This is named after St Bride’s Church (which was a pre-Viking foundation) which was demolished as part of the Iveagh Trust Scheme in the late 1800s.

Britain Quay
First built in 1727 and named for the island of Britain which it faces, the quay was not completed until the Grand Canal Docks project of the 1790s.

C

Capel Street
This is named after the family of the Lord Lieutenant of 1672-77, Lord Essex.

Castle Street
Named because it was the main route to Dublin Castle before the construction of Lord Edward Street.

Cathal Brugha Street
Named after a signatory of the 1916 Rising – was originally Gregg Lane.

Cecelia Street
Named after a member of the Fownes family who developed Cope and Fownes Street.

Chancery Street
Behind the Four Courts, the Chancery Courts was traditionally one of the four courts – hence the name.

Charlotte Quay
Like Charlotte Bridge, this was named for Princess Charlotte, daughter of the Prince Regent, who married Leopold, King of the Belgians but died in childbirth in 1817. She was named for her grandmother, Charlotte of Mecklenburg, wife of George III.

Christ Church Place
Named after Christ Church Cathedral, this was formerly known as Skinner’s Row as it was the centre of the skinning industry in medieval Dublin. The nearby High Street was once heavily involved in the leather trade also.

Clare Street
Named after Denzille Holles, Earl of Clare.

Clarence Street
Named after the Duke of Clarence.

Clarendon Street
Named after the Earl of Clarendon who was a Wide Streets Commissioner.

College Green
Original this was known as Hoggen Green deriving its name from the Scandinavian word for mound. It was near the Thingmote which was the Viking assembly place. It was renamed College Green after Trinity College in the 1600s.

College Street
Named due to its proximity to Trinity College. At one time it was intended to construct an entrance front for the college on this street at the end of D’Olier Street, thereby creating a suitable ending for the Georgian vista down D’Olier and Drogheda Streets.

Constitution Hill
Named due to its proximity to the Kings Inns Law Society. Originally was Glasmunogue.

Cope Street
Named after a member of the Fownes family who owned land here.

Cork Hill
Named after the Earl of Cork whose home Cork House was built on the site of the present City Hall.

Cork Street
Named after the Earl of Cork.

Cornmarket
So named as it was the site of the corn and grain market during medieval times.

Crampton Court
Named after the Lord Mayor of 1758. The Cramptons were major landowners in the Temple Bar area.

Crowe Street
Named after the Crowe family, who had a medieval mansion in this area.

D

Dame Street
Originally there was a nunnery called St Mary del Dame from which this street derives its name. This in turn was named because of the nearby crossing point of the river Poddle.

Dawson Street
This was named after Harry Dawson who laid out Dawson, Grafton, Anne and Harry Streets in the area.

Dean Street
Near St Patrick’s Cathedral, this was part of the Cathedral’s Liberty. Originally was Cross Poddle.

Denzille Lane
Named after Denzille Holles, Earl of Clare. Clare and Holles Streets are also named after him.

Digges Lane
Originally was Goat Alley.

D’Olier Street
Named after Jeremiah D’Olier who was city Sheriff in 1788.

Dominick Street
This was developed by the Dominick family, hence the name.

Dorset Street
Originally this was Drumcondra Lane until the area was built up by the Gardiners.

Drury Street
This was originally known as Little Boater Lane

E

Earlsfort Terrace
Named after John Scott, Baron Earlsfort, later Earl of Clonmell

Earl Street
Developed by Henry Moore, Earl of Drogheda whose juvenile sense of humour is reflected in the street names bearing his name, Henry Street, Moore Street, Earl Street, Of Lane (now Off lane), and Drogheda Street.

Eden Quay
Named after a former Chief Secretary to Ireland William Eden, who asked John Beresford to name a street or a square after him if their combined plans for the improvement of Dublin ever came into being.

Ely Place
Developed by Gustavus Hume, the first house was leased to Henry Loftus, Viscount of Ely later Earl of Ely

Ellis Quay
Named after the Agar Ellis family, who were Viscounts of Clifden.

Essex Gate
This is named after the Earl of Essex who was a member of the Capel family and was Viceroy for a period. It was also a gate into the medieval city.

Essex Street
Named after the Viceroy Earl of Essex. Originally was Orange Street and earlier was Smock Alley.

Eustace Street
This is named after the Eustace family who had a mansion here.

Exchange Street
Named due to its proximity to the original Royal Exchange. Was Chequer Street previously.

Exchequer Street
The Royal Exchequer was based here in the middle ages.

F

Fleet Street
Originally this marked the edge of the south bank of the Liffey along with Temple Bar. The name presumably derives from fleets of ships coming up the river to moor here.

Fishamble Street
This was the center for fish processing in the medieval city.

Fitzwilliam Square
Named after the Fitzwilliam family who developed this land as part of their great estate on the southside of the Liffey.

Forbes Street
Named for the George Forbes, Lord Mayor of Dublin in 1720.

Fosters Place
Named after John Foster, a Wide Streets Commissioner and Speaker of the House of Commons in the Irish Parliament.

Fownes Street
This is named after the Fownes family who had a medieval mansion and gardens in this area stretching down to the riverside.

Francis Street
Named due to its proximity to the mendicant friary of St Francis and originally known as St Francis Street.

Frederick Street
Originally known as Library Street

G

Gardiner Street
Named after Luke Gardiner, who as head of the Gardiner Estate was responsible for laying out much of this part of Dublin. At one time the Gardiners owned 25 percent of the city within the canals.

Grafton Street
Named after the Earls of Grafton who owned land in this area and developed by the Dawson family.

Grand Canal Street
Known as Grand Canal Street since 1791 after the nearby Canal docks. Originally Artichoke Road after John Villiboise, a Huguenot settler, who obtained built a house here in 1736 and grew artichokes in his garden.

H

Hanover Quay
Named for the family of George I, Elector of Hanover, who was invited to Britain by the Protestant elite in 1714 to secure the throne.

Harcourt Street
Named after Lord Harcourt, a former Lord Lieutenant of Ireland.

Harry Street
Named after Harry Dawson who developed the area.

Harrington Street
Named after a former Lord Mayor of Dublin.

Hatch Street
This area was owned by the Leeson family but they let sites to John Hatch, after whom the street is named, in 1759.

Henrietta Street
This street was developed by Luke Gardiner and was named after Henrietta, Duchess of Grafton.

Henry Street
Developed by Henry Moore, Earl of Drogheda whose juvenile sense of humour is reflected in the street names bearing his name, Henry Street, Moore Street, Earl Street, Of Lane (now Off lane), and Drogheda Street.

Heytesbury Street
Named after the 1st Earl of Heytesbury

Holles Street
Named after Denzille Holles who was Earl of Clare

Horse Fair Road
Named for a horse-fair said to have been held in the South Lotts in the 18th century.

Hume Street
Both Hume Street and Ely Place were laid out by a surgeon turned building speculator Gustavus Hume

I

Inns Quay
Named after the Kings Inns which occupied a site here since its foundation in 1561.

J

James Gate
Originally there was a city gate near here and the proximity to St James Church combined to give the street its name. Now best known for being the home of the Guinness Brewery.

Jervis Street
Named after Sir Humphrey Jervis, Dublin Lord Mayor and business man who laid out the area around St Mary’s Abbey after he bought much of the estate.

K

Kildare Street
Named after the Fitzgeralds, Earls of Kildare and Leinster who built Leinster House as their townhouse in 1745.

L

Leeson Street
Originally known as Suesey Street, it was renamed in 1728 after the Leesons, Earls of Milltown, who were a brewing family.

Leinster Street
Named due to its proximity to the large mansion of the Fitzgerald family, Earls of Kildare and Leinster.

Lincoln Place
Fomerly known as Park Street

Little Ship Street
Originally know as Pole or Poole Street because of the nearby pool behind the castle. This pool was the ‘dubh linn’ from which the city derives its name.

Lombard Street West
Named after James Lombard who helped develop the area.

M

MacMahon Bridge
A Grand Canal bridge named after General Sean MacMahon (1894 – 1955) who served with de Valera at Boland’s Mill in 1916 and subsequently became Chief of Staff in the Irish Free State.

Maquay Bridge
Grand Canal bridge was named for George Maquay (1758 – 1820), director of the Grand Canal Company and one of the founding members of the Ballast Board.

Marlborough Street
Named after the Duke of Marlborough for his victories in the wars of spanish Succession.

Meeting House Lane
So named because of the many religious establishments that were based here in the 17th century.

Merrion Square
Developed by the Fitzwilliam Estate and named Merrion because ancestors of the Fitzwilliams lived in Merrion.

Merrion Street
Developed by the Fitzwilliam Estate

Misery Hill
Derives its name from when the corpses of those executed at Gallows Hill near Upper Baggot Street were carted here and strung up to rot as a warning to other would be troublemakers.

Molesworth Street
This was originally known as Molesworth Fields and named after Viscount Molesworth who laid it out removing several houses on Dawson Street so they would intersect.

Montgomery Street
Named after Elizabeth Montgomery, wife of Luke Gardiner.

Moore Street
Developed by Henry Moore, Earl of Drogheda whose juvenile sense of humour is reflected in the street names bearing his name, Henry Street, Moore Street, Earl Street, Of Lane (now Off lane), and Drogheda Street. Now known for its fruit and vegetable market.

Mountjoy Square
This was named after Luke Gardiner, the first Viscount Mountjoy (Earls of Blessington) who developed the square. He was the grandson of the Luke Gardiner who built Henrietta Street.

N

Nassau Street
Originally known as St Patrick’s Well Lane, it was renamed in the 1700s after the Royal House of Nassau.

O

O’Connell Street
Originally developed by the Earls of Drogheda and known as Drogheda Street. The area was bought by the Gardiner Estate and extended to the river. In the 19th Century this was known as Sackville Street after a Lord Lieutenant and after independence was renamed O’Connell Street after the Liberator Daniel O’Connell. At one time it was the widest street in Europe.

Of Lane
Fomerly known as Off Lane, it was developed by Henry Moore, Earl of Drogheda whose juvenile sense of humour is reflected in the street names bearing his name, Henry Street, Moore Street, Earl Street, Of Lane, and Drogheda Street.

Ormond Quay
This is named after the Viceroy , the Duke of Ormond who insisted that the houses built on the north bank of the Liffey faced the river, Ormond Quay was developed by Sir Humphrey Jervis under a lease of 1674.

P

Parliament Street
This was the first development of the board of Wide Streets Commissioners which was created by an Act of Parliament specifically to develop this thoroughfare. The street completes the north-south axis of Capel Street with the vista being terminated by City Hall.

Parnell Street
Originally known as Great Britain Street – renamed after the Irish statesman – Charles Stewart Parnell.

Parnell Square
Originally called Rutland Square which referred to the park in the centre. The surrounding streets were known as Charlemont Row, Cavendish Row and Palace Row and Great Britain Street.

Parkgate Street
So named because of the main city side entrance to the Phoenix Park.

Patrick Street
Named after St Patrick’s Cathedral, started in 1191. The cathedral was built on the site of an earlier site that was believed to have been started by Saint Patrick.

Pearse Street
Originally known as Moss Lane, then Great Brunswick Street, and later Pearse Street after Padraig Pearse, leader of the 1916 Easter Rising.

Pembroke Street
Part of the Fitzwilliam Estate which was subsequently inherited by the Earls of Pembroke.

Prussia Street
Named after Frederick the Great of Prussia.

S

Ship Street
This is a bastardisation of the medieval name of Sheep Street.

Sean McDermott Street
Named one of the signatories of the Proclamation of Independence of 1916. Originally known as Gloucester Street and earlier Great Martin’s Lane .

Sir John Rogerson Quay
This is named after the property developer who built the quay wall, reclaiming the former mud flats and slob lands behind it.

South Anne Street
Developed by Harry Dawson along with Dawson, Harry, and Grafton Streets.

South Cumberland Street
Originally a country lane, there were buildings on Cumberland Street and nearby Boyne Street from the 17th Century. Named after the Duke of Cumberland.

Suffolk Street
This was the site of the Viking assembly mound or Thingmote.

St Patrick’s Close
Next to St Patrick’s Cathedral, the Close contains the various ancillary buildings connected to the Cathedral including the Choir School which has operated from the 1400s, the Dean’s Residence and Marshes Library. Originally the Close would have contained many more residences for the clergy.

St. Stephen’s Green
Originally the four malls have differnat names – North was Beaux Walk, South was Leeson’s Walk, East was Monk’s Walk, West was French Walk.

T

Temple Bar
Originally this formed the riverbank of the Liffey estuary before the construction of the Quays. It was spelt as ‘Temple Barr’.

Townsend Street
This was originally known as Lazers Hill but was renamed after the Lord Lieutenant and General Governor of Ireland, Viscount George Townsend, in the eighteenth century.

Thomas Street
Named after the nearby medicant Augustinian Friary of St Thomas à Beckett. Originally it was St Thomas Street but the prefix has been dropped.

Trinity Street
At one time there was a Halls of Residence for Trinity College on this Street, hence Trinity Street.

U

Usher’s Island
This name comes from John Ussher who leased this former island from the corporation in 1597.

Usher’s Quay
This is also named after the Ussher family whose home was sited nearby.

W

Wellington Quay
This was the last of the city quays to be constructed. It was built around 1812 and replaced a row of houses which were built to the river’s edge. It was named after Arthur Wellesley, later Duke of Wellington, who was born on Merrion Street.

Werburgh Street
Named after the medieval church of St Werburgh’s.

Westland Row
Originally known as Westlands after William Westland who owned the property in the area.

Whitefriar Street
So named because of the Carmelite Monastery which has been here since the 1200s.

William Street
Named after the developer of the street, William Williams, and the monarch of the time.

Winetavern Street
This street was mainly populated by taverns and drinking establishments. Handel’s Messiah was first performed in the music hall on this street, now the site of Keenan’s workshops.

Wood Quay
Originally the street was built on wooden piles, driven into the river bed from which its derives its name.