Rosie Hackett among the names put forward in the quest to find name for new Liffey bridge
Updated: 16:34, Friday, 22 March 2013
The three most recent bridges across the Liffey were named after men
Former trade unionist and Irish Citizen Army member Rosie Hackett is one of the early favourites in a quest to find a name for Dublin’s latest bridge over the Liffey.
The Marlborough Street bridge is due to open in the autumn for buses and eventually provide a link up for the Luas lines.
A commemorative naming committee of Dublin City Council has published a newspaper advertisement inviting submissions from members of the public on a name for the bridge.
Ms Hackett was involved in the 1913 lockout, as well as the 1916 Rising.
She has recently been the subject of a Facebook campaign and had one submission with 550 email petitions before the ad was published.
This has risen to 1,635 since.
However, former camogie player Kay Mills, who holds the record of 15 All-Ireland medals, had the highest number of individual submissions at 32.
Former Nobel Laureate scientist Ernest Walton had two submissions, including a petition of 2,843.
Chairman of the commemorative committee Labour Cllr Dermot Lacey said there was an argument for naming the bridge after a woman.
The three most recent bridges were named after Samuel Beckett, Seán O’Casey and James Joyce.
Only two of the 23 bridges over the Liffey have female names - Sarah’s Bridge at Islandbridge and Anna Livia Bridge at Lucan.
Cllr Lacey also said there is an argument that the centenary of the lockout should be commemorated.
He said the committee wanted to name it after someone who had been deceased for at least 20 years.
He hopes to have a recommendation ready for a vote of city councillors by July.
Other names being proposed include James Connolly, Bram Stoker, WB Yeats and the Abbey Bridge, as the structure will be facing the front of the new Abbey Theatre.
Members of the public have until 19 April to make a submission.
They can do so by writing to Cllr Dermot Lacey c/o Culture, Recreation and Amenity Department, Civic Offices, Dublin 8 or email cra@dublincity.ie.
Facebook link: http://www.facebook.com/pages/Rosie-…219687?fref=ts
more info on Rosy:
About Rosie Hackett:
Rosie Hackett was a socialist, a trade unionist and a member of the Irish Citizen Army. She was born in Dublin in 1892 and joined the Irish Transport and General Workers Union when it was established in 1909. Aged 18, she led industrial action which resulted in 3000 women getting a pay rise in Jacobs Factory. She was also involved in the 1913 Dublin Lockout. She worked in the Eden Quay Co-operative, so she has a strong connection with the area. She also fought for the Irish Citizen Army during the 1916 Rising and occupied the Royal College of Surgeons with Countess Markievicz. She was a founder member of the Irish Women Workers Union. She died in 1976, after working in the trade union movement for 60 years.
