The Liberties

This walk is through an area that has changed substantially in the last few decades. The Liberties were those parts of Dublin granted a certain amount of autonomy by the British monarch in the Middle Ages.

Summary
For instance, the Liberty of Christ Church was under the jurisdiction of the Dean of Christ Church Cathedral.  As well as being responsible for the welfare of his citizens, the dean could pass laws and punish transgressors. 

Large areas around the center of the city remained outside the jurisdiction of Dublin Corporation until the mid- 19th century.  Today, the term 'the Liberties' has come to mean the part of inner Dublin approximately west of Aungier Street and south of the River Liffey.  The places that you will visit still have connections with either a turbulent past or a grim one in which political upheaval or dire poverty were the order of the day.  In the 17th century, they were wealthy districts, when the crafts of the immigrant Huguenots had a ready market. 

When, in 1699, the English slapped penal duties on Irish imports, the Liberties were plunged into a despair that lingered until relatively recently.  The once terrible slums and dereliction of the past have since been wiped away and you will pass a succession of pleasant and busy streets, a pair of former graveyards now converted into tiny city parks, and the spot where the patriot Robert Emmet was executed, before finally arriving at the extraordinary visitors' centre attached to the world famous Guinness Brewery.

Start:  Stephen's Green Hotel, Stephen's Green. 
DART: Pearse Station (15 minutes). 
Buses: 10, 11, 11A, 11B, 13, 15A, 46A. 
Car parking: College of Surgeons and the St Stephen's Green Centre multistorey car parks.  There is metered on-street parking around the Green.

Finish:  Visitors' Centre, Guinness Brewery, Market Street. 
DART: None.
Buses: 123, 68A, 78A.

Length:  2.4 km (1.5 miles)
Time:  1 hour
Refreshments:  The route will take you past some taverns, but the walk is hardly demanding – the Start and Finish venues should be adequate to meet your needs.
Pathway Status:  Public footpaths.
Best Time to Visit:  Any time providing the Guinness visitor Centre is open when you arrive.
Suitable for Bicycles:  Yes, except for parks.

Adapted from Walking Dublin By Pat Liddy 1998.

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The above information was valid to the best knowledge available to the complier but responsibility cannot be accepted for any unintentional inaccuracies or out of date data.