Merrion Gates
{{Short description|Railway level crossing}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=February 2022}}
{{Use Irish English|date=February 2022}}
The Merrion Gates ({{Irish place name|Geataí Mhuirfean}}){{cite web|url = https://www.logainm.ie/1382134.aspx | publisher = Placenames Database of Ireland | website = logainm.ie | title = Geataí Mhuirfean / Merrion Gates | accessdate = 20 May 2022 }} is a railway level crossing in Merrion/Sandymount, Dublin, Ireland, where the DART and Dublin–Rosslare railway line crosses Strand Road near its junction with Merrion Road. There is pedestrian access to Sandymount Strand immediately to the east of the railway crossing.
First built in 1834,{{cite book | chapter = Merrion Gates | title = The Little Book of Merrion and Booterstown | first = Hugh | last = Oram | publisher = History Press | date = 2018 | isbn = 9780750989497 }} the junction is a "notorious" traffic bottleneck,{{cite web|url=http://www.independent.ie/irish-news/50m-plan-to-end-traffic-nightmare-at-level-crossing-on-dart-tracks-35165700.html|title=€50m plan to end traffic nightmare at level crossing on Dart tracks|author=Paul Melia|publisher=Irish Independent|date=2016-10-27|accessdate=2016-10-27| quote = }} which also restricts the possible frequency of railway traffic.{{cite web|url = https://www.irishtimes.com/news/environment/dublin-4-residents-shocked-at-plan-to-fix-merrion-gates-bottleneck-1.2847434 | publisher = Irish Times | website = irishtimes.com | title = Dublin 4 residents shocked at plan to fix Merrion Gates bottleneck | date = 29 October 2016 | accessdate = 20 May 2022 | first = Olivia | last = Kelly | quote = Listeners to morning traffic reports will be familiar with the Merrion Gates, even if they've never been through them. [..] This bottleneck railway crossing causes persistent daily tailbacks }} The term "Merrion Gates" is sometimes used to refer to the surrounding area, and a number of nearby businesses take their name from the junction.{{cite web|url = https://merriongatesmedical.ie/about/ | website = merriongatesmedical.ie | title = Merrion Gates Medical Centre – About Us | accessdate = 20 May 2022 }}{{cite web|url = https://centra.ie/locate/leinster/dublin/4/merrion-gates | website = centra.ie | title = Centra – Merrion Gates | accessdate = 20 May 2022 }}
History
The Merrion Gates site is close to the former Merrion Castle, which was destroyed during the Irish Rebellion of 1641.{{cite book | title = The Ogham Stone: An Anthology of Contemporary Ireland | editor1-first = Gerald | editor1-last = Dawe | editor2-first = Michael | editor2-last = Mulreany | quote = Their [Fitzwilliam] residence, Merrion Castle, destroyed during the rebellion of 1641, was opposite the railway crossing at Merrion Gates }} The railway line and gates were built in 1834 by the Dublin and Kingstown Railway, at a site described in some sources as a "symbolic entry point to the inner city".{{cite book| title = The Oxford Handbook of Modern Irish History | editor-first = Alvin | editor-last = Jackson | first = Yvonne | last = Whelan | publisher= Oxford University Press | isbn = 9780191667602 | date = 2014 | page = 90 | quote = When the cortège arrived at Merrion Gates, the symbolic entry point to the inner city, the Papal Legate was formally welcomed by the Lord Mayor of Dublin }} Important passengers, who travelled to Dublin by train from Dún Laoghaire port, were sometimes greeted at the Merrion Gates – including the Papal legate in advance of the 1932 Eucharistic Congress.{{cite book | title = Edward J. Byrne, 1872–1941: The Forgotten Archbishop of Dublin | first = Thomas J. | last = Morrissey | date = 2010 | publisher = Columba Press | isbn = 9781856077033 | page = 199 | quote = At Merrion Gates, the boundary of the city of Dublin, there was a further reception party [for the Papal legate] }}
In 1921, during the Irish War of Independence, the Merrion Gates were the site of an ambush and shootout which resulted in the deaths of two civilians.{{cite web | url = https://www.theirishstory.com/2016/12/08/mrs-brophys-late-husband/#.YoeFBajMKM8 | website = theirishstory.com | title = Mrs. Brophy's Late Husband | first = Mark | last = Holan | date = 8 December 2016 | accessdate = 20 May 2022 }}{{cite web| url = https://www.militaryarchives.ie/collections/online-collections/bureau-of-military-history-1913-1921/reels/bmh/BMH.WS1773.pdf| publisher = Bureau of Military History | website = militaryarchives.ie | title = WS1773 – Statement of Witness – Patrick J. Brennan – page 16 | accessdate = 20 May 2022 }}
File:Merrion_Gates_Old_Station.JPG
The Merrion Gates railway crossing lies just north of the former Merrion railway station. This station opened in 1835 and closed in 1935.{{cite web|url = http://www.railscot.co.uk/Ireland/Irish_railways.pdf | title = Merrion | work = Railscot – Irish Railways | accessdate = 12 January 2010}} Neighbouring stations still in operation include Sydney Parade to the north and Booterstown to the south.
Development proposals
As of the early 21st century, the Merrion Gates are a well-known and "notorious" traffic bottleneck, where the gates have been reportedly "closed for up to 20 minutes per hour at peak times".
In 2016, the National Transport Authority unveiled a proposal to close the Merrion Gates and to divert motor traffic onto a new road bridge to be built over the railway approximately 250 metres to the north. The proposal expected that pedestrian and cycle traffic would be routed through a tunnel under the crossing.{{cite web|url=https://fe49d9ec8511d2dc0553-f8f415f79bf5d37d632aa2f721fb6d7c.ssl.cf3.rackcdn.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/10/Sandymount_Blackrock_Study-Public_Consultation_Document.pdf|title=Sandymount / Merrion to Blackrock Corridor Study – Public consultation document|publisher=National Transport Authority|date=October 2016|accessdate=2016-10-27}} As of mid-2018, these proposals had reportedly been "shelved".{{cite web |url = https://www.irishtimes.com/news/environment/merrion-gates-closure-plan-shelved-1.3518469 | publisher = Irish Times | website = irishtimes.com | title = Merrion Gates closure plan shelved | date = 4 June 2018 | accessdate = 20 May 2022 | first = Olivia | last = Kelly }}
References
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Category:Transport in County Dublin
Category:Railway stations in the Republic of Ireland closed in 1935