O'Connell Street...the story of the street and its buildings

In this podcast, architects Klaus Unger and Stephen Kane present a history of Dublin City's main thoroughfare, O'Connell Street, formerly named Sackville Street. Hear about the unique design features of some of its famous landmark buildings and the stories behind them.  Klaus and Stephen outline the origins of O'Connell Street area as it evolved from the tangle of medieval Dublin, before discussing the influence of the Wide Street Commission, Lord Gardiner, and renowned architects Edward Lovett Pearce, Richard Cassels, Gandon and Francis Johnston (Nelson's Pillar).

O'Connell Street...the story of the street and its buildings - Transcript

For further reading, Klaus recommends David Dickson's Dublin: The making of a Capital City and Muiris De Buitléir's A portrait of Dublin in maps : history, geography, people, society.

Recorded in Rathmines Library on 23 August 2016 as part of our Heritage Week 2016 Programme.