Yesterday I released this podcast which was a walk through Dublin in the year 1320 A.D. In a follow up post I here I am taking a look around modern Dublin to see what remains of that city we visited in that show. If you haven’t heard it, you will need to listen to the show to fully follow the post below (download it here or listen here (Podcast 108)

The best place to begin is with this map. It was one of the main sources I used. Created by the historian Howard Clarke it superimposes a map of medieval Dublin on a modern map. It gives you some sense how small the city was and also how much the street layout has changed. (source http://www.census.nationalarchives.ie/exhibition/dublin/short_history/map_1.html )

The tour began on Hoggen Green which is near Tengmouth street on the right of this map. The green is long gone (but roughly stood where College Green/Dame St is today). It looks more like the picture below now, it’s s a view from the junction of George’s Street and Dame St. I mentioned the burned out Exchequer building in the podcast, that would have been situated on the left hand side of Georges street (on the right of the picture). All that remains today of this building is the name “Exchequer Street”. We then walked along what was known as Tengmouth street (see map). This was more or less along the alignment of Dame Street. This has changed much from the muddy lane mentioned in the show.

At this point in the podcast we would have approached the medieval city walls and the river Poddle where heard the sounds of the mills along its banks. The Poddle now flows through tunnels beneath the street below. Had we been standing here in 1320A.D. we would have seen the mills mentioned, some of which would have stood roughly where this glass building stands now.

We then Approached the Dame’s Gate which would have stood here. Then, inside the city we turned left onto Lorrimer street (now Cork Hill) before turning onto Castle Street. Below is a shot of Castle street today. This looks back down the street from the direction we came in the podcast. The church of St Mary del Dam stood roughly where the green doomed building is now which is the city hall. This street like all others has been substantially widened over centuries while no medieval buildings survive. Approaching the end of Castle Street, the Priory of the Holy Trinity (Christchurch) dominates the skyline.

We then continued onto Bothe Street which ran parralel to the priory. This entire area of Dublin has been heavily modified in the 20th century but Bothe street ran roughly along the same allignment of the modern Christhchurch Place.

At the end of the Bothe Street, we reached a crossroads in the centre of medieval Dublin. This is now a large busy junction in Dublin where Nicholas’ St and High St meet. We then turned right in the podcast and went down Trinity Lane and then onto Winetavern Street. In the last one hundred fifty years these streets has been completely realigned and made into one. Trinity Lane is has been obliterated by an extended and widened Winetavern Street which now looks like this (the arch was only built in the 1870s). Trinity lane would have roughly ran up to the farside of the arch.

At the bottom of Winetavern Street, Prichett’s tower stood obscuring the view of the river. This has been replaced and a bridge has been built across the river.

We then walked along the city docks which lead to the only bridge which crossed the Liffey in 1320. This bridge roughly stood where Father Matthew bridge (pictured below) now stands. Crossing the bridge we heard the singing from the Dominican St Saviour’s Priory. This stood roughly where the Four Courts is situated (below).

Finally, before we finished I mentioned the city gallows along a route called Hangman’s Lane. At first glance there is no sign of it, but this is Hammond Lane, a later corruption of the word Hangman’s Lane. The Irish name is Lana an Criochaire which literally mean Hangman’s Lane.

This episode of the podcast was quite different from previous episodes so let me know what you make of it by contacting me @irishhistory on twitter or irishhistorypodcast on facebook or just comment below. Your feedback will shape future episodes. Thanks